Summary for Wednesday, 9th February 2022
Good morning
Welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for today.Here is a rundown of some of the main news stories from the past few hours:
- Traffic has ground to a halt at the busiest border crossing in North America, as Canadian truckers and others angry with vaccine mandates spread their protest beyond Ottawa.
- Police in New Zealand have arrested several anti-mandate protesters who have set up camp on the lawns of parliament.
- Organisers of the Beijing Winter Olympics said a total of five new Covid cases were detected among games-related personnel on Tuesday. Three of the cases were found among new airport arrivals.
- Hong Kong reported its first potential Covid death in five months after an elderly man who returned a positive test died on Tuesday. The global financial hub is expected to report a record of at least 1,160 new infections on Wednesday, broadcaster TVB reported.
- A global scheme to help poorer nations cope with Covid is “running on fumes” because of a budget shortfall, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other aid groups.
- New York governor Kathy Hochul plans to end her state’s mask mandate for most indoor public places on Wednesday, according to the New York Times, joining several states lifting face-covering rules in the weeks ahead as the latest COVID-19 surge loosens its grip.
- The drugmaker Pfizer made nearly $37bn from its Covid-19 vaccine last year – making it one of the most lucrative products in history – but bringing accusations from campaigners of “pandemic profiteering”. The company forecast another bumper year in 2022, with a big boost coming from its Covid-19 pill Paxlovid.
- France, Portugal and Greece have relaxed their entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, with changes coming into effect in time for half-term.
Vaccinated tourists travelling to Portugal will no longer need to provide a negative test result to enter, although unvaccinated passengers will. - Qantas has seen a surge of booking from people travelling to Australia after the government said the ban on international arrivals would be lifted soon. Australia’s national carrier said bookings doubled on the first day following Monday’s announcement that borders would open on 21 February.