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Travellers receive tests for COVID-19 at a pre-departure testing facility outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, Nov 29, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Loren Elliott) - 

Australia on Monday (Dec 27) reported its first confirmed death from the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 amid another surge in daily infections, but the authorities refrained from imposing new restrictions saying hospitalisation rates remained low.

The death, a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions, marked a grim milestone for the country which has had to pause some parts of a staged reopening after nearly two years of stop-start lockdowns, due to the fresh outbreak.

Omicron, which health experts say appears more contagious but less virulent than previous strains, began to spread in the country just as it lifted restrictions on most domestic borders and allowed Australians to return from overseas without quarantine, driving case numbers to the highest of the pandemic.

The authorities gave no additional details about the Omicron death, except to say that the man caught the virus at an aged care facility and died in a Sydney hospital.

"This was the first known death in New South Wales (state) linked to the Omicron variant of concern," said New South Wales Health epidemiologist Christine Selvey in a video released by the government.

The man was among six COVID-19 deaths reported in Australia the previous day, all in the most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria, which are home to more than half the country's 25 million population.

New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland states reported a combined 9,107 new cases on Monday, putting the country on track for another peak in new infections. The five other states and territories were yet to report daily case numbers.

"Although we are seeing increased case numbers ... we are not seeing the impacts on our hospital system," said Annastacia Palaszczuk, premier of Queensland.

Queensland reported 784 new cases with four people in hospital.

With reports of six-hour wait times for COVID-19 testing for people hoping to meet requirements for interstate holiday travel, Palaszczuk defended the tourism-friendly state for mandatory testing, saying "everyone knew when they booked a ticket that if they wanted to come here they would have to do a PCR test".

"We need to make sure that we're protecting (Queenslanders)," she said.

Australian authorities have so far resisted a return to lockdown in the face of surging case numbers but have reinstated some restrictions.

On Monday, New South Wales again made it compulsory to check into public venues with QR codes, while many states have brought back mandatory mask-wearing in indoor public places//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Parents pick up their children while wearing masks outside of PS 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Dec 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman) - 

With Omicron cases on the rise, New York health officials have reported an increase in hospitalised children, as the White House promised on Sunday (Dec 26) to quickly resolve the United States' COVID-19 test shortage.

The New York State Department of Health warned "of an upward trend in pediatric hospitalisations associated with COVID-19", in a statement on Friday.

In New York City, it "identified four-fold increases in COVID-19 hospital admissions for children 18 and under beginning the week of Dec 5 through the current week", it said.

About half of the admissions are younger than five, an age group that is vaccine ineligible, the department added.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is on the rise, with an average of nearly 190,000 new infections daily over the past seven days, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

The arrival of the new Omicron variant, compounded by holiday celebrations that typically include travel and family reunions, have caused a rush on tests in the United States, where it is difficult to get one in many locations.

Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday acknowledged a COVID-19 "testing problem" and vowed to make more tests available to Americans next month.

"One of the problems is that that's not going to be totally available to everyone until we get to January and there are still some issues now of people having trouble getting tested," Fauci told ABC News.

"But we're addressing the testing problem," he added, saying it should be corrected "very soon".

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced a raft of new measures as the United States battles its latest COVID-19 surge, including shipping half a billion free home tests in the wake of the Christmastime testing crunch.

However, the White House, whose strategy has for weeks been mainly focused on vaccinations, has faced strong criticism over the fact that many tests will not be available until January.

Fauci on Sunday emphasised that the administration was ramping up to tackle the spike and stressed that Omicron was "extraordinarily contagious".

Apart from overwhelming hospitals and COVID-19 testing sites, the COVID-19 variant has forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the United States, as crews called in sick or had to quarantine after exposure to the virus.

Recent studies in South Africa and Britain indicate that Omicron was less likely to lead to hospitalisation than the previous strains of the virus and that the duration of hospital stays and oxygen needs for patients were lower, Fauci noted.

But he also warned that Omicron's apparent lower severity is likely to be neutralized by how fast it is spreading.

"The issue that we don't want to get complacent about ... is that when you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity," Fauci said//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Petroleum pump jacks are pictured in the Kern River oil field in Bakersfield, California November 9, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn - 

Oil prices were mixed on Monday, with Brent edging up while U.S. crude futures slipped after airlines called off thousands of flights in the United States over Christmas holidays amid surging COVID-19 infections.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 41 cents, or 0.6per cent, to US$73.38 a barrel by 0053 GMT. The contract did not trade on Friday because U.S. markets were closed for the Christmas holiday.

Brent crude rose 40 cents, or 0.5per cent, to US$76.54 a barrel after settling down 0.92per cent on Friday.

Both contracts jumped 3per cent to 4per cent last week after early data suggested that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may cause a milder level of illness.

However, the highly transmissible variant is causing COVID-19 case numbers to surge across the world.

In the past three days, thousands of passengers travelling during Christmas have been stranded after U.S. airlines cancelled flights due to COVID-related staffing shortages.

In Europe, natural gas prices touched record highs last week on tight supplies, supporting Brent crude prices.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the European Union can only blame its own policies for record gas prices, saying some of its members resell cheap Russian gas at much higher prices within the bloc.

Looking ahead, oil investors are focused on the next OPEC+ meeting on Jan. 4.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, will meet to decide whether to go ahead with a 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) production increase in February.

Russia believes oil prices are unlikely to change significantly next year with demand recovering to pre-pandemic levels only by the end of 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday//CNA

A medical worker stands in front of ambulance for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pristina, Kosovo, on Mar 16, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Laura Hasani) - 

Kosovo's health ministry said on Sunday it had registered its first nine cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the Balkan country.

The ministry said that out of 22 people who tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 10 days, nine had been identified as Omicron variant.

The ministry said that out of the nine, two people came from the United States, two from the UK, one from France and four other cases were Kosovars who have not travelled outside the country.

The ministry added that “the Omicron variant is expected to worsen the epidemiologic situation in the country.”

Kosovo has seen a relatively calm period in the past weeks with only 12 positive cases and one death on Sunday//CNA