Netherlands hits new daily COVID record as Omicron surges: Live – Al Jazeera English

Daily coronavirus infections in the Netherlands soared to a record high of around 24,500 as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has become dominant in the country, official data showed.

Omicron is driving record daily cases of coronavirus from the United States to Australia, adding to pressure on health services.

Australia, once feted for its success in controlling the virus, reported 64,758 new cases on Wednesday most of them in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Meanwhile, China is doubling down on its COVID-zero strategy, announcing new city lockdowns in response to only a few cases, and Hong Kong is ordering people who were in some 57 locations visited by close contacts of a person later confirmed with Omicron to undergo compulsory testing.

Here are the latest updates for Wednesday:

8 mins ago (17:24 GMT)

French Health Minister Olivier Veran told parliament on Wednesday that todays COVID-19 new cases figure stood at around 335,000 new confirmed cases in France, marking a new record.

32 mins ago (17:01 GMT)

Turkey recorded 66,467 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the highest daily figure on record, health ministry data showed.

It also recorded 143 deaths over the coronavirus in the same period, the data showed. Cases in Turkey have more than doubled in just over a week as the Omicron variant became dominant in the country.

39 mins ago (16:54 GMT)

Canada will ramp up supplies of rapid COVID-19 tests to the countrys 10 provinces, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters, promising there will be better days ahead.

Most provinces have reimposed restrictions on businesses and gatherings amid warnings from medical professionals that health care systems could be swamped.

59 mins ago (16:34 GMT)

The United States has the tools needed to keep schools open despite a surge of coronavirus cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said.

We know how to keep our kids safe in school. About 96 percent of schools are open. Parents want schools open, and experts are clear that in-person learning is best for kids physical and mental health and further education. And the President couldnt be clearer; schools in this country should remain open, Zients told reporters.

1 hour ago (16:10 GMT)

Britain reported 194,747 further cases of COVID-19 and 334 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to official data.

The deaths figures reported included four days of hospital data for England as the data catches up after a seasonal holiday.

2 hours ago (15:50 GMT)

Public schools in the US city of Chicago, Illinois were closed, after the teachers union voted in favour of switching to remote learning amid a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The state had rejected a return to distance learning, arguing it was harmful to childrens education and mental health. But the union argued the districts safety protocols were insufficient leaving both teachers and students vulnerable to the disease.

This decision was made with a heavy heart and a singular focus on student and community safety, the union said in a statement. Our teachers are not willing to report to work.

The Chicago Teachers Unions move was approved by 73 percent of members and called to continue remote instruction until cases substantially subside or union leaders reach an agreement on improved safety protocols.

We are deeply concerned about this decision but even more concerned about its impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our students and families, the district said in a statement.

2 hours ago (15:27 GMT)

Austrian police said they had raided two dozen homes, seizing equipment and placing 22 people under investigation on suspicion of forging vaccine certificates, weeks before COVID vaccines become mandatory.

Investigators suspect the 22 people were forging documents not just for themselves but for friends and acquaintances, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Organised trade and use of forged vaccine certificates is no trivial matter, but a criminal offence, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.

3 hours ago (14:44 GMT)

Cypriot authorities announced stricter controls on social gatherings to tackle the worlds worst COVID-19 infection rate per capita.

Ministers at a cabinet meeting imposed restrictions on church gatherings and home visits as Cypriots prepare to mark the Epiphany on Thursday, a key date in the Greek Orthodox religious calendar.

Home visits will be limited to 10 people, half the number previously permitted, and not including children under 12, while church attendance will be restricted to a maximum of 200 people.

3 hours ago (14:27 GMT)

The Netherlands reported more than 24,000 new COVID-19 infections in 24 hours, a record high, official data showed.

The figure came as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus became dominant in the country during a strict lockdown.

Infections were up almost 60 percent from last week despite a strict lockdown that has closed all but essential stores as well as restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places since December 19.

3 hours ago (14:05 GMT)

Qatar has introduced multiple new precautionary curbs as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the gulf nation, local media outlet The Peninsula reported.

The measures which will be effective January 8, include limited capacity at restaurants, recreational centres, weddings and other venues; only vaccinated people will be allowed in malls; and no under-12s will be allowed in mosques.

In the last 24 hours Qatar reported 1696 infections and no deaths.

4 hours ago (13:41 GMT)

Liverpools League Cup semi-final first leg match with Arsenal, scheduled to be played on Thursday, has been postponed due to several positive COVID cases, Liverpool announced on their website.

Liverpool closed their training ground and have manager Jurgen Klopp, assistant Pepijn Lijnders and several players presently isolating due to positive tests.

Klopp and three players, Alisson Becker, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino, were already isolating before the latest wave of infections.

4 hours ago (13:20 GMT)

President Emmanuel Macron has faced anger from opponents and chaos in parliament after issuing a provocative warning to people in France not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 that he would pressure them as much as possible by limiting access to key aspects of life.

Macron, who has not yet formally declared his candidacy for re-election in April, came under fire from challengers already in the race, accusing him of overstepping the line with his remarks.

Read more here.

6 hours ago (11:30 GMT)

Polish President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus, a top aide told the state news agency PAP.

The president is in isolation, the aide added.

7 hours ago (10:59 GMT)

Israel is giving groups at high COVID-19 risk priority access to PCR tests, and allowing vaccinated people who are exposed to carriers to make an initial determination of quarantine status with home tests, the Health Ministry announced.

7 hours ago (10:46 GMT)

Tokyo authorities may ask Japans government to reinstate emergency measures as a rise in COVID-19 cases spurs concern that the capital is experiencing a sixth wave of infections, the Sankei newspaper reported.

Tokyo metropolitan government officials are preparing to make the request for a declaration of what are known in Japan as quasi-emergency measures, the paper reported, citing unidentified sources.

Such measures, which include restrictions on restaurant and bar opening hours, were lifted across Japan in September.

7 hours ago (10:52 GMT)

Hong Kong has announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries and tightened coronavirus restrictions after detecting cases of the Omicron variant.

Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, told reporters on Wednesday that incoming flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States, including interchanges, would be banned from January 8 to January 21.

The government will ban indoor dining after 6pm from Friday, she said, and close swimming pools, sports centres, bars and clubs, museums and other venues for at least two weeks.

Read more here.

7 hours ago (10:31 GMT)

Singapore expects the Omicron coronavirus variant to cause a bigger wave of infections than Delta, the health ministry said, adding a booster dose will soon be required for adults to be considered fully vaccinated.

From February 14, eligible persons aged 18 years and above should have received a booster dose no later than 270 days after the last dose in the primary vaccination series to be considered fully vaccinated, the ministry said.

The city-state of 5.5 million people allows only those counted as fully vaccinated to enter malls or dine in restaurants or at hawker stalls.

7 hours ago (10:30 GMT)

The leader of Britains opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson said.

8 hours ago (09:59 GMT)

Xu Mingfei, vice mayor of Xian, has said that more than 42,000 people were in centralized COVID-19 quarantine facilities in the Chinese city.

Mingfei told a news briefing that residents should continue to avoid going out or leaving the city for non-essential reasons.

In Xian, which is two weeks into a lockdown, authorities reported 35 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Tuesday, compared to 95 the previous day and 150 or more per day during the December 25-31 period, official data showed.

8 hours ago (09:52 GMT)

Philippine authorities have cancelled an annual procession, which normally draws millions of Catholic devotees accompanying a black wooden statue of Jesus Christ through the streets of Manila, for a second straight year due to coronavirus concerns.

The governments coronavirus task force cancelled the Black Nazerene procession, which is one of the countrys largest religious festivals, before celebrations related to the Jan. 9 procession, were due to start on Friday because of rising COVID-19 infections.

Unlike last year, there will be no in-person masses in the church housing the centuries-old statue, and police will be deployed to discourage people from gathering outside the building, authorities said.

We understand (the cancellation) for our safety and health reasons, Father Douglas Badong, Parochial Vicar of Quiapo Church, told a news conference. He said physical masses will take place in other provinces and online masses for devotees in the capital.

8 hours ago (09:51 GMT)

Japans Okinawa region has emerged as the epicentre of a new coronavirus surge with cases more than doubling from the previous day and officials were considering imposing emergency steps to contain it.

New infections in the southern prefecture jumped to 623 from 225 on Tuesday, the most since August when Japan was in the midst of its fifth and biggest wave of COVID-19.

Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki told reporters the region had entered a sixth wave of infections and the highly transmissible Omicron variant was responsible.

As of Tuesday, a total of 1,191 cases of the Omicron variant had been found in Japan, including 479 cases considered community transmissions, according to the health ministry.

9 hours ago (09:03 GMT)

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said that the government will introduce a series of new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, as she warned the global financial hub was on the verge of another outbreak.

The new rules include a ban on flights from eight countries for two weeks from Jan. 8, effecting Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, France and India.

Lam was speaking as Hong Kong authorities launched a city-wide search for the contacts of a COVID-19 patient and ordered a Royal Caribbean cruise to nowhere ship to return to port early, as health officials feared a fifth wave of infections.

Read more here.

9 hours ago (08:42 GMT)

Israels health ministry has announced nearly 12,000 new coronavirus cases, constituting the largest daily rise in infections since the beginning of the pandemic nearly two years ago.

According to the figures, 11,978 new COVID cases were detected over the course of Tuesday, surpassing the countrys previous record high of 11,344 cases recorded on September 2 last year.

While there were currently nearly 60,000 people with COVID in Israel, the number of serious cases on Wednesday was only 125, according to the health ministry.

Nearly 4.3 million of Israels 9.4 million inhabitants have received three shots of coronavirus vaccine. In recent days, authorities began administering fourth shots to at-risk groups.

9 hours ago (08:31 GMT)

Hungary has reported 5,270 new COVID-19 cases, a sharp rise from the 3,005 recorded a week ago, amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

Omicron accounted for more than 11 percent of new cases, the government said.

9 hours ago (08:14 GMT)

India has reported 58,097 new daily COVID-19 cases, twice the number seen only four days ago, with a top health official in the national capital saying the pandemics third wave in the country has set in.

Deaths rose by 534, including the southern state of Keralas updated death toll of 423, lifting the national total to 482,551, according to the health ministry data on Wednesday.

The total number of cases officially reported so far are more than 35 million, as the highly transmissibleOmicron variantbegins to overtake Delta, a strain first discovered in India.

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Netherlands hits new daily COVID record as Omicron surges: Live - Al Jazeera English