The first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been found in the Republic of Ireland, health officials have said.

Members of the Republic’s National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) confirmed the development on Wednesday morning.

Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, and a member of Nphet, said that sequencing was carried out on eight Covid samples, with one subsequently identified as the new Omicron variant.

In a statement, the Republic’s Department of Health said the detected Omicron sample was associated with travel.

The Republic’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, said: “The Nphet Epidemiological Surveillance Team has been meeting regularly over the course of the last week to monitor the situation relating to the Omicron variant, and today we are confirming that one case has been identified.

“The key focus for all of us must be to continue to supress the current wave of infection that is driven by the Delta variant of Covid-19. We know how to break the chains of transmission of this virus.

“The measures with which we are all so familiar have worked against previous variants of Covid-19; they can successfully supress transmission of the Delta variant, and we are optimistic that they will work against the Omicron variant.”