Thousands in India gather for Magh Mela festival amid COVID surge – DW News

In northern India, tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims have gathered for a festival, despite a huge jump in COVID-19 infections. The Magh Mela festival, which includes bathing in the Ganges river, is one of the holiest pilgrimages in the Hindu faither. Last year’s festival was described as a COVID-19 ‘superspreader’ event. How are pilgrims

Thailand warns of spike in COVID-19 cases after “super-spreader” event

Thai health authorities warned on Wednesday that residents should brace themselves for a potential jump in coronavirus cases after classifying the country’s first cluster of the Omicron variant as a super-spreader incident. The Omicron cluster identified in the northeastern province of Kalasin on Christmas eve has been linked to a couple who had travelled from Belgium and

India Covid: Opposition calls for full national lockdown

India’s main opposition party has called for a full national lockdown, shortly after the country passed more than 20 million Covid-19 infections. There has been a “virtual collapse of health services” and a lockdown is needed to “break the chain”, a spokesman for the Congress party said. The prime minister is resisting the move due

India reports record new cases and fatalities, official Covid death toll surpasses 200,000

Government data showed at least another 3,293 people died, while overall cases also rose by a record 360,960 reported infections. Experts fear that a mutated variant of the coronavirus may be responsible for the dramatic surge in India’s second wave. The Indian government faces mounting criticism for letting large crowds gather, mostly without masks, for