Omicron thought to be fueling surge; Norway reports outbreak of mutated virus cases, all linked to Oslo Christmas party

Expert says within 2-3 weeks South African hospitals will feel pressure of infectious COVID-19 variant; health minister urges against 'panic'

Angelique Coetzee, part of the team that discovered the new COVID-19 strain, says even unvaccinated patients treated by her have had mild symptoms

President Cyril Ramaphosa says blacklisting his nation is 'scientifically unjustified'; UN health director in Africa says it may only slightly reduce the spread of COVID

Two friends from South Africa, who flew out before new restrictions were announced Thursday night, say they were 'treated like criminals'

Blinken speaks to South African minister, hails country's 'transparency in sharing this information, which should serve as a model for the world'

Arrivals must also quarantine for 10 days even if fully vaccinated, nation says, as world scrambles to respond to new concerning variant

With younger people increasingly coming in for treatment with more serious cases of COVID, doctors fear health systems could become overwhelmed

The ECD notes 'considerable uncertainty related to transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness, risk for reinfections and other properties'

US, Canada, Russia, Israel and a host of other countries join European Union in restricting travel for visitors from southern Africa; 'It seems to spread rapidly,' says Biden