New York governor warns of Covid rise as US braces for Omicron arrival

Kathy Hochul orders elective operations to be postponed until at least 15 January in state where two-thirds are fully vaccinated

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New York, one of the states hit hardest and earliest by Covid-19, is taking steps to limit a new winter wave of infections as transmission rates approach those of April 2020 and the US braces for the Omicron variant, discovered in southern Africa.

Late on Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul said: While the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York state, it's coming."