Page 87 - Heca News Today

The World Health Organization has urged Indonesia to take action to stem transmission of the coronavirus, following new data showing that mobility for retail and recreation has reached pre-pandemic levels in some key regions.

Swiss voters looked likely to back the government's pandemic response plan in a referendum on Sunday, paving the way for continuation of exceptional measures to stem the rising tide of COVID-19 cases.

Dutch health authorities were expected to announce on Sunday afternoon how many cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been found in the Netherlands, after 61 people who flew from South Africa tested positive for coronavirus.

U.S. health officials on Sunday said they were preparing for the likely appearance of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, with restrictions set to begin on Monday against travelers from eight southern African countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that it is not yet clear if the new Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants or if it causes more severe disease.

A South African doctor who was one of the first to suspect a different coronavirus strain among patients said on Sunday that symptoms of the Omicron variant were so far mild and could be treated at home.

Botswana's health minister Edwin Dikoloti said on Sunday the country had detected 15 more cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, adding to the four confirmed cases it declared on Friday.

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 to contain its spread.

Czech President Milos Zeman appointed the leader of a centre-right alliance Petr Fiala as prime minister on Sunday in a ceremony he performed from a plexiglass cubicle after testing positive for COVID-19.

Italy reported 47 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, against 90 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose slightly to 12,932 from 12,877.