South Korea confirms first five cases of omicron variant

South Korea has confirmed its first five cases of the new omicron coronavirus variant in people linked to arrivals from Nigeria. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Wednesday the cases include a couple who arrived from Nigeria on Nov 24 and a friend who drove them home from the airport. The two other cases were women who also travelled to Nigeria and returned to South Korea on Nov 23.

Health workers earlier said they were conducting genetic sequencing tests on a child of the couple and relatives of the man who drove them home to determine whether they were infected.

South Korea is considering further border controls after banning foreign short-term travellers from South Africa and seven other southern African nations starting Sunday to fend off omicron, which is seen as potentially more infectious than other strains of the virus. South Korean citizens arriving from those countries will be quarantined for at least 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.