Coronavirus: UAE confirms first case of Omicron variant

Health authorities register first case on Wednesday

Indian students apply the finishing touches to paintings created to raise awareness of the variant in Mumbai. Reuters

International travellers wearing personal protective equipment arrive at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport as Australia records its first cases of the Omicron variant. AFP

A greeting at the international terminal of Sydney Airport, as countries respond to the new variant. Reuters

A sign asking people to wear face coverings in a building in Manhattan as the newly discovered Omicron variant appears in countries around the world. AFP

Tourists wave as the ‘Europa’ passenger liner arrives in South African waters off Cape Town as the new coronavirus variant Omicron spreads in other countries. Reuters

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Dutch health authorities said they have found another case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant among passengers arriving from South Africa, bringing the country’s total to 14. AFP

Pupils wear face masks in Beijing. Despite the global worry, scientists say it remains unclear whether the Omicron variant is more dangerous than other strains of the virus. AP

People wearing face masks in Manhattan. New York's governor has declared a state of emergency due to the risk of a surge of Covid-19 cases as winter sets in. AFP

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid meets a member of staff at a vaccine centre in Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London. Getty Images

A sign points the way to a Covid-19 test centre at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. AFP

Narita International Airport in Japan is quiet after travel was restricted to prevent the spread of Omicron. Reuters

A PCR test at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. AFP

Soekarno Hatta International airport. Indonesia has banned the arrival of travellers who have recently been in eight southern African countries. Reuters

Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after Thailand banned entry from eight southern African countries due to the Omicron variant. Reuters

Travellers wear personal protective equipment outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport, Australia. Reuters

Passengers wearing protective gear at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, where health authorities have imposed an entry ban on foreign arrivals from eight African countries, including South Africa. EPA

Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. The Israeli government approved a 14-day ban on foreign arrivals over concerns about Omicron. EPA

Travellers queuing in the hope of boarding an overbooked Lufthansa flight at Cape Town International Airport. Antonie Robertson / The National

Covid-stricken Czech President Milos Zeman sits in a plastic cage as he appoints Petr Fiala as Prime Minister, near Prague. AFP

Tourists checking in at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa. Antonie Robertson / The National

Several airlines have stopped flying out of South Africa amid the spread of the new variant, causing disruption at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Reuters

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Two cases of the recently discovered Omicron variant were detected in New South Wales. EPA

Passengers, many not wearing face coverings, on the London Underground. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said mandatory mask-wearing would return to shops and public transport in England but there are concerns over how the rule will be enforced. AFP

A stroll, with face masks, in Biarritz, south-western France. French Health Minister Olivier Veran said France had no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant and was not changing its strategy of increasing vaccinations and booster shots. AP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty during a press conference on the variant in London. Reuters

Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron

UAE health authorities on Wednesday registered the country's first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said it had been detected in an African woman coming from an African country through an Arab nation, without specifying which.

The woman has been isolated and those who had contact with her were also traced and isolated.

She had not shown any symptoms but her condition was being monitored.

The woman had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The ministry reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated, including the booster shot, to tackle the spread of new variants.

Omicron, described as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation, has been found in scores of countries around the world.

Fears about the variant have seen the reintroduction of travel curbs and Covid-19 restrictions.

The UAE suspended the entry of travellers from several countries in response to the variant.

But the WHO on Wednesday said there was no reason to panic about the variant, which was identified by South African researchers and named a variant of concern by the WHO on November 26.

Since then it has been found in 24 countries. The first case of Omicron was also detected in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

“Risk of Covid-19 overall is high,” Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, manager of the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office's Infectious Hazards Prevention, said on Wednesday.

"Unless we generate enough evidence as to why the Omicron variant is different, there is no reason to panic.

"We have enough tools to limit the spread of this variant."

Covid-19 variant in South Africa - in pictures

A healthcare worker prepares to conduct a PCR test for the coronavirus at the Lancet laboratory in Johannesburg. AFP

A woman is tested for Covid-19 at the Lenasia South Hospital, near Johannesburg. AP

A Johnson & Johnson booster vaccine is prepared at the Vaccination Centre of Hope at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town. AP

A woman is vaccinated against Covid-19 in Lawley, south of Johannesburg. AP

People line up to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in Lawley. AP

People queue to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in Lenasia South, near Johannesburg. AP Photo

Pupils wear face masks in class at the Kgololo Academy in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. AP

Pupils wear their masks in the playground at Kgololo Academy. AP

Passengers wearing masks at Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport. AP

Passengers prepare to check in at a quiet OR Tambo International Airport. Many flights at the continent's busiest airport were cancelled amid the spread of the new variant. EPA

Graffiti in Soweto educates about the dangers of the coronavirus. EPA