India records first case of omicron variant

Two men in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have tested positive for the omicron coronavirus variant.

Officials say, one of them, a 66-year-old South African national, had travelled from there and has already left India.

The second – a 46-year-old doctor in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru – has no travel history.

These are the first cases of the new omicron variant to be reported in India.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that omicron poses a “high infection risk”.

At a press briefing on Thursday, health officials said the two patients with the new strain had shown mild symptoms.