Australia recorded the first Omicron-related death on Monday, December 27, following the rapid spread of this new variant in the country.
The first Omicron death occurred in an 80-year old man with pre-existing health conditions, and it was a devastating blow to the country, which has had to reverse some aspects of its planned reopening after nearly two years of lockdowns due to a fresh outbreak.
Health experts explained that Omicron is more contagious but less deadly than previous strains, which spread in Australia after most restrictions on domestic borders were lifted and Australians were allowed to return from overseas without quarantine, which brought the total number of cases to their highest of the entire pandemic.
“This was the first known death in the state linked to the Omicron variant of concern,” said NSW Health epidemiologist, Christine Selvey, in a video released by the government.
On December 1st, Australian authorities announced the first Omicron confirmed case, in a person who visited a shopping center in Sydney.
Additionally, COVID-19 infections are increasing in Australia, with 7,686 new infections reported on average each day, representing 98% of the peak, according to Reuters’ latest COVID Tracker, released on Monday, December 27.
Recently, Germany reported the first Omicron death on Thursday, December 23, in addition to the UK, recording 14 deaths and 129 hospitalized cases due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant as of Wednesday, December 22.
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