(Reuters) – Singapore and Malaysia reopened one of the world’s busiest land borders on Monday, allowing vaccinated travellers to cross after nearly two years of remaining shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news
EUROPE
* The Omicron coronavirus variant spread around the world on Sunday, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restriction to try to seal themselves off.
* A surge in coronavirus cases in Germany has led to a disappointing start to the Christmas season for retailers in Europe’s biggest economy, the sector body said on Sunday.
* Britain’s health minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday he expected to receive advice imminently on whether the government can broaden a booster shot programme to try to weaken the impact of the newly identified Omicron coronavirus variant.
AMERICAS
* Top U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told President Joe Biden on Sunday it will take about two weeks to have more definitive information about of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, while he asked Americans to be prepared to fight its spread.
* Two cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Canada, provincial health officials said.
* Mexico recorded 38 more coronavirus deaths on Saturday and an additional 1,050 confirmed cases, according to Health Ministry data, bringing the overall death toll to 293,897 and the number of cases to 3,883,842.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Australia will review its plans to reopen borders to skilled migrants and students from Dec. 1, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, after the country reported its first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
* A resurgence of COVID-19 infections in northern China have forced two small cities to suspend public transport and tighten control over residents’ movement, as the country has showed no willingness to go easy on local outbreaks.
* New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday the country will move into a system of living with the COVID-19 virus later this week despite the new Omicron variant posing a fresh health threat to the world.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that authorities were considering making COVID-19 shots compulsory for certain places and activities, as a rise in infections linked to a new variant threatens to become a fourth wave.
* OPEC and its allies have postponed technical meetings to later this week, giving themselves more time to assess the impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on oil demand and prices, according to OPEC+ sources and documents.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The World Health Organization said on Sunday it is not yet clear if the new Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants or if it causes more severe disease.
* Novavax said it had started working on a version of its COVID-19 vaccine to target the variant detected in South Africa and would have the shot ready for testing and manufacturing in the next few weeks.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* U.S. stock futures led a market rebound on Monday as investors prepared to wait a few weeks to see if the Omicron coronavirus variant would really derail economic recoveries and the tightening plans of some central banks. [MKTS/GLOB]
* Japan’s retail sales rose for the first time in three months in October, though less than expected, and the underlying private consumption trend pointed to persistent strains on a fragile economic recovery despite an easing of COVID-19 curbs.
(Compiled by Rashmi Aich and Krishna Chandra Eluri; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Arun Koyyur)
