How deadly was China’s COVID wave?
Hints of the surge were everywhere: Hospitals turned away patients. Crematories were overwhelmed with bodies. Read more
Coronavirus Outbreak World
Japan manages growth in final quarter as tourism returns
The Cabinet Office reported the economy grew 0.2% in the last quarter, compared with July-September, when it contracted 0.3%. It grew 1.1% in April-June. Read more
Seoul lifts visa limits on short-term travelers from China
South Korea in early January stopped issuing most short-term visas at its consulates in China. Read more
Belgian carnival town celebrates again after COVID hiatus
After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic that brutally brought one of Europe’s oldest Mardi Gras celebrations to a halt, celebrations are back with a vengeance this winter. Read more
China, Hong Kong scrap cross-border travel quota, COVID test
Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require COVID-19 PCR tests nor be held to a daily limit, authorities announced Friday, as both places seek to drive economic growth. Read more
China announces resumption of visas for Japanese
The decision was announced in a statement posted on the Chinese Embassy’s website. Read more
Asia travel hotspots quiet as Chinese tourists stay away
The beaches and temples of destinations like Bali and Chiang Mai are the busiest they have been since the pandemic struck three years ago, but they’re still relatively quiet. Read more
Japan to lower COVID-19 to flu status, further easing rules
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday announced plans to downgrade the legal status of COVID-19 to the equivalent of seasonal influenza in the spring, a move that would further relax mask wearing and other preventive measures as the country seeks to return to normalcy. Read more
Lunar New Year tourism hopes fizzle as Chinese stay home
It’s a bitter disappointment for many businesses that had been hoping lean pandemic times were over after Beijing relaxed restrictions on travel. Read more
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Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases
Hong Kong will scrap its mandatory isolation rule for people infected with COVID-19 from Jan. 30 as part of its strategy to return the southern Chinese city to normalcy, the city’s leader said on Thursday. Read more
China records 1st population fall in decades as births drop
Despite the official numbers, some experts believe China’s population has been in decline for a few years. Read more
Tennis player denies using fake COVID-19 travel certificate
A doctor is under investigation in Italy for supplying false certificates and fake vaccines and Giorgi’s name was revealed in a long list of people implicated by an Italian newspaper. Read more
Economy, war, pandemic, climate all on tap for Davos meeting
Nearly 600 CEOs and over 50 heads of state or government are expected, but it’s never clear how much concrete action emerges from the elite event. Read more
Experts: China’s official COVID death toll a fraction of total
China’s abrupt pivot from “zero-COVID” in early December unleashed a surge of omicron infections. Read more
WHO appeals to China to release more COVID-19 information
he announcement Saturday was the first official death toll since the ruling Communist Party abruptly dropped anti-virus restrictions in December despite a surge in infections that flooded hospitals. Read more
China reports 60,000 COVID-related deaths, says peak passed
The toll included 5,503 deaths due to respiratory failure caused by COVID-19 and 54,435 fatalities from other ailments combined with COVID-19 since Dec. 8. Read more
Germany to scrap mask mandate in long-distance transport
The mandate will be dropped on Feb. 2, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced in Berlin. Read more
China halts visas for Japan, South Korea in COVID-19 spat
It wasn’t clear whether China would expand the visa suspensions to other countries that have imposed virus testing on passengers from China following its COVID-19 surge. Read more
Pfizer’s Paxlovid not included in China’s national insurance
Paxlovid, an oral medicine developed by New York-based drugmaker Pfizer, has been widely sought after in China since the country began phasing out its “zero-COVID” restrictions. Read more
Travelers rush to take advantage of China’s reopening
Hong Kong media reports said around 300,000 travel bookings from the city to mainland China have already been made, with a daily quota of 60,000. Read more
Over 2K join LGBTQ march in New Delhi after COVID break
Dancing to drumbeats, they carried rainbow flags, balloons and placards as they walked for more than an hour to the Jantar Mantar area near India’s Parliament. Read more
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