Brazil, Japan Confirm First Cases of Omicron Variant, South Korea Reports First Suspected Cases

Men wearing protective suits make their way at a bus stop at Narita international airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant amid the pandemic in Narita, east of Tokyo, on Nov. 30, 2021. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Brazil and Japan reported their first cases of the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that causes the COVID-19 disease on Tuesday, with South Korea also reporting its first suspected cases.

The news came the same day as Dutch scientists confirmed the Omicron variant had been circulating in the Netherlands prior to its detection in South Africa on Nov. 24. Specifically, two patient test samples from Nov. 19 and 23 taken in the Netherlands were found to contain the variant, according to the country’s RIVM health institute.