Watch: South Africa witnesses panic buying amid Omicron scare

The Omicron variant, feared to spread faster and partially reduce vaccine protection, was identified in South Africa earlier this week and classed as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A “variant of concern” is the WHO's top category of worrying Covid-19 variants.

Countries around the world are currently racing to introduce travel bans and restrictions on southern African countries in an effort to contain Omicron's spread.