Omicron variant live updates: India will soon launch world's first DNA vaccine for Covid, says PM

China reported 140 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Dec. 24, up from 87 a day earlier, its health authority said on Saturday. Of the new infections, 87 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 55 a day earlier. Most of the new local cases were in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa has reached 9,335,901 as of Friday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent stands at 226,878 and some 8,467,210 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

Italy reported a second successive record daily tally of Covid-19 cases on Friday, with new cases hitting 50,599 against 44,595 a day earlier, the health ministry said. The number of coronavirus-related deaths fell to 141 from 168 on Thursday.

Covid-19 vaccination will be made mandatory for entering and using facilities at various places in Rajasthan from February 1 next year, officials said on Friday. The decision was taken at a meeting in which chief minister Ashok Gehlot held detailed discussions with divisional commissioners, district collectors, principals of medical colleges and health officials through video conferencing about the Covid situation in the state.

After hovering over 600 new Covid-19 cases a day, Tamil Nadu has added 597 infections to the caseload which is 27,42,821 till date, the Health Department said on Friday. The death toll mounted to 36,714 with seven of them succumbing to the virus during the last 24 hours, a bulletin said.

The BMC on Friday made a 7-day home quarantine compulsory for all passengers taking a flight from Dubai and arriving in Mumbai.

The Ahmednagar district administration on Friday issued a 'no vaccine, no entry' order covering various areas, including private establishments, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, auditoriums, marriage halls, agriculture markets as well as events. The order, issued by Collector Rajendra Bhosale, will start from Saturday and it has been made mandatory for people visiting these places to have at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and follow pandemic appropriate behaviour, an official said.

Not more than 5 people will be allowed in public places from 9pm to 6am. Weddings in closed spaces cannot have more than 100 people and up-to 250 people in open to sky spaces.

Indians are crowding markets and taking packed flights to holiday destinations again despite calls from authorities urging restraint and caution amid rising cases of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In the coastal state of Goa, hugely popular as a tourist destination for its beaches and offshore casinos, hotels are running at nearly 90% occupancy, with some 90 flights landing in the western state daily, pushing air traffic volumes back to pre-pandemic levels.