Omicron, dubbed a "variant of concern" last week by the WHO that is potentially more contagious than previous variants, but the symptoms have been reported as extremely mild. The Omicron variant was first discovered in South Africa by researchers, Japan and France confirmed their first cases of the variant overnight. That brought the number of countries reporting cases of it to 19, Canada among them.
Travel restrictions are being tightened in many countries.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said as of Tuesday morning, he did not plan on imposing any new mask mandates or travel restrictions because most residents are vaccinated.
Doctors said the COVID vaccine is the best line of defense against the new strain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its recommendation on boosters and urged Americans to get the additional shot.
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