South Africa

A historic number of workers have become their own bosses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (pdf).

An Israeli immunologist suggested this week that the spread of the newly detected Omicron variant — which has sparked panic and resulted in travel bans worldwide — may actually signal the beginning of the end of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Dire warnings about new variant looking increasingly alarmist.

U.S. population is less concerned about the emergence of the Omicron variant than they were about the Delta strain.

"Their symptoms were so different and so mild from those I had treated before."

I can tell you with certainty that right now attorneys for newly acquitted defendant Kyle Rittenhouse are working overtime. They are combing through every slanderous statement made about this young man. Every defamatory comment offered up before any facts were presented in a court of law is now under the microscope for possible litigation.

South Africa's medical chief says recent travel bans represent a "storm in a teacup" and that the country has only recorded "very mild cases" of the new strain.

The World Health Organization appeared to skip two letters in the Greek alphabet ("Nu" and "Xi") when it announced on Friday the name for the latest coronavirus variant ("Omicron"), which was first identified in South Africa.

South Africa's Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the move to place travel restrictions on the country amid fears over the new COVID-19 variant is "unjustified" at a media briefing on Friday, CNBC reported.

Previous tweets from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are igniting accusations of hypocrisy after the administration announced a travel ban in response to a new COVID-19 variant.