Health news COVID vaccines are not enough for Omicron variant, warns BioNTech CEO "We must be aware that even triple-vaccinated are likely to transmit the disease’” Ughur Sahin said, the CEO of the German company behind the mRNA vaccine produced with Pfizer. 20/12/2021
Netherlands Novavax's COVID vaccine becomes fifth jab to be approved for use in EU Results from clinical trials released in June showed 90.4% efficacy against the disease, and 100% efficacy against severe to moderate cases. 20/12/2021
Denmark Denmark closes theatres and museums as Omicron cases surge The Danish government said they would close theatres, cinemas and other areas of public gathering after registering a record-high number of COVID-19 cases. 17/12/2021
Work No jab, no job: Google gets tough on employee COVID vaccine policy “Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come onsite,” the tech giant said in a leaked memo. 16/12/2021
United Kingdom UK registers record number of COVID-19 cases due to Omicron variant UK registers record number of COVID-19 cases due to Omicron variant 15/12/2021
Poland Poland's COVID deaths highest since April, new restrictions Poland on Wednesday registered the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths since April amid a continuing high daily rate of new coronavirus infections. 15/12/2021
Travel News Brits should urgently check their vaxx certificate under this new rule Half-term travellers whose second jab was more than nine months ago will be deemed ‘unvaccinated’ in the EU. 15/12/2021
Health news Omicron resistant to two major vaccines, new study says Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines may not be sufficient protection against the new variant, Hong Kong researchers said, calling on individuals to seek a third booster jab. 15/12/2021
Russia Russia misunderstood WHO demands for Sputnik V approval, says Kremlin Russia was the first country in the world to authorise a coronavirus vaccine last August, but the jab has not yet been approved by the WHO. 14/12/2021
World News Euroviews. Covid-19 in Europe: Be wary of comparing countries | View Testing strategies for COVID-19 vary widely between different countries and aren't a good measure of population immunity, writes Professor David Heymann, formerly of the World Health Organization, Public Health England, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 14/12/2021
Health news Omicron: What are the symptoms of the latest COVID variant? Top US scientist Anthony Fauci said Omicron is "almost certainly" not more severe than the Delta variant. 14/12/2021
My Europe Series Brexit-voting areas of UK have highest COVID-19 death rate - study New research suggests that people who voted Brexit are far more susceptible to anti-vax sentiment. 14/12/2021
United Kingdom UK: MPs vote for new COVID measures, amid rebellion against PM Johnson One Labour MP said the Conservative rebellion against the UK government "is a reflection of the shattered authority of Boris Johnson". 14/12/2021
South Africa South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa tests positive for COVID-19 The statement did not specify whether he had been infected with the Omicron variant. 13/12/2021
France 400 investigations into fake COVID-19 health passes opened in France The government is tightening the rules on the passes, required to enter all restaurants and a growing number of events and venues. 13/12/2021
Germany Bayern's Joshua Kimmich to get COVID vaccine after infection Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich told German TV on Sunday that he will get vaccinated against the coronavirus after testing positive for the virus last month. 12/12/2021
Health news Omicron COVID variant appears to spread faster than Delta, WHO says The World Health Organization said that the new Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to spread faster than current variants and that vaccines could be less effective against it. 12/12/2021
Austria Large protests in Vienna against COVID-19 measures Protests have been staged in several European countries in response to COVID-19 measures introduced by governments as infections rise. 12/12/2021
United Kingdom Omicron could cause tens of thousands of deaths in England, study says The Omicron variant could cause nearly 75,000 additional deaths in England by the end of April if additional virus measures are not taken, researchers said. 11/12/2021
World News Booster dose raises protection against Omicron, UK study shows Nearly 2,200 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have now been detected in about 60 countries worldwide. 10/12/2021