Romania has reported 16,760 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, more than double on the day and the biggest single-day rise since October, as the Omicron coronavirus variant takes hold, Reuters reports.

Romania is the European Union's second-least vaccinated state, with just under 41 per cent of the population fully inoculated amid distrust of state institutions and poor vaccine education.

The number of new infections was approaching a record high of 18,863 daily cases seen in October, official data showed, but hospitalisations were still relatively low. Sixty-five people died of the virus within the last 24 hours.