Let’s talk about China, supply chains, and not being done – Beau of the Fifth Column

‘Code red’: Melbourne businesses say Omicron wave more damaging than lockdown

Staff shortages and drop in consumer confidence leave Australian businesses asking for urgent government support Hash Tayeh has been back behind the counter at the burger chain he founded, Burgertory, for the first time in three years as he struggles to keep the business going in the face of the Omicron wave. He has been

COVID News: Australia witnesses massive spike, surge fueled by Omicron variant – WION

Omicron cases continue to spread virtually as a wildfire. Australia has now said that it has surpassed the grim milestone of a million Covid-19 infections with more than half of them having been recorded in the past week.

Omicron could infect 50% of Europeans in next two months, says WHO

Europe director Hans Kluge demands immediate action to avoid Covid ‘tidal wave’ swamping health services A west-to-east “tidal wave” of Omicron infections risks submerging health systems across Europe, the World Health Organization has said, warning that more than half the region’s population will be infected with the variant in the next two months. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe director,

US: COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as Omicron variant spreads

Omicron’s rapid spread is fueling a wave of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States. More children are also being admitted to hospitals, according to CDC data. CBS News correspondent Janet Shamlian reports from Houston. Then Dr. Jeremy Faust, emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School, joins CBSN’s Lilia Luciano to

Ireland Will Soon Pay Arts and Culture Workers a Basic Income to Help the Sector Bounce Back From the Pandemic

Details are still being hammered out ahead of a January 27 deadline. Artists and culture workers in Ireland will soon be eligible for some much-needed financial support as the government readies a new basic income program. Ireland will commit roughly €25 million ($28.3 million) to the program, which it expects to implement early this year. It

German leaders agree to new omicron measures – DW News

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and leaders of the country’s 16 states agreed on a new raft of rules and restrictions on Friday to curb the spread of COVID-19. Scholz outlined new rules for restaurants and bars, while also shortening quarantine and self-isolation periods.

Gravitas: Omicron Surge: Troops deployed to London hospitals – WION

The British Armed Forces have sent 200 personnel into NHS hospitals across London to plug staff shortages. Last week, 9.5 million people worldwide tested positive for the Wuhan virus. Palki Sharma brings you a report.

Gravitas: Omicron: Why India is preparing for a big surge – WION

India has reported its biggest surge since June 2021. The Omicron fuelled surge added 10 million new cases worldwide last week. The UK is restricting testing. Lockdown in China’s Xi’an has led to chaos. Palki Sharma brings you the 10 big developments.

Canada: COVID-19 hospitalizations up 67 per cent in week as Omicron takes hold

The number of COVID-19 patients in Canadian hospitals climbed by 67 per cent over the past week, including a 9-per-cent increase in infected people in intensive care units, according to data compiled by The Globe and Mail. The highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 has swept across Canada in little over a month. Now, as