"As a result of our vigilance we have been able to identify an Omicron patient following gene sequencing lab tests. There is no need for us to panic over this. We are dealing with the situation," a representative for the country's health ministry was quoted as saying by the Economic Times newspaper.

The Omicron patient is a Sri Lankan citizen who recently returned from South Africa, the ministry said.

On November 28, the government barred arrivals from six countries in southern Africa - Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe - following the detection of the Omicron strain in the region.

The new variant is feared to be more vaccine-hesitant due to the exceptionally high number of mutations it contains, including 32 mutations in spike proteins.