Minister says this is confirmed through genome sequencing conducted by seven laboratories.

Health ministry says the citizen returning from North Africa has been put in isolation.

Health minister also asks elderly, people with comorbidities to follow SOP, avoid crowds, due to Omicron variant.

Covid-19 variant is said to have up to 50 mutations and be more infectious than Delta.

Tokyo tightens border restrictions once again barely three weeks after it had reopened to overseas visitors.

Health minister says studies into vaccine efficacy ongoing, taking wait-and-see approach.

Scientists racing to determine whether heavily mutated strain can evade existing vaccines.

Scientists working round-the-clock to dissect variant, try understand its behaviour.

One infection is detected in Nottingham and the other in Chelmsford.

Professor confident there won’t be a ‘reboot’ of pandemic.

BA.5.2 and BF.7 make up 80% of virus mutations in the East Asian country.

Patients from same household and have since recovered.

Adults still adhere to mandate in public indoor spaces as country faces Omicron subvariant wave.

Authorities say early evidence suggests BA.2.12.1 more transmissible than BA.2.

Country poised to return to ‘normalcy’, though indoor mask mandate remains.