China locks up millions as COVID instances increase

COVID

The number of COVID-19 cases in mainland China exceeded 2,000. Guangdong province has had a wave of instances over the past week. It has forced the closure of some neighborhoods. As winter draws closer, authorities in Chinese cities and provinces all around the nation are taking no prisoners in their fight against rare COVID-19 breakouts, … Read more

Moscow see rise in Covid cases, advises people to wear masks

Covid-19

Health officials of Moscow say that the number of people getting coronavirus has gone up sharply in the last week. The Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible for many of the infections. “Over the course of the past week, there has been a 57-percent rise in new cases of Covid-19 compared to the previous … Read more

Kyoto’s love-hate relationship with tourists continues, as the Yen declines

tourists

Japan is allowing a small number of tourists to enter the country after easing curbs in June. A record 32 million tourists visited in 2019 and spent some $38 billion. Japan’s opening up to mass tourism over the last decade brought an economic boost.  The number of hotels that shut down nationwide rose to a … Read more

The United States will no longer need flight travellers to take a test

test

The travel industry has been pushing for an end to the policy, which they say has deterred bookings. The change comes into effect on Sunday. The CDC will re-evaluate the policy in 90 days and could reinstate the rule if new variants make officials believe it is necessary. The US will never again require air … Read more

Covid cases in Samoa

For the previous several days, Samoa has reported 597 new COVID-19 cases and three additional fatalities from the epidemic. Samoa’s Ministry of Health verified on Saturday, according to the publication Samoa Observer, that 596 of the 597 new COVID-19 cases were community cases and one was a border case. The additional instances boosted the overall … Read more

France to scrap Covid test rule for vaccinated travellers

france

PARIS: France will soon drop its requirement of a negative Covid test for vaccinated travellers from outside the European Union, as daily infection numbers continue to fall, Europe Minister Clement Beaune said Tuesday. “We again required tests in December over the Omicron variant. In the coming days we will announce that tests are no longer … Read more

Japan reports over 70,000 new COVID-19 cases, new all-time high

japan covid cases

TOKYO – Japan confirmed 71,620 new COVID-19 cases across the country on Wednesday, logging a new record amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 14,086 new infection cases, exceeding the record of Tuesday. The number rose by over 6,700 to nearly twice the previous week. The latest … Read more

Pharmaceutical imports clock-in at $3b in 6 months

pharmaceutical imports

KARACHI: The pharmaceutical imports, including Covid vaccines surged 475 per cent to $3 billion during the first six months of the current fiscal year, compared with $539 million in the same period of the last year, according to the data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). “The government is currently importing Covid-19 vaccines … Read more

Chile sees record number of daily COVID-19 cases for third straight day

chile covid cases

SANTIAGO – Chile on Friday reported a record number of daily COVID-19 infections for the third straight day, detecting 14,757 new cases in 24 hours for a total caseload of 1,934,204, the Health Ministry said. In the same 24-hour period, 18 more people died from causes related to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 39,474. … Read more

Australia sees deadliest day amid new wave of COVID-19 spread

australia

SYDNEY, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Australia recorded its highest ever number of COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, as the outbreak continued to push up the hospitalization rates to record levels. A total of 74 COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the country’s three worst-hit states, including 36 from New South Wales (NSW), a record high number … Read more

China orders overseas mail disinfection over Omicron fears

china

BEIJING: China’s postal service has ordered workers to disinfect international deliveries and urged the public to reduce orders from overseas after authorities claimed mail could be the source of recent coronavirus outbreaks. China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, has stuck to a strict policy of targeting zero Covid cases even as the … Read more

US ends 2021 with disappointing job growth ahead of Omicron surge

US economy

WASHINGTON: The US economy ended 2021 on a sour note with a worse-than-expected employment report Friday underscoring the challenges awaiting President Joe Biden in the New Year, as the Omicron variant runs rampant and his legislative agenda stalls. The world’s largest economy gained only 199,000 jobs in the final month of the year, the Labour … Read more

Free yoga for Delhi under Omicron

YOGA

NEW DELHI – New Delhi ordered the closure of non-essential offices and restaurants and bars but offered free online yoga classes to those in home isolation, as Covid cases soared in the Indian capital and nationwide. With case numbers rising six-fold over the past week, the Indian government is terrified of a repeat of last … Read more

IMF warns developing countries of ‘economic turbulence’

IMF

WASHINGTON: Emerging economies should gird for possible rough times as the US Federal Reserve prepares to raise interest rates and world economic growth slows because of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the IMF warned on Monday. The International Monetary Fund, which is scheduled to release updated economic forecasts on January 25, said that for now global … Read more

Mongolia offers lasting health steps

health

DUNDGOBI, Mongolia – Nurse Sodkhuu Galbadrakh clutches a box of Covid-19 vaccines on his lap as he journeys along a bumpy track through a remote region of the Mongolian steppe, going home-to-home to offer booster doses to herders. The country of three million has taken some of the world’s toughest and most enduring measures against … Read more

World to ring in New Year under Covid cloud

World

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

Johnson booster 85% effective against Omicron: S.Africa study

Johnson booster

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 30, 2021 (AFP) – A booster of US coronavirus vaccine Johnson & Johnson was 85 percent effective in preventing serious illness in areas where Omicron was dominant, a South African trial study indicated Thursday. The South African Medical Research Council conducted the study on health workers from November 15 to December 20, but it has still … Read more