THE Omicron variant of Covid-19, first identified in South Africa, has now been detected in countries from the US to South Korea, underscoring the difficulties of curtailing contagious new strains.
Most infections stem from travelers carrying the disease across borders. Israel, for instance, said a confirmed case who arrived from Malawi rode on a bus from Tel Aviv.
Italy’s first case traveled around the country for days before testing positive. The first omicron case was confirmed in the US in a person who returned from South Africa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Researchers worldwide are racing to understand the full impact of the new strain, and governments have banned travelers from South Africa and nearby countries on concerns omicron could evade the protection of vaccines and fuel new surges.
South Africa’s daily number of confirmed Covid-19 cases almost doubled from Tuesday as the omicron variant takes hold.
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