Omicron Coronavirus Cases News Highlights 13 December 2021: 2 more Omicron cases in Maha; India tally 40

An Ipsos MORI survey for The London Evening Standard newspaper showed opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer's ranking was 13 percentage points ahead of Johnson, the first time a Labour leader had been viewed as a more capable prime minister since 2008

PM Johnson, who is grappling with a rebellion in his party over measures to curb Omicron and an outcry over alleged parties at his Downing Street office during last year's lockdowns, said people should rush to get booster vaccines to protect "our freedoms and our way of life".

That means we're facing a tidal wave of infection, we're once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus: Health Secretary Sajid Javid

It's spreading at a phenomenal rate, something that we've never seen before, it's doubling every two to three days in infections- Health Secretary Sajid Javid

Since the first Omicron cases were detected on Nov. 27 in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and told the nation on Sunday that a "tidal wave" of Omicron was coming

'Phenomenal' Omicron spread accounts for 40% of London infections

Britain said on Monday that the Omicron coronavirus variant was spreading at a "phenomenal rate" and now accounted for about 40% of infections in London, so people should get a booster shot because the double-vaccinated are still vulnerable.

South Korea reports 5,817 more Covid-19 cases

South Korea reported 5,817 more cases of Covid-19 as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 523,088. The daily caseload was down from 6,661 in the previous day due to fewer tests over the weekend, but it was the highest Sunday figure since the country's first case was found in January last year.

Omicron poses "very high" global risk but data on severity limited: WHO

The Omicron coronavirus variant, reported in more than 60 countries, poses a "very high" global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection but clinical data on its severity remain limited, the World Health Organization says. Considerable uncertainties surround Omicron, first detected last month in South Africa and Hong Kong, whose mutations may lead to higher transmissibility and more cases of Covid-19 disease, the WHO said in a technical brief issued on Sunday.

One-time financial of Rs 50,000 given to 21,235 families of Covid victims: Delhi minister

Andaman & Nicobar reports one new Covid-19 case

The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported one new Covid-19 case in the last 24 hours, which took the tally to 7,698, a health department official said on Monday. The archipelago now has eight active Covid-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district. The other two districts – North and Middle and Nicobar Islands – are coronavirus free, he said.