Lebanon recorded 5,087 new Covid-19 cases and 19 deaths over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The country has witnessed a major surge in cases in recent weeks, amid the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus and the gatherings that accompanied the holidays period.

A top World Health Organization official says low hospitalization and death rates in South Africa due to the omicron variant cannot be considered a template for how the variant will fare as it surges in other countries.

Dr. Abdi Mahamud, COVID-19 incident manager at the U.N. health agency, notes a “decoupling” between case counts and deaths in the country, which first announced the emergence of the fast-spreading new variant.

The centrist party of French President Emmanuel Macron was left red-faced on Tuesday after opposition parties joined forces to hold up a bill tightening measures against Covid-19.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that an Israeli study indicated fourth coronavirus vaccinations were "safe" and increased antibodies "fivefold", as the country expands its inoculation campaign amid rising infections. 

An EU ban on tattoo ink and permanent make-up containing chemicals feared to cause cancers or other health risks went into effect on Tuesday, officials said.

Britain on Tuesday faced warnings of an impending hospital crisis due to staff shortages caused by a wave of Omicron infections, as the country returned to work after Christmas.

Health Minister Firass Abiad announced Tuesday that “the situation is still under control until the moment” as to hospitals’ capacity to deal with the current wave of Covid-19 cases.

“The numbers of patients in hospitals and in their ICU units have not increased in a significant manner, but we are required to be prepared and ready should these numbers surge,” Abiad said after talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

The United States reported more than one million new Covid-19 cases Monday after the long New Year's weekend, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant spread at a blistering pace.

More than 2,000 people travelling on a cruise ship in Indian waters have been prevented from disembarking after a Covid outbreak on board, authorities said Monday.

Israel will from Sunday allow entry to vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries, the health ministry said, five weeks after it shut its borders to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.