This was said by pandemic controller David Manning.

 

"He transited through London and Hong Kong, had initially tested negative and was not displaying any symptoms when he arrived in Papua New Guinea. But a subsequent test returned positive and the man then went into quarantine," Manning said.

 

Manning said the arrival of the omicron variant in PNG had been expected and should not give any increased cause for concern as long as people took precautions and observed public health safety measures.

 

Manning said it was unclear where the man had contracted the Omicron strain, but it is believed he became infected after leaving South Africa.

 

He said for unvaccinated people, "their risk of serious illness or death from this variant remains very high".