Cuba detects its first Omicron infection

Cuba detected its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Cuban state news agency ACN reported on Wednesday night.

It came after a health worker from Cuba's westernmost province of Pinar del Rio tested positive for the virus after arriving on the island from Mozambique on November 27.

Eighteen people tested negative for the virus as part of contact tracing of the patient, according to ACN.

Earlier this month, the Caribbean nation tightened travel rules for inbound international passengers.

All travellers flying into Cuba from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique are now required to show vaccination certificates and negative results of COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests taken within 72 hours of arrival.

Furthermore, the passengers are also required to take PCR tests on arrival and on the sixth day of their visits, as well as stay in quarantine hotels for a week at their own expense.

Cuba on Wednesday registered 78 confirmed cases of coronavirus and no related deaths, taking the national counts to 963,347 and 8,311 respectively. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )