A new report on the COVID-19 variant omicron was published Sunday by the World Health Organization, just two days after labeling it a variant of concern.

The European Union nations have agreed to impose a ban on travel from southern Africa to counter the spread of a new COVID-19 variant.

The World Health Organization says it could still take some time to get a full picture of the threat posed by omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus as scientists worldwide scramble to assess its multiple mutations.

Israel's prime minister says the country is “on the threshold of an emergency situation” after authorities detected its first case of a new coronavirus variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi.

British officials have identified a relative of the delta variant.

The coronavirus that caused the pandemic can keep evolving as long as people are still getting infected, but that doesn’t mean new variants will emerge as regularly or that they’ll be more dangerous.

With the increase of COVID-19 cases, many are eyeing the way the variant is impacting the U.K. as a possible indicator of when the U.S. could see its peak.

Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations to outpace the spread of the delta variant.

New data for the last two weeks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects the variant now makes up over 20% of COVID-19 cases nationwide.

Illinois is lifting all capacity limits on bars, restaurants, businesses and other venues Friday, nearly 15 months after the first stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida has seen a big jump in the number of cases caused by coronavirus variants. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of the so-called U.K. variant have more than doubled to nearly 2,300 in Florida since last week. Overall cases in several states, including Florida, have been trending slightly higher. AdSince the coronavirus was first discovered, new variants of the virus have been documented in the United States and around the world. This variant was first detected in the United States at the end of December 2020.

Passengers arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport were escorted by security guards to buses that took them to nearby hotels. Some of the travelers said they had tried and failed to make it to Britain before Monday to avoid the quarantine. AdVisiting a London vaccination center on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the “unbelievable effort” by scientists, medics, pharmacists, members of the military and volunteers that had achieved Europe’s fastest vaccine rollout. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the vaccination drive is now being extended to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions. Britain has had Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak, with more than 117,000 deaths, though Infections and deaths are now falling steadily after more than a month of national lockdown.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A student at the University of Central Florida has been diagnosed with a variant of the coronavirus first found in the United Kingdom and thought to be more easily transmissible. The unidentified student tested positive this week, Michael Deichen, associate vice president of UCF Student Health Services said Thursday in a statement on the university's website. University officials said the student was isolated and contact tracing measures were taken. AdDr. Raul Pino from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County said the student did not live on campus. Tens of thousands of college students around the nation have tested positive for the virus, and some campuses have seen spikes in cases with students returning to campus.

Britain is the fifth country in the world to record 100,000 virus-related deaths, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, and by far the smallest. The Brazilian variant was first identified in four travelers who were tested at an airport outside Tokyo, Japan. The CDC has reported at least 195 cases of the U.K. variant in the United States. The South African variant has not been discovered in the United States. Reinfection is rare, but Brazil has confirmed a case in someone with the new variant who had been sickened with a previous version several months earlier.