What you need to know about Covid-19 around the world

Covid-19 responses boost Japanese PM's support, Omicron is in a third of US states, and more - here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now.

Japan's tougher virus border controls boost support for PM

Voter support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ticked up after his government enforced tighter border controls against the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Monday. Japan took some of the world's strictest steps on 29 November by closing its borders to new foreign entrants for about a month. A day later, it discovered its first Omicron infection in a Namibian diplomat who had arrived on 28 November.

Support for Kishida's government was 62 percent, up from 56 percent a month ago, the Yomiuri poll showed, with 89 percent of respondents taking a positive view of the measures.

Omicron variant found in nearly one-third of US states

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to about one-third of US states, but the Delta version remains the majority of Covid-19 infections as cases rise nationwide, US health officials said on Sunday. Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease official and US President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said he hoped the United States would lift its ban on travellers from southern African countries in a "reasonable period of time."

Many of the cases were among fully vaccinated individuals with mild symptoms, although the booster shot status of some patients was not reported. Governors of two states with reported Omicron cases - Connecticut and Colorado - said they hoped their higher-than-average vaccination rates would blunt the impact. "We want to see how well the vaccinations hold up," Colorado's Jared Polis told ABC.

Canadian employers accommodate the unvaccinated

Canada's tight labour market is forcing many companies to offer regular Covid-19 testing over vaccine mandates, while others are reversing previously announced inoculation requirements even as Omicron variant cases rise.

There are pitfalls to employing the unvaccinated. Companies run a higher risk of Covid-19 outbreaks and many vaccinated employees are uncomfortable working with those who have not had the shot, said industry groups and marketing experts. In the hard-hit manufacturing sector, where 77 percent of firms say their top concern is attracting and retaining workers, vaccine mandates are more rare.

Foetus brain appears unharmed by mild-to-moderate Covid-19

Non-severe Covid-19 during pregnancy has no visible effect on the baby's brain, according to a small study presented on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Researchers led by Dr Sophia Stoecklein of Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich used foetal MRI to study 33 pregnant women with mild or moderate Covid-19. The MRI scans showed "normal age-appropriate brain development" in all cases, Stoecklein said in a statement. "There were no findings indicative of infection of the foetal brain."

Only mothers who did not require hospital admission were included in the study. "Since the impact of severe infection on brain development in the foetus has not been conclusively determined, active protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy remains important," Stoecklein said.

Jordan court jails health officials over oxygen deaths

A Jordanian court sentenced five senior health officials to three years in jail on Sunday for causing the death of 10 Covid-19 patients following an oxygen outage in a major state hospital, state media said. Health Minister Nathir Obeidat resigned hours after the incident and in a public apology, Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh said his government bore full responsibility for the incident.

The court found the former director of the state hospital in Salt, a city west of the capital, and four of his senior aides responsible for the deaths, media said. The patients, who were being treated in the hospital, died in March when staff failed to act after oxygen ran out in a Covid-19 ward for nearly an hour.

Europe

• The incoming German government wants to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory from March 16 for people working in hospitals, nursing homes and other medical practices, according to a copy of draft legislation seen by Reuters.
• Police fired teargas and used water cannons to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions turned violent.
• Dutch former queen Beatrix, 83, has tested positive for Covid-19, the royal information service RVD said.

Americas

• Chilean health authorities reported on Saturday that they detected the first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in a person who had arrived in the copper-producing South American country from Africa.
• A cruise ship set to dock in New Orleans with over 3000 passengers has detected 10 cases of Covid-19 among its crew and guests, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

Asia-Pacific

• India on Sunday reported its highest single-day Covid-19 deaths since July after two states revised their death tolls. The country has detected seven more Omicron cases, making 12 in all.
• The coronavirus pandemic has weakened China's power in the Indo-Pacific, and the region's deepening security uncertainties present a "significant" risk of war, the Lowy Institute said in a report.

Middle East and Africa

Africa has little chance of overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic unless 70 percent of its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet "extreme vaccine discrimination" is leaving the continent behind, a report said.

Medical developments

Australia's medicine regulator provisionally approved the Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11, with the health minister saying the rollout could begin from Jan. 10.

Economic impact

• Asian share markets lagged a bounce in US and European futures on Monday, while bonds surrendered some of their recent gains and oil rallied as Saudi Arabia lifted its crude prices.
• Federal Reserve policymakers look likely to accelerate the wind down of their bond-buying program when they meet later this month as they respond to a tightening labour market and move to open the door to earlier rate hikes than they had projected.

- Reuters