The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain’s spread.

       The United States made it mandatory for all incoming passengers to carry a negative Covid-19 test report or a proof of recovery from the contagion as 15 US states reported the presence of the new variant. Though the Delta variant remains the majority of Covid-19 cases nationwide, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky told ABC News on Sunday. The new protocol comes into effect from December 6, the CDC said.

       Britain’s health security agency on Sunday reported 86 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number identified so far to 246.

       Meanwhile, France said it will try to avoid new health rules including a lockdown and Britain’s deputy prime minister expressed reluctance to require vaccinations.

       The UK’s decision to force all travellers entering the country to take a pre-flight Covid-19 test, threatening to upend the peak Christmas season for airlines, reflects a “balanced approach” given the threat of the omicron variant, said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab. The government announced last night that all travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, will have to take a Covid test within 48 hours of their departure for the UK.

       Many vaccination clinics and local officials in the US are reporting long lines and delays in booking vaccination appointments recently, the product of expanded eligibility on booster shots and fears of the Omicron variant, according to experts, the New York Times reported.

       On Sunday, Senegal reported its first case of Omicron but in South Africa, business leaders called for vaccines to be required.

       Compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations are necessary to protect the economy from lockdowns and

       to save jobs, the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing Business Leadership South Africa Chief Executive Officer Busi Mavuso.

       In Italy, a green pass —which is proof of vaccination, recovery or a recent negative test — will be required for buses, metro, local trains and hotels as of Monday.

       In Germany, some 63 per cent of people support mandatory vaccinations, according to a YouGov poll for DPA, with 30 per cent opposed. That’s a reversal of a December 2020 survey when only 33 per cent backed mandatory vaccinations. A separate poll by INSA for Bild am Sonntag showed 63 per cent of unvaccinated don’t intend to get a jab, while 20 per cent plan to do so.

       The Omicron variant continues to spread in the US, with three more cases reported in New York City and one each in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Connecticut on Saturday.

       The new cases in New York, which bring the state’s total to eight, don’t appear to be connected to a large anime conference in Manhattan.