The Latest Breaking News from Omicron

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

The risk level related to the Omicron variant remains very high, the WHO said late Tuesday, with the numbers of new Covid-19 cases hitting another record high last week. "Over 21 million new cases were reported, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic,"…

UK also records over 102,000 daily cases; Danish plan would mean most far-reaching easing among Nordic countries

It’s harder to detect than original Omicron and may be even faster at spreading but, say scientists, is probably no more dangerous

The variant is 'under investigation' with more than 400 cases in England so far

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Western Australia's Skyworks event will go ahead despite concerns over a growing Omicron outbreak, with the state recording 24 new cases.

While deaths "still are quite high" in Chicago at a rate of about 19 per day, other numbers suggest relief could be on the way, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases exceeded 13,000 for the first time on Wednesday, driven by the spread of the Omicron variant, as the government launched a new pilot testing scheme to meet skyrocketing demand.

Infections rising among children and ‘might now spill over back’ into adults, keeping case rates high for weeks to come, says expert behind major UK study

The Zero-COVID Strategy Leaves the Country Vulnerable to an Omicron Tsunami