Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
New Year Under Pandemic Cloud
A New Year shorn of mass celebrations beckons for millions around the world as authorities from Greece to Mexico, from Barcelona to Bali and across swathes of Europe cancel or curtail public gatherings, either closing or imposing curfews on nightclubs.
South Africa Ends Curfew
South Africa, where the highly contagious Omicron variant was first detected, says its latest coronavirus wave has likely passed its peak without a significant increase in deaths and that restrictions will be eased for New Year.
"According to experts, Omicron has reached the peak, ...with clinical manifestations that have not caused any alarm in the hospital situation," Mondli Gungubele, a minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, said on Friday.
"Based on the experts, the conditions do allow that we lift the curfew," he told a news conference, spelling out a move that the presidency announced the previous evening.
Philippines Tightens Rules
The Philippines tightens coronavirus restrictions in the capital Manila, placing it on the third-highest level of alert from Monday until 15 January, over fears of an "exponential growth" in cases due to Omicron. Restaurants, parks, churches and beauty salons will open at lower capacities to limit mobility, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman Karlo Nograles told a news conference.
In-person classes and contact sports are suspended, he added, while localised lockdowns targeting specific buildings, streets and neighbourhoods will also be enforced.
Tunisia Cancels New Year Festivities
Municipal authorities in the Tunisian capital Tunis cite the "rise in cases" of coronavirus for the last-minute cancellation of a concert and other festivities planned for Bourguiba Avenue, the main city-centre thoroughfare.
Israel Starts Fourth Jab
Israel starts giving fourth COVID vaccine shots to people with weakened immunity, becoming one of the first countries to do so in hopes of countering a case surge driven by Omicron. The effort comes almost exactly one year after Israel began a massive vaccination drive on the back of a data-sharing accord with US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer.
Israel's health ministry on Thursday approved giving a fourth shot for immunocompromised people, the same day that authorities reported more than 4,000 new cases of the disease, a high not seen since September.
England: Hospital Sick Leaves Double
Hospital staff absences due to COVID have more than doubled in a month in England as the virus surge puts strain on beds, according to the National Health Service. The number of hospital staff ill or self-isolating due to the virus rose from 11,375 on 29 November to 24,362 on 26 December, NHS England said.
The "sharply increasing staff absences" coincide with "a 10-month high for the number of patients," warned national medical director Stephen Powis.
More Than 5.4 Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,428,240 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to AFP's tally Friday from official sources.
Overall, the United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 824,339, followed by Brazil with 618,984 India on 481,080 and Russia 308,860.
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.