Two foreign nationals who were infected with the Omicron variant have tested negative, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

They had tested positive for the coronavirus on November 25 and November 26. Whole genome sequencing performed on their swab samples had shown they were infected with the Omicron variant on Sunday night.

The Health Ministry said on Monday that they had an Omicron infection.

“Both have tested negative and have recovered completely,” Dr Krishana Prasad Paudel, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, told the Post. “Both are in good health now.”

Polymerase chain reaction tests were carried out on swab samples of both infected persons on Tuesday.

One of the infected people had arrived in Nepal on November 19 via flight. Another had come in his close contact.

Both infected persons were placed in hotel quarantine after they tested positive.

These were the first two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Nepal which the World Health Organization has called a variant of concern”, warning that the global risks posed by it are “very high”.