Africa's COVID-19 cases rose 93% over the past week, with increases occurring across all of the continent's regions, but early signals from South Africa—the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant epicenter—show that hospitalizations remain low, officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today at a briefing.Meanwhile, at least 57 countries reported cases, with some reporting community spread, including the United Kingdom which announced new "plan B" measures to slow COVID-19 activity, especially as it anticipates rising Omicron levels.Hospitalizations few compared with Delta surgeSo far, 10 African nations have reported Omicron cases, and African countries account for 46% of the world's confirmed variant infections,