Covid-19 wave looms in Europe as booster campaign makes slow start

A new Covid-19 wave appears to be brewing in Europe as cooler weather arrives, with public health experts warning that vaccine fatigue and confusion over types of available vaccines will likely limit booster uptake. Omicron subvariants BA.4/5 that dominated this summer are still behind the majority of infections, but newer Omicron subvariants are gaining ground. Hundreds...

‘We’re trying hard’: K-pop group Verivery back on the road after 2 years

Imagine being a year old with the whole world ahead of you, and then being told to freeze in place for two years. That’s what K-pop group Verivery experienced when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, after their first year together in 2019. Now with a full-blown identity and sense of self, they’re aiming to cover...

New Zealand ends most Covid-19 restrictions as pandemic worry eases

New Zealand scrapped mask wearing rules and vaccine mandates on Monday (Sept 12), bringing an end to some of the toughest Covid-19 pandemic rules in the world about two years after they were put in place. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a weekly news conference that it was time to safely turn the page on...

Macau to reopen city as no Covid-19 infections detected for 9 days

Macau will reopen public services and entertainment facilities, and allow dining-in at restaurants from Tuesday (Aug 2), authorities said, as the world's biggest gambling hub seeks a return to normalcy after finding no Covid-19 cases for nine straight days. Beauty salons, fitness centres, and bars too will be allowed to resume operations, the government said in...

Macau to reopen casinos on July 23 as Covid-19 infections fall

Macau will reopen its casinos on Saturday (July 23), a source with direct knowledge of the information said as authorities seek to unwind some stringent measures which locked down the world's biggest gambling hub for 12 days to curb its worst outbreak of Covid-19. Some essential businesses and premises would be able to reopen on July...

South Korea warns of Covid-19 surge as cases hit 2-month high

Daily Covid-19 infections in South Korea have jumped above 40,000 for the first time in two months, with the government warning of a potential five-fold surge in the coming months. "Daily infections could soar to as many as 200,000 between mid-August and late September," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a government Covid-19 response meeting, citing the...

Macau shuts popular shopping mall in race to contain Covid-19 outbreak

Macau shut down a popular shopping mall adjacent to MGM China's casino resort on the city's main peninsula after several Covid-19 infections were found, as authorities raced to the biggest outbreak yet in the world's biggest gambling hub. One Central shopping mall will be shut for one week, while more than a dozen other zones or...

Hong Kong considers shorter Covid-19 quarantine for travellers: John Lee

Hong Kong will look into shortening Covid-19 quarantine requirements for travellers, while still aiming to curb the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, the city's new leader John Lee said on Tuesday (July 5) Lee spoke at his first weekly news conference as the city's chief executive after being sworn in on...

In Shanghai, lockdown blues make way for Covid-19 testing gripes

A man has a swab collected at a nucleic acid testing site in Lujiazui financial district after the lockdown placed to curb the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak was lifted in Shanghai, China, on June 2, 2022.Reuters Shanghai residents' relief over the easing of a two-month Covid-19 lockdown is giving way to frustration as they face hours...

Second booster shields elderly from Covid-19 but protection wanes quickly: Study

A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel on Dec 19, 2020. A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered rates of Covid-19 among the elderly but the protection against infection appeared short-lived, a large study in Israel...