As of November 24, the first cases of the new COVID-19 strain, the Omicron variant, were reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa. Since then, Omicron has been detected in several other countries. WHO has stated that this variant is more contagious and possibly more dangerous. This is what we know so far.
Origin
Although not reported to WHO until November 24, the first Omicron sample came from an individual tested on November 9. Since then, the new strain has been reported in the following countries:
