Coronavirus - 12 February 2022

Days-long rallies against Covid vaccination mandates picked up in numbers in New Zealand and Australia on Saturday
Reuters reports:
About 10,000 protesters gathered at Canberra’s major showgrounds, forcing the cancellation of a popular charity book fair, bringing traffic to a standstill and blocking roads in the Australian capital.
Police said three people were arrested, but overall the crowd was “well behaved”.

Thousands of people take part in a protest outside Parliament House in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

In New Zealand’s Wellington, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the distinctive “Beehive” parliament for a fifth day despite drenching rain.
Inspired by truckers’ demonstrations in Canada, the protesters have occupied and blocked several streets around parliament with their trucks, vans and motorcycles.
Protests remain relatively small in highly vaccinated New Zealand and Australia, where overwhelming majority of the population supports inoculations. However, the movement has persevered, with rallies occasionally turning violent.
Australia prime minister Scott Morrison said demonstrators had a right to protest, asking them to do it in a peaceful and respectful way.
He noted most vaccination mandates have been imposed by the states and territories, not the federal government.
“So, I understand their concerns about these issues,” Morrison, who has been urging vaccinations, told reporters in Sydney.
The federal government mandated last year vaccinations for aged care workers, disability workers and those that are working in high-risk situations in health system. Most states and territories have imposed broader mandates and barred those not vaccinated from restaurants, concerts and many public venues.
Australian Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, speaking at a media conference in Sydney, said the rallies were not going to gain widespread support. “Go home,” he told the demonstrators.
New Zealand media footage showed one person being stretchered from the rally, carried by paramedics and police. No arrest had been made as of late Saturday, according to the police, who arrested more than 100 people on Thursday.

Members of the Freedom and Rights Coalition take part in a protest outside the police station in Christchurch, demanding an end to Covid restrictions and mandatory vaccination. Photograph: Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

New Zealand logged a daily record of 454 community Covid-19 cases on Saturday.
A country of five million people, New Zealand has reported just under 19,000 confirmed cases and 53 deaths since the pandemic began. About 94% of eligible people are vaccinated, with shots mandatory for some staff in frontline jobs.
In Australia, which is opening its borders to tourists later this month, 94% of those aged 16 and over are double-vaccinated, but the country is still battling a wave of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
There were at least 65 coronavirus-deaths reported across Australia on Saturday.

UK PM Boris Johnson has been sent a Downing Street lockdown party questionnaire by Met police

Aubrey Allegretti and Vikram Dodd - The Guardian
Boris Johnson has been sent a questionnaire by Scotland Yard over alleged parties in Downing Street, in a move that could raise fresh concerns among Tory MPs about his leadership, Aubrey Allegretti and Vikram Dodd report.
No 10 confirmed late on Friday night that the prime minister received the document, and vowed he would respond to it “as required”.
About 50 people were asked to account for their presence at the dozen events under scrutiny by the police as part of their inquiry into Covid law breaches, named “Operation Hillman”.
Johnson has continued to insist he broke no rules, but apologised for attending one gathering which was a “bring your own booze” garden party organised by his principal private secretary on 20 May 2020.
He is also believed to have been present at a birthday celebration in No 10 on 19 June 2020 and leaving dos for aides in November that year, and January 2021. Police are also investigating a gathering in his personal flat in Downing Street.
In a clear signal officers are investigating if the prime minister personally broke the law, a No 10 spokesperson said:

We can confirm the prime minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan police. He will respond as required.

The move has the potential to spark fresh concerns among Tory MPs about Johnson’s future, though with parliament in recess, many will spend the next nine days back in their constituencies.
Some backbenchers have held off calling for a ballot on his leadership until the outcome of the Met’s investigation, though suggested that they could submit a letter of no confidence if Johnson is found to have misled parliament or is fined for breaking the Covid rules he set.
The Met declined to confirm the news that the prime minister had received the questionnaire nor whether those receiving them were being treated as potential suspects or witnesses.
Read the full story here.

Protestors continue to occupy Canada-US trade corridor on Saturday

Reuters reports:
Protesters opposing pandemic restrictions flouted a court order and emergency rules, continuing to occupy a vital Canada-US trade corridor early on Saturday, hours after a judge granted an injunction to end the blockade that has crippled North America’s well-knitted auto industry.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau has promised Joe Biden quick action to end the crisis, and on Friday a Canadian judge ordered an end to the four-day-long blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, North America’s busiest land border crossing.
The order came into effect at 7pm ET, but five hours after the deadline, some 100 protesters were milling around the entrance to the bridge, waving Canadian flags.
While the number of protesters and police dropped as the night progressed, demonstrators continued to block the bridge with trucks and pick-up vans, preventing any flow of traffic in either direction.
Protesters sang the Canadian national anthem and midnight, and some shouted “Freedom!”
Police, who started to gather in a parking lot a few blocks away from the protesters, began handing out pamphlets that outlined penalties under Ontario’s emergency order, which took effect at midnight.
Trudeau earlier told reporters that no action was off the table.
Companies have diverted cargo to stem losses amid production cuts by companies including Ford.
Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetz on Friday approved the request by auto industry associations and Windsor city authorities hoping to end the protests. Occupying access roads leading to the bridge on Friday, protesters voiced defiance and there was little sign of them backing down.
“Canada is supposed to be a free country,” said Liz Vallee, a protester from Chatham, Ontario. “When that freedom is threatened, we must stand up.” Vallee said she and others would stay until all pandemic mandates are lifted.
The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, are also occupying areas outside government buildings in the national capital Ottawa and have blocked two smaller US crossings.
The protests have inspired similar convoys and plans in France, New Zealand, Australia and the US, whose Department of Homeland Security is working to ensure that a “Freedom Convoy” event due in early March in Washington, DC, “does not disrupt lawful trade.”
East of Ottawa, people were expected to gather in Fredericton in the province of New Brunswick for a weekend demonstration. Local police said officers were stationed at entrances to the city to ensure traffic can continue. Canada’s financial capital Toronto was also bracing for more weekend demonstrations.

Protesters against Covid restrictions parade through the streets of Ottawa on the night of 11 February. Photograph: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

Hong Kong reports a record 1,514 new Covid cases on Saturday

Hong Kong reported a record 1,514 new Covid cases on Saturday, as officials struggling to contain a growing outbreak despite the most stringent restrictions yet met across the border to discuss support from China
Reuters reports:
Hong Kong and mainland China are among the few places in the world still aiming to suppress every Covid outbreak, but the Omicron variant has proven tough to keep under control.
New infections were up from Friday’s 1,325 and another three people died. Edwin Tsui, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, told reporters:

This is the toughest battle against the virus of the past two years. Please stay at home. We need your cooperation.

Hong Kong’s chief secretary, John Lee, health secretary, Sophia Chan, and security chief Chris Tang were in neighbouring Shenzhen on Saturday, to discuss support measures with Chinese officials.
The measures are expected to include the provision of millions of testing kits and assistance to build more quarantine facilities and potentially a makeshift hospital, as medical capacity becomes stretched on all fronts.
Hospital beds for patients with Covid are already at around 90% occupancy, while isolation facilities were also nearing their maximum, authorities said.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to test every day, including the elderly and children, queuing  for hours in tightly packed lines outside overwhelmed testing centres.
University of Hong Kong epidemiologists say the number of infections could reach tens of thousands a day in a matter of weeks, posing a major risk for the city’s elderly, many of whom are not vaccinated after Hong Kong’s success at keeping the virus at bay for much of the pandemic led to a sense of complacency.
Infections were recorded in some 42 elder care homes, Tsui said.
Some epidemiologists say only a full mainland-style lockdown for around two months could bring the infection count back to zero, but warn this would not be a definitive fix as Omicron could find its way back into the city again soon after.
In a pre-recorded interview with local broadcaster Now TV published late on Friday, Chan said she did not want to impose a lockdown and that it was preferable that residents “do it themselves” by staying at home.
Hong Kong has recorded more than 20,000 infections and just over 200 deaths since the start of the pandemic, far fewer than in most other places, but at significant economic and psychological cost.
Hong Kong is one of the world’s most isolated large cities, with flights 90% down, and hardly any allowed to transit.

Most patients in Bogor hospitals' ICUs are unvaccinated

Bogor, W Java (ANTARA) - The Bogor City Health Service, West Java, Indonesia, confirmed that COVID-19 patients in critical condition undergoing treatment in ICUs were largely unvaccinated people or those not having completed their vaccination.
"Most of the COVID-19 patients in ICUs have not been vaccinated," Secretary of the Bogor City Health Service Erna Nuraena stated on Saturday.
Nuraena remarked that people, who refused to receive vaccination, did not believe in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some who believed that COVID-19 existed also refused to be vaccinated since they did not consider that vaccination could protect their immune system, she noted.
This condition caused severe and critical conditions when unvaccinated people were infected with the virus, Nuraeuna pointed out.
Data from the Bogor City Health Service shows that 801 beds were available in 21 hospitals in the city. On February 9, some 283 beds, or 35.3 percent, were already occupied.
Meanwhile, out of the 57 ICU beds provided, 26 beds, or 45.6 percent of them, were occupied by COVID-19 patients in critical condition.
The vaccination achievement for the first dose in Bogor reaches 103 percent, while for the second dose, it is at 90 percent; and for the booster vaccination at 90 percent.
The achievement of COVID-19 vaccination for the elderly reaches 81 percent for the first dose, 72 percent for the second dose, and 24 percent for the booster vaccine.
Meanwhile, teenager vaccination in Bogor reaches 114 percent for the first dose and 101 percent for the second dose.
The vaccination rate for children aged six to 11 in Bogor had reached 96 percent for the first dose and 78 percent for the second dose.
To this end, Nuraerna expressed optimism that the public would realize the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic situation through the dissemination of information.
The Bogor City Government, through its Health Service and the COVID-19 Task Force, had educated the public regarding the threat of COVID-19 through various channels.
"We also hope that the mass media can help us deliver valid and confirmed information regarding COVID-19 to the public," she noted.
Nuraerna also remarked that the Bogor City Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), which is linked to the COVID-19 Task Force, invites the public to immediately receive vaccination, including by going door-to-door in residential areas to administer the vaccination.

Norway will scrap nearly all its remaining Covid lockdown measures as high levels of coronavirus infections are unlikely to jeopardise health services, prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Saturday.
Reuters reports:
The Nordic country, which removed most curbs on 1 February, will still keep some rules for the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The new rules will take effect from Saturday at 10am CET.
“We are removing almost all coronavirus measures,” Støre told a news conference. He went on:

The coronavirus pandemic is no longer a major health threat to most of us. The Omicron virus causes far less serious illness and we are well protected by vaccines.

Norwegians will no longer need to stay at least 1 metre (3ft) apart nor wear face masks in crowded settings. The removal of these measures mean nightclubs and other affected entertainment venues can resume full business.
In addition, infected individuals no longer need to isolate themselves. Instead, they are recommended to stay home for four days.
Travellers to Norway will no longer need to register their arrivals ahead of time and the government is also scrapping the previous requirement for proof of a negative test before departure for some visitors, such as unvaccinated people.
Norway in December went into partial lockdown to combat the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Visitors to Svalbard, where health services are limited, must continue to test before and after arrival, while international charter flights to the archipelago remain suspended, the government said.

Police stop 500 vehicles heading to Paris in 'freedom convoy' protest

Police said they stopped 500 vehicles that were trying to get into Paris on Saturday in a ‘freedom convoy’ protest against Covid-19 restrictions, Reuters reports.
The vehicles were intercepted at various entry points into the French capital and nearly 300 tickets handed out to their occupants by mid morning, police said on Twitter.
Inspired by horn-blaring “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations in Canada, the motorists - from numerous cities across France - were seeking to defy a police order not to enter the city. Less than two months from a presidential election, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is eager to keep protests from spiralling into large-scale demonstrations like the anti-government “yellow vest” protests of 2018.
A police motorcycle patrol stopped two camper vans and a truck from the convoy that had made it as far as the prestigious Champs Elysees avenue in central Paris.
Separately police also said they had arrested two protesters in southern Paris in possession of petrol cans, hammers and knives.
Police have mobilised thousands of officers, set up checkpoints and deployed armoured personnel carriers and water cannon trucks in preparation for the protests.
Canadian truckers protesting a vaccine mandate for trans-border traffic have paralysed parts of the capital Ottawa since late January and blocked key US-Canada crossing points.
The French protests are against rules requiring a vaccine pass to get into many public places and come after months of regular demonstrations against the pass in Paris and other cities.
The yellow vest movement which began as a protest against fuel taxes grew into a broader revolt that saw some of the worst street violence in decades and tested Macron’s authority.
Police have allowed two street marches by anti-vaccine and yellow vest demonstrators to go ahead in Paris on Saturday afternoon.

Iceland's Prime Minister tests positive for Covid

AFP, Reykjavik
Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir has tested positive for COVID-19 after contracting the virus from a family member, she announced on Facebook on Saturday.
“My youngest son tested positive for COVID-19 on February 1. Since then, another member of our household has also contracted the virus, so it was no great surprise when I tested positive last night,” she wrote in a post.
Jakobsdottir, 46, will isolate at home for at least five days, in line with recommendations in Iceland.
The subarctic island nation has registered a record more than 2,000 daily COVID-19 cases on average over the past four days, but hospital admissions have remained stable.
The country of 370,000 people has registered a total of 85,980 cases and 54 deaths linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to latest figures released on Friday.
On Saturday, Iceland eased some coronavirus restrictions - including limits on crowd numbers and restaurant opening hours - and will lift all measures at the end of the month.

Nepal records 836 fresh COVID-19 cases, four fatalities on Saturday

Himilayan Times - KATHMANDU, February 12 / AP
The national active Covid-19 caseload of Nepal climbed to 26,102 on Saturday as 491 people tested positive for the infection in past 24 hours.
The latest reported number of infections carried the nationwide tally to 972,632 while the death toll reached 11,882 as four fatalities were recorded today.
Meanwhile, the total coronavirus recoveries stand at 934,648 with 1,826 discharges logged today.
As per the latest data provided by the health ministry, a total of 6,654 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours of which 4,260 were PCR tests while 2,394 were antigen tests. With this, a total of 5,334,149 PCR tests have been carried out till date.
Similarly, antigen tests have confirmed 345 positive cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of single-day infections from both the RT-PCR and antigen tests totals to 836.
Nepal's Covid-19 recovery rate stands at 96.1%, while the fatality rate stands at 1.3%.
Currently, there are 118 individuals in various quarantine facilities across Nepal.

France drops COVID-19 testing rule for vaccinated UK travellers

Sky News
France has dropped its COVID-19 testing requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK.
The French interior ministry has said that from 12 February, travellers will not need to test as long as they are vaccinated according to European regulations.
This applies regardless of where a traveller is coming from.

For those who are not vaccinated, the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test will remain.
Testing on arrival and isolation rules will be lifted if an unvaccinated traveller is from a green list country.
Green list countries are those in the European Union as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the Vatican, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Qatar, Rwanda, Senegal, Taiwan and Vanuatu.
Those who are not vaccinated and are coming from a country on France's orange list - which includes the UK - will still have to present a "compelling reason" for their travel and may still be subject to a post-arrival test, with isolation required if testing positive.
The Eurostar shared the news on its website, saying that fully vaccinated travellers travelling between the UK and France would not need to test.

Barry Manilow hits deployed to flush out vaccine protesters in New Zealand  
LBC

Virus Outbreak New Zealand Protests. Picture: PA

The Macarena was also used to disperse protesters on parliament grounds in Wellington.
Some countries might send in a riot squad to disperse coronavirus vaccine protesters. In New Zealand, authorities turned on water sprinklers and blasted out Barry Manilow records.
Initial moves to try and flush out several hundred protesters who have been camped on the parliament’s grounds in Wellington since Tuesday had little effect.
The protesters, who have been voicing their opposition to coronavirus vaccine requirements, responded to the soaking from the sprinklers by digging trenches and installing makeshift drainpipes to divert the water.

Protesters stand in wet conditions as the sprinklers are turned on (NZME via AP)


When a downpour struck on Saturday, their numbers only grew. Protesters brought in bales of straw, which they scattered on the increasingly sodden grounds at parliament.
Some shouted, others danced and one group performed an indigenous Maori haka.
By evening, parliament speaker Trevor Mallard had come up with a new plan to make the protesters uncomfortable: using a sound system to blast out vaccine messages, Barry Manilow songs and the 1990s hit Macarena on a repeat loop.
Protesters responded by playing their own tunes, including Twister Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It.
The protest began when a convoy of trucks and cars drove to parliament from around the nation, inspired by similar demonstrations in Canada.

Several hundred protesters who have been camped on parliament grounds since Tuesday (NZ Herald via AP)

At first there were more than 1,000 protesters but that number dwindled as the week wore on before growing again on Saturday.
Police have been taking a more hands-off approach since Thursday, when they arrested 122 people and charged many of them with trespassing or obstruction.
Officers who have been wearing protective vests but have not been using riot gear or carrying guns, had tried to slowly advance on the protesters.
That tactic resulted in a number of physical confrontations. A video of two female officers briefly dragging a naked woman by her hair from a scuffle went viral.
In a response to questions from The Associated Press, New Zealand police said they did not remove the woman’s clothing as some people had claimed online, and that she had been naked for “some time” before her arrest.

The protest began when a convoy of trucks and cars drove to Parliament from around the nation, inspired by protests in Canada (NZME via AP)

Police also said the images and videos did not provide the full context of the protest activity or the situation that police faced.
However, the scuffles seemed to prompt a strategic rethink by police, who appeared more content to wait it out as the week wore on.
By Friday, Mr Mallard had seen enough and told staff to turn on the sprinklers overnight.
“I ordered them on,” he confirmed to the AP.
“No-one who is here is here legally, and if they’re getting wet from below as well as above, they’re likely to be a little bit less comfortable and more likely to go home,” Mr Mallard said, according to news organisation Stuff.
“Some people have suggested we add the vaccine in the water, but I don’t think it works that way,” he joked.

The deterrents have not phased demonstrators (NZME via AP)

Mr Mallard told media he was also responsible for the sound system loop.
Some of the protesters’ vehicles have remained parked in the middle of roads around parliament, forcing some street closures.
The National Library and many cafes and bars in the area have closed their doors while the protest plays out.
Police said one protester suffered a medical event on Friday evening and an ambulance was unable to reach him because of the vehicles blocking the streets, resulting in a delay before he was treated.
Among the protesters’ grievances is the requirement in New Zealand that certain workers get vaccinated against Covid-19, including teachers, doctors, nurses, police and military personnel.
Many protesters also oppose mask mandates – such as those in shops and among children over the age of eight in classrooms – and champion the ideal of more “freedom”.
Parliament’s grounds have often been the site of peaceful protests, although mass campouts are unusual.

Demonstrators are aggrieved that certain workers are required to be vaccinated (NZME via AP)

New Zealand was spared the worst of the pandemic after it closed its borders and implemented strict lockdowns, limiting the spread of the virus. The nation has reported just 53 virus deaths among its population of five million.
But some have grown weary of the restrictions.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern last week said the country would end its quarantine requirements for incoming travellers in stages as it reopened its borders.
With about 77% of New Zealanders vaccinated, Ms Ardern has also promised she will not impose more lockdowns.
An outbreak of the Omicron variant has been growing, with New Zealand reporting a record 454 new community cases Saturday, but none of the 27 people taken to hospital during the outbreak needed to be in intensive care beds.
By Press Association

Truck protest leaves The Hague without incident; Covid demonstration on Sunday

NL Times
The mayor of The Hague has canceled the unannounced trucker demonstration by “Convoy for Freedom Netherlands” and gave protesters until 3:30 p.m. to leave. Those who do not comply risk arrest and a fine, according to the municipality. They could also be charged with the costs of towing vehicles.
A municipality spokesperson said earlier that demonstrators were given plenty of time to spread their message: “The municipality wants to make the city easily accessible again for normal traffic, shoppers, entrepreneurs and public transport.”
Many of the drivers who had demonstrated at the intersection Buitenhof-Lange Vijverberg left, honking loudly. The convoy announced on Telegram:  "The demonstration is being stopped at the Buitenhof. If you have a truck, camper or caravan, stay close. For today it's over for the time being, tomorrow is another day."
Another demonstration against coronavirus measures is planned for Sunday in The Hague, organized by Nederland in Verzet. It is not clear if this event is what the Telegram message alludes to.
Earlier in the day, the protesters already announced via Telegram that they did not intend to end the demonstration. About 20 trucks and several tractors parked at the entrance to the Binnenhof. Demonstrators carried Dutch and Frisian flags, and banners with slogans such as, “Rutte IV must go, we are not leaving” and “enough is enough.” They also chanted “Rutte, fuck off.”
"We will stay here as long as we have to, even if it is two weeks,” they said. They also called on supporters to bring campers, tents and caravans to join them, but cautioned them not to use force.
In a statement, the protesters said they would continue the demonstration until “all measures introduced in the past two years are completely abolished.” These include, among other things, mandatory masking, Covid vaccinations and the coronavirus admission ticket.
“Never again,” they said. “That’s why ‘Convoy NL’ demands the referendum return with immediate effect.”
“Convoy for Freedom Netherlands” asked The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen to talk with them, but a spokesperson said the mayor will not respond to this.
“We only facilitate announced demonstrations, and in this case [the demonstration] is an unannounced one,” the spokesperson said. “We will not have a dialogue about the content of their message. At the same time, we really hear what is going on in society.”
Police are asking those who have inadvertently become trapped between vehicles from the demonstration to wait by their cars until they can drive away on their own. "If you can drive away, do so as carefully as possible," the police wrote on Twitter.
This is not the first “Convoy for Freedom Netherlands” protest: in January, a similar convoy kicked off in Leeuwarden. The demonstrations are inspired by a controversial truck blockade in Canada.
Reporting by ANP.

Indonesia adds 55,209 cases, West Java sees most infections

Indonesia News Agency

A health worker conducts a rapid antigen test in Bandarlampung city, Lampung. (ANTARA/ Ruth Intan Sozometa Kanafi/KT)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia recorded 55,209 positive cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, with West Java contributing the most cases, according to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.
West Java recorded at least 14,106 new cases, followed by Jakarta (12,417), Banten (7,283), East Java (5,880), Central Java (3,100), and Bali (2,323), the task force said.
The number of recoveries increased by 32,570, with Jakarta reporting the highest number of recovered patients (23,890), followed by East Java (2,966), West Java (1,817), Banten (1,282), Bali (1,128), and Central Java (721).
Meanwhile, 107 people succumbed to the virus nationwide, with the most deaths reported in Jakarta (39), Central Java (19), Bali (14), and East Java (6).
With the increase in cases on Saturday (February 12, 2022), Indonesia's total COVID-19 case count reached 4,763,252. The country reported its first case in March 2020.
Further, the total number of recoveries since the start of the pandemic reached 4,282,847 and deaths were pegged at 145,065.
Furthermore, on Saturday, active COVID-19 cases increased by 22,532 to touch 335,340. At least 30,604 people were suspected to have contracted COVID-19 and a total of 530,041 specimens were examined in laboratories across the country.
In view of the case surge, the task force urged the public to consistently implement the health protocols, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended.
The health protocols include wearing masks, washing hands with soap and water, keeping a safe distance, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.
Meanwhile, the number of people obtaining the full dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia increased by 805,244 on Saturday to reach 135,209,233.
The number of people obtaining the first dose shot up by 141,952 to reach 188,060,706.
On Saturday, 262,232 people were injected with the booster shot, taking the total number of third-dose recipients to 6,885,645.

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Reporter: Martha S, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
COPYRIGHT ANTARA 2022

Coronavirus - Eritrea: Announcement from the Ministry of Health (12 February 2022)

ASMARA, Eritrea, February 12, 2022/APO Group/ --
Two patients have been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 in tests carried out today at Testing Stations in the Central and Southern Regions.
Out of these, one patient is from Testing Station in the Central Region.  The other patient is from Testing Station in Areza, Southern Region.
On the other hand, five patients who have been receiving medical treatment in hospitals in the Central Region have recovered fully and have been discharged from these facilities. Sadly, 75 years old patient in the Anseba Region has passed away due to the pandemic.
The total number of recovered patients has accordingly increased to 9,466 while the number of deaths has risen to 103.

Olympic champion Carapaz tests positive for Covid

Arles (France) (AFP) – Olympic road race champion Richard Carapaz did not start the stage two of the Tour of Provence after testing positive for Covid-19, his team Ineos said Saturday.

Team Ineos' Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz tested positive for Covid-19 at the Tour of Provence in France ANDER GILLENEA AFP/File

Another Ineos rider, Filippo Ganna, retained the overall lead at the end of the stage.
Cofidis rider Bryan Coquard led a French 1-2, winning a sprint head of world champion Julian Alaphilippe of Quick-Step.
Ecuadorean Carapaz had been lying 19th, 51 seconds adrift of Italian Ganna ahead of the 180.5km run between Arles and Manosque.
Carapaz, the 2019 Giro d'Italia victor, "did not show any symptoms" said Ineos.
The 28-year-old -- nicknamed "The Locomotive" -- had been one of the favourites for overall victory.
Ganna leads Alaphilippe by two seconds heading into Sunday's third and final stage on the Mountain of Lure.
2022 AFP

Saudi Arabia reports 1,726 cases of COVID-19, and 2,983 recoveries

Emirates News Agency - Hazem Hussein/WAM
RIYADH, 12th February, 2022 (WAM) -- The Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded 1,726 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 2,983 recoveries in the past 24 hours.
In a press release, MoH said that the total number of infections in the Kingdom reached 726,251, including 30,020 active cases, while the recovery tally reached 688,519, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Regarding fatalities, MoH recorded two deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 8,971.

Kuwait lists 2,254 more Covid-19 cases, one death

Emirates News Agency -WAM/Hazem Hussein
KUWAIT, 12th February, 2022 (WAM) -- Kuwait's Ministry of Health on Saturday said that 2,254 people tested positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19) and one person died of the virus over the past 24 hours.
Today's figures raised the death toll to 2,519 and the overall infections to 599,038, the Ministry's Spokesman Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad told the Kuwait News Agency.
As many as 5,855 people recovered from the virus, increasing the total recoveries to 555,350, he concluded.

Quebec reports 28 more COVID-19 deaths, logs 71-patient drop in hospitalizations

Toronto Star
MONTREAL - Quebec is reporting 28 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 today as virus-related hospitalizations continue to decline across the province.
The Health Department says 2,143 people are in hospital with the disease, after 144 patients were admitted in the past 24 hours and 215 were discharged.
It says the number of overall virus-related hospitalizations are down by 71.
Officials say 153 patients are listed in intensive care, a drop of 11.
The province is also reporting 2,359 new cases confirmed by molecular testing, which is limited to certain higher-risk groups.
They say 33,661 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered on Friday.

Singapore reports 10,505 new COVID-19 cases, 8 deaths

CNA
SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 10,505 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Saturday (Feb 12), comprising 10,325 local and 180 imported infections. 
There were also eight fatalities, the highest number in more than two months. This takes the death toll from coronavirus complications to 893.
The weekly infection growth rate is 1.54, down from Friday's 1.74, according to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health (MOH) website.
This is the fourth time this week that daily COVID-19 cases in Singapore have exceeded the 10,000 mark.
Among the new cases, 7,818 are Protocol 2 infections, comprising 7,776 local cases and 42 imported ones. Protocol 2 cases are those who are well or assessed to have a mild condition.
Another 2,687 cases were confirmed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with 138 of them being imported infections. 
As of Saturday, Singapore has recorded 460,075 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
There are 1,206 patients in hospital. A total of 151 require oxygen supplementation, up from Friday's figure of 128.
Twenty-two patients are in the intensive care unit compared to 21 on Friday.
As of Friday, 93 per cent of Singapore's eligible population have completed their full vaccination regimen under the national vaccination programme.
About 63 per cent of the total population have received their vaccine booster shots.

Paris police fire tear gas at Covid protest convoy – latest updates

TRT World
Paris police have fired tear gas and issued hundreds of fines to break up a convoy of vehicles that attempted to block traffic in a protest over Covid restrictions and rising living costs.
Inspired by the truckers that shut down the Canadian capital Ottawa, thousands of demonstrators from across France made their way to Paris in a self-proclaimed "freedom convoy" of cars, trucks and vans.
The police, which had banned the protest, moved quickly to try to clear the cars at entry points to the city, handing out 283 fines for participation in an unauthorised protest.
But over 100 vehicles managed to converge on the famous Champs-Elysees avenue, where police used teargas to disperse protesters in scenes reminiscent of the "yellow vest" anti-government riots of 2018-2019.
The demonstrators oppose the Covid vaccine pass required to access many public venues but some also took aim at rising energy and food prices, issues which ignited the "yellow vest" protests that shook France in late 2018 and early 2019.

Covid travel: Sri Lanka resumes on arrival visa for tourists, except for a few countries

Sri Lanka has announced resumption of visa on arrival facility for international tourists, except travellers from 10 countries. The on arrival visa facility for foreign tourists was on hold since the pandemic broke out in the country in 2020.
The move is expected to give a much-needed boost to the island nation’s tourism industry, a major forex earner, which has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Issuance of on arrival electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for tourists at the port of entry to Sri Lanka has been activated from 8 February 2022. This is to facilitate the tourists who experience difficulties when obtaining the online ETA due to the time constraints of arranging their journey to Sri Lanka,” according to a recent government statement.
However, the facility would not be available for passport holders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Myanmar, Nepal and North Korea, it said.
Sri Lanka recorded over 82,000 tourist arrivals in January 2022, up from just 1,600 in January 2021.

Lebanon registers 5,935 new coronavirus cases and 17 new deaths

National News Agency
In its daily report on the latest Covid-19 developments, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health announced on Saturday the registration of 5,935 new coronavirus infections and 17 new deaths in Lebanon, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the country to-date to 1,012,044.