Health minister says more nations to soon be labeled 'red,' as senior official warns against flying abroad: 'Whoever is planning to travel... is likely to enter full quarantine'

UK health officials say new variant 'adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and health care services,' predict hospitalizations 'likely to increase rapidly'

Echoing discourse during previous pandemic waves, officials express concern over impact of new variant along with low vaccine rate

PM says border regulations bought time for vaccine campaign; announcing plan to give shots in schools, premier says inoculation rates must rise to protect children from new strain

This data is ‘very worrisome,' says study head, but those who received a third dose of the vaccine have cause for ‘optimism'

Coalition party leaders agree to new restrictions to limit travel; Health Ministry confirms another 20 cases of the new variant; Bennett says vaccinations rates 'insufficient'

Some tourists were expected to return this year, but new COVID strain and resulting Israeli ban on foreigners mean city will likely see second year with little income

Only 30% of hospitalizations in recent weeks serious, about half the rate of previous waves; just 3% of patients die, unlike 20% in earlier outbreaks; meanwhile UK predictions dire

British health agency says some vaccines appear to provide 'much lower levels of protection against symptomatic infection' from new variant

Experts urge leaders to delay outbreak of Omicron variant as long as possible in order to better prepare for handling new strain