KEY COVID NOS. WORLDWIDE

Pos   /   Country   /   New Daily cases   /   Total Deaths   /        Daily Deaths /           Active Cases   /           Deaths/1M Pop.

               World    9,37,935              /             53,99,908            /             6,378     /             2,39,28,202               /             692.8

1             USA        2,48,427              /             8,34,192              /             1,063     /             1,09,73,606               /             2,499

2             UK          1,19,789              /             1,47,720              /             147        /             16,58,173               /             2,159

3             France   91,608   /             1,22,295              /             179        /             10,66,069            /               1,867

4             Russia    25,667   /             3,01,271              /             1,002     /             8,78,213              /               2,063

5             Germany              39,196   /             1,10,636              /             402        /             8,51,113               /             1,314

6             Spain     72,912   /             89,019   /             82           /             6,26,678              /               1,903

7             Netherlands        13,332   /             20,621   /             40           /             5,39,853              /               1,200

8             Belgium                              /             27,992   /                            /             4,35,557              /               2,400

9             Italy       44,595   /             1,36,245              /             153        /             4,30,029              /               2,258

10           Poland   17,156   /             93,445   /             616        /             4,23,405              /               2,473

11           Vietnam               16,377   /             30,531   /             280        /             3,89,753              /               310

12           Mexico  3,319     /             2,98,359              /             198        /             3,48,131              /               2,279

13           Turkey   18,771   /             81,125   /             168        /             2,86,431              /             947

14           Norway 4,312     /             1,257     /                            /             2,77,657              /             229

15           Switzerland         6,297     /             12,091   /             6             /             2,58,242              /               1,382

16           Honduras             31           /             10,429   /                            /             2,44,782              /               1,029

17           Brazil     3,645     /             6,18,228              /             100        /             1,94,027              /               2,878

18           South Africa       21,156   /             90,662   /             75           /             1,88,698              /               1,501

19           Czechia 7,682     /             35,585   /             40           /             1,84,862              /               3,314

20           Finland  3,000     /             1,504     /             3             /             1,79,665              /             271

32           India      7,495     /             4,78,759              /             87           /             78,291   /             342

85           Pakistan               359        /             28,894   /             2             /             9,408     /             127

86           Philippines           288        /             50,981   /             65           /             9,251     /             456

88           Sri Lanka              554        /             14,832   /             21           /             8,790     /             688

89           Bangladesh         382        /             28,054   /             2             /             7,650     /             168

OMICRON LESS LIKELY TO PUT YOU IN HOSPITAL: U.K. DATA

Preliminary data suggest that people with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus are between 50% and 70% less likely to need hospitalisation than those with the Delta strain, Britain’s public health agency said on Thursday.

The U.K. Health Security Agency findings add to emerging evidence that Omicron produces milder illness than other variants — but also spreads faster and better evades vaccines.

The agency said that based on cases in the U.K., an individual with Omicron is estimated to be between 31% and 45% less likely to attend a hospital compared with one with delta, “and 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital”.

It cautioned that the analysis is “preliminary and highly uncertain” because of the small number of Omicron patients in hospitals and the fact that most were in younger age groups. As of December 20, 132 people had been admitted to U.K. hospitals with confirmed Omicron, of whom 14 — aged between 52 and 96 — died.

Scientists caution that any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact that Omicron spreads much faster than Delta and is more able to evade vaccines. The agency’s research said the protection a booster shot of vaccine gives against symptomatic Omicron infection appears to wane after about 10 weeks, though protection against hospitalisation and severe disease is likely to hold up for longer.

The analysis follows two studies, from Imperial College London and Scottish researchers, that found patients with Omicron were between 20% and 68% less likely to require hospital treatment than those with Delta. The Imperial College study included all cases confirmed by PCR tests in England in the first half of December in which the variant could be identified: 56,000 cases of Omicron and 2,69,000 cases of Delta.

PUTIN URGES WEST TO ACT QUICKLY TO OFFER SECURITY GUARANTEES

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the West on Thursday to “immediately” meet Russia’s demand for security guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine, saying the U.S. is “on the threshold of our home”.

Speaking during a marathon annual news conference, the Russian leader welcomed talks with the U.S. that are set to start in Geneva next month as a “positive” move, but warned that Moscow expects the discussion to produce quick results.

“We have clearly and precisely let them know that any further NATO expansion eastward is unacceptable,” Mr. Putin said.

Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. A key principle of the alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country.

“Is it us who are putting missiles near the U.S. borders?” Mr. Putin said angrily. “No, it’s the U.S. who came to our home with its missiles, they are already on the threshold of our home. Is it some excessive demand not to place any strike weapons systems near our home?”

“It’s you who must give us guarantees and give them immediately, now, and not have idle talk about it for decades.”

'DELMICRON' IS NEW VILLAIN HURTING THE WEST

While one was still struggling to make sense of the new Omicron variant that has dulled hopes for a pandemic-free 2022, a ‘Delmicron’ surge is being blamed for the explosion of cases in United States and Europe. Not too difficult to decipher, Delmicron is a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants and has the ability to transmit even faster.

According to Dr Shashank Joshi, member of Maharashtra’s task force on Covid-19, “Delmicron, the twin spikes of Delta and Omicron, in Europe and US has led to a mini tsunami of cases.”

He went on to say that it is to be observed how Omicron would react in India, where the Delta strain is widely exposed. Joshi highlighted Delta derivatives, which are descendants of the delta, are now the most common form in India and also emphasised that in other regions of the globe, Omicron is fast replacing deltas.

Omicron is a highly mutated B.1.1.529 form of SARS-CoV-2, which was first discovered in South Africa. This variant spread faster and is currently showing milder symptoms than Delta. The mortality rate is even lower than the Delta variant, while Delmicron is the result of combining Delta and Omicron which is basically the twin spike of the variants.

US TO ALLOW WAIVING OF IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS FOR H-1B, OTHER VISAS THROUGH 2022

The United States will allow its consular officers to waive in-person interviews for H-1B and other certain non-immigrant visa applicants through next year to help reduce visa wait times, the State Department said on Thursday.

“The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in profound reductions in the department’s visa processing capacity,” it said in a statement. “As global travel rebounds, we are taking these temporary steps to further our commitment to safely and efficiently reduce visa wait times while maintaining national security as our priority.”

The consular officers will now be temporarily authorised to waive in-person interviews for nearly a dozen visa categories, including Persons in Specialty Occupations (H-1B visas), visas for students, temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers, student exchange visitors, as well as athletes, artists, and entertainers.

The state department also said it has extended indefinitely the authorisation to waive the in-person interview for applicants renewing a visa in the same visa class within 48 months of the prior visa’s expiration.

US REGULATOR AUTHORISES MERCK’S COVID-19 PILL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorised Merck’s COVID-19 pill for high risk adults, a day after giving the green light to a similar pill by Pfizer. The pill by Merck is to be taken within five days of symptom onset and has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by 30%.

JOE BIDEN SIGNS BILL TO BAN IMPORTS FROM CHINA'S XINJIANG INTO LAW

US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" that bans importing of goods into the US made with forced labour in China's Xinjiang province.

"On Thursday, December 23, 2021, the President signed into law: H.R. 6256, which bans imports from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) of the People's Republic of China and imposes sanctions on foreign individuals responsible for forced labour in the region," the White House said in a press release.

PARK GEUN-HYE: SOUTH KOREA'S EX-PRESIDENT GRANTED GOVERNMENT PARDON

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has pardoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving a 22-year prison term for a vast corruption scandal.

The 69-year-old was convicted of abuse of power and coercion in 2018 after she was impeached the previous year.

She was her country's first democratically-elected leader to be forced from office.

Park has been hospitalised three times this year due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain.

Local news outlet Yonhap said Park, who was among the beneficiaries of Mr Moon's special amnesty for the new year, had been placed on the list due in part to her poor health.