Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Europe could soon enter a “long period of tranquility” despite the Omicron variant due to high vaccination rates and the end of the northern hemisphere winter, the World Health Organization says.
President Vladimir Putin says there will be “no lockdown” in Russia, and some restrictions may even be eased, despite the country facing a steep surge in Covid-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant.
Sweden will lift most of its restrictions next Wednesday as the pandemic enters a “whole new phase”, the authorities say.
Every third adult in Denmark is believed to have had Covid-19 since November when cases began to surge, almost double the official rate, health authorities say.
Africa must boost the vaccination rate against Covid-19 “six times” to reach the target of 70 percent vaccine coverage set for the end of the first half of 2022, the WHO says.
Just hours before the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony, a group of international scientists demands that China stop blocking an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
Germany’s Winter Olympics team says it has been hit by an outbreak of Covid-19 on the eve of the Games, with six cases confirmed upon arrival in Beijing.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro tweets his support for American podcast host Joe Rogan, whose spreading of disinformation about Covid-19 has caused controversy on streaming service Spotify.
Britain approves the Novavax anti-Covid vaccine, bringing to five the number of jabs at the country’s disposal.
The EU’s medicines regulator says it will soon rule on an application to approve Pfizer/BionTech’s Covid-19 booster shots for teens aged 16 and 17, with younger ages expected to follow.
The UN-backed global Medicines Patent Pool signs a 39-million-euro ($45 million) grant with South African biotech firm Afrigen to fund work on new mRNA Covid jabs.
Swiss pharma giant Roche says it remains prudent about the profit outlook in 2022 as it expects sales of Covid-19 tests and treatments to begin dropping.
Coronavirus has killed at least 5,698,322 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Thursday.
The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 894,316, followed by Brazil with 628,960 and India on 498,983.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.
