The first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been recorded in the NT.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Health Minister Natasha Fyles announced on Monday morning that a man who arrived in the NT on a repatriation flight from South Africa on November 25 has contracted the new variant.
Ms Fyles reassured Territorians that the man went straight to the Howard Springs quarantine facility and was not a threat to the broader community.
Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Charles Pain said he was not "overly concerned" about the case.
"We've dealt with variants the whole way through this... it's business as usual."
Read more:
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old woman has tested positive to COVID-19 in the Binjari community in the last 24 hours, and a 17-year-old girl from Binjari has tested positive for the virus in Howard Springs.
The 19-year-old tested positive during a third round of testing in Binjari conducted over the weekend.
She and her household contacts will be taken to Howard Springs to quarantine.
"Because Binjari is still under the hard lockdown conditions we are confident that case is not a threat to the NT community."
No new cases have been recorded in the remote community of Lajamanu after 147 tests were conducted over the weekend.
The community went into lockdown on Saturday after COVID-19 was detected in wastewater in the region.
In Katherine, the Bicentennial Road wastewater catchment has returned a "presumptive positive" result as well as the Chamber Crescent catchment.
Ms Fyles said the signal was weakening but urged people in Katherine to get tested if they have any symptoms.
"They're very low readings, but it's important for anyone in Katherine if they're feeling slightly unwell to please reach out to get tested," she said.
"It could be someone spreading the virus shedding the virus, sorry, or it could be another case that we do need to become aware of."
The Katherine Times has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community in regards to the coronavirus. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
