Wellington, May 1: New Zealand reported its first case of Omicron BA.4 variant at the border amid 12,699 community Covid infections during the weekend, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

A person who has travelled from overseas to New Zealand has been confirmed as having the BA.4 variant, reports Xinhua news agency. This is the first known detection of the variant in New Zealand, the Ministry said in a statement.

Two other sub-variants of Omicron, the BA.2.12.1 and the BA 2.12.2, have also been detected in two returnees who arrive din April, it. In addition, there were 138 new cases of Covid-19 detected at the New Zealand border during the weekend, according to the ministry. COVID-19 in China: Beijing Residents Must Test COVID-19 Negative To Enter Public Spaces.

The country has reported 933,464 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 707 deaths. New Zealand is currently under the orange settings of the Covid-19 Protection Framework, where there is no limit for gatherings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2022 03:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).