Brazil, Japan report first cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus

Brazil reported the country's first confirmed cases of the omicron variant in two travelers arriving from South Africa. Japan announced its first case, too, on the same day the country put a ban on all foreign visitors into effect.

Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm.

The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute disclosed that patient samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23 were found to contain the variant. It was on Nov. 24 that South African authorities reported the existence of the highly mutated virus to the World Health Organization.