

More omicron cases are cropping up in Europe, with several countries confirming the presence of the variant on Monday. Germany's BioNTech said they were already working on developing a modified vaccine, while simultaneously checking their old vaccine's efficacy against omicron. Talking to US broadcaster CNBC, he also said it would take months until new, omicron-specific can be shipped. The head of vaccine maker Moderna, Stephane Bancel, said it might take two to six weeks to get data on how effective vaccines are against the omicron variant. They voiced support for the new WHO initiatives to fight future pandemics. G7 health ministers held emergency talks on Monday to discuss their response to the new COVID variant, as well as travel bans.
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The WHO's World Health Assembly held a special meeting on Monday to discuss a potential "pandemic treaty." While representatives from the body's 194-member states will discuss how to handle the next pandemic - uncertainties over the omicron variant will likely cast a shadow over the talks. The agency also said that donations of vaccines must be organized better. Vaccine producers say they need two or three weeks to get a better picture of the variant's numerous mutations. The UN health agency added that the variant carries a "very high" risk of global infection surges. In a new statement, the WHO said there is "substantial uncertainty" regarding how contagious omicron is or how well current COVID vaccines hold up against the new variant. He also announced the reopening of the country's land border with Colombia, which will be carried out 'in stages' starting on Wednesday. According to the country’s Communication Ministry, Venezuela had had 600 new cases of COVID-19 infection over the previous 24 hours, reaching 431,296 total cases since the start of the pandemic.Įcuador will bar travelers from a number of African nations from entering the country, announced Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso on Monday. Venezuela registered six new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, meaning that the country has reached 5,144 coronavirus deaths in total.

The ministry has said the real toll is likely higher. This brings the total death toll in the country to 293,950.

Mexico’s Health Ministry reported 53 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday. Only the US and India are worse-affected. In total, Brazil has now recorded 614,376 coronavirus deaths and 22,084,749 confirmed cases. The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) could authorize the use of BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds as soon as next week, reported the Wall Street Journal on Monday.īrazil registered 98 new COVID-19 deaths and 3,843 additional cases on Monday, according to the country’s Health Ministry. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video More from the Americas Omicron - world needs new accord on pandemics US top infectious disease official Anthony Fauci said that it could not yet be predicted if omicron will become the dominant variant in the country. "We can't let up until the world is vaccinated." "Now we need the rest of the world to step up as well," Biden said. The White House has already donated over 275 million COVID-19 doses and expects to deliver 1.1 billion doses by September, 2022. Noting that the strain sprang up in areas with lower vaccination rates, Biden said it was in his country's interest to increase global inoculation. The US was one of the first countries to cut air travel links with southern African countries, where the variant was first detected last week. Powell said the new variant could also worsen supply chain disruptions. "If people are vaccinated and wear their mask, there's no need for lockdowns," Biden said.īut despite the reassurances, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that recent increase in infections and the emergence of the omicron variant "pose downside risks to employment and economic activity and increased uncertainty for inflation." The president also encouraged people to wear masks indoors so that the country could continue on its path to normality. US President Joe Biden on Monday said that the new COVID-19 omicron variant is "a cause for concern, not a cause for panic" in a speech at the White House.īiden said that the US would "face the new threat just as we have faced those that have come before it." He urged everyone over the age of five to get their vaccines and acquire boosters six months after their second dose.
