Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, with 86.6% of its 10.3 million people inoculated, Portugal is scaling up its pandemic response amid the emergence of the omicron variant. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) APCHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia health officials say the state’s first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has been reported in an unvaccinated resident in Marion County. — Kansas has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant, raising fresh concerns as hospitals already were seeing a rise in COVID-19 patients. The omicron variant has quickly surpassed the delta variant in collections taken from wastewater sampling sites in Orange County, officials said. ___LONDON — Britain’s government has registered another record daily number of COVID-19 cases.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 16, 2021 19:39 UTC