3 posts
2 hours ago
Countries that have detected omicron cases
This is a list of the places where cases of the omicron variant have been recorded so far.
Australia
: 2 cases
Austria
: 1 case
Belgium:
1 case
Botswana:
19 cases
Canada:
2 cases
Czech Republic:
1 case
Denmark:
2 cases
Germany:
3 cases
Hong Kong:
3 cases
Israel:
1 case
Italy:
1 case
Netherlands:
13 cases
Portugal:
13 cases
South Africa:
77 cases
United Kingdom:
9 cases
3 hours ago
Ursula von der Leyen: The world is in a "race against time"
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
(GINTS IVUSKANS / AFP via Getty Images)
The world is in a "race against time" with the omicron coronavirus variant, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday.
"We take this omicron variant very seriously and we know we are in a race against time," he said during a visit to Latvia.
There, Von der Leyen warned that it will take weeks for vaccine scientists and manufacturers to fully understand the new variant.
As more cases are identified and governments around the world mobilize to respond to omicron, an urgent meeting of G7 health ministers will be convened on Monday, the UK said.
The British government also announced new national public health rules on Sunday requiring face covering in stores and on public transport starting this week.
Read more here.
9 hours ago
WHO evaluates omicron risk as "very high"
The global risk related to the new variant of the coronavirus, omicron, "is assessed as very high," according to a technical report from the World Health Organization (WHO) published on Monday.
Depending on how transmissible the variant is and if it could escape immunity, "the probability of a possible further spread of omicron globally is high," the WHO report said.
"Depending on these characteristics, covid-19 surges could occur, which could have serious consequences."
WHO expects data from ongoing investigations to be available in the coming weeks.
Read more here.
Covid-19
