A civil authority worker sprays disinfectant inside a classroom ahead of the reopening of schools closed as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Mumbai on Jan 22, 2022. (PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP)
SYDNEY / JAKARTA / NEW DELHI – India's COVID-19 tally rose to 39,237,264 on Sunday, as 333,533 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
This is the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 new cases were registered in a day in the country in more than eight months.
This is the fourth consecutive day when over 300,000 new cases were registered in a day in the country in more than eight months
Besides, as many as 525 deaths were recorded since Saturday morning, taking the death toll to 489,409.
Currently there are 2,187,205 active cases in the country, with an increase of 73,840 during the period. This is the 26th consecutive day when the number of active cases rose in the country.
A total of 36,560,650 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, with 259,168 new recoveries.
Meanwhile, the country's Omicron tally has reached 10,050. Most of the Omicron cases have been reported from the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi.
New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cancelled her wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions to slow the community spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, she told reporters on Sunday.
New Zealand will impose mask rules and limit gathering from midnight on Sunday after a cluster of nine COVID-19 Omicron cases showed community spread from the North to South islands after a wedding.
New Zealand will impose mask rules and limit gathering from midnight on Sunday after a cluster of nine COVID-19 Omicron cases showed community spread from the North to South islands after a wedding
A family returned to Nelson in the South Island by plane after attending a wedding and other events in Auckland in the North Island. The family and a flight attendant tested positive.
ALSO READ: NZ delays border re-opening over Omicron concerns
New Zealand will move to a red setting under its COVID-19 protection framework, with more mask wearing. Indoor hospitality settings such as bars and restaurants and events like weddings will be capped at 100 people. The limit is lowered to 25 people if venues are not using vaccine passes, Arden said.
"My wedding will not be going ahead," she told reporters, adding she was sorry for anyone caught up in a similar scenario. Ardern had not disclosed her wedding date, but it was rumored to be imminent.
Asked by reporters how she felt about the cancellation of her wedding to longtime partner and fishing-show host Clarke Gayford, Ardern replied: "Such is life."
She added, "I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience."
New Zealand's borders have been shut to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February out of concern about a potential Omicron outbreak as in neighbouring Australia.
People able to travel to New Zealand under narrow exceptions must apply to stay at state-managed quarantine facilities. The government last week stopped issuing any new slots amid a surge in the number of people arriving with Omicron.
About 94 percent of New Zealand's population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated and about 56 percent of those eligible have had booster shots.
This handout picture taken and released on Nov 11, 2021 by APEC New Zealand shows New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (center) speaking during her opening address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Wellington. (JEFF TOLLAN / APEC NEW ZEALAND 2021 / AFP)
Australia
Australia reported 58 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, as the two most populous states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, said students would be tested twice weekly for the Omicron variant when classes resume next week.
NSW reported 34 deaths of patients with COVID-19, while Victoria state saw 14 deaths, and Queensland reported 10 deaths.
Health officials said they believe an Omicron outbreak has peaked in NSW and Victoria, which reported 20,324 and 13,091 new cases respectively on Sunday.
Australian schools return after a summer holiday break in a week.
ALSO READ: Australia's new COVID-19 cases hit record high
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said parents will be asked to use rapid antigen tests twice a week to check their children for COVID-19, and report any positive result to the school and government.
Millions of the test kits are being distributed to 3,000 schools this week, and students need to be tested before attending the first day of classes, he told reporters in Sydney.
Teachers and high school students will be required to wear masks.
Victoria state has also recommended twice weekly testing of students under its return to school plan.
School staff in NSW and Victoria must be vaccinated for COVID-19, and teachers in Victoria have a deadline of the end of February to receive a booster shot, Victorian health officials said.
Indonesia
Indonesia's Ministry of Health confirmed the first two deaths from the Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday amid a spike in cases triggered by the more infectious virus.
The ministry's spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said one case was locally infected in Banten province and the other was an international traveler who passed away in the capital Jakarta.
"Both patients have comorbidities," Tarmizi said.
Indonesia has recorded a total of 1,161 cases of the Omicron variant since Dec. 15 last year, when the Ministry of Health detected the first case of the more infectious variant.
The number of daily COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian nation jumped to 3,205 on Saturday from 772 on Monday.
Authorities have increased bed capacity in hospitals to deal with COVID-19 and intensified access to telemedicine for coronavirus patients with mild and moderate symptoms.