(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Hong Kong mortuaries hit capacity
Facilities for storing dead bodies at hospitals and public mortuaries in Hong Kong are at maximum capacity due to a record number of COVID-19 fatalities, the Hospital Authority said on Monday, as officials battle to control a surge in cases.
The global financial hub reported a daily record high of 34,466 new coronavirus infections and 87 deaths on Monday, health authorities said.
Separately, the city’s Education Secretary said international schools could maintain their original term dates, after widespread confusion over summer school holidays.
The rapid spread of cases in Hong Kong has put the plight of domestic helpers in the spotlight after some were fired or made homeless by their employers when they tested positive for coronavirus.
Hong Kong has around 340,000 domestic helpers, most hailing from either the Philippines or Indonesia. Many families in the city depend on live-in helpers for housekeeping and to look after the elderly and children, with the minimum wage set at HK$4,630 ($593) per month.
South Korea rolls back COVID-19 vaccine pass
South Korea will temporarily lift a requirement for vaccine passes or negative COVID-19 tests at a number of businesses to ease the strain on testing centres, authorities said on Monday, as the country faces a wave of Omicron infections.
The move will allow public testing and health facilities to devote more resources to battling the wave of new cases, Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol told a COVID-19 response meeting.
China perseveres with mRNA COVID shot development
China has spent over a year developing Pfizer-type COVID-19 vaccines that may even help it pivot from stringent “zero-COVID” restrictions, but a changed market and the Omicron variant have muddied prospects before efficacy data has even been published.
Still, China is unlikely to join the majority of countries in approving foreign-made vaccines based on messenger RNA technology before making its own, experts said, though a slowing vaccination drive at home and in some other nations and improved supply of approved vaccines have raised questions of viability.
Is WHO’s aim to vaccinate 70% of world by June still realistic?
Vaccinating 70% of the population in every country in the world against COVID-19 by mid-2022 has been the World Health Organization’s rallying cry to end the pandemic.
But recently, public health experts say that while boosting immunity globally remains essential, the figure is neither achievable nor meaningful.
New York will end statewide school mask mandate on March 2
New York state will end its mask mandate for schools and childcare facilities on Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul said, citing a steep drop in COVID-19 cases.
“It wasn’t always easy, but students, educators and parents stepped up to fight this pandemic,” Hochul tweeted on Sunday. “We’ve reached this exciting milestone because of your hard work.”
The new rules come after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday eased guidelines for indoor masking across most of the country.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Jan Harvey)
