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North Korea confirms first case of Omicron variant of COVID-19

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An official takes a student's temperature at a college in Pyongyang as part of preventative measures against COVID-19 in this Aug. 11, 2021 file photo. North Korea announced its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Thursday, and declared the implementation of a "maximum emergency" virus control system. AFP-Yonhap

North Korea announced its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Thursday, and declared the implementation of a "maximum emergency" virus control system.

The authorities concluded that samples collected from fever-ridden patients in Pyongyang, Sunday, were identical to Omicron, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North's leader Kim Jong-un vowed to overcome the "unexpected crisis," it reported. (Yonhap)