(Bloomberg) —
French President Emmanuel Macron, who’s expected to seek re-election in April, is losing support amid the nation’s latest spike in Covid cases.
Novak Djokovic has left Australia after his anti-vaccination stance cost him a potential payday of A$2.875 million ($2.1 million) and a shot at tennis history.
The Chinese city of Xi’an has gradually begun lifting restrictions after over three weeks of lockdown. Covax has delivered its billionth vaccine in a shipment to Rwanda.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 326.2 million; deaths pass 5.5 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.67 billion shots administered
- From pandemic to endemic: Can 2022 succeed where 2021 failed?
- U.S. parents and retirees teach class as omicron sidelines faculty
- Omicron surge gives bosses reason to order shots Biden now can’t
- Should I be wearing an N95 mask? The evolving advice: QuickTake
Djokovic Departs Australia (7:54 a.m. NY)
Novak Djokovic has left Australia after his anti-vaccination stance cost him a potential payday of A$2.875 million ($2.1 million) and a shot at tennis history.
Omicron Is Denting French Support for Macron (7:40 a.m. NY)
French President Emmanuel Macron, who’s expected to seek re-election in April, is losing support following the nation’s latest spike in Covid cases, Journal du Dimanche reported, citing an Ifop poll.
Growth in U.S. Cases Slows to 0.7% (7:30 a.m. NY)
Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 0.7% as compared to the same time yesterday to 65.4 million, as of 6:50 a.m. New York time, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News.
Germany Reports Record in 7-Day Incidence Figure (7:15 a.m. NY)
Germany’s health institute RKI reported a record in the 7-day incidence on Sunday, reaching 515.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Earlier, Germany reported 52,504 new cases.
Chinese City Lifts Some Restrictions After 3-week Lockdown (6:59 a.m. NY)
The Chinese city of Xi’an has gradually begun lifting restrictions after over three weeks of lockdown as authorities sought to stamp out a local outbreak, AP reported, citing state media.
State-owned broadcaster CCTV reported Sunday that certain counties and development zones in Xi’an had begun restoring production, citing a news conference by Xi’an officials.
Covax Deliveries Reach One Billion (6:31 a.m. NY)
A cargo of vaccines that arrived in Rwanda pushed Covax, the program created to deliver Covid-19 inoculations more equitably, over the one-billion mark in shots delivered so far, the World Health Organization said.
Of 194 member states, 36 countries have vaccinated less than 10% of their population, even as richer nations having moved on to provide citizens with their third or even fourth shots.
Indonesia Expects Current Wave to Peak by Early March (6:30 a.m. NY)
The current wave of cases in Indonesia could peak in mid-February or early March, said Luhut Panjaitan, the minister who is overseeing the pandemic response.
The government has no plans to impose tighter restrictions despite daily new cases exceeding 1,000 on Jan. 15 for the first time since October. People should limit gatherings and avoid in-person meetings unless necessary to curb the spread of the virus, Panjaitan said.
Austria to Start Fines for Unvaccinated From Mid-March (6:15 a.m. NY)
Austria will introduce mandatory coronavirus vaccinations with a transition phase starting February, imposing fines for dissenters from mid-March, according to Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
Saudi Arabia Starts Vaccinations in Children From Five Years Old (4:20 p.m. HK)
Saudi Arabia will begin vaccinating children aged from 5 to 11 against coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said in a tweet.
People in Saudi Arabia can now take the third vaccine dose, or booster, three months after the second dose. In December, Saudi Arabia advised citizens to avoid “unnecessary” travel outside the country amid rising coronavirus cases and the new omicron variant.
Highest Number of Russian Cases Since Mid-December (4:15 pm HK)
Russia reported 29,230 new cases in the past day, the highest daily figure since mid-December, according to the government’s reporting center. While the number of new cases has risen for six days, the number of deaths fell to 686 in the past day, the lowest since the start of July.
Greek Seniors Face Monthly Fine For Failure to Get Covid Shot (3 p.m. HK)
Greece from Monday intends to fine all people ages 60 and over who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19 as a way to boost lagging inoculation levels and reduce pressure on health care.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told seniors the simplest way to avoid the levy is to get vaccinated. Greek authorities say the non-vaccinated remain at high risk for hospitalization from the coronavirus. Some nine in 10 Covid-related deaths in Greece have been among people 60 and above, while seven in 10 of those hospitalized from the virus are over 60. And of those, eight in 10 are unvaccinated.
China Reports Decline in Local Cases for a Second Day (10:40 a.m. HK)
China reported 65 new local transmitted, dropping for a second day to the lowest level since Jan. 4. The new cases include Beijing’s first confirmed omicron variant infection, and 33 spotted in the northern port city of Tianjin that borders Beijing, according to a statement of National Health Commission.
Singapore Booster Rate Passes 51% (9:30 a.m. HK)
Singapore’s rate for vaccination boosters has reached 51%, with about 42,000 people a day getting the additional shots. That’s an acceleration from the 25,000-per-day pace of late December, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post.
Mexico Covid-19 Cases Rise by Daily Record of 47,113 (9:23 a.m. HK)
Mexico registered a record rise of 47,113 Covid-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total to 4,349,182, according to Health Ministry data.
Deaths increased by 227 to 301,334.
German Minister Seeks Incentives for Booster Shots (8:55 a.m. HK)
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he favors incentives for people to get booster shots over the threat of lockdowns and school closings to combat the surge in cases blamed on the omicron variant.
People who get boosters should have more freedoms in public life than those who don’t, Lauterbach said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Germany is at greater risk than countries such as the U.K. and Spain because it has a greater number of unvaccinated people over age 60, he said.
“We have a hard core of unvaccinated people,” he told the outlet. “I don’t see how we can persuade those who still refuse to get the vaccine.”
England Lowers Booster Age to 16 (8 a.m. HK)
England will lower the age threshold for booster shots to 16. The change will mean that around 40,000 teenagers in England will now be eligible for the shot. Previously, only those over 18 could get the third shot. More than four in five adults in England have received the booster, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement announcing the change.
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