What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
18/02/2022 06:25
Feb 18 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the
coronavirus right now:
Hong Kong says 20,000 hotel rooms earmarked for quarantine
Hong Kong has identified more than 20,000 hotel rooms for
quarantine accommodation, leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as
property developers piled in to show support with the global
financial hub battling a surge in COVID-19 cases. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2UT06D
Dozens of patients waited for treatment in the parking lot
of a hospital in the working-class district of Cheung Sha Wan on
the Kowloon peninsula on Thursday, after there was no more room
inside the medical centre that serves 400,000 people.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2US3JS
S.Korea daily COVID cases top 100,000, curfew eased
South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases topped 100,000 for
the first time amid its Omicron outbreak, with authorities
saying social distancing measures would be only slightly eased
ahead of the March 9 presidential election.
Authorities announced on Friday they would move a curfew on
restaurants and cafes from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., a nod to
increasing criticism from business owners. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2UT013
WHO says quarantine can be shortened
The World Health Organization said on Thursday countries
struggling with surging COVID-19 infections may shorten the
recommended quarantine duration of 14 days in some situations.
The U.N. agency said its new guidelines may be helpful for
places where essential services are under pressure. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2US1ZJ
Japan's COVID deaths mount in wave seen lasting till April
Japan set a new record for daily deaths from COVID-19 in a
wave of Omicron-fuelled fatalities that a government-affiliated
researcher estimated may stretch into April.
Newly recorded fatalities rose to 271 on Thursday, according
to a tally by national broadcaster NHK, the third straight day
over 200. There have been 2,446 deaths so far in February,
already the second-deadliest month in the two-year pandemic.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2UT0LQ
California shifts gears to confront post-pandemic phase
California Governor Gavin Newsom presented a plan on
Thursday to confront COVID-19 beyond its pandemic phase,
focusing on readiness, vigilance and vaccines as the nation's
most populous state moves from a crisis approach to "living with
this virus."
Highlights of the strategy include more stockpiling of masks
and other personal protective equipment, a "myth-busters"
campaign to counter disinformation and greater wastewater virus
surveillance to stay ahead of new outbreaks and new variants.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2UT00V
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
((Karishma.Singh@thomsonreuters.com;))