Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate: WHO

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Indonesia reports record Covid cases as Omicron spreads..​

Indonesia has registered a record number of new Covid-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, reports AP.

The country has confirmed 57,049 new infections, more than the previous record of about 56,700 set last July, when the Delta variant overwhelmed hospitals on the main island of Java.

The national Covid-19 task force also reported 134 deaths today.

 

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Omicron threat remains high in east Europe: WHO..​

A new wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is moving towards the east of Europe, the World Health Organisation has said, urging authorities to improve vaccination and other measures.

Over the past two weeks, cases of Covid-19 have more than doubled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, WHO's Europe regional director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

 

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Hong Kong's Covid fight intensifies as cases multiply by 60 times..​

Hong Kong's coronavirus battle has intensified as authorities report new cases have multiplied by 60 times so far this month and media says that testing will become compulsory for everyone in the global financial hub from March, reports Reuters.

Health authorities have reported a record 6,116 confirmed cases, up from 4,285 the previous day, with a further 6,300 preliminary positive cases. That takes the total since January to more than 16,600. They reported 24 new deaths.

Some media reports, citing unidentified sources, said the government planned to test up to one million people each day from March and those who failed to comply would be fined HK$10,000 ($1,282)...

 

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Hong Kong Covid cases hit record as compulsory testing looms..​

Hong Kong has reported a record 8,674 new Covid-19 infections, as the city prepares for compulsory testing of its residents after authorities extended the toughest social restrictions imposed since the pandemic began.

With bars, gyms and other businesses already closed and shopping malls deserted while many residents work from home, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that schools would break early for summer and resume the new year in August.

Some school campuses could then be used for testing and isolation as mandatory checks for infections begin next month.

Residents would need to test three times, with the city of 7.4 million able to test about one million people a day, Lam said.