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January
Australia COVID-19 cases surge, overloading testing system
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian COVID-19 cases soared to a pandemic record on Tuesday as the Omicron variant ripped through most of the country, driving up hospitalisation rates as the once-formidable testing regime buckled under lengthy wait times and stock shortages.
The country which for a year and half used a system of constant testing, contact tracing and lockdowns to squash most outbreaks, clocked 47,799 new infections, up nearly a third on Monday's number which was also a record.
Political leaders have pointed to a largely successful, if slow, vaccination rollout and few deaths, relative to new case numbers - four on Tuesday. But hospitalisations, another closely watched measure, are higher than at any other time in the pandemic: 1,344 in the most populous state New South Wales.
In Victoria, the second state, the authorities said one in four people showing up for a swab test was returning a positive result. Almost everyone in that state's intensive care units was unvaccinated, the authorities said. Victoria had 14,020 new cases, nearly double the previous day's count.
Other states which had spent much of the pandemic with domestic borders closed and long stretches without a new case, showed similar numbers. A month ago, Queensland reported a day with six new cases; on Tuesday it recorded 5,699.
Across the country, political leaders have been re-shaping their messaging for a population that is more than 90% vaccinated and a variant that some medical experts say is more transmissable but less virulent than previous strains.
After nearly two years of campaigning for widespread testing, the authorities want asymptomatic people to bypass government-funded clinics, where high volumes have blown out turnaround times to several days, and take their own rapid antigen tests.
But that has brought a new pressure point: an explosion in sales of home testing kits, resulting in reports of stockpiling, empty shelves and inflated prices on the few kits which have not yet been sold. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out subsidising the personal testing kits, citing a heightened role for "personal responsibility".
"The problem at the moment is that the lack of (rapid antigen tests) is completely hampering 'personal responsibility' and it is a frustration that is a glaring hole in the current management of COVID," Chris Moy, vice president of the Australian Medical Association, told ABC Radio on Tuesday, using Morrison's phrase.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, who most polls suggest will defeat Morrison at an election due within months, said that "when it comes to healthcare, and rapid antigen testing, the prime minister has said that you are on your own".
The country's competition regulator said it would set up a team to look into complaints about allegations of price gouging for the at-home rapid antigen tests.
Despite the spike in infections fuelled by Omicron, dual-dose vaccination levels of nearly 92% in people above 16 have helped Australia to keep the death rate lower than the previous virus outbreaks.
Authorities do not specify the coronavirus variant that caused the deaths, although New South Wales officials said 74% of patients in the state's intensive care units since Dec. 16 were infected with the Delta variant.
The record spike in infections and hospitalisations comes as 2 million more Australians became eligible for their COVID-19 booster shots from Tuesday after authorities shortened the wait time between second and third shots to four months.
Just over 2.5 million Australians have so far received their booster shot, which health officials hope will keep rates of death and serious illness low.
Australia crossed half a million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with nearly 50% in the last two weeks. Still, its 547,160 cases and 2,270 deaths, from a population of 25 million, are lower than numbers seen in many developed countries. (Reuters)
January
Delhi imposes weekend curfew as COVID cases multiply, chief minister tests positive
Written by Nur Yasmin
Authorities in Delhi on Tuesday ordered people to stay home over coming weekends having seen COVID-19 cases quadruple in a week, with its chief minister saying he had caught the virus just a day after he addressed an election rally without a mask.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the most senior elected official of the Indian capital's administration, was one of the 37,379 new COVID-19 cases reported in India in the past 24 hours. Deaths in the past day totaled 124.
The daily case load was the highest since early September and experts suspect the highly transmissible Omicron variant has begun to overtake the Delta variant as the latest wave of coronavirus infection builds in places like Delhi, though authorities say hospitalisations have not spiked yet.
Delhi is reporting more than 4,000 new cases a day, and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said though most patients were showing mild or no symptoms and recovering fast, people will have to stay indoors on Saturday and Sundays to rein in the virus.
On weekdays, most offices will have ensure that half their employees work from home, he told a media briefing, adding that when possible infected people should stay home so that hospitals are able to handle the most serious cases.
Kejriwal, who addressed an election rally in the state of Uttarakhand, said on Twitter he had isolated at home with mild symptoms and urged anyone he had been in contact with during recent days to do likewise and get tested for COVID-19.
Neither the chief minister or any of the people seen sharing the dais with him during the rally wore masks.
Facebook user Abhishekh Singh posted a message on Kejriwal's official page telling the chief minister he should reflect on his behaviour.
"Try spending some time in isolation to watch your own videos/advertisements on how to be careful, wear masks, and not overcrowd public places," he wrote.
Mega-rallies last year helped Delta wreak havoc in the country, and with several state elections due in coming months alarm is growing among health experts and the public, and there are media reports that a court in the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh has urged authorities to delay polls there.
Federal government guidance has been for local authorities to impose movement curbs if more than 5% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Delhi crossed that point on Monday, with 6% of people testing positive.
India's overall positive case rate has nearly tripled since early November to 3.24% on Tuesday, and some cities have already closed schools and colleges.
It can take days to confirm the strain of a virus through genomic sequencing, and the federal home ministry has so far confirmed just 1,892 Omicron cases countrywide, most of them in Mumbai's home state of Maharashtra, followed by Delhi.
Since the pandemic first swept into India in January 2020, the country has recorded 34.96 million cases, including 482,017 deaths. (Reuters)
January
S.Korea's conservatives falter in election race over blunders, internal strife
Written by Nur Yasmin
Deepening internal strife and a series of political blunders are throwing the campaign of the leading presidential candidate from South Korea's opposition into disarray, sending his poll numbers nose-diving and giving a boost to rivals.
Yoon Suk-yeol, the flag bearer of the conservative People Power Party, is set to face off against his rival from the ruling Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, in the March 9 presidential election.
Housing prices and other domestic issues are largely expected to sway voter sentiment, but the election would shape Seoul's balancing act between the United States and China, and how South Korea coordinates with Washington on North Korea.
Yoon, a former prosecutor-general and political novice, has maintained a tight lead in opinion polls for months, capitalising on public disillusionment with President Moon Jae-in's policy failures, scandals and what voters see as hypocrisy among political leaders.
But Yoon's ratings have fallen in recent weeks as he failed to present a policy vision and mediate in increasingly vitriolic infighting in his party, and was caught up in a controversy involving his wife.
Lee, meanwhile, has seen his popularity surge, overtaking Yoon in most polls since last week, despite a scandal over his son's illegal gambling. A poll released on Monday by Global Research showed about 37% of respondents supported Lee, and 28% were for Yoon.
The infighting in the People Power Party took a fresh turn when senior members of Yoon's campaign team offered to resign on Monday amid disagreement over replacing some of them, prompting Yoon to apologise and cancel his schedule for Tuesday to take time to think.
"I am fully to blame for making many people worry about the election, it's because of my shortcomings," Yoon told reporters late on Monday.
Yoon's perceived shortcomings have also prompted the rise of Ahn Cheol-soo, a renowned software mogul and an opposition challenger who lost to Moon in a 2017 election.
The Global Research survey showed that more than 41% of South Koreans picked Ahn as the more appropriate contender and around 31% chose Yoon, if both camps agree to unite under one candidate.
Yoon's campaign has said its priority was to ramp up support from young voters, not Ahn, while Ahn said he was willing to meet anyone but not considering a unified campaign.
Lee, who had previously sought to joint hands with Ahn, said on Monday that Ahn's moves would be important but warned against any potential "collusion" between Ahn and Yoon. (Reuters)
January
Taiwan urges vigilance after first Omicron coronavirus cases
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday urged vigilance against the spread of the coronavirus after the island detected its first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant spreading in the community.
Taiwan has kept the pandemic well under control because of early and effective prevention, including largely closing its borders. Most cases of its cases have been imported from abroad, though the island did see an outbreak of domestic infections in the middle of 2021.
After months of relative safety, Taiwan this week reported its first two cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, both linked to a quarantine hotel.
Another person, a cleaner working at the island's main international airport, was "likely" to be infected with the Omicron variant, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said.
"With the emergence of domestic cases, everyone must stay vigilant," Tsai said in a post on Facebook, adding that epidemic prevention measures had been tightened at the airport.
"Most importantly, please get a vaccination as soon as possible."
Health Minister Chen said the new cases had put "a lot of pressure" on the government's efforts against the pandemic.
In the northern city of Taoyuan, where the airport is located, several coronavirus testing centres were set up on streets while a rule on wearing masks at all times was reintroduced.
Taiwan has vaccinated about 70% of its 23.5 million people and the government is offering incentives such as shopping coupons to boost the rate. (Reuters)
S.Korea court bars plan for private education COVID-19 vaccine pass - Yonhap
January
S.Korea court bars plan for private education COVID-19 vaccine pass - Yonhap
Written by Nur Yasmin
A South Korean court has ordered that private educational facilities, including the country's notorious cram schools, be temporarily excluded from a government plans for COVID-19 vaccine pass mandates, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
The injunction is one of the first legal blocks to South Korea's vaccine mandates, which require passes or testing for entry to a wide range of facilities including restaurants, cafes, gyms, and bars.
The passes are required for people aged 17 and older but there is a plan for the rule to be extended to children over the age of 12. While the rule will not be imposed on regular schools, private tuition centres, libraries and study cafes will be subject to it.
In the face of protests, the government pushed back the start of the extended mandate from February to March, and then added a one-month grace period. read more
A Seoul administrative court ruled that the mandate for children at private facilities be blocked while it considers a legal challenge filed against the Ministry of Health by federations of private education and parents' groups, Yonhap reported.
The government has said it would honour the court's decision but planned to appeal against the injunction and repeated its stance that the mandate was needed for public health, Yonhap said.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said in a meeting with a group of students and parents last month that the vaccine pass was not intended to force vaccination or discriminate against those who have not received a shot but aimed at minimizing risks of infection at vulnerable facilities and ensuring safety for everyone.
More than 42.6 million people, or 83.1% of the 52 million population, have been fully vaccinated, including about 19 million who have received booster shots, according to health authorities. (Reuters)
January
Protests erupt in Kazakhstan after fuel price rise
Written by Nur Yasmin
Protests have erupted in several Kazakh towns and cities after the Central Asian nation's government lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and the cost of the popular alternative to gasoline rose.
Public protests are rare - and illegal unless their organisers file a notice in advance - in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic whose parliament is devoid of opposition.
The rallies have involved thousands of people. They began on Jan. 2 - the day after the price caps on LPG were lifted - in the town of Zhanaozen, the site of the deadliest clashes between protesters and police since independence from the Soviet Union.
Protesters in Zhanaozen, an oil industry hub in the western Mangistau province where dozens of people were killed in protests in 2011 after the sacking of oil workers, demanded the price of LPG be halved from 120 tenge ($0.27) per litre to the level at which the fuel was sold last year.
Retailers have agreed to cut the price by a quarter but President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's government has said further cuts are impossible because of production costs.
The price had previously been regulated, but officials said artificially low prices were making LPG production infeasible.
Protests have spread to Mangistau's provincial centre, Aktau, as well as a worker camp used by subcontractors of Kazakhstan's biggest oil producer, Tengizchevroil. The Chevron-led (CVX.N) venture said output had not been affected.
In Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, police cordoned off the main square on Monday and Tuesday. Mobile internet was jammed in the downtown area.
Tokayev said on Twitter on Tuesday that a government commission has started working in Aktau and would find a solution "in the interest of stability in our country". He urged protesters to behave responsibly. (Reuters)
January
Japan Nov household spending set for first rise in 4 months, Omicron poses risks: Reuters poll
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's household spending likely rose in November for the first time in four months while consumer inflation in Tokyo area is expected to have hit a 22-month-high in December, a Reuters poll showed.
Low coronavirus cases have boosted consumption and the broader economy throughout the last quarter of 2021, but the recent spread of the new Omicron variant and increasing cost of goods have raised some concerns about Japan's recovery this year.
Household spending likely gained 1.6% in November from a year earlier, according to a median estimate of a Reuters poll of 16 economists. That would follow a 0.6% drop in October and mark the first rise since July.
Month-on-month, household spending is expected to have increased 1.2% in November, following a 3.4% advance in October.
"As new COVID-19 cases remained low, stay-at-home (mood) has been easing," economists at SMBC Nikko Securities said.
"Goods consumption picked up, restaurant (spending) recovered and foot traffic increased...private consumption on goods and services likely rebounded across the board thanks to coronavirus containment."
Indeed, a lull in infections is expected to have driven a solid rebound in the world's third-largest economy in the fourth quarter of 2021, after a worse-than-forecast contraction in July-September. read more
The main uncertainty coming into the New Year is the rising number of nationwide coronavirus infections. Community transmission of the more infectious Omicron variant had already started in December, ahead of Japan's holiday season when many travellers return home for the New Year. read more
Tuesday's poll also found Tokyo's core consumer price index (CPI), which includes energy products but excludes fresh food prices, likely rose 0.5% in December from a year earlier to mark the fastest growth since February 2020.
Given the soaring energy prices, utility expenses such as electricity and gas bills likely pushed up the pace of consumer inflation, said Shumpei Fujita, an economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.
Analysts have warned another wave of outbreaks and rising costs could cool budding consumption and the economy's recovery. read more
The government will release the household spending data and the Tokyo core CPI data on Jan. 7 at 8:30 a.m. (Jan. 6, 2330 GMT). (Reuters)
January
Hong Kong to expand 'vaccine bubble' from Feb. 24 to combat COVID-19 spread
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the government will expand a "vaccine bubble" from Feb. 24 to include venues such as gyms, cinemas and libraries as the city steps up its fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Only vaccinated people would be allowed into those venues.
Lam was speaking at a weekly press conference a day after health authorities confirmed a fifth case of Omicron in the local community from a cluster at a restaurant that was spread by an infected pilot. (Reuters)
GLOBAL ECONOMY Factories take Omicron risks in their stride for now
January
GLOBAL ECONOMY Factories take Omicron risks in their stride for now
Written by Nur Yasmin
Global manufacturing activity remained strong in December as factories took rising cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in their stride, although persistent supply constraints and rising costs clouded the outlook for some economies.
Rising global infections have inspired policymakers to tread carefully, with outbreaks in China forcing some firms to suspend production and threatening to disrupt output for memory chip giants, such asSamsung Electronics(005930.KS).
Yet for now, the hit from Omicron to output appears to bemodest, according to surveys released on Monday and Tuesday.
Manufacturing activity in the euro zone remained resilient at the end of 2021 as factories took advantage of some easing in supply chain bottlenecks and stocked up on raw materials at a record pace, a survey showed on Monday.
In Britain, manufacturing activity grew slightly faster than originally thought last month, another survey showed on Tuesday.
"Supply chain disruptions, however, likely will worsen this month, given that Brexit customs checks have been bolstered and Omicron likely will lead to renewed factory closures in Asia," said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
In China, factory activity expanded at its fastest pace in six months in December, the Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed.
The findings from the private survey, which focuses more on small firms in coastal regions, tally with those in China's official PMI that pointed to an uptick in factory activity.
Other parts of Asia also fared well with manufacturing activity expanding in countries ranging from Vietnam to Malaysia and the Philippines.
"Manufacturing PMIs and timely trade data reveal that Asia's export-focussed industry gained momentum at the turn of the year," said Alex Holmes, emerging Asia economist at Capital Economics.
"While the Omicron variant presents a key threat to the outlook, it is unlikely to cause nearly as much disruption to industry as Delta did in Q3," he said.
In Japan, the world's third-biggest economy, manufacturing activity in December grew for an 11th straight month while bellwether exporter South Korea saw the fastest pace of expansion in three months, surveys showed.
"We expect Asia's exports and capex upswing to be sustained by continued global recovery, and Asia's manufacturing PMIs will remain moderately strong over the coming months," Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a research note.
Japan's PMI stood at 54.3 in December, remaining above the 50-mark threshold that indicates expansion in activity but lower than November's 54.5 as new order growth softened. read more
South Korea's PMI rose to 51.9 from 50.9 in November to mark the 15th consecutive month of expansion, as rising domestic demand offset sluggish overseas sales.
India's manufacturing activity continued to expand in December though at a slower pace than in November, as elevated price pressures remained a concern.
"The Omicron variant poses near-term growth risks by delaying the consumption recovery, but higher vaccination rates in Asia could help limit the damage to growth as compared to the Delta wave," Morgan Stanley analysts said. (Reuters)
January
Russian jets bomb rebel-held Idlib in Syria, witnesses say
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russian jets bombed areas near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Sunday, witnesses and rebel sources said, marking a new year flare-up for the last opposition-held bastion.
War planes flying at high altitude, which tracking centres said were Russian Sukhoi jets, dropped bombs on several towns and a main water pumping station serving the overcrowded city of Idlib, whose wider population is more than a million.
No immediate comment was available from Russia or the Syrian army, which says it targets the hideouts of militant groups who control the region but deny any attacks on civilians.
An official at the city's water utility service said it was out of action as a result of the strikes.
A senior U.N. official who confirmed the water station was "badly damaged" in an air strike said such attacks worsened the humanitarian plight of millions of displaced Syrians.
"Continued destruction of civilian infrastructure will only cause more suffering of civilians. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop," U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator Mark Cutts said in a tweet.
Witnesses said the strikes in the last 24 hours in the rebel-held enclave also hit livestock and poultry farms close to the Bab al Hawa border crossing with Turkey.
"The Russians are focusing on infrastructure and economic assets. This is to add to the suffering of people," Abu Hazem Idlibi, an official in the opposition administration, said.
Other targets included villages in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in the southern part of Idlib province, with no immediate reports of casualties, residents and rescuers said.
A series of raids after midnight on Saturday hit makeshift camps that house thousands of displaced families near Jisr al Shuqhur, west of Idlib with two children and a woman were killed and 10 civilians wounded, the civil defence service said.
There has been a relative lull in air strikes since November after a renewed Russian-led campaign followed by Turkish army reinforcements inside the enclave raised the prospect of a wider resumption of violence.
A deal brokered nearly two years ago between Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces, and Turkey, which supports opposition groups, ended fighting that had displaced more than a million people within a few months. (Reuters)