In parts of the United States, health officials have also seen a steady climb in the number of Omicron cases. The variant has been detected in at least 16 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Some Americans, too, are becoming more […]

A coronavirus testing site in Times Square on Friday.Credit…Jeenah Moon/Reuters The highly mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus had been reported in at least 16 states by Saturday, with Washington state reporting three new cases. Many of the cases appeared to be people who had traveled to South Africa recently, including the first case reported […]

As the number of confirmed cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant rose to 160 in Britain, the government on Saturday announced further tightening of travel restrictions to combat its spread. Beginning Tuesday, travelers will be required to take a coronavirus test within 48 hours of traveling to Britain regardless of their vaccination status, and imposed […]

ANTWERP, Belgium — As a teenager in the 1980s, Norbert Somers would roam the port of Antwerp, where his father worked as a customs officer. Biking through the docks and gazing at the ships undisturbed was a favorite pastime. Since then, the port has grown into a sprawling high-security complex over about 47 square miles, […]

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Blowfish’s Den was a mess. The tables were crowded with empty bottles, dirty plates were stacked up and the bathroom had run out of soap. In the corner, the bar’s owner, Marco Antônio Targino, was eating a plate of fried pork cracklings. “For those who like filth,” he said with […]

TEL AVIV — She lay in the hospital unconscious and bandaged like a mummy, having barely survived a brutal assault. Her husband of two years had bashed her head, face and body with dozens of blows from a rolling pin before throttling her and then stabbing her 20 times with a kitchen knife, all as […]

Video transcript Back transcript Biden Outlines Winter Covid Strategy President Biden laid out his new pandemic strategy, including booster shots for all adults, vaccination sites aimed at families, testing requirements for international travelers and access to free at-home tests. Today, I’m back to announce our action plan to battle Covid-19 this winter. And it doesn’t […]

ImageStreets in Amsterdam were near-empty on Monday, after a coronavirus-related lockdown came into effect.Credit…Peter Dejong/Associated Press Two people who tested positive for the coronavirus in the Netherlands more than a week ago were infected with the Omicron variant, Dutch health officials reported on Tuesday. The timing is significant because it suggests that the variant was […]

TOKYO — With the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus late last week, countries across the globe rushed to close their borders to travelers from southern Africa, even in the absence of scientific information about whether such measures were necessary or likely to be effective in stopping the virus’s spread. Japan has […]

ImageTravelers wearing personal protective equipment arrive at Sydney International Airport in Australia, on Monday.Credit…James Gourley/EPA, via Shutterstock The World Health Organization warned on Monday that global risks posed by the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus were “very high,” despite significant questions about the variant itself. Still, countries around the world rushed to defend against […]