Covid-19: Denmark registers four cases of Omicron variant in travellers from South Africa

Denmark has registered a total of four cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, its infectious disease authority said on Tuesday, adding that all of them were connected to "travel activity" in South Africa.

Denmark said on Sunday it had registered its first two cases of the variant. Ten other nations, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Japan, have also recently detected cases of the new strain.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was not yet clear whether Omicron, first detected in Southern Africa, is more transmissible than other variants, or if it causes more severe disease.

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"Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection," WHO said.

• Europe