President: SAfrica to enter 4th wave of infections

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said that his country should expect a fourth wave of coronavirus infections in the wake of the discovery of the new omicron variant. He said the average number of cases over the past week was 1,600, up from 500 the previous week. Omicron was identified earlier in the week by researchers in South Africa, and has sparked a new global alert.

On Sunday, Dutch public health authority confirmed that so far 13 people who arrived in the Netherlands on flights from South Africa on Friday have tested positive for the new omicron coronavirus variant.  Meanwhile, Australia's New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Monday there could be a third Omicron case in his state.