Watch a live broadcast from Maryland where US President Joe Biden is delivering remarks on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, the first case of the Omicron variant was confirmed in California.
In late November, the World Health Organisation designated the new coronavirus strain, which was originally detected in South Africa, as a variant of concern and called it B.1.1.529 Omicron. According to South African health officials, Omicron is more transmissible but cases have so far been mild.
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