The EU drug regulator could approve Covid-19 vaccines that have been adapted to target the new variant within three to four months if needed, the agency's chief said on Tuesday as she said existing shots would continue to provide protection.

India's union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Tuesday that the Omicron variant does show up on RT-PCR and RAT testing

Australian authorities on Tuesday confirmed a person with Covid-19 had the new Omicron variant after disclosing that the person had been active in the community, but urged calm as they weighed up the severity of the strain.

Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte's preferred successor, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, announced on Tuesday he was dropping out of the presidential race, leaving the administration without a candidate in next year's polls.

Hong Kong expanded a ban on entry for non-residents from several countries as global health authorities raced to curb a potential outbreak of the Omicron virus, while Australia's cabinet will review containment steps on Tuesday after five tested positive.

Drugmaker Moderna's CEO set off fresh alarm bells in financial markets on Tuesday after he warned that Covid-19 vaccines were unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as they have been against the Delta version.

The WHO yesterday said the Omicron coronavirus variant carried a very high risk of infection surges as more countries closed their borders and reported cases of the new strain.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus carries a very high global risk of surges, the WHO warned on Monday, as more countries reported cases, prompting border closures and reviving worries about the economic recovery from a two-year pandemic.

Singapore and Malaysia reopened one of the world's busiest land borders on Monday, allowing vaccinated travellers to cross after nearly two years of being shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Philippines has temporarily suspended a decision to allow fully vaccinated tourists entry in a bid to prevent a new, heavily mutated coronavirus variant taking off in the country where most of the population remains unvaccinated.

Right-winger Petr Fiala was named the Czech Republic’s new prime minister yesterday in an unusual ceremony, with wheelchair-bound President Milos Zeman speaking from behind a plastic barrier because he has Covid-19.

A new, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant spread across the globe yesterday, shutting borders and renewing curbs as the EU chief said governments faced a “race against time” to understand the strain.