NEW DELHI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) — Indian Delhi’s health minister Satyendra Jain said on Monday the latest genome sequencing report shows the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been found in 84 percent of the samples tested in Delhi. “The cases in Delhi are increasing for the past 10-15 days ever since the detection of Omicron … Read more
GABORONE, Botswana, Jan 3, 2022 (AFP) – President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, which with South Africa was the first country to detect the Omicron variant of coronavirus, is isolating after testing positive for Covid, the government said on Monday. “The president does not have any symptoms and will continue to receive close medical monitoring by his … Read more
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) — South Korea on Monday confirmed its first two deaths linked to the Omicron COVID-19 variant amid rising worry about the highly transmissible variant. Two people in their 90s, who had been hospitalized at a nursing hospital in Gwangju, about 330 km south of Seoul, posthumously tested positive for the variant, … Read more
NEW DELHI – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,922,882 on Monday, as 33,750 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data. Besides, 123 more deaths were recorded since Sunday morning, taking the death toll to 481,893. Currently there are 145,582 active cases in the … Read more
LAS VEGAS, Dec 31, 2021 (AFP) – The CES tech show announced Friday that the Las Vegas event next week will go on in person but will end one day early amid the surge in Covid-19 infections. Many high-profile participants like Amazon, BMW and Microsoft have pulled out or reduced their footprint at one of the … Read more
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 31, 2021 (AFP) – South Africa, where the Omicron variant was detected last month, says its latest coronavirus wave has peaked without a surge in deaths or hospitalisations, enabling the country to lift a nightly curfew for the first time in 21 months. The Omicron variant emerged in November to become pandemic’s dominant variant, … Read more
RAMAT GAN, Israel, Dec 31, 2021 (AFP) – Israel on Friday started giving fourth Covid vaccine shots to people with weakened immunity, becoming one of the first countries to do so in hopes of countering a case surge driven by the Omicron variant. The effort comes almost exactly one year after Israel began a massive vaccination … Read more
HANOI, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) — Vietnamese health authorities on Friday confirmed 14 more COVID-19 cases who were infected with the Omicron variant, bringing the total infections of the type to 15, Vietnam News Agency reported. The patients are all Vietnamese nationals who recently arrived in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province from South Korea and the … Read more
SYDNEY: The world prepared to usher in 2022 on Friday after another tumultuous and pandemic-ridden year capped by new restrictions, soaring case numbers, and a slight glimmer of hope for better times ahead. The past 12 months saw a new US president and a new Adele album, the first spectator-free Olympics, and dreams of democracy … Read more
KARACHI: The rising number of coronavirus cases of the Omicron variant has set alarm bells ringing at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) seventh edition scheduled to start from 27th January. The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, had said that 75 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant were … Read more
DUBAI: Aviation giant Emirates said on Thursday it expects business to grow next year despite the surge in global coronavirus cases fuelled by the Omicron variant. The Dubai-based carrier said in November it was already on the path to recovery as six-month losses dropped by more than half from a year earlier. “Despite the recent … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec 30, 2021 (AFP) – Joe Biden promised to “follow the science” when he took over from Donald Trump, but a year later record infections, testing shortfalls and stubborn vaccine resistance have turned one of his presidency’s political strongpoints into a growing liability. Data on Wednesday showing the highest number yet of new Covid infections … Read more
WELLINGTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — New Zealand reported 60 new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the community on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country’s current community outbreak to 10,776. Among the new infections, 20 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, 28 in nearby Waikato, one in Northland, … Read more
Transmission of Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 has started in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and we fear a rise in COVID-19 cases all over the country in the coming two weeks. Pakistan may experience the fifth wave of COVID-19 in the middle of February 2022 with the number of daily cases rising to 3,000 to … Read more
HELSINKI, Dec 28, 2021 (AFP) – Finland announced on Tuesday it would block entry for foreign travellers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, as it steps up its fight against the highly mutated Omicron variant. Only foreign travellers with a negative Covid-19 test who can prove full vaccination or past infection will now be allowed … Read more
BERLIN, Dec 28, 2021 (AFP) – The WHO warned Tuesday that the Omicron coronavirus variant could lead to overwhelmed healthcare systems even though early studies suggest it leads to milder disease, as China and Germany brought back tough restrictions to stamp out new infection surges. China put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown, while infections hit … Read more
WASHINGTON: US health authorities on Monday halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid-19, as President Joe Biden warned Americans not to panic amid a surge of cases threatening wider social disruption. Speaking about the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, Biden said some US hospitals could be “overrun,” but the country is generally well … Read more
HANOI, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) — Vietnam has detected its first COVID-19 case of Omicron variant in a quarantine facility in the capital Hanoi, the country’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday. The patient arrived in Hanoi on Dec. 19 from Britain and tested positive for COVID-19. He was immediately transferred to a quarantine center under … Read more
Liverpool’s clash with Leeds and Watford’s trip to Wolves that were scheduled for December 26, became the latest Premier League games to be postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks on Thursday. A total of 12 matches have now been called off in the past two weeks as Britain battles a record increase in the number of … Read more
With inflation expected to remain high for some time, the US central bank is likely to raise interest rates soon after it ends its bond-buying programme in March, a Federal Reserve board member said on Friday. The Fed earlier this week announced it will accelerate the end to its stimulus programme after inflation last month … Read more
SYDNEY, Dec 24, 2021 (AFP) – Omicron’s rise has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa’s arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid restrictions. Festive jokes about reindeer having “herd immunity” and millions isolating “Home Alone” may be wearing thin, but the emergence of the ultra-infectious Omicron variant means … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 24, 2021 (AFP) – Google, Lenovo and other big name tech firms on Thursday cancelled plans to attend next month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, joining an exodus fueled by fear of Covid-19. The US internet giant and the China-based computer colossus became part of a growing list of companies opting not … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) — Major countries must shoulder their responsibilities, take the lead to provide COVID-19 vaccines for low-and middle-income countries, and help them foster production capacity as the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading around the globe, said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Tuesday. “As the Omicron variant is rapidly … Read more
CANBERRA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged people to “stay calm and get boosted” amid surging coronavirus infections. Morrison on Wednesday met with state and territory leaders at the national cabinet to discuss the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Australia. Following the meeting, he announced that one-quarter of … Read more
PARIS, Dec 20, 2021 (AFP) – Giving a full dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot provides more antibody protection against the Omicron variant than currently authorised half-strength injections, the company said Monday. The lab study measured the levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies in blood samples from 40 people who had low levels of these … Read more
LIMA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — Peru confirmed the first four cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Minister of Health Hernando Cevallos announced on Sunday. Cevallos said that one of the patients was a woman who had journeyed from South Africa while another was a Peruvian healthcare worker. He added that all patients are currently … Read more
BLED, Slovenia, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — The Slovenian Health Ministry launched a national campaign on Sunday to boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate to cope with the Omicron variant. Health Minister Janez Poklukar kicked off the campaign in the northwestern city of Bled, where he got his booster shot. The campaign was scheduled from Dec. 19 … Read more
PARIS: The French central bank has said that the EU’s second-largest economy remained resilient even faced with the Omicron variant of Covid-19, predicting steady growth over the coming years even if new restrictions are imposed. The coronavirus crisis “has not left scars in terms of production levels and potential production,” Bank of France director general Olivier … Read more
