Covid-19 has infected more than 425M people and killed over 5.9M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
Monday, February 21, 2022
Israel to allow in tourists regardless of vaccination status
Israel will allow entry to all tourists, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, from March 1, the prime minister’s office said.
Entry into Israel will still require two PCR tests, one before flying in and one upon landing in Israel, the office said.
Hong Kong to expand its vaccine bubble
Hong Kong has confirmed that its vaccine bubble will be expanded to include shopping malls and supermarkets, but said exemptions and random inspections would happen at some sites, as authorities battle a new record surge in Covid-19 infections.
The coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed healthcare facilities in the global financial hub, with a new daily high of 7,533 infections and 13 deaths, among them an 11-month-old child, building pressure on the government.
As most major cities learn to live with the virus, Hong Kong has imposed its toughest curbs yet, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that reining in the disease is the city’s “overriding mission”.
Germany adds nearly 74,000 new cases
Germany has reported 73,867 further coronavirus cases and 22 more deaths in the last 24 hours, according to official data.
South Africa changes vaccination rules
South Africa said that it was changing vaccination rules to try to increase uptake, as inoculations have slowed and the country has ample vaccine stocks.
The government is shortening the interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine from 42 to 21 days and will allow people who have received two doses of Pfizer to get a booster dose three months after their second shot as opposed to six months previously.
It will also offer the option of “mixing and matching” booster jabs, with adults who were given one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) vaccine being offered either a J&J or Pfizer booster two months after their J&J shot.
India sees 206 more fatalities
India’s daily Covid-19 deaths rose by 206 to 512,109, Indian health ministry has said.
The country’s daily cases rise by 16,051 with total Covid-19 cases reaching 42.84 million.
New Zealand signals easing of curbs
New Zealand will lift Covid-19 vaccine mandates and social distancing measures after the Omicron peak has passed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
Ardern refused to set a hard date, but said there would be a narrowing of vaccine requirements after Omicron reaches a peak, which is expected in mid to late March.
“We all want to go back to the way life was. And we will, I suspect sooner than you think,” Ardern said at a weekly news conference.
Australia fully reopens its borders
Australia has fully
reopened its international borders to travellers vaccinated
against the coronavirus after nearly two years of being shut in
the pandemic as tourists returned and hundreds of people were
reunited with family and friends.
More than 50 international flights will reach the country
through the day, including 27 touching down at Sydney, its
largest city, as the tourism and hospitality sectors look to
rebuild after getting hammered by Covid-19 restrictions.
As borders fully reopen, Australia’s outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant appears to have passed its peak with hospital admissions steadily falling over the past three weeks.
The bulk of Australia’s pandemic total of around 2.7 million
confirmed cases has been detected since the emergence of
Omicron in late November. Total deaths stood at 4,913.
Mexico reports 163 more Covid deaths
Mexico’s Health Ministry has reported 163 new confirmed deaths from Covid-19, according to data released, bringing the official death toll since the pandemic began to 315,688.
Brazil registers over 400 Covid deaths
Brazil has registered 406 Covid-19 deaths and 40,625 additional cases, according to data released by the nation’s Health Ministry.
The South American country has now registered a total of 644,286 coronavirus deaths and 28,208,212 total confirmed cases.
Brazil has experienced a severe spike in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks due the Omicron variant, though the lethality of the current wave is much lower than previous wave s due to relatively high vaccination rates.
UK’s PM to scrap Covid restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out plans to scrap coronavirus restrictions as part of a “living with Covid” strategy that aims to achieve a faster exit from the pandemic than other major economies.
As Hong Kong builds isolation units and Europe retains social distancing and vaccine rules, Johnson will announce the repeal of any pandemic requirements that impinge on personal freedoms, a day after Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the virus.
Under the plans, which have been in the works for weeks, Britain will become the first major European country to allow people who know they are infected with Covid-19 to freely use shops, public transport and go to work.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Israel to allow tourists regardless of vaccination status – latest updates
Source: Pinay Pop Showbiz
