Omicron variant live updates: India will soon launch world's first DNA vaccine for Covid, says PM

Italy tightens restrictions to curb surging cases, including banning all public New Year's Eve celebrations and making wearing masks outdoor compulsory again, as daily infections hit a record high.

2 children of age 11 & 15 years, with a travel history to Nigeria, have tested Omicron positive today; their close contacts have been traced & tested negative, says Dr Niranjan Mishra, Director of Public Health, Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that we should be 'Satark and Saavdhan', in view of the new Omicron variant.

Germany is adding the United States, Spain and Portugal to its list of Covid-19 risk areas, it said on Thursday, making it more difficult for unvaccinated travellers to return to Germany from those countries.

In view of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and increased influx of travellers, passengers coming to the Kathua district via buses, cabs, taxis and tempo travellers will have to undergo Covid-19 tests at Lakhanpur irrespective of their vaccination status, said an order from District Magistrate Rahul Yadav on Thursday.

Domestic travellers flying into Delhi from states reporting high Covid cases will now be randomly tested at the airport and they will be allowed leave after giving their sample.

US health regulators on Thursday authorized the second pill against Covid-19, providing another easy-to-use medication to battle the rising tide of omicron infections. The Food and Drug Administration authorization of Merck's molnupiravir comes one day after the agency cleared a competing drug from Pfizer. That pill, Paxlovid, is likely to become the first-choice treatment against the virus, thanks to its superior benefits and milder side effects.