Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
China’s Beijing to maintain COVID emergency status as Winter Olympics loom
China’s capital Beijing urged all its local districts on Saturday to maintain “full emergency mode” as the city continued to report new local coronavirus cases, less than two weeks before the start of the Winter Olympic Games.
A total of 27 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms and five local asymptomatic carriers have been found in Beijing since Jan. 15, Pang Xinghuo, an official at Beijing city’s disease control authority told a news conference on Saturday.
Exclusive-U.S.
opposes plans to strengthen World Health Organization
The United States, the World Health Organization’s top donor, is resisting proposals to make the agency more independent, four officials involved in the talks said, raising doubts about the Biden administration’s long-term support for the U.N.
agency. The proposal, made by the WHO’s working group on sustainable financing, would increase each member state’s standing annual contribution, according to a WHO document published online and dated Jan. 4.
France’s Constitutional Council approves Macron’s vaccine pass
France’s Constitutional Council on Friday approved – with conditions – the country’s new COVID-19 vaccine pass, which will require people aged 16 and above to show proof of vaccination to enter public places like bars, restaurants and cinemas.
The new pass is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s drive to make life difficult enough for the small minority of unvaccinated people that they are compelled to get COVID shots.
UK records 76,807 new COVID cases, 297 deaths
Britain reported 76,807 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, continuing a recent downturn in the number of infections, and 297 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed.
The figures compared to 95,787 cases and 288 deaths reported on Friday.
Pfizer CEO sees annual COVID vaccine rather than frequent boosters
Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Saturday that an annual COVID-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Pfizer/BioNtech’s COVID-19 vaccine has shown to be effective against severe disease and death caused by the heavily-mutated Omicron variant but less effective in preventing transmission.
Two Australian states to test school students twice weekly for COVID
Australia reported 58 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, as the two most populous states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, said students would be tested twice weekly for the Omicron variant when classes resume next week.
NSW reported 34 deaths of patients with COVID-19, while Victoria state saw 14 deaths, and Queensland reported 10 deaths.
Hong Kong warns of worsening COVID outbreak as leader defends hamster cull
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Saturday warned that COVID-19 infections could be growing exponentially in a congested residential area of the city and that overall cases had also spread due to an outbreak in pet hamsters.
Chief Executive Lam urged Hong Kong people to avoid gatherings ahead of next week’s Lunar New Year as officials grappled with an outbreak of the highly-infectious Omicron variant in Kwai Chung, north of the city’s Kowloon peninsula.
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels her wedding amid new Omicron restrictions
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has canceled her wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions to slow the community spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, she told reporters on Sunday.
New Zealand will impose mask rules and terbaik sumatera limit gathering from midnight on Sunday after a cluster of nine COVID-19 Omicron cases showed community spread from the North to South islands after a wedding.
Taiwan on COVID alert as domestic Omicron cases spike
Taiwan’s government ordered a tightening of controls on Saturday after a rare spike in domestic transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, saying it needed to act now to prevent being overwhelmed even though overall numbers remain quite low.
After months of no or few community infections, Taiwan has seen a small rise in local COVID-19 cases since the start of the month, almost all Omicron, mainly linked to workers at the main international airport in the northern city of Taoyuan who were infected by arriving passengers.
Tokyo hits record 10,000 COVID cases, Japan over 50,000 for first time
Tokyo recorded its fourth record number of daily COVID-19 infections on Saturday, breaking above 10,000, while Japan’s exceeded 50,000 for the first time as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
The capital had 11,227 new coronavirus cases, the local government said a day after it reinstated curbs website on mobility and business activity through Feb. 13.
