LONDON, Jan 4, 2022 (AFP) – Britain on Tuesday faced warnings of an impending hospital crisis due to staff shortages caused by a wave of Omicron infections, as the country returned to work after Christmas. Daily case numbers chalked up multiple records in the run-up to New Year, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising action to … Read more
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — The United States shattered a single-day record with over 1 million COVID-19 cases on Monday amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As of 0500 GMT Tuesday, the country registered about 1.07 million confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, remaining the … Read more
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 3, 2022 (AFP) – Kuwait has urged its citizens to leave several European countries including Britain, France and Germany because of a surge in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant. In a series of statements overnight Sunday, the oil-rich Gulf state also warned Kuwaitis, often big spenders abroad, to avoid travelling to the … Read more
BEIJING: The Beijing Winter Olympics begin one month on Tuesday with diplomatic boycotts, the coronavirus and the fate of Peng Shuai all hanging heavy over the Games. The Chinese capital on February 4-20 will become the first host of a Winter and Summer Olympics, having staged the Games in 2008, seen then as a coming-out party for … Read more
NEW DELHI, Jan 3, 2022 (AFP) – India extended Covid vaccinations to teens aged 15-18 on Monday, after officials tightened restrictions in big cities to avoid a repeat of last year’s devastating outbreak. More than 200,000 people around India died in a huge spring Covid wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. Health workers have since administered … Read more
KARACHI: The Covid-19 positivity rate in Karachi has surged from 2 per cent to 6 per cent in the last three days as the country braces for the fifth wave of coronavirus. The apex Covid-19 body meeting was held under the Chairmanship of NCOC Chairman and Federal Minister for planning and development Asad Umar to … Read more
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s economy grew 7.2 per cent last year, rebounding from its worst recession since independence sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed on Monday. The city-state plunged into its worst economic performance in 2020 as businesses and international borders shut down, choking its trade and tourism economic lifeline. Authorities initially imposed tough measures to … 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
Omicron still poses “very high” risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO warned this week, as the highly transmissible coronavirus variant fueled record outbreaks in many countries. Case numbers have shot up 11 per cent globally in the last week, forcing governments from China to Germany and France to find a difficult balance between … Read more
WASHINGTON: Holiday events have been scrapped in droves, thousands of flights canceled, cruises are now off limits: the Omicron variant has wreaked havoc in the United States, and the New Year could see more issues exacerbating the worker shortage and price increases. “We are starting to see some initial signs that Omicron is having an impact … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — Malaysia reported another 3,573 new COVID-19 infections, as of midnight Friday, bringing the national total to 2,758,086, according to the health ministry. A total of 343 new cases were imported, and 3,230 were local transmissions, data released on the ministry’s website showed. Twenty five more deaths were reported, bringing … Read more
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — South Korea reported 4,416 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Friday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 635,253. The daily caseload was down from 4,875 in the previous day, staying below 5,000 for two straight days. The recent resurgence was attributable to small … Read more
LONDON: Wales star Dan Biggar fears playing the Six Nations behind closed doors could harm the champions’ prospects of a successful title defence. Wales’ first home game of the 2022 Championship sees them up against Scotland on February 12 but, under current restrictions issued by the Welsh government, only 50 spectators would be allowed to attend — … Read more
KOLKATA: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly was on Friday discharged from hospital four days after being admitted with Omicron variant of Covid-19, a senior doctor said. The 49-year-old was admitted in Kolkata on Monday after he tested positive for the virus and was suffering from a mild fever. “He expressed his desire to go … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) — India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,838,804 on Friday as 16,764 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal Health Ministry’s latest data. Besides, 220 more deaths since Thursday morning took the death toll to 481,080. There are still 91,361 active COVID-19 cases … 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
LOS ANGELES: The NBA, NFL and NHL are scrambling to keep teams competing, even as Covid case rates skyrocket in the United States and Canada due to the Omicron variant. As of Wednesday, the United States had hit its highest ever average of new Covid cases, with a seven-day average of 265,427 surpassing the previous … Read more
PARIS: A Covid “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO said Wednesday, as record surges fuelled by the Omicron variant dampened New Year celebrations around the world once again. Governments are walking a tightrope between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep societies and economies open, as the highly transmissible variant drove cases to levels never … Read more
NEW DELHI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 34,822,040 on Thursday, as 13,154 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data. Besides, as many as 268 deaths due to the pandemic since Wednesday morning took the total death toll to 480,860. … Read more
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), a body that oversees the Covid-19 operations in Pakistan, confirmed on Thursday that 30% of the country’s total population and 46% of the eligible population now stand vaccinated. Read more: 79 confirmed Omicron cases detected so far in Pakistan, says NIH In a message on Twitter, the NCOC … Read more
Jersey, starring Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur, has been postponed due to an increase in incidences of COVID-19’s Omicron form in India. The film was scheduled to hit theatres on December 31. A statement released on behalf of Team Jersey reads, “In view of the current circumstances and new covid guidelines, we have decided to … 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
German consumer sentiment worsened for the second month running, a key survey said on Tuesday, as Europe’s largest economy braces itself for rising inflation and the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Pollster GfK’s forward-looking barometer fell to -6.8 from a revised figure of -1.8 for December. “The high incidence of the virus due to … Read more
Pakistan’s textile exports witnessed an increase of 8 per cent month-on-month to reach a record high of $1.74 billion in November, a report by Topline Securities showed. During the month of November, the value added textile exports recorded a growth of 7 per cent month-on-month as the exports of ready-made garments recorded an increase of … Read more
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 25 new imported cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the total tally of confirmed cases to 12,580. The patients comprise 14 males and 11 females, aged 21 to 80. A total of 73 cases have been reported in the past 14 days. One of them … Read more
NEW YORK: More than 2,300 flights were cancelled around the world Friday and thousands more were delayed as the highly infectious Omicron variant disrupted holiday travel. One route, however, was thankfully not affected: Santa was on track delivering presents to children across the globe, air defense officials assured US President Joe Biden. Read more: AstraZeneca … Read more
The Governors Awards has been postponed, as fears rise of a surge in coronavirus cases fuelled by the Omicron variety. The Governors Awards is an annual dinner when honorary Oscars are given out. Actors Samuel L Jackson and Danny Glover, as well as Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann and actress-director Elaine May, were to receive golden … Read more
