<span style="color: #222222;">The US, Britain, France and Australia have all announced record numbers of daily Covid-19 cases as the WHO warned yesterday that Omicron's dizzying spread increased the risk of newer, more dangerous variants emerging.<br />''<br />''United States on Monday, recorded ten lakh 80 thousand 211 cases, a global record. The country's Monday figures are usually higher due to delays in weekend tallying — and were likely<br />''inflated further after a three-day New Year's holiday weekend<br />''<br />''Britain crossed 200,000 cases for the first time yesterday, Australia posted almost 50,000 cases and France registered more than two lakh 70,000 cases, all three countries topping their previous records.<br />''<br />''Omicron's rates of deaths and hospitalisations have been lower across the world, raising hopes the virus could be evolving into a relatively benign seasonal illness.<br />''<br />''But the World Health Organization in Europe warned the soaring infection rates could have the opposite effect.<br />''<br />''The more Omicron spreads, the more it transmits and the more it replicates, the more likely it is to throw out a new variant, according to WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood. Omicron is lethal, it can cause death… maybe a little bit less than Delta, she added.</span><br />