PARIS— Here are the latest developments in the ..coronavirus crisis:
. INDIA: Election rallies are cancelled in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, over a sudden surge driven by the Omicron variant, with infections nearly tripling in two days.
. ITALY: Italy is making vaccination compulsory for everyone over the age of 50 from Feb 15 in a bid to battle surging infections.
. AUSTRALIA: Australia vows to deport tennis world number one Novak Djokovic after he fails to meet stringent pandemic entry requirements. The vaccine-sceptic Serb flew there to defend his Australian Open crown.
, CHINA: Chinese authorities punish officials after footage went viral of an eight-month pregnant woman miscarrying in the locked-down city of Xi’an when a hospital refused her entry without a Covid test.
. UNITED STATES: The Grammys music awards due to be held on Jan 31 are postponed and Sundance film festival also goes online because of the spread of the Omicron variant in the United States.
. FRANCE: France’s lower house of parliament passes a bill excluding the unjabbed from cafes, entertainment venues and inter-city trains after three days of tense debates.
. MACAU: Macau bans all inbound passenger flights from outside China for two weeks after three virus cases are found in passengers arriving from overseas.
. JAPAN: Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi urges the US to restrict American troop movement in the country after a surge in cases on bases and surrounding communities.
. BRAZIL: Brazil authorises vaccines for children aged from five to 11 as South America’s most populous country faces a rapid increase in infections due to holiday gatherings.
. GABON: Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tests positive just days ahead of Gabon’s opening Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
. TALLY: The coronavirus has killed at least 5,463,970 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019.
The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 832,148, followed by Brazil with 619,513, India 482,876 and Russia 313,817.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK