Germany is considering shortening Covid-19 self-isolation periods over fears that critical services could grind to a halt as the highly infectious Omicron variant takes hold.

France registered a record of more than 332,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, while the number of deaths also rose as the country battles a fifth wave of the virus.

Ireland will no longer require vaccinated arriving travellers to present a negative Covid-19 test.

Italy is set to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for people aged 50 and above in an attempt to ease pressure on its health service and reduce fatalities.

Canadians are angered by people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday. He also promised more than 100 million rapid tests will be distributed quickly to provinces.

Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including the United States and Britain, and tightened restrictions as authorities feared a fifth wave of infections.

Pfizer and BioNTech will develop an mRNA-based vaccine for the viral infection shingles, collaborating for the third time after the success of their Covid-19 vaccine based on the same technology.

Norwegian Cruise Line on Wednesday cancelled trips on eight ships, a few with embarkation dates as far out as late April, signalling a blow to the recovery of the pandemic-ravaged cruise industry.

Global deaths 5,480,872