What we know today, January 5 – virus latest at a glance
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said England could withstand a surge in Covid-19 infections without shutting down the economy as Britain reported another record daily high in cases, fuelled by the Omicron variant.
Spain’s Health Ministry reported a record in the national 14-day Covid-19 infection rate, as the figure climbed to 2433.9 per 100,000 people, from 2295.8 registered the previous day.
French health authorities registered 271,686 daily Covid-19 infections, the highest recorded tally, confirming France’s position as Europe’s worst-hit country.
Greece reported a record 50,126 infections, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on December 31.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for Covid-19, the palace said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden said Covid-19 cases were rising even at the White House as he urged unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated and others to get booster shots.
The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer’s oral Covid-19 antiviral treatment, the company and the White House said, providing a total of 20 million courses as the government fights a record surge in cases.
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Authorities in India’s capital Delhi ordered people to stay at home over coming weekends, with Covid-19 cases quadrupling in a week.
The Chinese city of Yuzhou locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new infections as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks little more than four weeks before the start of the Winter Olympics.
It is not sustainable to give COVID-19 booster shots every three to six months in the long term, Britain’s chief scientific adviser said, even though the booster rollout is needed in the short term to combat the Omicron variant.
Global deaths 5,471,241
