Covid-19 has infected more than 414M people and killed over 5.8M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
WHO: Omicron threat remains high in east Europe
A new wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is moving towards the east of Europe, the World Health Organization said, urging authorities to improve vaccination and other measures.
Over the past two weeks, cases of Covid-19 have more than doubled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, WHO’s Europe regional director Hans Kluge said in a statement.
The comments come at a time when several European countries including the Czech Republic and Poland have hinted at easing of Covid-19 restrictions next month if daily infection numbers kept falling.
The WHO, however, stressed the continued need for measures such as rapid testing and masking, saying over 165 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded so far across the WHO European region, with 25,000 deaths in the past week.
Virus surge begins to overwhelm Hong Kong’s measures
Hong Kong’s leader has said a surge of coronavirus cases is overwhelming the city’s emergency resources, but defended strict measures that have been imposed.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the Chinese central government was extending help to the city, which remains a nominally autonomous enclave.
Despite its varying success, Hong Kong has stuck with China’s zero-tolerance strategy requiring lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing for Covid-19.
Papua New Guinea to reopen borders
Papua New Guinea will reopen to vaccinated travellers from Wednesday, ending two years of strict border closures that virtually sealed the Melanesian nation off from neighbours.
The country’s pandemic controller David Manning said that he had revoked rules requiring approval to enter the country and mandatory quarantine.
The rules had hampered production at some of the country’s largest copper and gold mines and caused diplomatic spats – most notably with India and China, who were accused of bypassing rules to bring citizens into the country.
South Africa offers grocery vouchers to encourage vaccination
South Africa’s economic hub Gauteng is promoting Covid-19 vaccinations by offering food vouchers to people in their 50s who have not yet received a jab.
“Are you 50 and yet to vaccinate? Get vaccinated now and claim your free Rand 200 (about $13.26) grocery voucher. Offer ends soon #IChooseVaccination #VaccinesSaveLives,’’ the Gauteng Department of Health said in an advertisement.
South Africa has the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the continent with over 3.642 million cases representing a 6.9 percent increase in the positivity rate. The country has recorded 97,250 fatalities to date.
Africa’s most advanced economy with a population of 60 million has so far administered 31 million vaccine doses, and of these 17.3 million people are fully vaccinated.
Japan reports 236 more deaths
Japan reports 236 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday in daily record.
Japan’s government said on Monday it has agreed to buy an additional 10 million does of Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc to be delivered in March.
Japan had already contracted to purchase 120 million doses from Pfizer this year.
Russia records 166,631 new cases
Russia has recorded 704 more deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, according to official data.
The country also reported 166,631 further coronavirus cases.
WHO says pandemic being over is ‘false narrative’
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that in some countries, high vaccine coverage combined with the lower severity of the Omicron coronavirus variant are driving a false narrative that the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a video conference in which he addressed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a meeting in Washington at which he expressed his gratitude for the health leadership of the US.
The Covid-19 Global Action Meeting was called by the US on the coronavirus pandemic just two years after it was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO, the highest level of medical alert.
Washington DC to end vaccination requirement, mask mandates
Washington, DC is ending its Covid-19 vaccination requirement and mask mandate, the US capital’s mayor said.
Speaking at a news conference, Muriel Bowser said coronavirus cases have dropped more than 90 percent and there has been a 95 percent reduction in hospitalisations since the peak of the omicron wave in the capital.
With new changes in the Covid-19 policy, the city will end the vaccination requirement to visit indoor venues as of Tuesday, February.
Mexico reports more cases and deaths
Mexico’s Health Ministry has reported 7,831 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 146 more fatalities, bringing the country’s overall death toll from the pandemic to 312,965 and the total number of cases to 5,300,537.
Brazil’s death toll rises
Brazil has had 58,540 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 473 deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry has said.
The South American country has now registered 27,538,503 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 638,835, according to ministry data.
Thousands of Australia’s nurses walk out
Thousands of nurses have walked off the job in Australia’s largest city Sydney, protesting against staff shortages and pandemic-related stresses and strains.
Defying a strike ban, thousands decked in scrubs and surgical masks marched on the state parliament over what they say are intolerable conditions.
Throngs of nurses cheered, clapped and chanted their anger at persistent shortages of hospital beds, equipment and the grinding toll of this protracted crisis.
About 2.5 million cases have been recorded in the population of 25 million.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
WHO: Omicron threat remains high in east Europe – latest updates
Source: Pinay Pop Showbiz
