HK scientists claim they have isolated Omicron from samples

A group of Hong Kong scientists claimed in a report on Saturday that they have isolated the Omicron virus from the COVID-19 samples they have collected.

A video posted Saturday on Twitter by the China Global Television Network (CGTN) claimed that the territory could be the first in Asia to have successfully done the isolation process.

In the video interview, Doctor Kelvin To, Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Microbiology of the  University of Hong Kong, said: "In a few days we could say the [Omicron variant] virus will be isolated."

Also, he said that the significance of the Omicron virus' isolation lies in the opportunity to "assess the risks of the virus to humans."

Moreover, the team is studying Omicron's resistance to available COVID-19 vaccine brands and is trying to measure whether it is more contagious than the earlier known variants, To added. —LBG, GMA News