Covid news live: WHO races to assess severity of Omicron variant as Japan shuts borders

Japan will bar the entry of foreign visitors from 30 November, announced prime minister Fumio Kishida on Monday. The country’s citizens returning from a list of specified nations will be allowed to return, but must quarantine themselves in designated facilities.

Amid concerns around the world about the spread of Omicron, at least one state in India has confirmed a spike in interest in vaccinations and booster jabs.

Maharashtra, a western state which includes India’s financial capital Mumbai, said it administered 839,005 vaccines on Saturday, the highest number in a single day throughout November.

More than 9.2 million residents of the state are yet to receive a second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

The Indian government on Sunday revised its guidelines for screening international travellers arriving from Europe, including the UK and 11 other “at risk” countries.

The country has also mandated testing on arrival, home quarantine for seven days on a negative result and another Covid-19 test on the eight day. Individual states have been directed to randomly test five per cent of the passengers arriving in flights from “at risk” countries.

It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible compared to other variants, including Delta, said WHO.

The global health agency said that though the number of people testing positive for the variant have risen in South Africa, it added that “epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors”.

WHO also said that “it is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta.”

It said that the increase in hospitalisation may be due to “increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron.” The WHO added that there is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.

Following my earlier post (6.21pm), here’s Tom Batchelor with more on the new Covid rules for England’s secondary schools.

Face masks should be worn in communal areas in England’s schools and colleges, as part of efforts to slow the spread of the omicron Covid variant, the government has said.

Pupils in year 7 and above, plus staff and visitors, are being “strongly advised” to wear a face covering under the “temporary and precautionary” measure, which will take effect from Monday.

Masks will not be required in classrooms and exemptions will remain in place for those who have a medical reason not to wear one.

A vote in Switzerland on Sunday gave the green light to new legislation, which bars unvaccinated people from attending public events and gatherings. People who have recovered from Covid or test negative will can attend such events, alongside those who are vaccinated.

The final count showed 62 per cent of voters supported the measure, which is already in force. The vote on the country’s “Covid-19 law,” which also has unlocked billions of Swiss francs in aid for workers and businesses hit by the pandemic, came as Switzerland — like many other nations in Europe — faces a steep rise in Covid cases.

Switzerland’s government, unlike others, hasn’t responded with new restrictions. Analysts said it didn’t want to stir up more opposition to its anti-Covid-19 policies before they faced Sunday’s test at the ballot box.

Health minister Alain Berset said, with the result now in, authorities “still have the necessary instruments to manage the crisis, and we can, if necessary, adjust the instruments to developments”.

“A decision has been made and we must come together now to get through this winter as well as possible,” Mr Berset said. “This is an appeal for unity but also for respect for decisions that have been taken.”

On Tuesday, Swiss health authorities warned of a rising “fifth wave” on infections in the rich Alpine country, where vaccination rates are roughly in line with those in hard-hit neighbours Austria and Germany at about two-thirds of the population.

The United States could be in for yet another wave of Covid-19 infections unless Americans continue to receive vaccines and booster shots, White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci has said.

Speaking to CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Dr Fauci warned that the next few weeks will be crucial for determining whether the US can stem the tide of new cases and the deaths that could result from a fifth wave.

“We certainly have the potential to go into a fifth wave,” he said amid the new omicron variant. “And the fifth wave, or the magnitude of any increase, if you want to call it that it will turn into a wave, will really be dependent upon what we do in the next few weeks to a couple of months.”

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC:

Over to Northern Ireland now, where plans are underway to identify any spread of the omicron variant in the country.

Robin Swann, NI’s health minister, also urged the public to follow basic steps to help prevent the spread of all variants of Covid-19, and underlined the continuing importance of vaccination.

He will update the Assembly on Monday about the measures being deployed in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

The variant has been identified in England and a host of other countries across Europe, however no cases have yet been notified in Northern Ireland or the Irish Republic.

Mr Swann said measures against omicron include the addition of a number of countries to Northern Ireland’s red list for international travel.

“If the new variant is confirmed here, all appropriate health protection actions will be carried out and the public will be informed as appropriate,” he told the media on Sunday.