Covid-19 has infected more than 289M people and killed over 5.4M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
New Covid-19 cases in India rise sharply
India reported more than 27,000 new Covid-19 cases, with infections sharply rising for a fifth consecutive day, but the chief minister of the capital New Delhi said there was no need to panic, citing low hospitalisation rates.
The country’s largest cities, including Delhi and the financial capital Mumbai, have seen a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, including those of the Omicron variant, which has triggered a fresh wave of infections in other parts of the world.
Omicron could lead Israel to herd immunity
A surge of Omicron infections could see Israel reaching herd immunity, the country’s top health official said as daily cases continued to climb.
Until late December, Israel managed to stave off Omicron to some degree but with infection rates now gaining pace, daily cases are expected to reach record highs in the coming three weeks.
US judge blocks vaccine mandate for Head Start program
President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against Covid-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled, handing a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government.
US District Judge Terry Doughty wrote that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31 and that students 2 years or older be masked when indoors or when in close contact outdoors.
France to ease isolation rules
France will relax Covid isolation rules from Monday, in a bid to ease their impact on society and the economy.
Fully vaccinated people who test positive will only have to isolate for seven days regardless of the coronavirus variant they were infected with, but can leave quarantine after five days if they show an antigen or negative PCR test.
There will be no quarantine for fully inoculated individuals who have a close contact test positive.
Russia sees 811 additional deaths
Russia has reports 811 deaths and 18,233 new coronavirus cases from Covid-19 in past 24 hours.
The country has recorded 100,074,753 infections of Covid-19 over the past two years.
Germany adds 46 more deaths
Germany has recorded 12,515 new cases and 46 coronavirus deaths.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said earlier this week that the number of new coronavirus cases has been under-reported and the actual incidence rate of infections is about two or three times higher than the officially reported figure.
He said the under-reporting was due to fewer tests being performed at workplaces and at doctors practices, as well as only a few of those test results being submitted to authorities.
Europe tops 100 million cases
Europe has recorded over 100 million coronavirus cases, more than a third of all infections worldwide, since the start of the pandemic, an AFP tally showed.
The continent has once again become the pandemic’s epicentre, and is battling an upsurge of cases spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the virus.
Brazil sees 49 Covid-19 deaths and 3,986 cases
Brazil registers 49 Covid-19 deaths and 3,986 additional cases, according to data released by the nation’s Health Ministry.
The country has now recorded a total of 619,105 coronavirus deaths and 22,291,507 confirmed cases.
France mandates masks for children
French authorities announced that children six and older will have to wear masks in indoor places open to the public as new cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant surge past 200,000 for the fourth consecutive day.
By lowering the age of children obligated to wear masks from 11 to 6, the government is hoping to avoid shutting down schools after the holiday break.
Classes resume Monday and young children will have to wear masks on public transport, in sports complexes and in places of worship. The mask mandate extends to outdoor spaces in cities such as Paris and Lyon that recently reintroduced mask wearing outside.
Dutch police raid Covid-rule-breaking rave
Dutch police break up a rave party in breach of Covid rules that was attended by hundreds in a disused factory, local media report.
Dozens of police officers enter the makeshift venue in the central town of Rijswijk with hundreds more mobilised to shepherd people away, NOS television says.
UK minister says ‘try to live with virus’
The UK’s health minister insists that reimposing coronavirus restrictions in England will be “an absolute last resort” and that the country must “try to live with Covid”.
“Curbs on our freedom must be an absolute last resort and the British people rightly expect us to do everything in our power to avert them,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid writes in an article.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies