Bahrain detects first Omicron case

The disease was detected in a person who arrived in the country from abroad.

The Ministry stated that all necessary mitigation protocols and precautions have been taken, including the isolation and precautionary quarantine of the active case, reports Bahrain News Agency.

The Ministry noted that the case did not have any local contact and was in isolation upon arrival.

Meanwhile, early laboratory data on the effectiveness of existing vaccines against the Omicron COVID-19 variant is useful, but it is still unclear how effective these will be in treating severely sick patients, a UN health agency panel said on Thursday.

The development follows reassurance from the World Health Organization (WHO) that available vaccines “hold up very well” in protecting people from the worst forms of coronavirus sickness for six months or more, with a “minor, modest reduction” thereafter, particularly among over-65s or those with underlying medical conditions.

“The neutralization data has an underpinning, but it’s really the clinical data that are going to be most influential about how to manage an Omicron situation,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO.