Michael is joined by Dr Chris Moy, Australian Medical Association Vice President, about the new COVID-19 variant that has worried scientists in South Africa scrambling to combat the new and highly transmissible omicron strain dubbed Omicron.

About 260 passengers and air crew on the flight that arrived in Sydney from southern Africa are considered close contacts with two positive cases now in isolation in the state’s Special Health Accommodation.

Experts say the emergence of Omicron highlights the need to boost vaccination in poorer parts of the world including Africa, as the World Health Organization declares Omicron a “variant of concern” more quickly than previous variants.

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