Germany braces for omicron wave of infections
11 January 2022 |
6:05 am
Across Europe, there are fears the omicron variant will cause case numbers to climb to record highs, increasing pressure on hospitals and other workplaces. In Germany, health officials are warning that the true scale of the crisis is not yet known.
Related
1 Jan
Children have been out of school for over a year, raising worries about students falling behind. In India this month, some states have started allowing schools to reopen. But in Delhi, many are choosing to stay away, over fears of a third wave.
1 Jan
German police are running "at full capacity all the time" and struggling to cope with stress as they deal with violent and aggressive protesters, the police union has said.
1 Jan
How do you fight fake news about COVID-19? Ghanaian nurse Gifty takes matters in her own hands - with a megaphone, making sure that no one is left behind.
2 Jan
France became the sixth country in the world to report more than 10 million COVID-19 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to official data published on Saturday.
2 Jan
Germany's new government will face several domestic and international challenges in the new year. Still, a sense of optimism prevails.
2 Jan
There is a lot of information out there about the pandemic, COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, but also a lot of mis- and disinformation. To tell one from the other, it helps to understand how science works.
2 Jan
The soccer star is self-isolating after a positive coronavirus test. His fellow PSG players Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico and Nathan Bitumazala have also tested positive for the virus.
3 Jan
Israel will offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 and to medical staff, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday.
"Israel started preparing for Omicron early on. This bought us time, which we are using to our advantage. Last week, Israel began vaccinating its most vulnerable citizens with the fourth dose of the COVID vaccine," said Bennett.
3 Jan
Fully vaccinated people in France who test positive will only have to isolate for seven days, and can leave quarantine after five with a negative test. The UK, meanwhile, refuses to curb large events. DW has the latest.
3 Jan
Asian football in particular has long had a problem with match fixing. While some progress had been made in fighting the crime in recent years, the arrival of COVID-19 has made it easier for match fixers to do business.
5 Jan
After China ended 2021 with its biggest one-week number of coronavirus cases in two years, the government countered with one of the strictest responses in the world. Total lockdowns have returned to China, with millions of people forced to stay home. But there has been a backlash, with reports of food shortages and harsh penalties for those breaking the rules. We take a closer look.
7 Jan
With the Winter Olympics in Beijing set to begin in just over a month, China is sticking more than ever to its anti-Covid measures, which are among the world's strictest. The city of Xi'an has been in lockdown for almost a fortnight, all because of fewer than 2,000 Covid-19 cases. To date, only a handful of cases of the Omicron variant – all of them arrivals from abroad – have been identified.
Latest
12 mins ago
The UN made the "biggest ever appeal" for humanitarian aid for a single country on Tuesday. It wants $4.4 billion (€3.9 billion) for Afghanistan to prevent the "world's most rapidly growing humanitarian crises" from deteriorating further.
12 mins ago
Sejnane, in Bizerte governorate north-west of Tunis, is famous for its unique pottery style and colours. Crafted mainly by women artisans, the pottery exhibits intricate Berber detail through a unique fabrication method. It is made of all-natural elements and does not contain any chemical components.
2 hours ago
We begin in Kazakhstan, where the country's president has given the green light to security forces to shoot to kill those taking part in the unrest that's been sweeping the Central Asian nation this week. Dozens of people have been killed in the violence which erupted after a sharp increase in fuel prices, reflecting wider discontent with authoritarian rule. In response to a call from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Russian-led troops have already begun arriving in Kazakhstan.
2 hours ago
The United Nations is launching talks between "all key civilian and military stakeholders" in a bid to solve a political crisis triggered by the October military coup.
2 hours ago
The Atlas Lions join hosts Cameroon in the knockout stages after they beat Comoros 2-0. Meanwhile pre-tournament favourites Senegal play out a disappointing goaless stalemate with Guinea. Selina Sykes is joined by FRANCE 24 Sports Editor Simon Harding and James Vasina.
2 hours ago
Nationalists in the UK are hunting down people who have fled across the Channel to England in small boats and claim the government is not doing enough to prevent illegal immigration. The number of migrants arriving this way has reached a new high.