Japan Reports 8 More Omicron Variant Cases, Increasing the Tally To 12

According to the announcement on Friday, Japan has confirmed eight additional infections of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which brings the total number of cases of the Omicron variant to Japan to 12.

A visitor and an airline company staff member wearing protective face masks are seen at the arrival gate of the international flight terminal at Tokyo International Airport, commonly know as Haneda airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan December 28, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

According to an official of the government, all eight of the infected entered Japan between late November and the beginning of this month.

Vice Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said two of the eight individuals are close to the first instance of the variant found in Japan. The first infected person came from Namibia in the last week of November, but he declined to provide more specifics.

A vial and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed EU flag and words “Omicron SARS-CoV-2” in this illustration taken, November 27, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

“We will thoroughly implement appropriate anti-virus measures by monitoring the situation through strengthened border control and genome analyses,” Kihara spoke at the press conference.

Japan announced the first Omicron case in November. 30.

The World Health Organization has warned that the Omicron variant identified in several other regions of the world may be more transmissible than earlier varieties of this virus or be able to overcome the immunity given by vaccines.

Source: Kyodo

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