Japan Confirms First Case Of Omicron Coronavirus Variant

Japan on Tuesday confirmed its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a day after authorities announced new Covid border restrictions.

“Regarding the traveller arriving from Namibia, it was confirmed to be a case of Omicron after analysis at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases,” government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno disclosed this in an interview.

“This is the first Omicron case confirmed in Japan,” he said, adding that the infected traveller, a man in his 30s has been isolated in a medical facility.

This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to take every precaution to “avoid the worst-case scenario” in announcing the measures, which come just three weeks after Japan eased entry rules for businesspeople, international students and participants in its technical internship program.