Coronavirus Highlights: 25,920 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In India

6 African Countries To Get Own mRNA Vaccine Production: WHO
Six African countries have been chosen to establish their own mRNA vaccine production, the World Health Organization said Friday, with the continent largely shut out of access to Covid jabs.

Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia were selected as the first recipients of technology from the WHO's global mRNA vaccine hub, in a push to ensure Africa can make its own jabs to fight the Covid and other diseases.

Despite "Zero Covid" Policy, Cases Rapidly Rise Across Chinese Cities
The Covid cases in China's many provinces and cities including Heilongjiang have been rising despite Beijing's claim of "Zero COVID-19 Policy" in the country.

According to media reports, the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing, Heilongjiang and several other cities is still not under control, while the infection cases in nine cities - Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Yunfu, Huizhou, Heyuan, Meizhou, Baise, Nanning and Shaoyang -- and inside three southern provinces of China -- Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan -- is growing at a rapid rate.

How Leaving "Trace, Test, Treat" Policy In South Korea Led To Covid Surge
South Korea said it would ease pandemic restrictions Friday, even as the country's daily caseload crossed 100,000 for the first time, with officials citing economic concerns over social distancing measures.

The country reported a record 109,831 new infections for Thursday, with health experts warning this number could rise to 270,000 new cases a day next month.

Despite the spike in cases, Seoul officials said they would ease restrictions by allowing cafes and restaurants to stay open an extra hour till 10 pm starting Saturday.

These Countries Have Zero Covid Cases, Says WHO. See List
The world has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for more than two years. During this time, many countries saw daily tally breaking new records and thousands succumbing to the infection. The situation was particularly bad in the United States and Europe, as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

But there are still some countries which have remained untouched by the pandemic. The WHO has a list, which shows the spread of the infection in various countries. Scrolling down, the list shows at least 10 countries which have reported zero Covid-19 cases.

For Countries Relaxing Covid-19 Curbs, A Warning from WHO
A number of countries have removed restrictions put in place in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Since its onset, the virus mutated a number of times, resulting in waves of infections which proved to be deadly. The most deadly wave was led by the Delta variant, which saw a high number of fatalities. Then came the Omicron variant, and the world again came to a halt.

However, in recent weeks, several scientists who studied the Omicron variant said that it does not lead to life-threatening infection. This led to calls for opening up from various corners of the world, and the governments order easing of restrictions.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against taking this decision in haste.

Japan's Record Covid Deaths Spiral In Wave Estimated To Last Till April
Japan set a new record for daily deaths from COVID-19 in a wave of Omicron-fuelled fatalities that a government-affiliated researcher estimated may stretch into April.

Newly recorded fatalities rose to 271 on Thursday, according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK, the third straight day over 200. There have been 2,446 deaths so far in February, already the second-deadliest month in the two-year pandemic.

Hong Kong's "Overriding Mission" As Covid Cases Surge 60 Times In A Month
Hong Kong has identified more than 20,000 hotel rooms for quarantine accommodation, leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as property developers piled in to support the global financial hub's battle to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Lam said 21 hotels had expressed interest in turning their facilities into isolation venues, exceeding "by a large margin the government's original target of 7,000 to 10,000 rooms".

Eyeing Border Reopening, Australia Eases More Covid Curbs As Cases Ebb
Singing and dancing will resume in nightclubs in Sydney and Melbourne from Friday, while most mandatory check-ins have been scrapped as officials lifted nearly all COVID-19 curbs in Australia's biggest cities amid a steady fall in hospital cases.

The relaxation in social distancing rules comes ahead of the full reopening of Australia's international borders on Monday after nearly two years, boosting business confidence battered by stop-start lockdowns.

No Need To Panic, Says Virologist On New Recombinant Variants Of Coronavirus
Days after clusters of recombinant Delta and Omicron variants of coronavirus were reported from across the world, a leading virologist said there was no need to panic at the moment.