Footage obtained by The Associated Press of a cruise ship in a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and medical teams in protective gear as the vessel and its nearly 150 passengers and crew waited another day for help off West Africa.

The head of the World Health Organization says he will convene an expert group to determine if the increasing spread of the mpox virus in Africa warrants being declared a global emergency.

The World Health Organization says early evidence suggests the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be spreading faster than the highly transmissible delta variant and brings with it less severe disease — although it’s too early to make firm conclusions.

U.S. health officials say that while the omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading in the country, early indications suggest it may be less dangerous than delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations.

The World Health Organization says travel bans by countries are having an impact on global cooperation against the new omicron variant by causing “challenges” to the sharing of laboratory samples from South Africa that can help get better grips on the new variant.

British officials have identified a relative of the delta variant.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)GENEVA – The World Health Organization’s chief scientist warned that even as numerous countries start rolling out vaccination programs to stop COVID-19, herd immunity is highly unlikely this year. “Even as vaccines start protecting the most vulnerable, we’re not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” Swaminathan said. Aylward said WHO was aiming to have “a rollout plan” detailing which developing countries might start receiving vaccines next month. Still, the majority of the world's COVID-19 vaccine supply has already been bought by rich countries. Van Kerkhove noted that during the summer, COVID-19 cases were down to single digits in most countries across Europe.

Shoppers wear face masks as they walk in Regent Street, ahead of the new Tier-4 restriction measures, in London, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Christmas gatherings cannot go ahead and non-essential shops must close in London and much of southern England as he imposed a new, higher level of coronavirus restrictions to curb rapidly spreading infections. “It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot proceed with Christmas as planned,” Johnson said. While London fared relatively well in controlling the virus throughout the fall, the city now has the highest infection rates in England. The move will largely scrap Christmas gatherings in line with the rules for southern England.

The case number reported Tuesday is the lowest since India had 35,065 newly confirmed infections on July 17. Those counties have a daily average of at least 25 new virus cases per 100,000 residents. The seven-day average for daily COVID-19 deaths has also been climbing from 12 to 22 over the past 10 days. WHO’s emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan noted that 46% of all global COVID-19 cases last week were reported in Europe. ___ROME — Italy registered slightly more than 17,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the health care industry contends with a growing number of COVID-19 infections, hospitals across the country are dealing with a shortage of key medical supplies. New York has been hardest hit with nearly 84,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday morning. Andrew Cuomo said that’s stretching the state’s resources thin. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist with the World Health Organization, said it’s crucial that health care workers get the supplies they need to protect themselves. The shortage of personal protective equipment such as gowns and masks has led hospitals around the country, including in Jacksonville, to ask for donations.