President Biden on Monday said the new omicron variant of coronavirus is a "cause for concern, not a cause for panic," while maintaining that his administration's plan to combat COVID-19 this winter will not involve "shutdowns or lockdowns," but rather a strategy for more widespread vaccinations.

The president spoke from the White House Monday, just days after the World Health Organization designated omicron a "variant of concern," its most serious designation of a COVID-19 variant. 

Biden, last week, restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries over concerns of the "heavily mutated" omicron variant of COVID-19--a move he said Monday gives the United States "time." 

"It gives us time," Biden said, noting that the American people need to "understand that you have to get your vaccine, you have to get the shot, have to get the booster." 

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People stand by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo on Monday. (AP/Koji Sasahara)

Japan’s prime minister announced Monday that his country is taking the "exceptional" measure of shutting its borders to foreigners "until there is clearer information about the Omicron variant" of the coronavirus. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the closure is going into effect Tuesday and it's unclear how long it will remain in effect, while Japanese residents returning home from certain nations will need to quarantine, according to Reuters. 

"These are temporary, exceptional measures that we are taking for safety's sake until there is clearer information about the omicron variant," Kishida reportedly said. 

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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel provides insight on the new omicron coronavirus variant.

People wait in line to get vaccinated at a shopping mall, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday. (AP/Denis Farrell)

The World Health Organization says Monday that it could still take some time to understand the potential risk the omicron variant poses.

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The COVID-19 omicron variant has an "unprecedented number of spike mutations" and poses a "very high" global risk, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Because of fears that the new variant has the potential to be more resistant to the protection offered by vaccines, there are growing concerns around the world that the pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions will persist for far longer than hoped.

"The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern omicron is assessed as very high," the WHO said, according to Reuters. 

The health body said countries should make sure that there are "mitigation plans in place" to deal with an increase in new cases. Scientists are working to determine how effective vaccines are in preventing infections with the new variant.

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