"Covid-19"

Gold edged lower as investors weighed mixed labor data from the U.S., the Federal Reserves hawkish tilt and the threat of the omicron variant to global growth.

South Africas surge in Covid-19 cases following the emergence of the omicron variant hasnt overwhelmed hospitals so far, prompting some cautious optimism that the new strain may cause mostly mild illness.

Italy, which has one of Europes highest vaccination rates, is further cracking down on the small minority that has so far refused the shot.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to stay alert to the dangers of the coronavirus in his first policy speech to parliament since taking office in September, as a poll showed broad public support for his ban on new entry by foreigners.

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.23 million across Southeast Asia, with 25,340 new cases reported on Monday (December 6). New deaths are at 422, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 294,577.

WASHINGTON - The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been identified in at least 17 U.S. states since California reported its first case Dec. 1 - and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said cases are likely to increase as scientists rush to answer whether it is more transmissible or better able to evade the protections of existing vaccines.

There is low to very low risk of Thailand’s first Omicron case infecting others as the cycle threshold in the RT-PCR test is very high, Dr Anan Jongkaewwatana from the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology said in a Facebook post on Monday.

The prime minister on Monday urged people not to panic over the discovery of Thailand’s first Omicron case, saying he was confident that health authorities will be able to curb its spread.

Demand for coronavirus vaccines has spiked in the United States in recent weeks, as more Americans are eligible for booster shots and concerns grow over the omicron variant.

Danish health authorities on Sunday reported a "concerning" jump in cases of the omicron coronavirus variant that they said points to community spread in Denmark and probably elsewhere in Europe.

Thailand’s first Omicron case was detected in a foreigner on Friday who had travelled from Spain on November 30, the Public Health Ministry said on Monday.

Covid-19 will become a seasonal disease once everybody has developed an immunity against the virus, expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said in a Facebook post on Monday.