Omicron updates: COVID outbreak reported on cruise ship docking in New Orleans

At least 10 people on board have tested positive for the virus.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: December 6, 2021, 5:07 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 785,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 59.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Nov 30, 2021, 11:59 AM EST

Greece to mandate vaccines for people 60 and older

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday that vaccines for people 60 and older will be required.

Appointments for the first dose must be booked by Jan. 19 and residents who don't comply will be fined.

A patient receives a dose of vaccine against Covid-19, in Aristotelous Square, in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece, Nov. 26, 2021.
Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images

There are 664 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Greece and the average age of those patients is 64.

The nation's vaccination rate stands at 62%.

Greece has not yet detected a case of the omicron variant but Mitsotakis said it's just a matter of time.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Nov 30, 2021, 11:20 AM EST

'Still have more questions than answers' on omicron: WHO DG

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that "we should not be surprised" by the emergence of omicron, because "this is what viruses do."

"The longer we allow the pandemic to drag on -- by failing to address vaccine inequity, or to implement public health and social measures in a tailored and consistent way -- the more opportunity we give this virus to mutate in ways we cannot predict or prevent," Tedros said.

Travelers arrive for flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, Nov. 30, 2021, in Newark, New Jersey.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

He continued, "We still have more questions than answers about the effect of Omicron on transmission, severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines. The global response must be calm, coordinated and coherent. At the same time, we must not forget that we are already dealing with a highly transmissible, dangerous variant – the Delta variant, which accounts for almost all cases globally."

Nov 30, 2021, 10:53 AM EST

FDA says it's working quickly as possible to evaluate omicron

The FDA in a new statement said it's working as quickly as possible to evaluate the potential impact of omicron on the currently available diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

"Historically, the work to obtain the genetic information and patient samples for variants and then perform the testing needed to evaluate their impact takes time,' the FDA said. "However, we expect the vast majority of this work to be completed in the coming weeks."

The FDA stressed that vaccines, boosters and masks are the best ways to stay protected.

-ABC News' Eric M. Strauss

Nov 30, 2021, 9:53 AM EST

Passengers arriving in US from South Africa sent home with testing kits

The CDC said passengers who arrived in the U.S. from Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday -- before travel restrictions took effect -- were offered free at-home PCR testing kits.

Passengers were told to wait three to five days before collecting a sample that they could then mail back for testing. It’s not clear how many have done so or if any were positive. 

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

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