Coronavirus

Omicron variant detected in more countries as scientists race to find answers

By Elizabeth Piper and Toby Sterling LONDON/AMSTERDAM, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Omicron coronavirus variant spread around the world on Sunday, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and…

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Roundup – Omicron coronavirus variant spreads with cases detected in Netherlands, Denmark, Australia

Thirteen cases found in NetherlandsTwo cases detected in Australia, two in DenmarkIsrael announces it is barring foreigners for two weeksMay take time to assess Omicron's harmfulness -Chinese expertFauci says Americans…

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With new Omicron case detected, UK awaits COVID booster advice

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's health minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday he expected to receive advice imminently on whether the government can broaden a booster shot programme to…

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Curbing travel over Omicron coronavirus variant of little use -Mexican health official

MEXICO CITY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Mexico's deputy health secretary said measures such as restricting travel or closing borders are of little use in response to the emergence of the…

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Germany confirms suspected Omicron case, bringing total to three

BERLIN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Germany said on Sunday it had detected a total of three cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant after a suspected infection in the western…

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Denmark registers Omicron variant in two travelers from South Africa

COPENHAGEN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Denmark has registered two cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in travelers from South Africa, the country’s infectious disease authority said in a statement…

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Doctor who discovered Omicron variant says that symptoms “extremely mild”

The doctor who discovered the Omicron variant said the UK was “panicking unnecessarily” and that the symptoms are “extremely mild”. Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association,…

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UPDATED: Dutch authorities find 13 cases of Omicron variant among passengers from S.Africa

LONDON/AMSTERDAM, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The new Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two in Australia, even as…

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UPDATED: Omicron variant likely to be circulating in France – health minister

PARIS, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is probably already circulating in France, its health minister said on Sunday, adding that the government was tightening restrictions…

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British Health Secretary says vaccines may be less effective against Omicron variant

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's health minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday he expected to receive advice imminently on whether the government can broaden a booster shot programme to…

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New coronavirus variant Omicron keeps spreading

Nov 28 (Reuters) - The new Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with two cases detected in Australia, even as more countries tried to seal themselves…

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Austria reports first suspected case of Omicron COVID-19 variant

ZURICH, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Austria has detected its first suspected case of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in the Tirol, authorities in the alpine region said late on Saturday.…

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New Covid variant called Omicron to avoid stigmatising the Chinese

Officials at the World Health Organisations skipped two letters of the Greek alphabet when naming the latest Covid variant in order to avoid “stigmatising” China, and perhaps its premier Xi…

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Saudi Arabia halts flights from more African nations

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior halted flights from and to Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Mauritius and the Comoros Islands on Sunday owing to concerns related to the spread of…

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No cases of Omicron identified in U.S. so far

No cases of new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa have been identified in the United States to date, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The World…

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Netherlands enters partial lockdown

A partial lockdown has come into force in the Netherlands, amid record Covid cases and concerns over the potentially more infectious new Omicron variant. For at least the next three…

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China study warns of ‘colossal’ COVID outbreak if it opens up like U.S., France

China could face more than 630,000 COVID-19 infections a day if it dropped its zero-tolerance policies by lifting travel curbs, according to a study by Peking University mathematicians. In the…

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UPDATED:Australia confirms two cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant

MELBOURNE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australia confirmed on Sunday that two people arriving from southern Africa over the weekend had tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant, adding to a…

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Israel to ban entry of foreigners from all countries over Omicron

Israel said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially…

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UPDATE: Omicron variant case detected in Italy

ROME, Nov 27 (Reuters) - A case of the new coronavirus variant Omicron has been detected in Italy, the National Health Institute (ISS) said on Saturday. The genome was sequenced…

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UPDATE – Two Omicron coronavirus cases found in Germany

BERLIN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Two cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in the southern German state of Bavaria and a suspected case found in the…

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Long COVID risk not lower after breakthrough infection

COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in protecting against serious illness, but they do not protect against "long COVID" in people who become infected despite vaccination, new data show. For six…

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Concerns over COVID variant trigger more travel curbs, UK detects cases

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Australia and several other countries joined nations imposing restrictions on travel from southern Africa on Saturday after the discovery of the new Omicron coronavirus variant sparked…

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Italy reports 90 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, 12,877 new cases

ROME, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Italy reported 90 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 51 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to…

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Two cases of coronavirus Omicron variant detected in Britain

LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Two linked cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Britain connected to travel to southern Africa, health minister Sajid Javid said…

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Pandemic still source of concern, uncertainty for European economies – Visco

ROME, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic in Europe is once again reason for "considerable concern", and its consequences for economies are hard to predict, the governor of the…

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Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna expect data on shot’s protection against new COVID-19 variant soon

FRANKFURT, Nov 26 (Reuters) - BioNTech SE said on Friday it expects more data on a worrying new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa within two weeks to help determine…

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EU countries agree to suspend travel to southern Africa over new COVID variant

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - European Union states have agreed to suspend travel from southern Africa after the detection of a new COVID-19 variant, the presidency of the EU said…

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WHO names new COVID variant omicron, cautions against travel measures

GENEVA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday classified the B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern," saying it may spread…

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Canada closing borders to travelers from seven southern African nations over COVID-19 fears

OTTAWA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Canada is closing its borders to foreign travelers who have recently been to seven southern African nations to help stop the spread of a newly…

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India set to resume overseas flights, tightens screening for new COVID-19 variant

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - India said on Friday it will resume international passenger flights from mid-December with COVID-19 linked curbs for "at risk" countries, and ordered tightened screening…

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Cyprus to screen children for COVID-19 to ‘save Christmas’

Cyprus will include children as young as six in its COVID-19 screening programme and introduce mandatory masks in schools to ward off a surge in the virus, authorities said. Cases…

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What investors are saying about the new virus variant

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Asian stocks suffered their sharpest drop in three months and European stocks sank more than 3% on Friday, as reports of a newly identified and…

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Merck says COVID-19 pill cuts hospitalization, death risk by 30%

Nov 26 (Reuters) - Merck & Co said on Friday updated data from the study of its experimental COVID-19 pill showed lower efficacy in reducing the risk of hospitalization and…

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EXPLAINER-What we know about the COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Global authorities have reacted with alarm to a coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU, Britain and India among those announcing stricter border…

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Only dramatic contact reduction can break Germany’s fourth wave – Spahn

BERLIN, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The situation in Germany is dramatic as never before in the pandemic, Health Minster Jens Spahn said on Friday, warning that only a sharp reduction…

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Netherlands to impose new COVID measures to avoid healthcare breakdown

AMSTERDAM, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Dutch government was set to announce new measures on Friday including early closure of bars, restaurants and most stores to stem a record-breaking wave…

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UPDATED: Belgium detects first case of new COVID-19 variant in Europe

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Belgium has detected the first case of the new coronavirus variant which was first found in South Africa, a virologist said on Friday. Marc Van…

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Right to be concerned about new COVID variant -WHO’s Nabarro

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - It is appropriate to be concerned about the new COVID coronavirus variant spreading in Southern Africa, the World Health Organisation's Special Envoy on COVID-19 David…

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UPDATED: BioNTech says expect more data on new variant in 2 weeks

FRANKFURT, Nov 26 (Reuters) - BioNTech, the inventor of the western world's most widely used COVID-19 vaccine, said it expects more laboratory data on a new worrying coronavirus variant detected…

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More Hungarians need to take COVID-19 booster shots – PM Orban

BUDAPEST, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Hungary needs to increase the number of people taking booster shots against COVID-19 to curb infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.…

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UPDATED: EU executive wants travel suspension from countries with new COVID variant

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Friday that EU countries suspend travel links with countries in which the new variant of the coronavirus called B.1.1.529, has…

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UPDATED: Britain says likely that new variant has spread beyond South Africa

Britain said on Friday that a newly identified coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa was of huge concern and was considered by scientists to be the most significant one yet…

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UPDATED: WHO meets to designate new variant, cautions against travel measures

NEVA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the new B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19, saying they should…

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UPDATED: Asian and European countries, alarmed by new COVID variant, tighten curbs

LONDON/GENEVA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU and Britain among those tightening border…

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Italy imposes entry ban on southern African states

ROME, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Italy on Friday imposed an entry ban on people who have visited a group of southern African states, including South Africa, in the last 14…

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UPDATED: Israeli PM warns of state of emergency due to new coronavirus variant

JERUSALEM, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met health experts on Friday to discuss how best to respond to a new variant of the coronavirus that has…

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Portugal reimposes rules as COVID-19 cases rise

Portugal, which has one of the world's highest rates of vaccination against COVID-19, announced it would reimpose restrictions to stop a surge in cases, ordering all passengers flying into the…

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Czech President Zeman returns to hospital after positive COVID test

Czech President Milos Zeman was taken back to hospital on Thursday after testing positive for the coronavirus, his office said, just hours after his release following more than six weeks…

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UPDATED: Alarm for new COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa, Vaccines may be less effective against it

Belgium is analysing two samples of COVID-19 to establish if they are the new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, a leading local virologist said on Friday. Marc Van…

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Canadian singer Bryan Adams tests positive for COVID after flying to Italy

Canadian singer Bryan Adams said he had tested positive for COVID-19 after flying into Italy and was going to hospital. Adams, who is also a photographer, came to Milan to…

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Expanded eligibility boosts U.S. COVID-19 booster shots ahead of holidays

Nov 25 (Reuters) - Millions of Americans got COVID-19 booster shots at a near record pace after the Biden administration expanded eligibility last week, but health officials concerned about climbing…

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COVID-19 threatens to knock away Germany’s last pillar of growth

BERLIN, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A surge in coronavirus infections in Germany is weighing on consumer morale in Europe's largest economy, dampening business prospects in the Christmas shopping season and…

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As COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to continent increase, logistics hampers inoculation drives-Africa CDC

NAIROBI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - As deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa finally pick up, many nations are struggling with the logistics of accelerating their inoculation campaigns, the head of…

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Switzerland holds off on new measures despite “critical” COVID situation

Switzerland will hold off from new national restrictions to curb coronavirus infections, the government said, as it appealed to common sense and local measures to stem the rising tide of…

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Slovakia begins two-week lockdown

Slovakia began a two-week lockdown on Thursday as new COVID-19 cases have spiraled out of control Slovakia declared a 90-day state of emergency and a two-week lockdown following a spike…

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Portugal expands booster shots as COVID-19 cases rise

Portugal, one of the world’s most vaccinated nations, will give COVID-19 booster shots to a quarter of its population by the end of January, the health secretary said, as authorities…

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