Coronavirus digest: India starts vaccinating teens

​​​​​India started vaccinating people aged 15 to 18 on Monday, as the country contends with a rising caseload caused in part by the omicron variant. 

Doses were administered by state governments across the country at special vaccination sites. From January 10, India will also offer a third or booster dose to health care workers, frontline workers, and vulnerable senior citizens. 

Data from the health ministry filed on Monday reported 33,000 new cases from the previous day. Authorities say even though cases are on the rise, hospitalizations have not gone up as yet. Many states have imposed night curfews and restrictions in the past few days. 

Here's a look at coronavirus-related news in other parts of the world:

Asia-Pacific

Local authorities in China's Xi'an city said two officials were sacked to "strengthen" their fight against the virus, as the number of cases fell on Monday. A recent outbreak of cases in the city of around 13 million residents prompted a strict lockdown as the city briefly propelled China toward a caseload it had not experienced since March 2020. The downward trend continued on Monday, however, with 90 new cases reported. 

Indonesia plans to start giving booster shots to the general public. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said around 21 million people would be covered under the scheme. 

Australia reported a record of more than 37,000 new cases on Monday, with a rise in hospitalizations in the last 24 hours. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said authorities would continue with the process of reopening, considering the milder impact of the omicron variant. 

"We have to stop thinking about case numbers and think about serious illness, living with the virus, managing our own health and ensuring that we're monitoring those symptoms and we keep our economy going," Morrison said in an interview with Channel Seven. 

Europe

Daily cases in Germany rose for the fifth day in a row, according to the figures released by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Monday.

The seven-day incidence of new infections per 100,000 people reached 232.4, up from 222.7 on Sunday. The rate of infection in Germany had been falling after seeing its biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic in the past few months.

The omicron variant is not yet dominant in Germany, despite neighboring countries such as France and Denmark seeing omicron-related surges.

Opponents of Germany's coronavirus restrictions were out on demonstrations once again on Monday in cities across the country. While some of the protests had been permitted, many were illegal and many of the protesters failed to abide by hygiene rules such as the required wearing of masks.

Many of the gatherings were small and in the eastern city of Potsdam, the local mayor joined a counter-demonstration where he called on protesters not to walk with far-right and neo-Nazi groups that have tried to capitalize on the movement.

Starting on Monday, France's rules on wearing masks in indoor public spaces will be expanded to apply to children aged 6 or older. Previously, only children above 11 were required to wear masks. The government wants to avoid a shutdown of schools after the holidays, as classes resume on Monday. Children will have to wear masks in public transport, in sports complexes and at places of
worship. 

Protests in Amsterdam on Sunday led to clashes between demonstrators and Dutch authorities, with 30 arrests being made. Masses had gathered at the city's main square, and police and anti-riot officers forced them to leave. Arrests were made for offenses such as assault, public disorder, possession of a forbidden weapon and not respecting security forces. Local media reported at least two protesters and four officers injured in the clashes.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said government had instituted the correct measures to cope with the surge of COVID-19 infections caused by the omicron variant.

Johnson said maintaining the current course was necessary. "The way forward for the country as a whole is to continue with the path that we are on," he told the media on Monday.

"Of course we will keep all measures under review, but the mixture of things that we are doing at the moment is I think the right one," Johnson said.

Hospitals in the UK are under pressure as hospital staff have either fallen ill or are self isolating. The country also saw record numbers of cases in the close of 2021.

Americas

Air travel in the United States remained disrupted, with more than 2,600 flights being canceled on Sunday. Bad weather and staff shortages faced by airlines has led to many flights being grounded during the holiday season. 

Flight schedules have been impacted worldwide, but the US has been worst-affected, contributing to more than half the flights canceled globally. Almost 8,600 flights in the US were delayed.

Twitter said on Sunday that it had permanently suspended the account of Republican US representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, owing to several violations of the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policy. 

"Twitter is an enemy to America and can't handle the truth. That's fine, I'll show America we don't need them and it's time to defeat our enemies," Greene said on messaging app Telegram, calling Twitter's move "un-American."

Africa

Botswana's government on Monday said that President Mokgweetsi Masisi has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating.

"The president does not have any symptoms and will continue to receive close medical monitoring by his medical doctors," it said in a statement.

Just under 44 percent of the country's population has been fully vaccinated.

ab, tg/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)