Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Hong Kong Lockdown Nearly 3,000 residents at a Hong Kong housing estate are confined to their homes as authorities struggle to halt an outbreak of the Omicron variant.Russia's Record Cases Russia reports a record number of new infections in one of the world's worst-hit countries by caseload.Adele Pulls Plug On Show British singer Adele says she is "gutted" as she postpones her Las Vegas r

Beijing says it's adopting all necessary coronavirus safety measures for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which start next month.So, what is being planned for the Games, and how successful has China's policy of "zero COVID" been?Stricter Measures Than At Tokyo OlympicsChina is going to great lengths to keep the virus out.It has said that foreign spectators will be barred and tickets won't be sold to the general public.Groups of local spectators will be "invited" to

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Three Million New Infections Per Day The world recorded more than three million coronavirus cases per day on average between January 13 and 19, the latest AFP tally shows, with the Omicron variant fuelling new infections.Austria To Make Jabs Compulsory Austria's parliament is expected to approve a bill making vaccinations mandatory for adults from next month, the first European country to do so.Natural Immunity

Generic drug manufacturers will make a more affordable version of Merck's anti-COVID pill for 105 of the world's poorer nations, in deals announced Thursday by a United Nations (UN)-backed organisation.The global Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) signed agreements with 27 manufacturers to produce the oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir, for supply in low- and-middle-income countries."This is a critical step toward ensuring global access to an urgently needed COVID-19 treatment and w

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Japan's New Restrictions Japan brings in new restrictions – particularly on nightlife – in a large part of the country including Tokyo as it battles a record wave of Omicron infections.Americans Get 400m Free Masks The United States (US) government is to distribute some 400 million high-quality N95 masks for free to its citizen in an effort to rein in the pandemic.Supreme Court Judge Defiant US Supreme

Hong Kong's government faced outrage Wednesday over its decision to cull thousands of small animals after hamsters in a pet store tested positive for COVID-19.Like China, Hong Kong maintains a "zero-COVID" policy, stamping out the merest trace of the virus with contact tracing, mass testing, strict quarantines and prolonged social-distancing rules.Their latest measures target hamsters and other small mammals – including chinchillas, rabbits and guinea pigs – which authorities o

Face masks are now a fact of life. But even disposable masks require a few simple care steps to stay effective every time you leave the house.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Pandemic 'Nowhere Near Over' The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says.

Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday passed a law approving the relocation of its capital from slowly sinking Jakarta to a site 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away on jungle-clad Borneo Island that will be named "Nusantara".The House of Representatives vote provides the legal framework for the move, which was first tipped by President Joko Widodo in April 2019, citing rising sea levels and severe congestion on densely populated Java Island.The president chose the new city’s name –

During the past week a new COVID-19 variant had been discovered in Cyprus. Dubbed “Deltacron”, it was said to be responsible for a series of hospitalisations in the country.The thought of a new variant and one that was said to be a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants sounded ominous.