Coronavirus News Highlights: Tamil Nadu reports first Omicron case, Kerala four more

India reports 6,984 new cases, 8,168 recoveries, and 247 deaths on Wednesday, as per data by the Union Health Ministry. Come back tomorrow for more Coronavirus updates from across the world from Deccan Herald.

Maharashtra reports 925 new cases

Maharashtra reported 925 new Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths, taking the respective tallies to 6,646,061 and 141,298. The number of active cases stood at 6,467.

Rajasthan reports 20 new cases

Rajasthan reported 20 Covid-19 cases and one death in the past 24 hours, taking the respective tallies to 955,147 and 8,959. The number of active cases stood at 260.

TN reports first Omicron case

Tamil Nadu detected its first case of Omicron Covid-19 variant, in a 47-year-old returnee from Nigeria, Health MinisterMa Subramanian said.

218 cases recorded in Odisha

Odisha reported 218 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, taking the respective tallies to 1,052,145 and 8,439. The number of active cases stood at1,925.

Tamil Nadu reports 640 cases

Tamil Nadu reported 640 Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths, taking the respective tallies to 2,737,335and 36,644. The number of active cases stood at 7,548.

People buy Santa Claus toys from a vendor at a market area ahead of Christmas in Kolkata, in the backdrop of the government extending Covid-19 curbs. Credit: Reuters Photo

Covid restrictions extended in West Bengal till January 15

European football clubs threaten not to release players for Africa Cup of Nations

European football clubs threaten not to release players for Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled from January 9 to February 6, 2022, over Covid-19 Omicron fears.

Andhra Pradesh reports 163 cases, three deaths

The infection tally in the state rose to 2,075,271 and the death toll to 14,471. The number of active cases stood at 1,821.

Karnataka reports 317 cases, 2 deaths

Karnataka reports 317 Covid-19 cases and two deaths, taking the respective tallies to 3,001,251 and 38,277. The number of active cases as of Wednesday stood at 7,179.

J&K reports 147 new cases

Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday recorded 147 new cases of coronavirus, taking the infection tally to 339,271 while three more deaths pushed the toll to 4,503.

Delhi reports 57 new cases

Delhi recorded 57 coronavirus cases and zero deaths in the past 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 0.10 per cent.

Mumbai airport cuts RT-PCR test cost

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Wednesday said it has brought down charges for the rapid RT-PCR test at its facility to Rs 1,975 following the Maharashtra government's directives. The RT-PCR charges at the Mumbai airport earlier stood at Rs 3,900.

Reunited as Australia reopens borders

Kerala logs 4,006 new cases

Kerala on Wednesday reported 4,006 new infections and 282 deaths, which took the respective tallies to 5,192,593 and43,626.

US US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cuts short Asia trip due to Covid case in delegation

Centre calls for mock drills

The Centre urged states and UTs to conduct mock drills to ensure full functionality of all oxygen equipment andan uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen in sufficient quantity to tackle a sudden spikein Covid-19 cases.

Japan government panel clears Moderna vaccine for booster shots

Japan's health ministry said on Wednesday its panel of experts had agreed Moderna Inc'sCovid-19 vaccines could be used for booster shots, setting the stage for official government approval.

Covid-19 vaccines may be less effective against Omicron: WHO

Preliminary evidence indicates that Covid-19 vaccines may be less effective against infection and transmission linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant, which also carries a higher risk of reinfection, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

EU regulator says Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine can be used as booster

Section 144 extended till December 31 in Mumbai

In an order on Wednesday evening, the Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai, extended Section 144 of CrPC, restricting gatherings of more than four persons, until December 31 in view of the Omicron variant.

Researchers in Hong Kong urge third vaccine shot to combat Omicron

A study showed insufficient antibodies were generated by the Sinovacand BioNTechproducts to fend off Omicron, Reuters reported. Following the study, researchers urged people to go for a booster dose to fend off newer variants.

Ladakh reports 10 cases

Ladakh reported 10 new Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 21,849 in the Union Territory, officials said Wednesday. Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the UT has recorded 216Covid-related deaths.

BBMP reaches out to ICMR over effectiveness of rapid test at KIA

The BBMP has reached out to the civil aviation ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for clarity on the effectiveness of the rapid test adopted at KIA.

Read more

Vaccines bring in less than 10% revenue of overall sales for pharma companies despite Covid-19

The year 2021 saw the likes of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and many other pharmaceutical companiessell billions of vaccines – not just for Covid-19 – as more nations around the world approved jabs for various diseases.

Read more

West Bengal reports its first case of Omicron variant of Covid-19

West Bengal reports its first Omicron case as 7-year-old boy tests positive for coronavirus variant.

Italy tightens border rules for EU arrivals

Italy will tighten restrictions for arrivals from the rest of the EU from Thursday, requiring coronavirus tests of everyone and a five-day quarantine for those who are not vaccinated.

Previously, EU arrivals had to show proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative test.

The decree signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza late on Tuesday "provides for the obligation of a negative test on departure for all arrivals from European Union countries", a spokesperson said.

"For the unvaccinated, in addition to the negative test, a five-day quarantine is planned." (AFP)

Australia re-opens borders to non-citizens despite Omicron worries

Australia on Wednesday reopened borders to vaccinated skilled migrants and foreign students after a nearly two-year ban on their entry, in a bid to boost an economy hit by stop-startCovid-19 lockdowns.

The emergence of the new Omicron variant forced officials to delay the reopening of international travel by two weeks after health officials sought a pause to get more information about the strain, which appears to show milder symptoms than other coronavirus variants.

"I just met my mum for the first time in four years, I'm so happy and thankful borders have opened," Kang Jin, a traveller from South Korea, told reporters in Sydney. (Reuters)

2 from non-risk countries test positive for Omicron in Hyderabad

Telangana on Wednesday reported the first case of Omicron with two air passengers from Kenya and Somalia testing positive for the new variant of Covid-19.

Both the cases were detected among air passengers from non-risk countries. Both had arrived at Hyderabad International Airport on December 12 via Abu Dhabi and Qatar, a top health official said.

A 24-year-old female had arrived from Kenya while a 23-year-old had come from Somalia. (IANS)

Mizoram reports 234 fresh Covid-19 cases, 2 more fatalities

Mizoram’s Covid-19 tally mounted to 1,38,847 as 234 more people tested positive for the virus, while two fresh fatalities raised the toll to 525, a health department official said on Wednesday.

The northeastern state now has 2,678 active cases, and 1,35,644 patients have thus far recovered from the disease, including 412 since Tuesday, he said.

Mizoram’s Covid recovery rate stood at 97.69 per cent and the death rate at 0.37 per cent.

Pfizer set to oust AstraZeneca as top supplier of Covid-19 shots to poor nations

Pfizer and BioNtech are set to displace AstraZeneca as the main suppliers of Covid-19 vaccines to the global COVAX programme at the start of 2022, a shift that shows the increasing importance of their shot for poorer states.

The expected change comes with headaches for receiving countries that lack sufficient cold storage capacity to handle the Pfizer vaccine and amid risks of a shortage of syringes needed to administer that shot. (Reuters)

Arunachal logs one fresh case of Covid-19

Arunachal Pradesh reported one fresh case ofCovid-19 on Wednesday, raising the tally to 55,314, a senior health department official said.

The death toll remained at 280 as no new fatality due to the contagion was reported in the past 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Lobsang Jampa said. (PTI)

Hong Kong researchers urge third Covid-19 shot after new Omicron study

Researchers in Hong Kong have urged people to get a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible after a study showed insufficient antibodies were generated by the Sinovac and BioNTech products to fend off Omicron.

Tuesday's release of the results of a study by scientists in the microbiology department of the University of Hong Kong was the first published preliminary data on the impact of Sinovac's vaccine against the Omicron variant of coronavirus. (Reuters)

A passenger is greeted with flowers at Melbourne International Airport, as international borders reopened to vaccinated skilled migrants and foreign students after a nearly two-year ban on their entry, in Melbourne, Australia. (Reuters Photo)

US crosses 800,000 Covid-19 deaths

The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, crossed 800,000Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed.

The figure is greater than the entire population of several states, including North Dakota and Alaska.

Around 450,000 of the deaths occurred in 2021, despite highly effective vaccines that were first authorized in December 2020 and widely available by springtime. (AFP)

India reports 6,984 new cases, 8,168 recoveries, and 247 deaths in the last 24 hours.

London nightclub owners pan UK's new Covid-19 rules for venues

Nightclub owners in London criticised new restrictions to halt the spread of coronavirus variants that will go into effect on Wednesday, saying that a lack of rapidCovid-19 tests will make enforcement a "big challenge".

Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new "Plan B" measures to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant, including the use ofCovid-19 vaccine passes to enter some venues such as nightclubs and settings with larger crowds. Negative rapid tests, known as lateral flow tests, will also be accepted. (Reuters)

Bipartisan members of the House and Senate, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and USSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), gather to hold a moment of silence for the more than 800,000 American lives lost toCovid-19 outside the USCapitol building in Washington, US. (Reuters Photo)

Cambodia detects first case of Omicron coronavirus variant

Cambodiahasdetectedthe country'sfirstcaseof theOmicronvariantof thecoronavirusin a local woman who had travelled from Ghana, the ministry of health said.

The 23-year old woman had returned from Ghana via Dubai and Bangkok, the ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Italy extends Covid-19 state of emergency to end of March

Italyon TuesdayextendedaCovid-19stateofemergencytoMarch31 and ruled that all visitors from EU countries must take a test before departure, amid concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Thestateofemergency, which was introduced in January last year, gives greater powers to the central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making inItaly.

Battered by Omicron: southern Africa fights mounting Covid cases

Woefully lagging on vaccinations, countries insouthernAfricaare struggling to keep runawayCovidcasesunder control as the Omicron variant takes hold.

Already fragile hospital systems are at risk of being overloaded, prompting governments to urge citizens to get vaccinated, and in somecasesreimpose strict measures.

Here is a rundown ofCovidin the region, currently the hardest hit inAfrica.