WASHINGTON, Dec 6 — Moderna Inc President Stephen Hoge warns that coronavirus vaccines could be less effective against the new strain, Omicron.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Malaysia is on high alert following its first case of Omicron, the heavily-mutated Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa.

CANBERRA, Dec 3 — Australia's peak immunisation body has advised against changes to the country's Covid-19 booster vaccine rollout in response to the Omicron variant, Xinhua news agency reported.

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 3 — Malaysia has recorded its first case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, involving a South African student studying at a private university in Ipoh, Perak.

NEW YORK, Dec 3 — Five cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant were reported here on Thursday, hours after cases were detected in the US states of Minnesota and Colorado.

SINGAPORE, Dec 2 — Singapore today detected two imported Covid-19 cases testing preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant, according to the republic’s Ministry of Health (MOH).

JAKARTA, Dec 2 — Indonesia is extending its mandatory quarantine period from seven days to 10 days for inbound travellers amid concerns over the new Covid-19 Omicron variant.

JAKARTA, Dec 2 — Authorities in Indonesia have tightened border curbs, extended quarantine and limited movement on strategic toll roads, in a preemptive move to limit the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant should it reach Southeast Asia's largest country.

LONDON, Dec 2 — Another nine cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in England and one in Scotland, bringing the total number of people with the strain identified in Britain to 32, British health authorities confirmed Wednesday, said Xinhua.

TOKYO, Dec 2 — Oil prices rose on Thursday, recouping the previous day's losses, as investors adjusted positions ahead of an OPEC+ decision over supply policy, but gains were capped amid fears the Omicron coronavirus variant will hurt fuel demand.

SYDNEY, Dec 2 — Australia's tally of people with the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 edged higher on Thursday, prompting state governments to bolster domestic border controls as health experts wait to learn more about the dangers posed by the strain.

SEOUL, Dec 2 — South Korea's new Covid-19 cases and the number of critically ill patients hit record high Thursday, heightening concerns over medical capacity amid the spread of the coronavirus and continued surge in critical cases.

TOKYO — Japan's transport ministry has cancelled its blanket ban on new reservations for inbound flights and asked airlines to accommodate the needs of returning Japanese, a senior government spokesperson said on Thursday.

NEW YORK, Dec 2 — The United States has identified the country's first confirmed case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in the state of California, health authorities said Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — The ringgit closed lower against the US dollar on Wednesday as investors returned to safe haven on renewed concerns over the global economic outlook due to a development on the Covid-19 pandemic, dealers said.

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 1 — Senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities are advised not to travel abroad at this time, besides avoiding crowded public areas, following the recent discovery of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 1 — Malaysia hopes the new Covid-19 B.1.1.529 variant known as Omicron, will not prevent the country’s prospective pilgrims from performing the Haj during the next season, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad.

TOKYO, Dec 1 — Japan began on Wednesday to administer Covid-19 booster injections to people who finished the full two shots at least eight months ago amid increasing concerns over the new Omicron variant of the Covid-19, the government said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — The ringgit settled higher against the US dollar on Tuesday, rebounding after 10 straight trading days of loss, lifted by renewed demand as investors were optimistic about the global economic outlook.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Pharmaniaga Bhd has assured that Sinovac Biotech Ltd is closely monitoring clinical study progress related to the Omicron variant and is actively collecting and obtaining information as well as samples related to the new variant through its global partner network.