The US will see cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant "sooner or later," but this is no reason to panic, said President Joe Biden on Monday.

Speaking at a press briefing on the new variant after meeting with top health officials at the White House, Biden said American states "will have to face this new threat" and urged Americans to protect themselves against it through vaccination.

"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," said Biden, adding that the best protection against it is getting fully vaccinated or, if a person is already fully vaccinated, getting a booster shot.

On the US’ new restrictions on travel from South Africa and seven other nations in southern Africa, Biden said they would give officials more time to take action against the new variant.

Biden also praised South African authorities for identifying the variant quickly. "This kind of transparency is to be encouraged and applauded," he added.

South African and other officials have said the travel bans effectively punishes the country for finding the variant.

Last week, South African scientists announced that they had discovered the omicron variant, which has several mutations that may carry the risk of reinfection. Cases of the same variant have since been found in a number of Western countries.

On Friday, the World Health Organization declared the strain a "variant of concern," naming it omicron.

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 5.2 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 261.65 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University./aa

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced deep concern about southern African nations being isolated due to the new COVID-19 variant known as omicron.

"I am now deeply concerned about the isolation of southern African countries due to new COVID-19 travel restrictions," said Guterres in a statement.

His remarks came days after many countries imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and other southern African countries due to omicron. It was first reported from South Africa on Nov. 24, but has since been found in numerous countries, including Western ones.

Guterres praised the South African government for identifying the emergence of omicron early and warned that low vaccine rates are "a breeding ground for variants."

"The people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of vaccinations available in Africa – and they should not be penalized for identifying and sharing crucial science and health information with the world," he added.

The UN chief called on "all governments to consider repeated testing for travelers, together with other appropriate and truly effective measures, with the objective of avoiding the risk of transmission so as to allow for travel and economic engagement."

Last week South African scientists announced that they had detected the omicron variant, which has several mutations that may carry the risk of reinfection. Cases also turned up in Botswana and later in Hong Kong.

The World Health Organization on Friday declared it a "variant of concern."​​​​​​​/agencies

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday announced an expanded call that all eligible Americans get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot with the new omicron variant starting to spread. 

Earlier this month, the CDC already recommended that adults over the age of 50 along with those who have compromised immune systems should get a booster shot if it had been at least six months since they got the original two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two months since they got the original single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The CDC originally said that anyone else over the age of 18 "may" get a booster shot.

But after four days of growing worry over the new omicron variant of COVID-19, which was discovered in southern African countries, the call for boosters became louder and more expansive to include the recommendation that all adults over the age of 18 "should" get a booster.

"The recent emergence of the omicron variant," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement, "further emphasizes the importance of the vaccination, booster and prevention efforts needed to prevent against COVID-19."

Walensky mentioned data from South Africa that suggests omicron is easier to transmit than the delta variant and the race to figure out whether current vaccines are effective in fighting it.

A little over 70% of American adults were already fully vaccinated prior to the call for more booster shots.

"I strongly encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible," she said, "and to vaccinate the children and teens in their families as well because strong immunity will likely prevent serious illness."

The CDC will be keeping a close watch on when and where the omicron variant appears in the US. Walensky urged anyone who shows COVID-type symptoms to get tested as soon as possible so that it can be determined if omicron is the culprit.

"Increased testing will help us identify omicron quickly," she said./aa

Up to 2,000 migrants and refugees have massed at the Belarusian-Polish border and an estimated 7,000 currently are in Belarus, the UN’s migration organization said Monday.

“Together with UNHCR and partners, our priority is the safety of these stranded migrants, upholding their human rights and preventing more deaths as temperatures remain well below freezing,” said Antonio Vitorino, director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“We are committed to providing humanitarian assistance and working with authorities on both sides of the border, and those who wish to return voluntarily will be helped by IOM to do so in a safe and dignified way.”

Responding to the Belarusian-EU border situation, the IOM said it and its partners had boosted their assistance for migrants and refugees, providing humanitarian aid at the border and expanding voluntary return opportunities and other aid.

There are an estimated 2,000 migrants and refugees at the border with Poland, predominantly Iraqi Kurds, Syrians, Iranians, Afghans, Yemenis, Cameroonians, and others, said the organization.

7,000 migrants, refugees in Belarus

“The total number of migrants and refugees currently in Belarus is estimated at 7,000, with only a limited number so far expressing a desire to return home voluntarily,” said the migration organization.

However, the IOM said that in recent days, the Iraq government has organized the repatriation of over 1,000 of its citizens and held discussions with the organization to facilitate more voluntary returns.

According to the organization, the IOM has assisted at least 44 people to return home voluntarily, with another 38 in the pipeline.

“There are grave concerns for the welfare of the migrants and refugees in the freezing conditions,” said the IOM, noting several deaths from hypothermia were registered on the EU’s border with Belarus.

There are large numbers of women and children among the group at the border.

The IOM, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and Belarus Red Cross have been granted access to the migrants and refugees at the border by the Belarusian authorities on several occasions in recent weeks.

They have assessed their conditions and needs, distributed humanitarian aid, and elaborated options for those wishing to return home.

Since August, the EU countries bordering Belarus – Lithuania, Latvia and Poland – have reported a dramatically growing number of irregular crossings.

More than 8,000 people have tried to enter the bloc via the Belarus-EU border in 2021, up sharply from just 150 last year.

According to the EU, Belarus reaches out to potential travelers through seemingly official channels, including diplomatic missions and travel agencies, and invites them to Belarus by offering them visas. They are then allegedly guided to the EU border./aa

At least four people died Monday when the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul was hit by a fierce storm with gale-force winds, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). 

Another 38 people were injured, AFAD said in a statement.

As of 8.30 pm (1730GMT), 1,517 calls were made to the 112 Emergency Call Center in Istanbul due to the storm, AFAD said.

Emergency services are working hard to get help to people in need, the governor’s office said.

Since Monday morning, the city – home to over 15 million people – has faced powerful winds which uprooted trees, ripped off rooftops and even toppled a clock tower.

State weather officials said the wind blew as fast as 129 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour) in the district of Beylikduzu, which also was pummeled by a short mud rain during the storm.

Some boats docked in Maltepe and Pendik suffered severe damage due to the storm, which also caused a cargo ship to collide with a pier at the Port of Ambarli.

Amid the storm, authorities took precautionary measures, cancelling sea transport and closing the Bosphorus Strait – which connects the Marmara and Black seas – to ship traffic in both directions.

Facing adverse aerial conditions, flag carrier Turkish Airlines sent at least six planes that were unable to land to airports outside Istanbul.

In a subsequent statement, the governor’s office said that education was suspended for one day due to the storm’s continued impact on the city.

Strong winds and storms will continue to batter the city tonight, with wind speeds of up to 90 kph (60 mph) until 6 p.m. (1500GMT) tomorrow, according to weather officials.

The governor’s office added that motorcycles and electric scooters will not be allowed in traffic from 11 p.m. (2000GMT) Monday to 6 p.m. (1500GMT) Tuesday due to the powerful storm.

Officials said in a statement that most of Turkey would be affected by strong winds and storms until Tuesday and urged people to take measures to avoid harm during the bad weather.

Meanwhile, a total of 116 incidents including the uprooting of trees and blowing off of roofs occurred in Bursa, Bolu, Tekirdag and Yalova provinces, the AFAD statement said.

Classes were suspended for one day due to the storm’s continued impact on Duzce and Sinop provinces, according to the governor’s offices in the respective cities.

Education was also suspended for one day at Bursa Technical, Balıkesir, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart and Yalova universities due to the fierce storm, according to the university administrations./aa