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As the omicron variant of COVID pops up across the globe, stock markets are falling, travel bans are being enacted, lines are forming to get vaccines and boosters, and mask mandates are once again entering the political debate.

Governor Charlie Baker has asked hospitals to reduce the number of elective surgical procedures, but at UMass Memorial Medical Center, that won’t change things too much.

Health officials in Brockton and Worcester say they are on high alert and bracing to handle the first cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, should it spread to Massachusetts.

Scientists and public health experts are still learning about the variant's potential impact, from how easily it spreads to whether it makes people more severely ill than other variants. Until they know more, city officials are encouraging people to follow the same precautions as earlier stages in the pandemic: wear a mask, wash your hands, maintain distance in public spaces and get vaccinated.

Coronavirus booster shots are now authorized for everyone 18 years and older and can be given six months after mRNA vaccines and two months after a Johnson & Johnson shot.

BOSTON — Health officials say it appears the omicron variant is more contagious, but it’s unclear if it will result in more severe illness.

And it’s not yet clear how the current vaccines hold up against it.

Massachusetts is requiring hospitals and health systems to reduce non-urgent scheduled surgical procedures. But the top reason isn't a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The state’s public health department released guidance this week to hospitals that aims to conserve inpatient hospital capacity, with a major staffing shortage and a wave of non-COVID-19 care key drivers of the decision.

New policies to combat an increasing number of hospital patients go into effect Monday.

Some surgeries could be put on hold as rising COVID-19 cases put a strain on local hospitals.

The Baker administration on Tuesday ordered Massachusetts hospitals, already teeming with patients who delayed care during the early days of the pandemic, to reduce nonurgent surgeries to help manage a potential winter rush of people sick with respiratory illnesses, including the flu and COVID-19.

The order comes as the coronavirus is again causing a surge of infections throughout New England with the onset of cold weather, with Massachusetts and Connecticut experiencing the steepest rise in cases in the country.

Amid an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations headed into the holidays, Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration is ordering Massachusetts hospitals with limited bed capacity to cut back on non-urgent, scheduled procedures.

However, officials say the reason isn’t the recent increase in COVID-19 patients.