 | | | | Days-long rallies against COVID-19 vaccination mandates picked up in numbers in New Zealand and Australia on Saturday, with protesters blocking roads and disrupting life in the countries' capitals. | | | | | | Norway will scrap nearly all its remaining COVID-19 lockdown measures as high levels of coronavirus infections are unlikely to jeopardise health services, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Saturday. | | | | | | China will help Hong Kong to cope with an expanding COVID-19 outbreak by providing testing, treatment and quarantine capacity, Chief Secretary John Lee said on Saturday, adding that there were no plans for a mainland-style lockdown for now. | | | | | | China's National Immigration Administration said it will not be renewing passports for non-essential travel while the international COVID-19 epidemic situation is still severe and cross border travel poses "great security risks". | | | | | | The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee said on Saturday that a total of eight new COVID-19 cases were detected among games-related personnel on Feb. 11. | | | | | | China's medical products regulator said on Saturday it has given conditional approval for Pfizer's COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, making it the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease cleared in the country. | | | | | | China reported 99 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Feb. 11, down from 101 a day earlier, its health authority said on Saturday. | | | | | | Walmart Inc informed staff on Friday that fully vaccinated workers in the United States will no longer be required to wear masks in the company's facilities, effective immediately, unless required by a state or local mandate. | | | | | | The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. | | | | | | The New York Stock Exchange is withdrawing its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people effective immediately, a source said on Friday, after several large U.S. banks also dropped their mask requirements at their U.S. offices. | | | | | |
