Asia News Network

The mutating virus and its message to mankind

The writer says the reality in 2021 was that whatever was being done to make the world a better place was not good enough.

The writer says there is no reason for different standards for Covid-19 self-test kits.

The local government ordered a citywide lockdown on Dec 23 to rein in the spread of Covid-19.

Forecasts out there are a mix of bleak and upbeat, with the most optimistic saying Omicron could be “the beginning of the end.”

For the first time in over a month, new Covid-19 cases soared to 1,623, nearly double the 889 cases recorded on Wednesday (Dec 29).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the Delta and Omicron variants as "twin threats".

The government will also strengthen quarantine management, such as mandatory quarantine passes for stores.

She also said that the overall vaccination rate in the city is currently only 72 percent.

This biggest single-day increase in Covid-19 cases came to light following 71,696 tests conducted during the past 24 hours.

Almost 900,000 cases were detected on average each day around the world between Dec 22 and 28, 2021.