Omicron cases have been confirmed in at least nine African countries, with some officials reporting that initial cases appear to be mild.
Countries reporting omicron include: Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
South Africa remains the epicentre of the omicron outbreak, with experts saying that the overwhelming majority of its thousands of new cases per day are of the new variant.
In East Africa, Uganda reported its first seven cases of omicron on Tuesday. The variant was detected in travelers from South Africa and Nigeria who arrived at Entebbe International Airport on November 29 and are currently in isolation, the director of clinical services Charles Olaro said.