Egypt reports first cases of omicron variant

Egypt has identified the country's first cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus, its health authorities said late on Friday.

Three people were found to have the variant among 26 travellers who tested positive for coronavirus at Cairo International Airport, the health ministry said in a statement, without giving details about where the three came from.

The local Masrawy news outlet reported the three were among travellers from South Africa.

The ministry said two of the people infected showed no symptoms, while the third suffered from mild symptoms. The three have been isolated in a Cairo hospital, it said.

Authorities on Friday reported more than 900 confirmed new cases of coronavirus and 43 deaths over the previous 24 hours.

Egypt has reported a total 373,500 cases, including 21,277 fatalities, since the pandemic began.