Omicron Local Infection Confirmed in Australia... Pfizer Vaccination Approved for Ages 5-11

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Community transmission of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron has been confirmed in Australia.

According to major foreign media on the 5th, the New South Wales (NSW) health authorities, in Australia's most populous state, announced that five patients in the central city of Sydney have been identified as infected with the Omicron variant.

The infection cases are linked to two schools in the Sydney suburbs and a climbing gym, and there is a possibility that an Omicron variant confirmed case in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) within NSW is also related to this area.

The authorities are testing other patients associated with these locations for Omicron variant infection. Therefore, the current 15 confirmed Omicron cases in NSW may increase.

The infection is presumed to have been transmitted by an infected person who visited southern Africa and then entered Australia via a flight from Doha, Qatar.

Meanwhile, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the administration of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to 2.3 million children aged 5 to 11. This measure is expected to be implemented on the 10th of next month after approval by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Australia's cumulative COVID-19 cases stand at 217,000, with about 2,000 deaths. Major foreign media reported that the number of confirmed cases per 100,000 population is 834, and deaths per 100,000 population is 7.9, which is not high compared to other developed countries.