Coronavirus

Key points:

• China had previously reported just over 5,000 deaths since the pandemic began
• The WHO had said earlier this week said that China was heavily under-reporting deaths from the virus
• Authorities had been reporting five or fewer deaths a day over the past month

In early December, Beijing abruptly dismantled its strict three-year anti-virus regime of frequent testing, travel curbs and mass lockdowns after widespread protests in late November, and cases have surged since then across the nation of 1.4 billion.

Singapore News Agency reported that the COVID-Omicron variant is different, deadly and not easily detected properly. 

Papua New Guineans living in communal settings are vulnerable to communicable diseases. Thus it is important to be aware of such important announcements as the surge of COVID-Omicron XBB variant surge in Singapore and other countries. 

The XBB virus does not necessary come with coughing or fever as the former COVID-19 does, but there will be joint pain, headache, neck pain, upper back pain, Pneumonia, and loss of appetite.

They engage in all sorts of campaign activities with unhealthy foods consumed and amid the excitement are unwarranted activities going on. The result could be deadly.

These were the warnings by the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority Director for Public Health Services, Dr. Max Manape, when officiating the closing Trainers of Trainers (ToT) workshop for COVID-19 routine immunization at Aiyura, Obura/Wonenara district.

This were the results from the last two updates on Thursday, 17th and Friday, 18th February 2022. On the 17th, 13 new Omicron cases were reported from the samples that were sent down to Australia, raising the total number of this new variant to 14 so far.

These 13 new cases of Omicron were among 333 new cases of COVID-19 reported on this day.

Dr Hans Kluge said a "west-to-east tidal wave" of Omicron was sweeping across the region, on top of the surge of the Delta variant already present.

The projection was based on the seven million new cases reported across Europe in the first week of 2022.

The number of infections has more than doubled in a two-week period.

"Today the Omicron variant represents a new west-to-east tidal wave, sweeping across the region on top of the Delta surge that all countries were managing until late 2021," Dr Kluge told a news conference.

But France, with its 179,807 cases on Tuesday, was not alone in breaking records, as Italy, Greece, Portugal and England all reported record highs too.

The figures could be due in part to reporting delays over Christmas.

Countries had been reporting rises running up the festive period, driven by the more contagious Omicron variant.

Dr Fauci, a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, said the president's unveiling of his judicial nominee was a "superspreader event".

Dozens of White House aides and other contacts were reportedly infected.

President Donald Trump's doctors have just cleared him to hold public events as he himself recovers from Covid-19.

Mr Trump - who was discharged from hospital on Monday after three nights - was asked in an interview with Fox News on Friday evening about the symptoms he had experienced.

The country's GDP shrank by 12.2% between April and June as the lockdown and border closures hit.

It is New Zealand's first recession since the global financial crisis and its worst since 1987, when the current system of measurement began.

But the government hopes its pandemic response will lead to a quick recovery.

The nation of nearly five million was briefly declared virus free, and although it still has a handful of cases, it has only had 25 deaths.

Last week, an inquiry found New South Wales health authorities made "serious mistakes" in allowing about 2,650 passengers to disembark when the ship docked in Sydney in March.

Those people were not tested for the virus, despite suspected cases aboard.

The ship was ultimately linked to at least 900 infections and 28 deaths.

Prior to Australia's second wave of the virus - which emerged in Melbourne in June - the cruise ship had been the source of Australia's biggest coronavirus cluster.

In her post, the singer claimed a vaccine for COVID-19 had already been found, but was being hidden to "let the rich get richer".

Instagram blurred out the video with a caption saying: "False Information".

It also directed users to a page debunking the claims in the video, noting there is no coronavirus vaccine.

The video was later deleted from Madonna's Instagram page, but not before fans protested at her decision to share the post.