RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestinian health authorities reported 10 new cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 77.

In a statement, Health Ministry spokesman Kamal al-Shakhra said the new infections were in the occupied West Bank.

The majority of those who tested positive for the virus had returned from abroad, he added.

Palestinian health authorities reported the first three cases of the new variant on Dec. 23.

The omicron strain has been found in some 80 countries since it was identified in November by scientists in South Africa.

The World Health Organization has warned that the omicron variant is spreading significantly faster than the delta strain.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar