The Ministry of Health in Wellington, New Zealand, reported its first incidence of Omicron BA.4 variant at the border amid 12,699 community Covid illnesses over the weekend.

The individual travelling from another country to New Zealand tested positive and was confirmed to have the BA.4 variant. The Ministry of Health noted in a statement that this is the first known identification of the variation in New Zealand. Two more Omicron sub-variants, the BA.2.12.1 and the BA 2.12.2, have been found in two returnees who arrived in April. In addition, 138 new Covid-19 instances were discovered at the New Zealand border over the weekend.

Since the outbreak began, the country has reported 933,464 confirmed cases, with 707 deaths. New Zealand is currently in the Covid-19 Protection Framework′s orange settings, which allow for unlimited meetings. (ETHealthworld,  May 02, 2022)