Takeshi Kasai told reporters Friday in a virtual news conference broadcast from Manila, Philippines.“ Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy time.... But every country and every community must prepare for new surges in cases, ” Kasai said.... The northern winter season will likely bring other infectious respiratory diseases such as influenza alongside COVID-19, Kasai said.“ It is clear that this pandemic is far from over and I know that people are worried about omicron, ” he said

An Orange Farm, South Africa, resident receives her jab against COVID-19, on Dec.... Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern--one that appears to be driving a dramatic surge in South Africa and offering a glimpse of where the pandemic might be headed.... New COVID-19 cases in South Africa have burgeoned from about 200 a day in mid-November to more than 16, 000 on Friday....