KARACHI: Six more suspected cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported in Karachi on Thursday.

According to the Sindh Health Department, four of those who tested positive had recently returned to the country from South Africa while two others had travelled back from the United Kingdom.

The sample of all the patients have been sent for further verification, it said.

On December 9, the first case of Omicron was reported in Karachi and it was confirmed by the National Institute of Health (NIH), while another case was also reported from the port city on 13 December.

The new variant of the coronavirus was first identified in November in South Africa and then in Hong Kong. After the new variant was detected, the NCOC imposed travel restrictions on various countries including South Africa.