France has detected the first case of the infection with the Omicron strain of the coronavirus in its overseas department of La Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean, on Tuesday.

Doctor Patrick Mavingui, a member of the Infectious Processes in Tropical Island Environments joint research unit said the country's health authorities had six suspected cases of the new variant listed and monitored.

"One of six turned out to be positive," Mavingui told the Reunion la 1ere broadcaster.

A 53-year-old man, who had visited Mozambique and South Africa, was infected before returning to Reunion Island on November 20.

Upon arrival, he tested negative for the coronavirus but his second test, taken when symptoms emerged, was positive. The symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and cough, the doctor said.

According to Mavingui, the patient has been quarantined along with the people he was in contact with. The rest of the suspected cases turned out to be negative, he added.

Last week, the World Health Organization classified that the Omicron variant raises concerns, given the high number of mutations it contains, and thus is potentially more transmissible and dangerous.

The strain has already been confirmed in several countries worldwide, while several nations in southern Africa have been subject to numerous travel bans over the fear of the spread of the variant.