Covid-19 has infected more than 274M people and killed over 5.3M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
CNN closes its offices due to Covid
One of the US's biggest media corporations, Cable News Network (CNN), shut down its offices due to the spike in Covid-19 cases.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the media outlet took the decision for "nonessential employees" as Omicron cases are rapidly spreading across the country.
The cable network employees were allowed to work from the office on a voluntary basis before the cases began rising, WSJ said.
Germany puts UK on list of high-risk countries
Germany's health authority announced that the UK had been added to its list of Covid high-risk countries, which will mean tighter travel restrictions.
The decision is a response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which forced London's mayor Sadiq Khan to declare a "major incident" on Saturday in the UK capital.
The change, which takes effect on Sunday at midnight, means arrivals from the UK will have to observe a two-week quarantine regardless of whether they are vaccinated, said the country's health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
Netherlands announces 4-week lockdown
The Netherlands announced a four-week lockdown starting Sunday amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Speaking at a news conference, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country will go into a lockdown until at least Jan. 14 in a bid to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
All schools will remain closed until Jan. 9. No events will be allowed until the lockdown ends.
Places, where basic needs are provided, will be open between 05.00 a.m. and 08.00 p.m., while football games continue to be played without fans.
WHO: Omicron detected in 89 countries
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and Covid-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad, the World Health Organization.
Omicron's “substantial growth advantage” over the Delta variant means it is likely to soon overtake delta as the dominant form of the virus in countries where the new variant is spreading locally, the UN health agency said.
WHO noted that Omicron is spreading rapidly even in countries with high vaccination rates or where a significant proportion of the population has recovered from Covid-19.
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(With input from news agency language)
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