Four cases of the omicron variant have been detected in Washington, D.C., health health officials announced Sunday.
The first case is a woman who recently traveled to Florida and New York.
The second case is a woman who traveled to Maryland during Thanksgiving, health officials said.
The third case is a man with no known travel, according to health officials.
The fourth case is a woman who traveled to Virginia during the Thanksgiving, health officials said.
All four patients are fully vaccinated; however, it is unclear if they have received booster shots, health officials said.
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson
Dec 12, 2021, 1:21 PM EST
UK raises COVID-19 alert level, citing rapid increase in omicron cases
The United Kingdom raised the COVID-19 alert level on Sunday, citing a rapid increase in cases of the omicron variant.
The U.K. has detected 3,137 omicron cases so far, according to the GISAID tracker.
In an address to the nation Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the data on the severity of the new variant would become more apparent in the coming weeks. Still, at this stage, Johnson said early evidence shows that omicron is spreading much faster than the highly contagious delta variant.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he records an address to the nation to provide an update on the booster COVID-19 vaccine program from Downing Street in London, United Kingdom, on Dec. 12, 2021.
Kirsty O'Connor/Pool via Reuters
Vaccine protection against symptomatic disease from omicron is reduced and hospitalizations from the new variant are already occurring. Cases and hospitalizations are likely to increase rapidly, Johnson warned.
In an effort to battle the "tidal wave of omicron" and avoid imposing further restrictions, the prime minister announced his government will begin rolling out 1 million booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day across all four nations of the U.K. -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He vowed that everyone over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to receive a booster shot before the New Year. The British Army will be deployed to facilitate and accelerate the emergency rollout, according to Johnson.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Mike Trew
Dec 12, 2021, 1:19 PM EST
Austria lifts COVID restrictions for vaccinated people, announces vaccine mandate into 2024
Nearly a month after imposing additional rules to fight rising COVID-19 infections, Austrian authorities will now allow vaccinated people to participate in public life starting Sunday.
Lockdown restrictions will still apply to unvaccinated individuals.
Protesters carry a banner reading "2020: OMG, you are our heroes - 2021: take the vaccination or you are fired" as they take part in a demonstration against the Austrian government's measures taken in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, on December 12, 2021 in Bregenz, Austria, amidst the novel coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic. - The Bregenz demonstration is only one in a string of huge weekend protests since Austria in November 2021 became the first EU country to say it would make Covid vaccinations mandatory.
Dietmar Stiplovsek/APA/AFP via Getty Images
But Austria's tough response to rising COVID infections doesn't end there. The health minister, Wolfgang Mueckstein, announced that starting Feb. 1 and going through Jan. 2024, COVID vaccines will be mandatory, for all residents aged 14 and over
At the end of each quarter, residents who remain unvaccinated face fines up to $4,074.
The mandate, which still needs to be approved by parliament, will include exemptions for women who are pregnant, children under the age of 14 and people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Dec 10, 2021, 5:25 PM EST
50M Americans receive booster shot so far
More than 50 million Americans have now received a COVID-19 booster shot, according to newly updated federal data.
More than half of fully vaccinated people 65 years and older have received a booster.
On average, about 2.03 million total shots are being administered each day, the data shows. More than half -- 1.1 million -- are booster doses.
