- Mexico detected its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in a person who arrived in the country from South Africa on November 21, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

- Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said the country had detected its first patient infected with the Omicron variant, a man who had recently returned from Nigeria and was now at a quarantine center.

- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said that the country's biggest concern at the moment is the Delta variant but conceded that Omicron could eventually become the dominant one. At least ten U.S. states have reported Omicron cases so far, with the latest being Pennsylvania, Missouri and Utah.

- The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

- The variant appears to spread more than twice as quickly as the Delta variant in South Africa, according to preliminary findings cited by The New York Times.

(With input from agencies)