coronavirus

The British monarch has cancelled the lunch "with regret" as a precautionary measure to save the festive plans of her loved ones.

The seven squad members tested positive after playing the Madrid Derby against Atletico Madrid on Sunday

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reiterated his call for players to ignore "lies and misinformation" around the vaccine.

Several European nations are tightening virus restrictions, with Poland imposing limits on the number of people allowed in restaurants, hotels and theatres.

Omicron's apparent ability to mute the effects of existing vaccines has galvanised efforts to get booster shots into arms.

The annual lunch, usually held at Buckingham Palace, had to be called off last year due to tough coronavirus restrictions.

Another Covid pill, Merck's molnupiravir, has already been authorized in Britain.

According to an AFP tally from official sources as of 1100 GMT on Tuesday, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 5,311,914 deaths and 270,068,257 infections.

The spokesman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, declined to comment immediately on Guterres's condition.

Germany already announced plans earlier this month to require health workers and soldiers to get inoculated against Covid-19.

It said all travellers entering the country will be tested for the new variant.

The couple, Carolina Pimenta and Andres Sanz, told Dutch broadcaster RTL that they had both tested negative for coronavirus before leaving South Africa

Johnson & Johnson also said Monday that it is "pursuing an Omicron-specific variant vaccine and will progress it as needed."

Restrictions were also eased Monday on air travel, with vaccinated people allowed to fly between the countries' main airports without quarantining.

Neutralising the variant is "complicated by the number of mutations this variant" contains

Fully-immunised people must stick with measures to avoid catching the virus and passing it on

The sluggish vaccine uptake and rapidly filling intensive care beds have ignited a fierce debate

Europe is battling another wave of infections and several countries have tightened curbs

After a strong push in the spring, Germany's inoculation rate had stagnated over the summer

Long hours, low pay and stress during the coronavirus crisis have only served to put even more people off a job in the healthcare sector.

The interior ministry has promised extra patrols to implement the lockdown

The commission said that it expected inflation, a pressing concern worldwide, to peak at 2.6 percent this year

Novak Djokovic is a doubt for the 2022 Australian Open after Australia made it clear that unvaccinated athletes will not be granted visas to enter the country.

The WHO estimates that the pandemic's real toll could be two to three times higher than official records

Of 877 vaccine-induced myocarditis cases in under 29s, 829 were hospitalized, according to official data.

Authorities have been racing to contain virus infections via mass testing of residents and targeted lockdowns.

ABC News reported on Thursday that Victoria will also lift quarantine requirements for international travellers at the end of the month.

Colin Powell, who died aged 84, was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 but he was especially vulnerable due to suffering myeloma

The woman is seen telling the health workers she would throw the reptile at them if they insisted on administering the vaccine.

The syndrome may have contributed to the girl's death but it did not lead to it