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  Thailand halted its quarantine-free entry program after less than two months, citing concerns about the potential spread of the omicron variant by arriving tourists. The Covid-19 panel chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha suspended approval of visitors for quarantine-free entry from Tuesday to Jan. 4 amid rising imported cases of the strain. The Covid panel will reassess the policy on Jan. 4, said Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow. Tourism-dependent Thailand waived the requirement for more than 60 jurisdictions last month provided travelers were fully vaccinated and had negative tests for the virus both before and immediately after arrival in the country. Click Here

  South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron coronavirus variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. Omicron was first detected in southern Africa last month and has triggered global alarm as governments fear another surge in infections. South Africa's daily infections surged last week to more than 16,000 on Friday from roughly 2,300 on Monday. Ramaphosa said in a weekly newsletter that Omicron appeared to be dominating new cases in most of the country's nine provinces and urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Read More

  A single dose of the Sputnik V vaccine may be enough to elicit strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in already infected people, according to a study. Previous studies have found that two doses of Sputnik V, a vector vaccine produced using a combination of two adenoviruses, results in 92 per cent efficacy against COVID-19 infection. Adenoviruses are common viruses that cause a range of illness with cold-like symptoms such as fever and sore throat. The new study, published on Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, examined whether a single dose would achieve greater public health benefit than two doses by allowing protection of a larger population more quickly. Click Here

  Restaurants, gyms, salons, public grounds and other commercial establishments reopened after nearly two months on Monday in Mumbai, which falls in level-3 of the Maharashtra government's five-level 'unlock plan'. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appealed to citizens not to let their guard down and follow all precautions to check the spread of COVID-19 . Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the city civic body's transport wing, were allowed to ferry passengers with 100 per cent seating capacity, though local trains were restricted for those working in medical and essential services. The BMC in a tweet said, "Mumbai, a gentle reminder! While we are getting back on track with the phase-wise opening, we can't go off the rails on our common main goal - a Covid free Mumbai. Let's reopen, but with care. Follow all precautions!" Read More

  Facebook on Friday said it is partnering with the Indian government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India, which will help people identify places nearby to get inoculated. The social media giant had, earlier this week, announced a USD 10 million grant for emergency response efforts for COVID-19 situation in the country. "Partnering with the Government of India, Facebook will begin rolling out its Vaccine Finder tool on the Facebook mobile app in India available in 17 languages to help people identify places nearby to get the vaccine," Facebook said in a post on the platform. In this tool, vaccine centre locations and their hours of operation have been provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Click Here

  Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday asked the district administrations across Maharashtra to immediately set up their oxygen projects and to ensure stocks of essential medicines are maintained and asserted that the state government has to be very careful and plan for the "third wave". While talking to the Divisional Commissioner, Collector, Municipal Commissioner about the situation in COVID-19 , the Chief Minister gave clear instructions to the district administration that not only the declaration but also its implementation should be seen, as per the Chief Minister's Office. "Though the number of patients has stabilised to some extent due to strict restrictions in the state, now we have to be very careful and plan for the next third wave," said Thackeray. Read More

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday said it has filed a police case against a Bollywood actor for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines. The civic body in a release said despite being infected by the coronavirus, the actor moved out in public places and took part in shootings. As there is a chance of spread of the coronavirus infection among others, the BMC has filed the FIR against the actor, the release said without naming the actor. "No Compromise On City's Safety! BMC has filed an FIR against a Bollywood actor for non-compliance to COVID19 guidelines on testing positive. The rules apply to all alike and we urge citizens to follow all guidelines and help the city beat the virus," the civic body tweeted along with a copy of the FIR. Read More

Soon you will be able to unlock your iPhone with Face ID even when with a Covid-19 mask on, but only if you are wearing an Apple Watch. In the next iOS 14 update, Apple Watch will give you haptic feedback to let you know your iPhone has been unlocked, reports Pocket-lint. The new iPhone iOS version 14.5, now available as developer Beta, has the functionality to unlock your iPhone via Apple Watch as you travel around wearing a mask. Click Here

  American social media giant Facebook is publishing a research conducted by its artificial intelligence (AI) unit in an effort to help healthcare providers predict in advance if a COVID-19 patient may need more intensive care solutions and adjust resources accordingly. According to Mashable,  Facebook  in a recent detailed blog post said that it had developed two AI models, one based on a single chest X-ray, and another from a series of X-rays that could help forecast if a patient infected by COVID-19 is likely to get worse. A third model predicts the amount of extra oxygen a COVID-19 patient might need. Read More

  Starting from Wednesday, most retail stores will be closed except for those covering daily or holiday needs Germany will enter a stricter lockdown from Wednesday, which will include the closure of non-essential shops and limiting the size of private gatherings, over the resurgence of new coronavirus cases , Chancellor Angela Merkel said here. The tighter restrictive measures, which will be effective until January 10, 2021, were in response to the "exponential growth" in the number of fresh confirmed cases reported across the country, Xinhua news agency quoted Merkel as saying to journalists on Sunday. "Today is the day to do what is necessary," Merkel told journalists in Berlin on Sunday. Starting from Wednesday, most retail stores will be closed except for those covering daily or holiday needs, such as supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and Christmas tree shops. Click Here

  The US has set a new world record for the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalisations reported in a single day, as the country's overall infection tally has surpassed the 14 million mark. The US has set a new world record for the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalisations reported in a single day, as the country's overall infection tally has surpassed the 14 million mark. It took only six days for the country to add another 1 million new cases, Xinhua news agency. In its latest update, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday said that there were 196,227 new cases and 2,762 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. With this, the overall caseload and death toll has now increased to 14,124,678 and 276,148, respectively. The new daily case count set a new world record, bringing 7-day average daily increase to over 163,000. Wednesday also marked the 25th consecutive day that daily case increase in the US surpassed 100,000. The dai...