India will hold a mock drill on Tuesday to check preparedness of health facilities to deal with any spurt in COVID-19 cases, while cautious authorities encouraged the use of masks with Karnataka making it mandatory in schools, colleges and at places where large crowds gather for New Year celebrations. The mock drill will assess bed availability, manpower, referral resources, testing capacity, medical logistics, telemedicine services and medical oxygen availability, among other things.
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China stocks rise on further eased COVID rules
China stocks rose on Tuesday, as the country took a major step to reopen its economy to the rest of the world, while a faster-than-expected virus infection peak also fuelled expectations of a quicker economic recovery.
Youth suicide rate in South Korea up amid Covid
- The youth suicide rate in South Korea increased in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic to remain as their No. 1 cause of death, in yet another sign of a chronic problem that has plagued the country for years, data showed on Tuesday.
- The suicide rate per 100,000 people aged 17 and below reached 2.7 in 2021, up from 2.5 a year earlier, revealed the latest report by Statistics Korea showed.
- The rate for the age group from 15 to 17 reached 9.5, slightly down from 9.9 tallied in 2020, the data showed. In contrast, suicides among those aged 12 to 14 shot up 1.8 on-year to reach five in 2021, reports Yonhap News Agency.
1 new COVID-19 case in Thane; active tally at 11
One new COVID-19 case has been reported in Maharashtra’s Thane district, taking its infection count to 7,47,394, a health official said on Tuesday. The new case was recorded on Monday, he said. There are currently 11 active COVID-19 cases in the district, which comes under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, he said.
Japan to require negative Covid test upon arrival for Chinese travellers
Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from China due to the rapid spread of the virus in the country, Japan’s FNN reported on Tuesday.The government hopes to introduce the measure as early as this week, FNN said.
Chinese make travel plans as COVID rules ease further
- Chinese people, cut off from the rest of the world for three years by COVID-19 curbs, flocked to travel sites on Tuesday ahead of borders reopening, even as rising infections strained the health system and further roiled the economy.
- Zero-tolerance measures – from shuttered borders to frequent lockdowns – have battered China’s economy since early 2020, fuelling last month the mainland’s biggest show of public discontent since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
China to end quarantines for inbound travelers as ‘Covid zero’ dismantled
China will no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine from Jan. 8, putting the country on track to emerge from three years of self-imposed global isolation under a Covid Zero policy that battered the economy and stoked historic public discontent. People arriving in China will only be required to obtain negative Covid test results within 48 hours of departure, according to a statement from the National Health Commission Monday. That compares with the current requirement of eight days isolation — five days at a designated quarantine hotel, or central facility, followed by three days at home.
Indian company’s oral Covid generic medicine gets WHO’s initial nod
At a time when Covid cases are surging in several nations, Hyderabad-based Hetero Group has emerged as the first pharma player in the world to bag WHO’s prequalification of medicines programme for its generic version of oral Covid treatment, Nirmatrelvir, which along with Ritonavir is used in Pfizer’s oral drug, Paxlovid.
Delhi logs 7 fresh COVID-19 cases, positivity rate 0.39 pc
Delhi logged seven fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday with a positivity rate of 0.39 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With the fresh cases, the national capital’s COVID-19 tally has risen to 2,007,159. The death toll remained unchanged at 26,521, the data showed.
China to cancel quarantine requirements for inbound international arrivals starting from Jan 8, 2023 according to National Health Commission
Another threat and simmering dissent
There is a shortage of medicine, as Covid rips through parts of China, millions are struggling to find treatment — from the most basic cold remedies to take at home to more powerful antivirals for patients in hospitals. Gripped with grief and anxiety, many in China want a national reckoning over the hard-line Covid policy. Holding the government accountable may be a quixotic quest, reported NYT.
Explosive outbreaks
After China abandoned its restrictive “zero Covid” policy about two weeks ago, regional numbers of infected persons with coronavirus point to explosive outbreaks and overstretched healthcare systems, writes Chang Che, Asia technology correspondent for The New York Times (NYT). However, the intensity and magnitude of the country’s first nationwide outbreak have remained largely a mystery as official figures from the central government remain low.
Spike in covid cases in China’s Zhejiang renews concern of impact on supply chains
China’s Zhejiang province, a manufacturing hub is recording around a million new Covid-19 cases in a single day and the situation has sparked concerns among people regarding its impact on supply chains, Nikkei Asia reported. Zhejiang, located near Shanghai, has a population of about 65 million people. Its main city, Hangzhou, is home to China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group Holding, as well as other technology firms. Aside from Apple suppliers, Zhejiang is home to Japanese automaker Nidec and a slew of other foreign manufacturers. Citing a report released on Wednesday by the British research group Airfinity, Nikkei Asia stated that daily instances in China possibly top one million. Zhejiang’s disclosure suggests a far higher figure.