Poland reports its first case of Omicron variant

Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska said the variant had been detected by sanitary authorities in the southern city of Katowice, the agency reported.

The Ministry of Health informed that Omicron had been found in a sample taken from a 30-year-old citizen of Lesotho. The woman has been placed in isolation and feels fine, the ministry added.

In another statement, the ministry said the woman came to Poland for the U.N. Digital Summit in Katowice. "She had direct contact with only two people from her country".

Poland has been dealing with persistently high daily case numbers in a fourth wave that has forced authorities to tighten restrictions.

So far Poland, a country of around 38 million people, has reported 3,903,445 cases of the coronavirus and 90,306 deaths.

COVID-19 vaccines appear to have become slightly less effective in preventing severe disease and death but do provide "significant protection", the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The Omicron variant first detected in South Africa and Hong Kong last month has now been reported by 77 countries and is probably present in most worldwide, but should not be dismissed as "mild", WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," Tedros told an online briefing. "Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems."

"Evolving evidence suggests a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection," he said without giving specifics.