According to worldometers.info, in the past 24 hours, the world recorded an additional 400,000 cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to more than 450 million, which includes 6 million fatalities. The US remains the hardest-hit country, with nearly 82 million infections and 1 million deaths, followed by India and Brazil.

Europe is the hardest-hit region, with nearly 165 million infections and over 1.7 million deaths. France on Friday recommended a second booster shot for people aged 80 and over, three months after the first booster shot. From 14 March, France will lift the rules around its Covid-19 vaccine passport – as covid restrictions inside the country continue to ease. However, this rule will still need to be applied when visiting a hospital or nursing home to protect vulnerable people there.

South Korea recorded 350,200 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. This is the second day in a row that Korea has a new number of cases exceeding 350,000 in the context that the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in the country.

China on Saturday recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases per day in 2 years, which is 3,400. The community transmission cases are mainly in Jilin province, according to China’s National Health Commission (NHC). As new cases spike nationwide, authorities have closed some schools and lockdowned cities in the Northeast.

Source: VOV5