Israel has announced the discovery of nearly 300 cases of the new Omicron sub-variant BA.2, which some studies indicate could be outcompeting the original version.
BA.2 has now been found in 57 countries, the WHO said in a weekly update on Tuesday. There are now four sub-variants of Omicron which collectively account for over 93 per cent of all coronavirus specimens collected in the past month.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s government on Thursday said it will end its quarantine requirements for incoming travellers and reopen its borders, a change welcomed by thousands of citizens abroad who have endured long waits to return home. Most tourists will still have to wait until October to visit, however.
Elsewhere, Tsunami-struck Tonga has entered its first-ever Covid lockdown, as five cases of Covid have been found there.
And in the UK, the government has been accused of “wasting” £8.7bn on “unusable” PPE during the pandemic. On Wednesday, it reported the highest number of Covid-related daily deaths since February last year: 534 people died within 28 days of positive test.
