Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions
Greeks who are over age 60 and refuse coronavirus vaccinations could be hit with monthly fines of more than one-quarter of their pensions — a get-tough policy that the country’s politicians say will cost votes but save lives.
[Breaking] South Korea finds first cases of omicron
South Korea has discovered its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Wednesday evening.
Landmark decision to negotiate new accord on pandemics ‘cause for hope’
Agreement by countries to launch a process to develop a new global accord on pandemic prevention and response is cause for hope, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday in Geneva.
Saudi Arabia confirms first omicron COVID-19 case
Saudi Arabia confirmed Wednesday its first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant on a passenger coming from a north African country, state news agency SPA reported.
Omicron was in the Netherlands before S Africa alert: Live news
Existing COVID vaccines will struggle against the “highly transmissible” Omicron variant, Stephane Bancel, head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna, told the Financial Times on Tuesday, adding that it will take two weeks to know whether current vaccines are effective and months to develop a new one.
Omicron variant spreads with cases detected in Netherlands, Denmark, Australia
The Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two each in Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restrictions to try to seal themselves off.
Dutch, Australians find omicron variant; others curb travel
The Netherlands confirmed 13 cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday and Australia found two as the countries half a world apart became the latest to detect it in travelers arriving from southern Africa.
Singapore launches vaccinated travel lanes with Thailand, Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Turkey
Singapore will extend vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) to six more countries next month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced on Friday (Nov 26).
Asian and European countries, alarmed by new COVID-19 variant, tighten curbs
Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU, Britain and India among those announcing stricter border controls as scientists sought to determine if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.
Families struggle with how to hold 2nd pandemic Thanksgiving
Back in the spring, Pauline Criel and her cousins talked about reuniting for Thanksgiving at her home near Detroit after many painful months of seclusion because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
