The World Health Organisation (WHO) urged countries to maintain surveillance of coronavirus infections, in the wake of the latest surge in cases. The global health body said on Tuesday the world was “blind” to how the virus was spreading because of falling testing rates.
His statement came as China resorted to mass testing and lockdown-like measures in capital Beijing to combat a major outbreak of the Covid-19 like the one that has all but shut down the city of Shanghai.
Meanwhile, United States Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the virus. President Joe Biden is not one of the close contacts.
Here the top global updates of the pandemic that is on a fresh resurgence:
– Three-quarters of Beijing’s 22 million people lined up for Covid tests as authorities in the Chinese capital raced to stamp out a nascent outbreak and avert the debilitating city-wide lockdown that has been in place in Shanghai for a month.
– Finance sector professionals in Shanghai are preparing to move back to Hong Kong and other offshore centres after spending only a few years in the Chinese city as the lockdown has hurt their business prospects and upended daily lives.
– President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to lift all measures against the coronavirus, adding that mask wearing will no longer be obligatory indoors.
– US Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the virus but is not exhibiting symptoms, a spokesperson said, at a time when there has been an increase in cases among White House staffers.
– Harris, 57, will take Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid Covid-19 therapy pill, a decision taken “after consultation with her physicians,” spokeswoman Kirsten Allen said in a tweet.
– Following the record surge in Covid-19 cases during the Omicron-driven wave, some 58% of the US population overall and more than 75% of younger children have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to a U.S. nationwide blood survey.
– US President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming to expand access to COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments like Pfizer Inc’s Paxlovid by doubling the number of locations at which they are available.
– Mexico will let all children aged over 12 be registered for COVID-19 vaccination from Thursday
* Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech SE said that they had submitted an application to the U.S. health regulator for the authorization of a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.
(With inputs from agencies)
