The Ministry of Health is confirming the presence of the Omicron variant in the country.

The Ministry of Health is confirming the presence of the Omicron variant in the country.

The samples sequenced by the Ministry and the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, were determined to be Omicron , the latest COVID-19 variant in circulation around the world.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says Fiji has community transmission of both Omicron and Delta variants throughout the country.

He adds this explains the high number of cases recorded recently given the high transmissibility of the variant.

Health experts are warning it will become the dominant variant.

Dr Fong says Omicron has been shown to escape immunity from infection induced by previous infection or vaccination.

This means that people who have been previously infected by other variants or have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine can get infected with Omicron.

However, it is more likely to cause milder diseases, with data showing that the risk of hospitalization with Omicron compared with Delta is reduced by as much as 80 percent, and, once in the hospital, the risk of severe diseases with Omicron is reduced by as much as 70 percent.

People are advised to stay home and do not attend any gatherings if they have any symptoms of COVID-19.