MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Omicron coronavirus variant unfold in Australia on Saturday, testing plans to reopen the economic system as a cluster in Sydney grew to 13 instances and an an infection was suspected within the state of Queensland.
Federal authorities are sticking with a plan to reopen the economic system on the hope that the brand new variant proves to be milder than earlier strains, however some state and territory governments have moved to tighten their home border controls.
Australia reported its first group transmission of Omicron on Friday at a faculty in Sydney. Authorities are investigating the supply.
Further Omicron instances have been anticipated over the weekend when extra exams outcomes come, stated Kerry Chant, chief well being officer of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital.
Queensland authorities stated the state suspected its first Omicron case in an individual who travelled from South Africa and that genome sequencing was ongoing.
“The public well being unit have dominated out that it’s Delta however we’ve not been in a position to verify whether it is Omicron,” state Health Minister Yvette D’Ath. “But it’s being handled as whether it is.”
The Australian Capital Territory, residence to the capital Canberra, was on alert for additional unfold after one among its new coronavirus instances was discovered to be an in depth contact of the Territory’s first Omicron case reported on Friday.
Authorities in South Australia stated on Saturday that arrivals from New South Wales, Victoria and the capital territory will probably be examined. The state reopened its home borders solely days in the past for the primary time in months.
Despite battling many outbreaks this 12 months, resulting in months of lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne – Australia’s largest cities – the nation has had solely about 834 confirmed COVID-19 instances and seven.9 deaths per 100,000 individuals, in response to the World Health Organisation, a fraction of impression in lots of different developed nations.
Australia has had slightly below 215,000 instances complete and a pair of,042 deaths.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by William Mallard)
