New Zealand announces the first version of the Omicron XE

Wellington [New Zealand]April 23 (ANI / Xinhua): New Zealand reported the first use of the Omicron XE variant at the border, the health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The ministry confirmed that the man, who came from abroad to New Zealand, has an XE Omicron option.

This is the first known discovery of a variant of the Omicron XE in New Zealand, the report said.

According to the ministry, the man, who is now in solitary confinement at home, arrived in New Zealand on April 19 and was examined on April 20. Subsequent sequencing of the entire genome confirmed variant XE.

“XE is spreading abroad and its arrival in New Zealand is not unexpected,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, 19 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the country, with 7,930 community cases and 494 hospitalizations on Saturday.

In addition, 55 new cases of COVID-19 have been detected on the border with New Zealand, the ministry said.

New Zealand has reported 875,794 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

As the country experiences a long weekend in Anzac, the ministry has warned people to take health care measures to protect themselves from the virus.

“First, be aware of vaccinations. Second, wear a mask. Third, stay home and avoid others if you feel sick,” the ministry said.

New Zealand is currently under the orange settings of the COVID-19 Protection Framework, where there are no restrictions on meetings. (ANI / Xinhua)