Global: The global Covid-19 death toll has passed 5.4 million, with a figure of 5,465,542 according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, infections passed 297 million world wide.
Pfizer has said it expects the latest results from its Covid vaccine clinical trial for children under the age of 5 – which will include booster shots – by April. Dr Alejandra Gurtman, a Pfizer vaccine researcher, said the company could even have data for the age group by the end of March.
Omicron latest
US: New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said Covid data suggests the city hasn’t yet hit a peak in the Omicron-fuelled spike of coronavirus cases in recent weeks. Cases and hospitalizations are still increasing and “I expect that will continue in the near term, meaning the next days to weeks,” Chokshi said in a Covid briefing on Wednesday. He said the steepness of the curve appears to be falling, but that could be due to the changes of holiday testing patterns, when fewer people are getting tested. He said the impact of gatherings at New Years could still fuel another uptick and encouraged New Yorkers to continue getting booster doses and to continue to wear masks and social distance.
South Africa: South African excess deaths fell for the first week in three, adding to evidence that the Omicron-driven wave of coronavirus infections has been shorter and less severe than those caused by previous variants. Excess deaths, a measure of the number of fatalities against a historical average, in the week to Dec. 26 fell to 3,016 from 3,087 the week earlier, the South African Medical Research Council said in a report on Wednesday. Official deaths due to Covid-19 declined to 425 from 428. The excess death decline was the first in three weeks.
Japan: Japan urged the US to impose restrictions on troops stationed in the country amid virus outbreaks thought to have stemmed from bases, which have strained ties between the allies. In a phone conversation Thursday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi called for steps including limits on excursions off-base. Okinawa, where the first cases of the Omicron variant were linked to a US military base, expects a record of nearly 1,000 cases on Thursday, up from just 50 a few days ago.
Hong Kong, S.A.R., China: Banks in Hong Kong, S.A.R., China, including UBS Group AG and Standard Chartered Plc, are once again tightening work rules at their offices and moving into split teams as the Omicron variant threatens a fifth wave of infections in the Asian financial hub.
Macau, S.A.R., China, S.A.R., China: A day after Hong Kong, S.A.R., China announced a two-week ban on flights from eight countries with rising Omicron cases, neighbouring Macau, S.A.R., China, S.A.R., China has gone a step further; the autonomous region has banned all civilian flights other than those coming from mainland China.
China: China has tightened flight requirements from the US as Omicron cases there surge. All China-bound travellers, including foreign and Chinese nationals, are now required to stay in their departure city for seven days prior to travel, and must pass two Covid tests during this week. There are currently seven direct flights a week from the US to China.
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Americas
US: Covid -19 infections have passed 57.7 million. Meanwhile, the US coronavirus death toll has accelerated to more than 832,000 according to Johns Hopkins University data.
US public health advisers said vaccinated teens should get a Covid-19 booster shot from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, an important step in efforts to expand immunizations and keep schools open. The panel of outside experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to 13 to 1 to recommend the booster shot for people ages 12 to 17 who received their second dose at least five months earlier. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has the final say on making the advice official.
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