Covid-19 has infected more than 266M people and killed over 5.2M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
Monday, December 6, 2021
'Extreme' vaccine discrimination risks leaving Africa behind
Africa has little chance of overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic unless 70 percent of its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet "extreme vaccine discrimination" is leaving the continent behind, a new report has said.
The discovery of the Omicron variant in southern Africa has heightened claims that low inoculation rates can encourage viral mutations, which can then spread to countries where rates are much higher.
Yet only five of Africa's 54 countries are on track to reach a World Health Organisation target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of the population by end-2021, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said in a report.
One in 15 Africans has been fully vaccinated, against nearly 70 percent in the G7 group of richer nations, according to data from the foundation, which was set up by the Sudanese telecoms billionaire to promote better governance and economic development in Africa.
"From early in this crisis, our Foundation and other African voices have been warning that an un-vaccinated Africa could become a perfect incubator for variants," its chair Mo Ibrahim said in a statement.
"The emergence of Omicron reminds us that Covid-19 remains a global threat, and that vaccinating the whole world is the only way forward," he added. "Yet we continue to live with extreme vaccine discrimination, and Africa in particular is being left behind."
Japan's virus border controls 'boost support' for PM
Japanese voters' support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ticked up after his government enforced tighter border controls against the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said.
Japan took some of the world's strictest steps on November 29 by closing its borders to new foreign entrants for about a month. A day later, it discovered its first Omicron infection in a Namibian diplomat who had arrived on November 28.
Support for Kishida's government was 62 percent, up from 56 percent a month ago, the Yomiuri poll showed, with 89 percent of respondents taking a positive view of the latest measures.
The upbeat survey results came despite Thursday's flip-flop on inbound airline bookings, a ban on which had provoked worry and confusion among citizen looking to return home for year-end holidays.
China reports 61 new Covid-19 cases
China has reported 61 new confirmed coronavirus cases for December 5, up from 59 a day earlier, its health authority said on Monday.
Of the new infections, 38 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 42 a day earlier.
The new local cases were reported by local authorities in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Hebei and Yunnan.
China reported 44 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 21 a day earlier.
There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636. As of December 5, mainland China had 99,203 confirmed cases.
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(With input from news agency language)
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