News
Virus gallops across the world
India – Several states reported huge spikes in daily cases this week. There were 347,000 new COVID-19 infections and 703 deaths on Friday.
Officials have underscored the need to enhance testing to keep track of the pandemic as many major cities went into lockdown.
Singapore – Infections are rising fast, after its first cases of Omicron were detected in early December.
As of Monday, Singapore was reporting 1,000 new cases a day. Even though this was the first country to pivot from a zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 to a strategy of living with the virus, with Omicron, it seems to be losing its grip on controlling the virus.
Japan – A record high of over 30,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, as the central government prepared to put Tokyo and other prefectures under quasi-emergency measures amid Omicron’s rapid spread.
Under a quasi-emergency, local governors can request that dining establishments shorten their business hours and stop serving alcohol. Residents in these areas would also be asked to refrain from travelling across prefectural borders. Some prefectures are already under these restrictions.
China – The number of COVID-19 cases in China reached its highest level since March 2020 this Monday, despite a strict policy of targeting zero-COVID cases.
The administration’s approach has come under pressure in recent weeks as more cities go into very harsh sudden lockdowns.
In a separate development, after theories that the first case of Omicron found in Beijing could have been caused due to a package from Canada, authorities have told the public to exercise caution when opening mail. They have recommended that people wear masks and gloves when handling letters to deter infection transmission.
Meanwhile, workers have been ordered to disinfect the outer packaging of all international mail, while requiring them to receive booster vaccine shots.
The postal service has also asked the public to reduce purchases and deliveries from “countries and regions with a high overseas epidemic risk” and said domestic mail should be handled in different areas to prevent cross-contamination.
United Kingdom (UK) – In a surprise move, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that people in England would no longer be required to wear face masks from next week. He also intends to drop self-isolation rules for people with COVID-19 in March, stating that measures introduced to combat Omicron were no longer needed as scientists believe infections have peaked in the UK.
After a sharp increase in December, daily confirmed cases are now falling.
The Prime Minister, however, has come under fire for allowing many parties at No. 10, Downing Street.
United States of America (USA) – The Omicron surge in the country seems to be reaching its peak, with the daily COVID cases down 6% over the past seven days and the death toll starting to steady. Some experts believe Omicron’s burnout spells the end of COVID’s pandemic phase and the virus could soon transition into an endemic.
| COVID and animals: The Hong Kong authorities will kill about 2,000 small animals including hamsters, after several tested positive for COVID-19 at a pet store where an employee was also infected, reports said. This is as lions and pumas at a zoo in South Africa got severe COVID-19 from asymptomatic zoo handlers. Studies carried out by a local university raised concerns that new variants could emerge from animal reservoirs of the disease. They add to evidence that while the dominant theory is that the coronavirus spread from animals to humans, the reverse can also happen. In November 2020, Denmark culled 17 million minks in response to outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms. | |
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