Europe Covid surge continues, Shanghai's big move on curbs : Global Covid update

While China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began, Italy and Germany aslo continue to report a higher-than-usual number of cases. Here are global Covid updates in 7 points.

While China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began, the city of Shanghai has decided to lift the lockdown imposed on its 25 million population despite no stop in Covid-19 surge. Meanwhile in Europe, Italy and Germany continue to report a higher-than-usual number of cases. The share of highly transmissible Omicron variant in daily infections is rising in the US, but the country is yet to witness a surge.

A nurse fills up syringes with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine. (REUTERS)

Here are global Covid updates in 7 points:

1. Authorities in China's financial centre of Shanghai said they would start lifting lockdown in some areas from Monday, despite reporting more than 25,000 new Covid-19 infections, Reuters reported

2. Despite the large number of cases, ‘no new deaths have been reported in the Shanghai wave,’ possibly because the Omicron variant is less deadly than older variants, city authorities were reported as saying.

3. Germany added over 30,700 new cases of coronavirus infections on Sunday as per data by Robert Loch Institute. 13 fresh Covid-linked fatalities were also reported. The number of total confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 22,677,986.

4. Italy witnessed a spike of 53,253 Covid cases on Sunday, down from 63,992 the day before, the country’s health ministry said, while the number of deaths fell to 90 from 112.

5. As France reported 28 new deaths on Sunday, the total toll of ‘deaths in hospital’ rose to 114,695. France is currently struggling with a surge in the number of Covid-19 patients needing intensive care.

6. Chairman of India’s Covid-19 working group -NTAGI - on Sunday said ‘there is nothing to panic about’ as reports of XE variant in India surfaced last week. “Omicron gave rise to many new variants…these variants will keep on occurring. At the moment from Indian data it doesn’t show a very rapid spread,” Dr NK Arora added.

7. The Omicron subvariant now makes up an estimated 72% of Covid cases, The Guardian, reported on Sunday. Despite the rising share of Omicron variants in Covid cases, the country has not witnessed a surge yet. Covid hospitalisations in the US were also reported to be at the lowest point of the pandemic.