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These are the symptoms caused by the omicron variant of the new coronavirus
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2 hours ago
In Australia, New South Wales records new cases for the second day in a row
A medical worker takes a sample from a woman at a COVID-19 testing center in western Sydney on December 21.
(Mohammad Farooq / AFP / Getty Images)
The most populous state in Australia reported a record 3,763 new cases of covid-19 on Wednesday, a day after exceeding 3,000 daily infections for the first time.
New South Wales also reported two covid-related deaths: an 80-year-old woman who had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health problems, and a 70-year-old woman who was unvaccinated and had underlying health problems.
According to NSW Health, there are currently 302 Covid-19 patients in the hospital, with 40 people in intensive care, 12 of whom require ventilation.
The total number of cases in the state since the start of the pandemic is 106,621, NSW Health said.
As of 11:59 pm local time on Monday, 94.9% of people over the age of 16 in New South Wales have received their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine;
93.4% have been vaccinated twice.
2 hours ago
South Korea sets new record for critically ill covid patients
South Korea recorded a new record for seriously ill patients from the covid-19 virus, according to data from the Korea Disease Control Agency (KDCA) on Tuesday.
As of 12 a.m. local time this Wednesday, 1,063 patients with covid-19 are in critical condition, and 84% of them are 60 years or older, according to the KDCA.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul said the government will add 6,944 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in moderate and critical condition by the end of January 2022.
According to Kwon, other measures to ease the burden on the country's struggling healthcare facilities include:
National university hospitals are already providing 308 hospital beds for critically ill covid-19 patients.
Some public hospitals will convert to exclusively treat covid-19 patients in January.
Space will also be added in hospitals for covid-19 patients who need special treatment, such as dialysis, pregnancy and mental health.
More public medical workers, including the military, will be assigned to treat COVID-19 patients, and the government will prepare the national health system to be able to treat 10,000 patients a day, thinking about the worst case scenario.
The announcement is in line with President Moon Jae-in's orders on Monday to expand medical response capacity by securing more hospital beds and medical workers.
South Korea reported 7,456 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the country's total to 583,065, according to the KDCA.
The death toll rose to 4,906 after 78 fatalities were added since Tuesday.
2 hours ago
Chinese city advises 13 million residents to stay home after finding more than 50 new cases
(Credit: STR / AFP via Getty Images)
China on Tuesday reported 57 locally transmitted covid-19 cases in five cities, as the country continues to try to suppress coronavirus outbreaks under its zero-covid policy.
Most of the cases (52) were in the historic city of Xi'an, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the National Health Commission said.
That brings the Xi'an group to 143 infections since the outbreak began on Dec. 9, when a quarantined hotel staff member tested positive, according to the municipal government.
Xi'an closed all bus stations across the city and more than 1,300 public facilities on Wednesday, advising nearly 13 million residents not to leave their homes unless necessary.
In total, 53 cases were reported in Shaanxi province, two in southern Guangdong province, one in the northern city of Tianjin and one in the southern Guangxi Autonomous Region.
While China's number of cases pales in comparison to many countries, the relentless outbreaks underscore the growing challenge Beijing faces in keeping infections to zero.
One case triggers massive restrictions: Vietnam's neighboring Guangxi border city Dongxing reported a case on Tuesday, the local government said, without saying whether the case was travel-related.
On Wednesday, the city announced mandatory home quarantine for its 300,000 residents, except for those coming out to participate in a massive city-wide testing campaign.
Schools, transportation and public facilities closed, except for essential service providers such as supermarkets, fresh produce markets, hospitals and pharmacies, the local government said.
Covid-19