Coronavirus

COVID-19: Saudi Arabia Reports First Case Of Omicron Variant

The first known and registered case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the GCC was reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today [December 1].

Reported by the state news agency, SPA, the infected individual traveled back to the Kingdom from an unnamed North African country.

The patient is reportedly under observation and those who had come in close contact with him has been isolated.

Earlier in the week, Saudi Arabia had suspended flights from 14 African countries as a precautionary measure against the Omicron strain that has been marked as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation.

Details on the Omicron variant remain unknown as researchers are currently learning the effects of the mutation on humans. Experts believe that there are at least 50 mutations on the new variant, with 32 mutations on the spike protein, the part of the virus that enters human cells.

Doctors in South Africa report that patients detected with Omicron suffer from nausea, headaches, fatigue, and a high pulse rate. Albeit, none seem to suffer from a loss of taste or smell, which has been the case with most other COVID-19 mutations.