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Covid-19 wrap: Pandemic at 'critical juncture', Australia deaths mount, Djokovic's choice 'private'

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Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.

FOLLOW LIVE | Covid-19 in SA: Cases rise by 1 931 as death toll goes up by 17

WHO chief says world at 'critical juncture' in Covid-19 pandemic

GENEVA – The head of the World Health Organisation on Monday urged countries to work together to bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end, saying that they now have all the tools available to do so.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference alongside Germany's development minister Svenja Schulze.

"We must work together to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end. We cannot let it continue to drag on, lurching between panic and neglect."

 - REUTERS


Australia Covid-19 deaths mount as return to school threatens new Omicron peak

SYDNEY – Australia recorded another surge of Covid-19 deaths on Monday as an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.

The world No. 13 economy is trying to strike a balance between reopening after two years of movement restrictions and coping with the highest numbers of deaths and cases of the pandemic.

Authorities say a rollout of a vaccine booster will reduce deaths, and point to a stabilisation in hospitalisation numbers as a sign the flare-up has reached its worst.

The country on Monday reported 58 deaths, most of them in its three most populous states – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – in line with the previous day's count but still among the highest of the pandemic.

The total number of new cases, 40 681, was well below peaks nearly three times that amount earlier this month.

"Our assessment indicates that the spread of [the] Covid virus is slowing, our situation is stabilising and while we expect to see an uptick in transmissions associated with schools going back this could be mitigated by the actions of you as individuals," NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told a news conference.

 - REUTERS


Djokovic sponsor Hublot says vaccine is personal choice

ZURICH – Swiss watch maker Hublot, a sponsor of Novak Djokovic, believes getting vaccinated is a personal choice, the company's boss told Reuters after the world men's tennis No. 1, who is not vaccinated, was kicked out of Australia this month.

Djokovic was deported from Australia on 16 January ahead of the Australian Open after losing a court bid to have the cancellation of his visa overturned, and flew back to a rapturous welcome in his native Serbia.

In his first comments on the incident, Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe said the brand owned by French luxury conglomerate LVMH was waiting to hear from Djokovic about his experience.

"We are waiting to see what his position is with regard to all that he went through," he said in an interview.

"The principle of vaccines is that it's something private. We value personal freedom, everyone can decide, one can be in favour or against, that's our position."

 - REUTERS


India's Omicron wave may intensify in coming weeks - experts

NEW DELHI – India's Covid-19 infections, led by the Omicron variant, may see a sharp rise in the coming weeks, some top experts said, noting that the variant was already in community transmission and hospitals were seeing more patients despite a decline in cases in major cities.

India reported 306 064 new infections over the last 24 hours, the health ministry said, about an 8% decline from the average daily cases reported in the last four days. Deaths were 439, the lowest in five days.

But weekly positivity rates have risen to 17.03% in the week to 24 January, from about 0.63% 27 December, led by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

"Omicron is now in community transmission in India and has become dominant in multiple metros," a report by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said on 10 January in a report released on Sunday.

Most cases of the Omicron variant have been mild, the advisory group said, although hospitalisations and cases in intensive care were increasing.

 - REUTERS


Pfizer CEO sees annual vaccine rather than frequent boosters

Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said an annual Covid-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

"Once a year – it is easier to convince people to do it. It is easier for people to remember," Bourla said in an interview with Israel's N12 News. Bourla has said Pfizer could be ready to file for approval for a redesigned vaccine to fight Omicron, and mass produce it, as soon as March.

 - REUTERS


Beijing 2022 eases Covid-19 measures for Games-related personnel - IOC

BEIJING – The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has adjusted its Covid-19 countermeasures, a statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.

The changes include the threshold for being classed as positive for Covid-19 being eased and the time period for which a person is deemed a close contact being reduced from 14 to 7 days. The changes have come into effect immediately and apply retrospectively, the statement said.

 - REUTERS


Beijing 2022 says 6 new positive cases detected among Games-related personnel on 23 January

BEIJING – The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organising Committee on Monday said it confirmed six new positive cases of Covid-19 during testing the previous day.

Of the new cases, four were among new arrivals and the other two were stakeholders already in the closed loop who had taken confirmatory tests.

Of the four positive cases found among 529 Olympic-related arrivals at the airport on Sunday, 23 January, one was an athlete or team official, showed a statement on the official Beijing 2022 website.

 - REUTERS


Japan's border closure to combat Covid-19 'unrealistic' - business lobby head

TOKYO – Japan's business lobby head Masakazu Tokura said on Monday it was "unrealistic" for the government to ban the entry of foreigners with the new Omicron coronavirus variant having become prevalent within the country.

Tokura, who is chairman of the Japan Business Federation, made the comment in a regular news conference.

 - REUTERS


Russia reports record daily Covid-19 cases

MOSCOW – Russia on Monday reported a new record number of Covid-19 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours as the Omicron variant of the virus spread across the country, the government coronavirus task force said.

Daily new cases jumped to 65 109, from 63 205 a day earlier. The task force also reported 655 deaths.

 - REUTERS


Brazil sees 135 080 new coronavirus cases as Omicron runs rampant

BRASILIA – Brazil recorded 135 080 new coronavirus cases and 296 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, as the Omicron variant rampaged across the country.

More than 24 million cases of the virus have been recorded since the virus arrived, with 623 097 total deaths, Health Ministry data showed.

 - REUTERS


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