Coronavirus: Latest on COVID-19 from around the world - Thursday, January 20

Here's the latest on the pandemic from around the world. 

Europe

UK

The United Kingdom reported 108,069 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, leaving the seven-day tally down by 37.2 percent on the previous week.

It reported 359 deaths of people who had tested positive for the disease within the previous 28 days. The seven-day total for deaths was up 8.2 percent on the week before, following a record spike in infections in recent weeks.

Italy

Italy reported 192,320 COVID-19 related cases on Wednesday, against 228,179 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths fell to 380 from 434.

Italy has registered 142,205 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 9.22 million cases to date.

Patients in hospitals with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 19,500 on Wednesday, up from 19,448 a day earlier.

There were 134 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 150 on Tuesday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 1,688 from a previous 1,715.

Some 1.18 million tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 1.48 million, the health ministry said.

Austria

Austria's new daily coronavirus infections on Wednesday  shattered the previous record as the highly contagious Omicron variant continued to spread, government data showed.

Austria is bracing for a further surge in cases, in line with what has happened in other European countries. Austria emerged from its fourth full coronavirus lockdown last month, when only a small number of Omicron cases were recorded, and the government wants to avoid imposing another one during this wave.

"We have close to 30,000 infections. That is a frighteningly high figure," Chancellor Karl Nehammer told a news conference.

The previous record for new daily cases published by the interior and health ministries was 17,006, set a week ago.

Hours after Nehammer spoke, the interior and health ministries said in a statement that 27,677 new cases were recorded in the past day, exceeding the previous record by more than 10,000.

While infections are roughly in line with what had been forecast, Nehammer said, the occupancy rate of intensive-care beds is also broadly what had been forecast or slightly less, highlighting that a smaller proportion of Omicron cases require hospitalisation than previous variants of COVID-19.

Portugal 

Portuguese voters with COVID-19 and those in isolation will be allowed to leave home to cast their ballot when the country holds a snap election on Jan. 30, with the hour of 6-7 p.m. recommended for the trip, the government said on Wednesday.

The announcement came on the day Portugal, which has almost 90 percent of its 10 million population fully inoculated, reported 52,549 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily figure since the pandemic began, stoked by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

Interior Minister Francisca Van Dunem told a news conference quarantined voters should only head to polling stations from 6 to 7 p.m., urging those not infected to go before that period.

"We need a social pact that allows everyone to vote in safety," said Van Dunem, asking those in isolation not to take public transport but walk or use their own vehicle instead.

The recommended hour is not mandatory, however. Those with the virus must wear a face mask, keep a social distance and can only leave home to vote.

Staff working at polling stations will be given protective equipment.

Hospitals on Wednesday had 1,959 COVID-19 patients compared with a record of 6,869 on Feb. 1 2021. Mortality remains well below levels seen in the previous peaks, with the total death toll standing at 19,413.

Greece

Greece has begun imposing recurring fines on those over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to try to boost inoculation in the most vulnerable age group even as infection rates from the fast-spreading Omicron variant are slowing.

After hitting an all-time high of 50,126 registered coronavirus infections on Jan. 4, mainly driven by the spread of the Omicron variant over the Christmas holidays, cases have been falling in recent days.

But with the more severe Delta variant still infecting many Greeks and causing serious illness in people over the age of 60, the country has been registering many dozens of daily deaths at its hospitals. About nine in 10 coronavirus-related fatalities are people over 60, the government has said.

"They did the right thing because it's good for all of us and our health," said Vassilis Chrisikos, 85. "We got vaccinated, (so) shouldn't everyone get vaccinated to get rid of this coronavirus?"

Greece is among a growing number of countries that have tightened vaccination requirements on certain professions or age groups as the Delta and Omicron variants have added fuel to the pandemic.

The announcement of a monthly 100 euro ($113.36) fine in November for people over 60 who failed to get vaccinated or book a vaccination appointment by Jan. 16 has helped increase the take-up rate to more than 90 percent of that age group, health officials have said.

For the remaining 10 percent, a fine of 50 euros will be collected through tax authorities for January that will rise to 100 euros for each month from February onwards to help fund state hospitals.

Germany

Germany reported a record 112,323 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after the health minister said the peak had not been reached yet and compulsory vaccination should be introduced by May.

Germany also recorded 239 deaths in the space of 24 hours, for a cumulative total of 116,081, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease said.

Asia-Pacific

India

India reported new coronavirus infections at an eight-month high on Wednesday and a government scientist warned it will take weeks before data on hospitalisations and deaths will show how severe the latest wave driven by the Omicron variant will be.

The federal authorities have said Omicron was causing fewer hospitalisations and deaths than the Delta variant, which killed hundreds of thousands last year.

Japan

Japan on Wednesday widened COVID-19 curbs to the capital Tokyo and a dozen regions covering half the population as the Omicron variant of coronavirus drove record new infections.

Already in effect in three regions, the measures, set to run from Friday until Feb. 13, were made official by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after getting the sign-off from an expert panel earlier in the day.

China

China reports fewest daily local confirmed cases in two weeks

China reported the lowest daily count of local confirmed COVID-19 infections in two weeks on Wednesday after cities sealed up areas of virus risk, quarantined infections and conducted mass testing.

Mainland China reported a total of 55 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, according to official data on Wednesday, lower than 127 a day earlier and marking the fewest since Jan. 4.

Americas

Bazil 

Brazil reported a record 137,103 new cases in the past 24 hours as the Omicron variant spreads in the South American country, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The number of deaths has also risen, to 351 reported on Tuesday, the highest number since mid-November.

Reuters