‘Omicron Like’: New COVID-19 Variant Discovered in Australia

Travelers receive tests COVID-19 at a pre-departure testing facility, as countries react to the new Omicron variant, outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport in Australia, on Nov. 29, 2021. Loren Elliott/Reuters

A new lineage of the Omicron variant called “Omicron Like” has been discovered in Australia, local health officials in the state of Queensland announced on Dec. 8.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said Omicron Like was discovered in a recent arrival from South Africa who is in hospital in the state’s capital, Brisbane.