NSW officials scrambling to track woman with Omicron strain

The woman in her 30s arrived in Sydney on Qatar Airways flight QR908 on Thursday, November 25.

The fully vaccinated woman attended a number of venues in Sydney before travelling by private car to the Central Coast where she also attended several venues.

NSW Health confirmed the woman has the variant late this afternoon.

“NSW Health can officially confirm the traveller who recently arrived in NSW and is isolating at home on the Central Coast has been infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern,” it said in a statement.

The woman had been in southern Africa before arriving in Australia. She is now isolating.

Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times is considered a casual contact and must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said, “we should all be at least aware there is a case on the Central Coast”.

“We now all need to be on high alert.”

He urged NSW residents to take COVID-safe precautions in light of the new variant.

The total number of Omicron cases in NSW is now five.

The other cases also arrived on the Qatar Airways flight QR908 on Thursday, November 25.

“Urgent genomic sequencing is underway to determine whether these cases have been infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant,” NSW Health said.

“Neither of these two travellers had spent time in southern Africa.”

NSW Health is also waiting on genomic sequencing to confirm whether a case that was on the QR908 flight now residing in Broken Hill has the variant.

“However, initial results indicate this person is unlikely to have been infected with the Omicron variant,” NSW Health said in a statement.

“This person is fully vaccinated and isolating at home.”

All passengers who arrived on this flight must get tested immediately, regardless of their previous test results and vaccination status.

Everyone on the flight must also isolate until a negative result is received.

It comes as the NSW government released new guidelines for all overseas travellers.

All travellers from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi must complete 14 days in hotel quarantine, in line with Commonwealth restrictions.

All other overseas travellers must now complete a PCR test and isolate for 72 hours at their home and can exit after that period if they receive a negative result.

These rules will come into place from December 1 at 12.01am.

The cases come after NSW recorded 179 new COVID-19 infections and three deaths today.

Both passengers arrived in Sydney from southern Africa on Singapore Airlines flight SQ211 yesterday (Sunday, November 28).

They are fully vaccinated and isolating in the Special Health Accommodation.