Covid-19 has infected more than 270M people and killed over 5.3M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
Monday, December 13, 2021
South Korea to test AI-powered facial recognition to track Covid cases
South Korea will soon roll out a pilot project to use artificial intelligence, facial recognition and thousands of CCTV cameras to track the movement of people infected with the coronavirus, despite concerns about the invasion of privacy.
The nationally funded project in Bucheon, one of the country's most densely populated cities on the outskirts of Seoul, is due to become operational in January, a city official told Reuters news agency.
The system uses an AI algorithms and facial recognition technology to analyse footage gathered by more than 10,820 CCTV cameras and track an infected person’s movements, anyone they had close contact with, and whether they were wearing a mask, according to a 110-page business plan from the city submitted to the Ministry of Science and ICT (Information and Communications Technology), and provided to Reuters by a parliamentary lawmaker critical of the project.
The Bucheon official said the system should reduce the strain on overworked tracing teams in a city with a population of more than 800,000 people, and help use the teams more efficiently and accurately.
Canada to accept PCR tests from residents in South Africa
Canada will start recognising molecular Covid-19 tests conducted at an accredited lab in South Africa for residents returning home, dropping a heavily criticized travel restriction introduced to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.
Ottawa had faced pressure from doctors, stranded passengers and the World Health Organization to reverse requirements that travelers from 10 southern African countries get molecular PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests in a third country before returning to Canada.
Canada has now dropped the need to obtain a pre-departure negative Covid-19 PCR test from a third country, according to a travel advisory issued on Saturday.
The exemption will be in place till January 7 next year and apply to all indirect flights departing from South Africa to Canada, the advisory added.
Queensland state opens its domestic borders
Coronavirus-free Queensland state opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people on Monday for the first time in nearly five months, as Australians gear up for quarantine-free travel across most of the country during the busy Christmas period.
Queensland, Australia's third most populous state, shut its border to New South Wales in July a nd then later to people coming from Victoria to protect against a Delta outbreak that rocked the country's east for several months.
Hundreds of cars queued up at the state's southern border with New South Wales well before the rules were set to relax at 1 a.m. local time, television footage showed.
UK says 'two doses not enough'
Britain faces a "tidal wave" of the Omicron variant of coronavirus and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned, as he accelerated the booster rollout programme.
Johnson added that with Omicron known to be much more transmissible than other variants, the National Health Service would struggle to cope with hospitalisations if the variant were to tear through an un-boosted population.
Data released on Friday showed that vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection was substantially reduced against Omicron with just two doses, but a third dose boosted protection up to over 70 percent.
South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa test positive
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for Covid-19, but was showing mild symptoms, the presidency said.
"The President started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honour of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier today," the statement said.
"The President, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week," it added.
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(With input from news agency language)
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