A person who has traveled from overseas to New Zealand has been confirmed as having the XE variant of Omicron, said the ministry.

This is the first known detection of the Omicron XE variant in New Zealand, it said.

According to the ministry, the person, who is currently isolating at home, arrived in New Zealand on April 19 and was tested on April 20.

The whole-genome sequencing subsequently confirmed the XE variant.

"XE has been spreading overseas, and its arrival in New Zealand is not unexpected," said the ministry.

(With UNI/Xinhua inputs)