Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
'Too Early' To Cry Victory
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns that it is too early for countries to either declare victory over COVID-19 or give up attempts to halt transmission.
Denmark Goes Back To Normal
Denmark becomes the first European Union (EU) country to lift all of its COVID restrictions despite record numbers of cases, relying on its high vaccination rate to cope with the Omicron variant.
'Stealth Omicron'
A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron strain – BA.2 or "stealth Omicron" – is even more infectious than the original version, according to a Danish study.
Jabs For Under-Fives?
Pfizer and BioNTech will soon ask United States (US) regulators for emergency authorisation for a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five and under, US media report.
Pandemic Waste Threat
The WHO warns that the vast amount of waste produced in tackling the pandemic poses a threat to human and environmental health.
NZ Journalist Allowed Home
A pregnant New Zealand journalist who claimed to have nowhere to go but Afghanistan will be allowed to return home after officials grant her an exemption from strict COVID-19 entry restrictions.
Portuguese PM Positive
Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa tests positive for coronavirus, as he prepares to govern solo just days after scoring a parliamentary majority.
Catalonia Nightclubs To Reopen
Discotheques and nightclubs can reopen from 11 February in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia, the government there says.
Olympics To Have Crowds
A senior Olympics official says venues at the Beijing Winter Games – which opens this week – could be up to half full, countering fears that restrictions would lead to a second consecutive Games without spectators.
France To Ease Curbs
France on Wednesday starts lifting its COVID restrictions, including outdoor wearing of masks and work from home obligations, despite a very high number of cases.
Swimming Championship Off
The swimming world championships scheduled to take place in the Japanese city of Fukuoka in July are postponed until 2023 because of the virus.
Operation Pet Rescue
Wealthy Hong Kongers are chartering private jets to get them and their pets out of the city which has some of the strictest virus travel restrictions in the world.
Over 5.6 Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,671,154 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Tuesday.
The US has recorded the most COVID deaths with 886,687, followed by Brazil with 627,138 and India on 496,242.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.