The Saudi News Agency, citing a statement issued by the Ministry of Health, said that the first case of omicron mutant strain infection had been observed for a national from a North African country and that the authorities had isolated the injured person as well as the persons involved.

This is reportedly the first case of an omicron mutant to be declared in the Middle East and North Africa. The Ministry said that the situation was for a Saudi national coming from a North African country, without giving further details.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the Omicron mutant would likely spread worldwide and pose a very high risk of high infections, which would have "severe consequences" in some places.

The Saudi Ministry of Health urged all members of the community to complete receiving vaccines and asked those arriving from travel to abide by the "Quarantine and Laboratory Examination Instructions for Their Safety and That of All."

The first case of Omicron was observed on 24 November in South Africa, where infections rose sharply, and the mutant has since spread to more than 12 countries and many have imposed travel restrictions.