Omicron may be less severe, but not 'mild'; Austria tightens restrictions: Top 9 COVID global updates

VIENNA: A man, wearing a protective face mask, receives a dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the 'Espace Sante APHM' medical center in 'Les Aygalades', a northern neighbourhood of Marseille, France. 

Here are the top 9 COVID-19 updates from around the globe:

1. Omicron may be less severe, but not 'mild': WHO chief

The more infectious Omicron variant appears to produce less severe disease than the globally dominant Delta, but should not be categorised as "mild", the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Speaking at a media briefing, the director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also repeated his call for greater equity globally in the distribution of and access to vaccines.

Based on the current rate of vaccine rollout, 109 countries will miss the WHO's target for 70% of the world's population to be fully vaccinated by July, Tedros added. That aim is seen as helping end the acute phase of the pandemic.

2. Austria tightens virus measures to slow down omicron spread

Austria's government announced new measures Thursday to slow down the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant in the Alpine country.

"We have to adjust to a new situation with omicron, we have to adjust to the fact that the infection numbers will increase quickly," Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters in Vienna.

Existing measures such as banning the unvaccinated from many stores and cultural venues will be more strictly implemented as of next week, and the use of masks - FFP2 or K95 types - outdoors will be made mandatory if a distance from other people of at least two meters (6.5 feet) cannot be met. The government also called on Austrians to keep working from home if possible. At the same time it will reduce the quarantine period to five days if a negative test result can be presented.

3. Global number of new COVID-19 cases increased sharply by 71% during week December 27- January 2: WHO

The number of new COVID-19 cases increased exponentially by 71 per cent globally during the week December 27-January 2 as compared to the previous week, while the number of new deaths decreased by 10 per cent, the WHO said on Thursday, as the new Omicron variant led the spike. 

The COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, released by the global health agency, said that during the week of December 27 to January 2, following a gradual increase since October, the global number of new cases increased sharply by 71% as compared to the previous week.

The number of new deaths decreased by 10%. This corresponds to just under 9.5 million new cases and over 41,000 new deaths reported during the last week. As of January 2, a total of nearly 289 million cases and over 5.4 million deaths have been reported globally, the update by the World Health Organisation said.

4. Israel to lift travel ban to US, UK amid Omicron spread

Israel's health ministry said Thursday that several countries including the United States would be removed from a Covid "red list" of banned destinations despite a surge in the Omicron variant.

"The ministry of health recommends to the government to remove at this stage all countries from the red list," it said in a statement. The decision goes into effect Thursday, the ministry said, adding that it was "subject to the approval of the government".

The measure was taken "in light of the share of infections of those entering Israel compared to the share of community spread", the ministry said. In addition to the United States, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey will be removed from the banned destinations list.

5. China's Xi'an city cancels foreign flights due to COVID-19 resurgence

China's popular tourist city of Xi'an has suspended international passenger flights following a major COVID-19 outbreak, the airport authority said on Thursday, even as officials rejected fears of a virus resurgence.

The city had already suspended domestic flights and has been in lockdown since early December. The foreign flight suspension was enforced starting Wednesday, the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport said. Xi'an, the home of the world-famous Terracotta Warrior Museum (Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum) is an important air transportation hub in western China, with international routes connecting 74 major destinations in 36 countries.

6. Brazil green-lights COVID-19 vaccines for children age 5-11

Brazilian health authorities authorised COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five to 11 on Wednesday, as South America's most populous country faces a rapid increase in cases due to holiday gatherings and the arrival of the Omicron variant.

The final green light by Brazil's Ministry of Health comes three weeks after the nation's independent medicines regulator, Anvisa, declared Pfizer-BioNTech's child-size dose to be safe and effective.

"To all those parents who want to vaccinate their children, the Ministry of Health will guarantee doses of the (COVID) vaccine," said Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga in Brasilia. Controversy abounded in Brazil until Wednesday's announcement, with many alleging an improper delay by the government.

7. France allows some COVID-19-infected medics to keep working

France is allowing health care workers who are infected with the coronavirus but have few or no symptoms to keep treating patients rather than self-isolate, an extraordinary stopgap measure aimed at easing staff shortages at hospitals and other facilities caused by an unprecedented explosion in cases.

The special exemption to France's quarantine rules being rolled out to hospitals, elderly care homes, doctors' offices and other essential health services testifies to the growing strain on the French medical system by the fast-spreading omicron variant.

It is a calculated risk, with the possibility that health care workers with COVID-19 could infect colleagues and patients being weighed against what the government says is a need to keep essential services running.

8. Thailand reports biggest spike in virus cases in weeks

Thailand reported its biggest spike in coronavirus cases in weeks on Thursday after a holiday season in which people travelled and gathered in large numbers amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

Officials recorded 5,775 new cases, prompting the Ministry of Public Health to raise the official warning level to 4 on a scale of 5, permanent secretary Kiatiphume Wongrajit said. The warning level had been at 3 since the end of December.

Under level 4, the ministry recommends closing high-risk venues, including those with poor ventilation, increasing restrictions on interprovincial travel, limiting group sizes in public places and lengthening quarantine requirements for travelers entering Thailand.

9. UK scraps pre-departure tests for vaccinated travellers

Pre-departure tests for vaccinated travellers entering Britain will be scrapped from Friday, while people who test positive using rapid home kits will no longer need to take so-called PCR tests to confirm the result from January 11, reported Bloomberg. "Thanks to the sheer size of the omicron wave, we still need to take steps to ensure our testing capacity reaches those who need it most," Johnson told the House of Commons on Wednesday. The UK is "experiencing the fastest growth in Covid cases that we have ever known," he said, while hospital admissions are "rising rapidly, doubling around every nine days."