Dubai, Dec 1: Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it detected its first case of the new coronavirus variant omicron.
The kingdom's state-run Saudi Press Agency said the case came from a citizen coming from what it described as a North African country.
The report said the infected individual and his close contacts had been quarantined.
The case marks the first-known instance of omicron being detected among Gulf Arab nations.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, which has been identified in more than 20 countries, including whether it is more contagious, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said more would be known about the omicron strain in two to four weeks as scientists grow and test lab samples of the virus.
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Mullanpur (PTI): Cooper Connolly slammed a fine unbeaten fifty as Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their opening Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.
A disciplined bowling effort helped PBKS restrict former champions GT to 162 for six with Vijaykumar Vyshak (3/34), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/28) and Marco Jansen (1/20) sharing the wickets after PBKS opted to bowl.
For GT, skipper Shubman Gill (39), Jos Buttler (38), Glenn Phillips (25) and Washington Sundar (18) scored bulk of the runs.
In reply, PBKS reached the target in 19.1 overs with Connolly (72 not out off 44 balls) emerging as the highest scorer.
Prasidh Krishna (3/29), Rashid Khan (1/29) and Washington Sundar (1/27) were among the wickets for GT.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans: 162 for 6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/34, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/28).
Punjab Kings: 165 for 7 in 19.1 overs (Cooper Connolly 72; Prasidh Krishna 3/29).
