A teenage boy tested positive for the omicron variant of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total caseload of the heavily mutated variant in South Korea to six, health authorities said Thursday.

The boy, residing in Incheon, west of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and had been tested for the variant, after his parents were confirmed to have been infected with the variant on Wednesday following their visit to Nigeria last month, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The couple in their 40s was among the first known omicron cases in South Korea, along with their friend and two other female citizens. (Yonhap)