BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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LONDON -- Another two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in London, bringing the total number of people with the strain identified in Britain to 11, British health authorities confirmed Monday.

The UK Health Security Agency said the latest two cases in London have links to travel in southern Africa. The two people are not connected to each other and are not linked to the previously confirmed cases, it added.

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LUANDA -- Angola received on Monday 3.58 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine, which will boost the efforts of vaccination of citizens against COVID-19 in the country, an official announced.

Speaking to the press, the Secretary of State for Health for the hospital area, Leonardo Inocencio, underlined that the country expects to get 32 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the first quarter of 2022.

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GENEVA -- A special session of the World Health Assembly kicked off here on Monday amid growing concerns over the latest Omicron coronavirus variant, where the participants aim to negotiate a new "pandemic treaty."

According to World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the new "pandemic treaty" is expected to address COVID-19 as "a crisis of solidarity and sharing."

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ANKARA -- Turkey on Monday reported 24,317 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 8,770,372, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 189 to 76,635, while 23,273 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.

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CANBERRA -- The Australian government has delayed the reopening of the country's borders amid concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday night that the National Security Committee has pushed the planned easing of border restrictions for international students and visa holders back from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15.

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BRAZZAVILLE -- As a growing number of countries impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new Omicron variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to follow science and the International Health Regulations (IHR), according to a statement released on Sunday.

Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, said WHO's regional office for Africa in a statement, noting that the implemented restrictions should be "scientifically based", rather than "unnecessarily invasive or intrusive", as stipulated the IHR which is a legally binding instrument of international law recognized by over 190 nations. Enditem

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