“Intense and short-lived” outbreak——Africa to suppress Omicron in 5 months. The African country of South Africa was the first country in the world to discover and report the Omicron strain. In November 2021, South Africa first reported the Omicron variant to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vaccine inequity remains the biggest barrier to reaching our coverage targets,” Dr. Barbosa said. Public health measures are therefore “our best strategy for reducing COVID-19 transmission and saving lives.”