The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread in Australia as a cluster in Sydney grew with at least 15 cases across New South Wales and an infection was suspected in the state of Queensland.
New South Wales (NSW) health authorities have said as many as five people in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, have contracted the Omicron variant locally.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said on Sunday the Omicron cases are linked to two schools and a climbing gym in Sydney’s western suburbs, which may also be the source of a confirmed new variant infection in the Australian Capital Territory.
Chant said in a video urgent genome testing is underway for a number of other cases linked to the venues and should be available in coming days. The outbreak emerged from infected travellers on a flight from Doha who had been in southern Africa.
However, federal authorities have said they will sticking with a plan to reopen the economy hoping the Omicron variant will prove to be milder than previous strains of the coronavirus. But some state and territory governments have moved to tighten their domestic border controls.
Australia reported its first community transmission of Omicron on Friday at a school in Sydney with authorities saying they are investigating the source and more cases were expected.
Queensland authorities suspected its first Omicron case in a person who travelled from South Africa and that genome sequencing was ongoing.
The Omicron variant was first identified in southern Africa last month and has now been detected in countries from the US to South Korea.Australia’s health data shows nearly 88 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Australia has had only about 834 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people—a fraction of many other developed nations. Australia has had just under 215,000 cases in total and 2,042 deaths.
