Australia Reports First Locally Transmitted Omicron Case

The case, detected in the country's largest city Sydney, comes despite a ban on non-citizens entering the country and restrictions on flights from southern Africa, where the variant was first detected.

Australia on Friday reported a student with no history of foreign travel had tested positive for the Covid-19 Omicron variant, the country's first detected case of community transmission.

The case, detected in the country's largest city Sydney, comes despite a ban on non-citizens entering the country and restrictions on flights from southern Africa, where the variant was first detected.

New South Wales Health said "the case has no overseas travel history or links to people with overseas travel history" but stressed that further investigations and contact tracing were underway.

Australia has detected nine other Omicron cases, but all were detected in incoming travellers.