Briefly

AUSTRALIA

1st community case of Omicron confirmed

Authorities on Tuesday confirmed a person with COVID-19 had the new Omricon variant after disclosing that the person had been active in the community, but urged calm as they weighed up the severity of the strain. The fully vaccinated person visited a busy shopping center in Sydney while likely infectious, officials said. All passengers on the person's flight were asked to self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their vaccination status. The additional case brings Australia's total number of infections with the new variant to six. Meanwhile, Japan had also confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified government sources. G7 health ministers on Monday called for "urgent action" to combat Omicron as US President Joe Biden said the strain is "not a cause for panic".