Panama detects first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant

Panama has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Central American country's health ministry said on Monday, while neighboring Costa Rica detected three more confirmed cases.

A 50-year-old who works in mining and recently traveled to South Africa was found to have contracted the coronavirus with the Omicron variant, said Luis Sucre, Panama's health minister. In Costa Rica, health authorities said they had detected the variant in another child and two adults. The first case was reported over the weekend.