SYDNEY: Australia's political leaders were set to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday as cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant broke infection records and forced countries around to world to double down on vaccinations, just days before Christmas.
Authorities globally have imposed new restrictions and stepped up inoculation efforts as Omicron emerges as the dominant strain of the virus, upending imminent reopening plans that many governments hoped would herald the start of a post-pandemic era in 2022.
Singapore will freeze all new ticket sales for flights and buses under its programme for quarantine-free travel into the city-state from Dec. 23 to Jan. 20, the government said on Wednesday, citing risk from the fast-spreading Omicron.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised half a billion free rapid COVID-19 tests and warned the quarter of American adults who are unvaccinated that their choices could spell the "difference between life and death."
In response to the surge in cases, Asia-Pacific countries are also looking to shorten the time between second vaccination shots and boosters. However, wary of public lockdown fatigue, there is reluctance to return to the strict curbs imposed during the spread of the Delta variant earlier this year.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday urged leaders of the country's states to reopen hundreds of vaccination hubs to accelerate the rollout of booster shots after they were shut down as demand slowed when double-dose rates in people above 16 years topped 80%.
"That's a very important part of today's discussion," Morrison said ahead of a snap meeting of national Cabinet on Wednesday, which includes of federal and state leaders.
He said decisions about bringing forward the vaccination scheduled would depend on expert advice.
Australia on Wednesday reported more than 5,000 daily infections for the first time during the pandemic, eclipsing the previous high of around 4,600 a day earlier, with the bulk of cases in its most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Despite the Omicron surge, Morrison on Tuesday ruled out lockdowns and insisted that limiting the spread of the virus comes down to personal responsibility.
There was also resistance to new lockdowns in South Korea, where authorities announced restrictions on gatherings and operating times for restaurants, cafes and bars.
While polls still show wide support for South Korea's fresh curbs, some of its strictest yet, many small businesses have complained that restrictions leave them overstaffed and overstocked, having prepared for a holiday season under looser rules.
Small business and restaurant associations issued statements protesting the decision and calling for compensation, with one of the groups vowing to stage a demonstration on Wednesday.
NEW URGENCY
Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's European head, on Tuesday warned of a "storm" that Omicron would bring, "pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink."
Germany, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Korea are among countries that have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days.
Portugal ordered nightclubs and bars to close and told people to work from home for at least two weeks from Saturday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not introduce new COVID-19 curbs in England before Christmas, but the situation remained extremely difficult and the government might need to act afterwards.
Governments have stepped up vaccination and treatment efforts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration set to authorise COVID-19 treatment pills from Pfizer Inc and Merck , Bloomberg News reported.
Israel will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people older than 60.
For now, financial markets have taken Omicron's spread in their stride, having reclaimed some of the heavy losses made after virus headlines earlier this week.
Policymakers are, however, scrambling to address the economic hit that might come from new outbreaks with Britain announcing 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) of extra support for businesses hit hardest by Omicron.
With much still not known about the severity of Omicron infections, businesses are also worried about a swathe of cancellations affecting big-ticket events in the new year.
North America's National Hockey League will not send its players to compete in the men's ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
That would not only affect league players in the U.S. and Canadian ice hockey teams, but also those in the Olympic squads of Sweden, Finland and Germany.
Reuters
Wed Dec 22 2021
People queue for a COVID-19 test as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 21, 2021. - REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Angka korban akibat banjir di Sumatera Barat meningkat kepada 31 orang
Banjir yang bermula sejak Sabtu malam, telah membawa lumpur ke daerah tanah datar, lalu menjejaskan lima mukim.
Penunggang motosikal maut terbabas, kepala kena tiang papan tanda
Seorang lelaki berusia 50 tahun maut setelah motosikal yang ditunggang hilang kawalan lalu terbabas melanggar pembahagi jalan di Ipoh.
Liga Super: Tangan Kamal Azizi patah terkena bola sepakan pemain Kuching City
Kamal dikeluarkan seawal minit pertama perlawanan selepas bola sepakan pemain pertahanan Kuching City terkena tangan kanannya.
12 samseng jalanan ditahan, 57 motosikal disita di Taiping
Operasi yang diadakan bukan saja untuk membanteras samseng jalanan tetapi juga untuk mengurangkan kes kemalangan dan jenayah jalanan.
Kereta hilang kawalan masuk lorong kiri punca bas terbalik di lebuh raya
Akibat pelanggaran, kereta itu berpusing 360 darjah dan melanggar bahagian hadapan kanan bas.
PM tiba di Doha untuk lawatan rasmi tiga hari ke Qatar
Pesawat khas yang membawa Perdana Menteri mendarat di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Doha pada kira-kira 9.37 malam Ahad waktu tempatan.
Dr Dzulkefly komited selesai isu gaji, kebaikan jururawat
"Saya sangat sedar, insaf dan amat empati terhadap pelbagai masalah profesion ini termasuk gaji, saraan, kerjaya, kebajikan."
Pemaju hartanah tidak bertanggungjawab musnahkan impian pembeli rumah
Kerajaan khususnya kementerian yang bertanggungjawab terhadap pengguna dan perumahan, jabatan penilaian serta agensi yang terlibat dalam pembinaan perlu tampil ke depan membantu pemilik rumah.
Liga Malaysia: Stadium Likas, Sabah pertama bakal guna sistem VAR sendiri
Sabah bakal menjadi negeri pertama mengguna pakai sistem VAR sendiri jenis sistem Goal Sport VAR untuk perlawanan Liga Malaysia di Stadium Likas.
KDN pilih Mini Amazon Malaysia, Kampung Beng, sebagai Kampung Angkat MADANI
Kampung Beng, yang terkenal sebagai Mini Amazon Malaysia, telah dipilih sebagai Kampung Angkat MADANI bagi Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN).
Kerajaan jamin sediakan rawatan kesan sampingan vaksin COVID-19 termasuk AstraZeneca - Dzulkefly
Kerajaan memberi jaminan akan menyediakan rawatan susulan bagi penerima vaksin COVID-19 termasuk AstraZeneca yang terbukti mengalami kesan sampingan.
KKM keluar kenyataan berkaitan vaksin AstraZeneca dalam masa terdekat
KKM akan mengeluarkan kenyataan berhubung isu penarikan balik vaksin COVID-19 keluaran AstraZeneca dalam masa terdekat.
Isu tunggakan cetakan MyKid bakal selesai Julai ini - JPN
Isu cetakan MyKid yang tertunggak akibat masalah perolehan bekalan mikrocip semasa pandemik COVID-19 lalu dijangka dapat diselesaikan pada Julai ini secara berperingkat di seluruh negara.
Program Jana Wibawa dilaksana selepas dapat persetujuan Jemaah Menteri - Saksi
Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini diberitahu bahawa cadangan mengenai Jana Wibawa telah dibawa ke mesyuarat untuk pertimbangan sebelum Jemaah Menteri memutuskan supaya program itu diteruskan pada 2020.
Kelaparan akut jejaskan 281.6 juta orang tahun lepas - PBB
Tahap bahaya kelaparan akut menjejaskan 281.6 juta orang tahun lepas, tahun kelima berturut-turut bahawa ketakjaminan makanan semakin memburuk.
Hamilton optimis kedudukan lebih baik di GP China
Lewis Hamilton melihat potensi kedudukan yang lebih baik dalam saingan Grand Prix yang kembali ke China buat pertama kali dalam tempoh lima tahun, hujung minggu ini.
'Selfish!' - Fasha Sandha sedih raya di Perlis tak jadi gara-gara dijangkiti COVID-19
Fasha berkata dia mula melakukan pemeriksaan COVID-19 selepas berasa tidak sihat badan dan mengalami bersin tidak henti sejak Raya pertama.
Kes COVID-19 catat penurunan ketara pada ME 14/2024 - KKM
Jumlah kes COVID-19 menurun 97.1 peratus kepada 493 kes pada Minggu Epidemiologi ke-14 (ME 14/2024) iaitu bagi tempoh 31 Mac hingga 6 April lepas berbanding 17,256 kes pada ME 1/2024.
China jadikan pengalaman pencegahan COVID-19 untuk hadapi pandemik masa depan
China akan menjadikan pengalaman dalam pencegahan dan kawalan COVID-19 untuk membuat persediaan yang lebih proaktif untuk menghadapi pandemik masa depan seperti "Penyakit X".
Negara berdepan ketirisan subsidi diesel serius - Amir Hamzah
Negara kini sedang berdepan isu ketirisan subsidi diesel yang serius dan wujud kemungkinan terdapat pihak yang tidak layak masih menikmati subsidi itu, kata Menteri Kewangan II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah.