COVID-19: UAE, Saudi Arabia report first Omicron cases

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) detected the first cases of the new Omicron variant, recording the first known instances of new infections in the Persian Gulf region.

The Saudi Press Agency said its case was a citizen coming from what it described as a "North African country." The report said the infected individual and his close contacts had been quarantined.

The UAE also reported its first case of infection with the omicron variant late Wednesday. WAM news agency described the patient as an African woman who travelled from an African country through an Arab country, without specifying which nations.

Meanwhile, the United States on Wednesday became the latest country to identify an Omicron case within its borders.

The first known US case was a fully vaccinated person in California who returned to the United States from South Africa on November 22 and tested positive seven days later.

The person had mild symptoms and was in self-quarantine, Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease official, told reporters at the White House.

(With agency inputs)