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Added on the 01/02/2022 06:00:44 - Copyright : Euronews EN
"An ongoing surge in China is not anticipated to significantly impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the WHO European Region" says the World Health Organization's European regional director, Hans Kluge. "The surge of two virus variants circulating in China are those that have already been seen in Europe and elsewhere," he adds. China is battling a wave of Covid cases since the government's decision to lift nearly three years of restrictions. SOUNDBITE
Hong Kong's leader John Lee announces that the city will fully scrap the mask mandate: "I have an announcement to make, the mask mandate will be fully scrapped starting tomorrow, 1st March." SOUNDBITE
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is preparing eight “Nightingale” units each able to house up to 100 patients, as the country continues to battle a surge in Covid infections. The Omicron strain has become the dominant form of the coronavirus in the UK, with nearly 200,000 infections reported on Wednesday. The special surge units will be used to help prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed by patients. IMAGES
Covid antigen self-test kits are distributed in Queens, New York, where people wait in long lines to get a free test before the Christmas holidays. The US is battling huge infection surges driven by variant Omicron's rapid spread. IMAGES
Images show the Ramada Hotel in Schiphol, Netherlands where Europe's highest number of people so far with the Omicron strain of Covid-19 are being kept in isolation. IMAGES
The World Health Organization says that Europe and Central Asia could see another half a million deaths by February next year. SOUNDBITE from Director of WHO Europe Hans Kluge