Australia announces discovery of Omicron cases in the country

Australian health authorities have announced the discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in two people who had travelled in from overseas. The passengers had flown in from southern Africa on Qatar Airways, and landed in Sydney on Saturday evening, the New South Wales health authorities announced in a statement.

"They underwent testing on arrival and tested positive for COVID-19 late last night.

The two positive cases, who were asymptomatic, are in isolation in the Special Health Accommodation. Both people are fully vaccinated. The two passengers were amongst fourteen people from southern Africa who arrived on Qatar Airways QR908, Doha to Sydney, which arrived around 7pm, Saturday November 27," the statement reads.

Around 260 people who were present on the flight had been advised to quarantine and self-isolate while 14 other passengers from southern Africa were put into isolation at the Special Health Accomodation.

The NSW authorities announced that passengers who had visited South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi, and the Seychelles during the 14 day period before their arrival were required to enter hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of vaccination status. Passengers from other countries could go directly into home quarantine and contact health authorities for checkups and status updates, they announced.