Japanese authorities have confirmed another eight cases of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections by the new strain in the country to 12, local media reported Friday.
The eight people entered Japan from abroad from late November to early this month, and all eight tested positive for the COVID-19 upon arrival at the airport with further analysis of their samples confirming that they were infected with the Omicron variant.
Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said two of the eight infected people were in close contact with the first case confirmed in Japan.
The country detected its first Omicron case in a diplomat who arrived from Namibia on Nov. 30.
"We will thoroughly implement appropriate anti-virus measures by monitoring the situation through strengthened border control and genome analyses," Kihara told a regular press conference.
Three other infected people had been in Peru, Italy, and Nigeria before they arrived.
The World Health Organization has warned that the new Omicron variant, which has been confirmed in many other countries, could be more transmissible than previous strains of the virus and be able to evade immunity provided by current vaccines.
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