The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that it is now monitoring a new COVID-19 variant of concern in the United States called XBB, which is now thought to account for 3.

US: CDC tracking XBB, a new Covid variant causing 3.1% of fresh infections

The horrific images of India's deadly second wave, which hit the country in April this year are still fresh in people's memory.

India details plan to combat omicron threat

The WHO's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said that while the new covid variant omicron appears to be very transmissible, the right response is to be prepared and not panic.

Omicron around the world

An official in Indian State Maharashtra's Thane district claimed on Monday that over 100 recent foreign returnees are untraceable due to the Omicron scare. According to KMDC chairman Vijay Suryavanshi, 109 out of 295 recent foreign returnees to the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KMDC) township in Thane district are now untraceable.

Omicron scare: Over 100 foreign returnees ‘go missing’ in India

Two international travellers arriving in Sydney were contaminated with the developing Omicron strain, according to urgent genetic testing. "Both passengers came to Sydney from South Africa on the evening of Saturday, November 27.

Omicron variant in Australia: Two passengers from South Africa test positive for new COVID strain

South Africa claims it is being penalised rather than praised for finding Omicron, a potentially dangerous new variant of COVID-19. As facts about the spread surfaced, governments throughout the world banned travel from southern Africa, prompting the foreign ministry to issue the announcement.

Omicron: South Africa says it's being 'punished' for detecting new COVID-19 variant

Just days after being discovered in South Africa, the new possibly more infectious omicron strain of the coronavirus has appeared in additional European nations, sending governments around the world rushing to stem the spread.

World on alert as new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron' spreads to more countries

As the new virus variant B.1.1.529 gripped the world on Friday, the World Health Organisation(WHO) moved to name it Omicron and designated it as a "variant of concern".

Omicron: What does variant of concern mean?

Passengers coming to Mumbai from South Africa will be quarantined and tested for the new coronavirus variant, Omicron—which has been described the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a variant of concern.

Quarantine, genome sequencing for passengers coming from South Africa to Mumbai, says city’s mayor

South Africa on Friday termed the UK's travel ban from six southern African countries “rushed”, even as several countries, including the 27-member EU, announced similar restrictions.

South Africa says UK’s travel ban order 'seems rushed' as new Covid variant raises alarm

In South Africa, a new potential COVID-19 variant of interest (VOI) has been identified. Scientists from the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa first spotted the strain in May 2021 during the third wave of Covid in the country.

New potential COVID-19 variant of concern identified in South Africa

According to reports, health authorities in Lahore have detected five cases of Epsilon coronavirus strain in Pakistan's Punjab province. The virus strain B.1.429 which was first detected in California is reportedly resistant to coronavirus vaccines.

Coronavirus in Pakistan: What is the Epsilon strain?

In a speech about COVID-19, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday warned, "Unfortunately...we are now in the early stages of a third wave.

COVID-19: WHO warns 'early stages' of third wave is here, amid Delta variant surge

Weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) labelled the Delta variant of coronavirus as a "variant of concern", the organisation’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had warned about the alarming increase of the ‘highly transmissible' variant.

Delta variant getting more dangerous and can soon be dominant, WHO Chief warns

The Delta variant of COVID-19, or the B1.617.2 highly transmissible variant of concern (VOC) first identified in India, has now become the dominant VOC in the UK as infections rose by 5,472 in a week to hit a total of 12,431, health officials in Britain said on Thursday.

Covid-19 Delta variant now dominant in UK as cases rise by 5,472 in a week

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said only B.1.617.2, one of the three strains of the B.1.617 COVID-19 variant first detected in India, is a 'variant of concern' now and noted that lower rates of transmission have been observed for the other two lineages.

Only one of three strains of B.1.617 variant now a 'variant of concern': WHO