Mystery Covid-19 cluster sparks Sydney testing rush
From journalist Angus Watson in Sydney, Australia
Health authorities in Sydney, Australia have issued a Covid-19 public health alert after diagnosing the first cases of community transmission since December 3.
Five community cases of Covid-19 have been discovered in Sydney since Wednesday, according to New South Wales health department.
Just one of the five cases can be traced a 40-year-old bus driver who ferried airline crews to and from their hotels.
The four mystery cases are all located in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area. Two were diagnosed on Wednesday and a further two on Thursday.
China will suspend inbound international flights if five people onboard test positive for coronavirus
From CNN s Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
A security guard watches over the empty international arrivals channel at Beijing airport on November 6. Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
China will suspend inbound international flight routes if five or more people test positive for Covid-19 when they land, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on Wednesday.
Under the new rules, if five or more passengers test positive for Covid-19 after arriving in China on a flight, the airline company will be banned from running those flights for two weeks, it said.
Singapore says almost half of all migrant workers living in dorms were infected with Covid-19
From CNN s Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
A worker uses hand sanitizer at the entrance to the Westlite Mandai worker dormitory in Singapore, in August. Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Since the pandemic began, 47% of migrant workers living in dormitories across Singapore have been infected with Covid-19, according to a statement released by the Singaporean Ministry of Health on Monday.
A total of
152,794 migrant workers residing in dorms have returned positive results in PCR or serology tests for Covid-19. Approximately 323,000 migrant workers are living in dormitories across Singapore, the statement added.
South Korea reports nearly 900 new Covid-19 cases as government considers tightening restrictions
From CNN s Gawon Bae in Seoul and Akanksha Sharma in Hong Kong
A medical worker takes samples from a man during a Covid-19 test at a makeshift clinic in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Dec. 14. Ahn Young-joon/AP
South Korea recorded 880 new coronavirus cases on Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Of the new cases, 32 were imported. The country also recorded 13 additional virus-related deaths.
The new figures raise the country s total to 44,364 confirmed cases and 600 fatalities.
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the government was now weighing up whether to introduce the highest level of coronavirus restrictions.
FDA commissioner denies political pressure led to quick FDA authorization of Pfizer vaccine
From CNN s Maggie Fox
US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn denied on Saturday that political pressure led to a quicker than normal decision to issue emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
The FDA issued the EUA Friday evening, a day after its Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted to recommend the authorization. But as the FDA considered the vote, Hahn was summoned to the White House.
“First of all, the representations in the press that I was threatened to be fired if we didn’t get it done by a certain date is inaccurate,” Hahn said at a news conference held jointly Saturday with Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the FDA’s vaccine and biologicals branch.