Kathmandu: Bhutan has reported 14 first cases of Omicron Coronavirus variant, a health official said on Friday, amid a surge in pandemic in the Himalayan kingdom which has so far relatively managed to protect the disease.
Sonam Wangchuk, Head of the Royal Center for Disease Control (RCDC), said all cases were collected from quarantine facilities where tourists from abroad lived.
“We have not detected Omicron cases in the community,” Wangchuk told Reuters from Thimphu.
The nation of around 750,000 people has vaccinated more than 93% of people over 12 with the second vaccine dose and giving booster shots to more than 98% of the Priority Group – frontline workers, people with medical conditions, officials said.
Located between China and India, Bhutan has been able to slow down the spread of the virus through measures such as initial screening and monitoring at the entry point, testing and sealing its borders, most of which are still valid.
Bhutan has announced only three deaths related to Covid-19 and 2,873 infections since the pandemic began.