Omicron found in man stuck at HK airport for days

Hong Kong on Wednesday reported its fourth case of the new Omicron Covid variant, involving a traveller who spent days stuck at the airport here.

Health officials said the man, 38, arrived in Hong Kong from Qatar on flight QR818 on November 24 for transit.

He had travelled from Papua New Guinea to Nigeria on November 15, before subsequently travelling from Qatar to Hong Kong.

After arriving in the SAR, he stayed airside in the airport’s restricted area for days due to a visa-related issue, and tested positive in a pre-departure test on November 27.

The man, who had not been vaccinated against Covid, was later found to be carrying the Omicron variant.

Places where he visited in Terminal 1 are subject to a mandatory testing order.

SAR officials linked the infection to Nigeria.

Nigeria said on Wednesday that it had confirmed its first cases of Omicron, including in samples it collected in October, suggesting the variant had turned up weeks before it was reported in southern Africa.

Hong Kong officials also reported three new imported Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, involving people who flew in from Spain, the Philippines and Pakistan.