The World Health Organisation chief said Tuesday that 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago — amounting to more than in all of 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.Here are the updates: Andhra Pradesh
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Night curfew in A.P. extended till Feb. 14
The night curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. that was in force in the State till January 31 has been extended till February 14, along with the other COVID-19 related directives, after reviewing the pandemic situation.In a G.O. released to this effect on Tuesday, Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singhal said that any violation of the instructions would result in prosecution under the Sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Section 188 of the IPC and other laws applicable.
International
Many countries yet to see peak in Omicron wave, should ease curbs slowly WHO
Many countries have not reached their peak in cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus and measures imposed to curb its spread should be eased slowly, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19 said on Tuesday.”We are urging caution because many countries have not gone through the peak of Omicron yet. Many countries have low levels of vaccination coverage with very vulnerable individuals within their populations,” Maria Van Kerkhove told an online briefing. -ReutersInternational
Omicron sub-variant in 57 countries: WHO
A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus strain, which some studies indicate could be even more infectious than the original version, has been detected in 57 countries, the WHO said Tuesday.The fast-spreading and heavily mutated Omicron variant has rapidly become the dominant variant worldwide since it was first detected in southern Africa 10 weeks ago. In its weekly epidemiological update, the World Health Organization said that the variant, which accounts for over 93 percent of all coronavirus specimens collected in the past month, counts several sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. -AFPInternational
Pfizer seeks U.S. approval of Covid vaccine for children under 5
Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday they began submitting a formal request to U.S. health regulators for emergency use of their Covid vaccine for children aged over six months and under five years.The request is currently for two doses of a three-microgram shot, which will give parents “the opportunity to begin a COVID-19 vaccination series for their children while awaiting potential authorization of a third dose,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. -AFP