The B.1.1.529 variant of SARS-CoV2, also known as Omicron, was first identified by scientists in South Africa in a specimen collected on 9th November 2021 and later from specimens collected between the12th – 20th November 2021, from Gauteng, South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong and subsequently reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 24th November 2021.