The&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;port&nbsp;city&nbsp;of&nbsp;Qingdao&nbsp;reported 88 new coronavirus cases for March 5, all of them of the&nbsp;Omicron&nbsp;variant, fuelling China's highest number of daily locally transmitted cases so far this year.

China recorded 329 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on Saturday, 175 of them locally transmitted, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, compared with 102 local cases a day earlier.

The&nbsp;Qingdao&nbsp;outbreak&nbsp;was mainly&nbsp;among&nbsp;middle school&nbsp;students&nbsp;in Laixi county, the&nbsp;Qingdao&nbsp;Municipal Health Commission said.

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Laixi county will implement a second round of mass testing on March 7, a&nbsp;Qingdao&nbsp;official said at a news conference on Sunday, adding that there was no major risk of further&nbsp;outbreak.

China's "dynamic clearance" approach to COVID-19 aims shut off transmission routes as soon as new cases are detected.

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The&nbsp;Qingdao&nbsp;outbreak&nbsp;helped send China's total local confirmed case count to its highest since Dec. 31, with other cases reported mainly in Jilin, Guangdong and Hebei provinces, according to the NHC.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 209, compared with 166 a day earlier.

As of March 5, mainland China had confirmed 110,868 COVID-19 cases and 4,636 fatalities.

The Chinese port city of Qingdao reported 88 new coronavirus cases for March 5, all of them of the Omicron variant, fuelling China's highest number of daily locally transmitted cases so far this year.

The Chinese port city of Qingdao reported 88 new coronavirus cases for March 5, all of them of the Omicron variant, fuelling China's highest number of daily locally transmitted cases so far this year. China recorded 329 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on Saturday, 175 of them locally transmitted, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, compared with 102 local cases a day earlier. The Qingdao outbreak was mainly among middle school students in Laixi county, the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission said. Also read | China reiterates 'reunification' with Taiwan, firmly opposes foreign interference Laixi county will implement a second round of mass testing on March 7, a Qingdao official said at a news conference on Sunday, adding that there was no major risk of further outbreak. China's "dynamic clearance" approach to COVID-19 aims shut off transmission routes as soon as new cases are detected. Also read | China plans 7.1% defence spending rise this year, outpacing GDP target The Qingdao outbreak helped send China's total local confirmed case count to its highest since Dec. 31, with other cases reported mainly in Jilin, Guangdong and Hebei provinces, according to the NHC. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 209, compared with 166 a day earlier. As of March 5, mainland China had confirmed 110,868 COVID-19 cases and 4,636 fatalities.

Chinese city of Qingdao reports Omicron outbreak among students

Facilities for storing dead bodies at hospitals and public&nbsp;mortuaries&nbsp;in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;are at maximum&nbsp;capacity&nbsp;due to a record number of&nbsp;COVID-19 fatalities, the Hospital Authority said on Monday, as officials battle to control a surge in cases.

The global financial hub reported a daily record high of 34,466 new coronavirus infections and 87&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;on Monday, health authorities said.

Separately, the city's Education Secretary said international schools could maintain their original term dates, after widespread confusion over summer school holidays.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-reports-record-daily-covid-cases-and-83-deaths-457121">Hong Kong reports record daily COVID cases and 83 deaths</a>

Kevin Yeung said international schools could continue with online classes through March and April, while local schools will take an early break for the summer from March until mid-April.

School campuses are expected to be used by the government in March as authorities roll out compulsory testing of the city's 7.4 million population.

The government has not ruled out a city-wide lockdown during the mass testing period, local broadcaster RTHK reported, citing Health Secretary Sophia Chan. Leader Carrie Lam has previously said she was not considering a city-wide lockdown for the moment.

Empty grocery shelves were seen across several supermarkets in the Chinese-ruled financial hub as residents scooped up essentials in case of a potential lockdown.

The Hospital Authority said the number of patients dying from&nbsp;COVID-19 or serious complications triggered by the cold weather sharply increased over the past two weeks, putting immense pressure on the mortuary service in public hospitals.

"The storage space in hospital&nbsp;mortuaries&nbsp;has reached full&nbsp;capacity," the authority told Reuters in an email.

Dozens of bodies are waiting in hospital accident and emergency rooms to be transported to&nbsp;mortuaries, said Tony Ling, head of the city's Public Doctors Association.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/all-hong-kongers-must-undergo-three-rounds-of-compulsory-coronavirus-tests-carrie-lam-455392">All Hong Kongers must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus tests: Carrie Lam</a>

"These bodies now need extra time to wait for collection because resources are just so tight," due to manpower and storage&nbsp;capacity&nbsp;shortages, he said.

The government did not respond to requests for comment.

There have been more than 600 coronavirus-linked&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;since the start of the pandemic in 2020, fewer than in other similar major cities.

However, numbers are&nbsp;climbing daily with around 400&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;recorded in the past week, with the majority being unvaccinated residents.

Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;has a large proportion of unvaccinated elderly despite a recent pick-up in vaccinations. Many have hesitated to be inoculated due to a fear of side effects and complacency due to the city's success in controlling the virus in 2021.

Around 600 elderly care and disability centres have been infected over the past month, authorities said.

Medical experts have said the city of 7.4 million residents could see cumulative&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;from the virus potentially rising to around 3,200 by mid-May.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Covid-19 surge brings Hong Kong to its knees

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-19-surge-brings-hong-kong-to-its-knees-454147/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Around 4,000 people on average die each month in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong, according to 2020 government figures.

Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;has stuck firmly to a "dynamic zero" coronavirus policy which seeks to curb all outbreaks, like that in mainland China. To achieve this, the former British colony has unleashed its most draconian measures since the start of the pandemic, adding to rules that were already among the world's toughest.

The city has recorded over 190,000 infections in total, with around 180,000 of them since the start of February due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The government has in recent days communicated to the public at press conferences that the&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;are mostly among unvaccinated people. Previously that information was not readily given.

Facilities for storing dead bodies at hospitals and public mortuaries in Hong Kong are at maximum capacity due to a record number of COVID-19 fatalities, the Hospital Authority said on Monday, as officials battle to control a surge in cases.

Facilities for storing dead bodies at hospitals and public mortuaries in Hong Kong are at maximum capacity due to a record number of COVID-19 fatalities, the Hospital Authority said on Monday, as officials battle to control a surge in cases. The global financial hub reported a daily record high of 34,466 new coronavirus infections and 87 deaths on Monday, health authorities said. Separately, the city's Education Secretary said international schools could maintain their original term dates, after widespread confusion over summer school holidays. Also read | Hong Kong reports record daily COVID cases and 83 deaths Kevin Yeung said international schools could continue with online classes through March and April, while local schools will take an early break for the summer from March until mid-April. School campuses are expected to be used by the government in March as authorities roll out compulsory testing of the city's 7.4 million population. The government has not ruled out a city-wide lockdown during the mass testing period, local broadcaster RTHK reported, citing Health Secretary Sophia Chan. Leader Carrie Lam has previously said she was not considering a city-wide lockdown for the moment. Empty grocery shelves were seen across several supermarkets in the Chinese-ruled financial hub as residents scooped up essentials in case of a potential lockdown. The Hospital Authority said the number of patients dying from COVID-19 or serious complications triggered by the cold weather sharply increased over the past two weeks, putting immense pressure on the mortuary service in public hospitals. "The storage space in hospital mortuaries has reached full capacity," the authority told Reuters in an email. Dozens of bodies are waiting in hospital accident and emergency rooms to be transported to mortuaries, said Tony Ling, head of the city's Public Doctors Association. Also read | All Hong Kongers must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus tests: Carrie Lam "These bodies now need extra time to wait for collection because resources are just so tight," due to manpower and storage capacity shortages, he said. The government did not respond to requests for comment. There have been more than 600 coronavirus-linked deaths in Hong Kong since the start of the pandemic in 2020, fewer than in other similar major cities. However, numbers are climbing daily with around 400 deaths recorded in the past week, with the majority being unvaccinated residents. Hong Kong has a large proportion of unvaccinated elderly despite a recent pick-up in vaccinations. Many have hesitated to be inoculated due to a fear of side effects and complacency due to the city's success in controlling the virus in 2021. Around 600 elderly care and disability centres have been infected over the past month, authorities said. Medical experts have said the city of 7.4 million residents could see cumulative deaths from the virus potentially rising to around 3,200 by mid-May. Watch | Gravitas: Covid-19 surge brings Hong Kong to its knees Around 4,000 people on average die each month in Hong Kong, according to 2020 government figures. Hong Kong has stuck firmly to a "dynamic zero" coronavirus policy which seeks to curb all outbreaks, like that in mainland China. To achieve this, the former British colony has unleashed its most draconian measures since the start of the pandemic, adding to rules that were already among the world's toughest. The city has recorded over 190,000 infections in total, with around 180,000 of them since the start of February due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The government has in recent days communicated to the public at press conferences that the deaths are mostly among unvaccinated people. Previously that information was not readily given.

Hong Kong mortuaries hit capacity as COVID deaths climb

Russia&nbsp;reported 752 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;deaths on Saturday, a national record of pandemic-related fatalities over a 24-hour period, as the country battles a third wave.

Russia&nbsp;has now set seven new pandemic highs for COVID-19 deaths in the last 12 days as it fights a surging outbreak driven by the highly infectious Delta variant and a sluggish vaccination campaign.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-reports-record-covid-deaths-for-fifth-straight-day-395544">Russia sets another Covid record as world battles Delta variant</a>

The country's official virus caseload passed 5.75 million on Saturday, making it the fifth-worst hit nation worldwide, according to an AFP tally.

As of Saturday, just 18.9 million of&nbsp;Russia's population of some 146 million people had been fully <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccinated</a>, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid data from the regions.&nbsp;

In Moscow, the epicentre of&nbsp;Russia's outbreak, just 1.8 million of the city's some 12 million people had been fully vaccinated despite free jabs having been available since December.&nbsp;

Authorities have faced a vaccine-sceptic population, with an independent poll this week showing that 54 percent of Russians do not plan on getting a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 jab</a>.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nobody-wants-a-lockdown-coronavirus-related-deaths-spike-in-russia-395375">'Nobody wants a lockdown': Coronavirus related deaths spike in Russia</a>

But the pace of the vaccination drive has nonetheless picked up after Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin last month mandated that 60 per cent of service industry workers must be fully inoculated by mid-August, with a number of Russian regions since following suit.

On Friday, Sobyanin said 3.5 million Muscovites will have received at least their first dose of a vaccine by the end of the weekend.&nbsp;

The mayor has also ordered offices in the Russian capital to send home a third of their unvaccinated employees and restaurants to allow inside only patrons who have been vaccinated or infected in the past six months.

The Kremlin, however, has rejected mandatory vaccinations for all groups of the population as well as suggestions of reimposing a nationwide lockdown.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-reports-record-covid-deaths-for-fifth-straight-day-395544">Russia reports record Covid deaths for fifth straight day</a>

With 142,253 deaths from the virus,&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;has the highest official COVID-19 toll in Europe, even as authorities have been accused of downplaying the severity of the country's outbreak.

Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat at the end of April said that&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;has seen at least 270,000 fatalities.

Russia reported 752 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a national record of pandemic-related fatalities over a 24-hour period, as the country battles a third wave. Russia has now set seven new pandemic highs for COVID-19 deaths in the last 12 days as it fights a surging outbreak driven by the highly infectious Delta variant and a sluggish vaccination campaign.

Russia reported 752 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a national record of pandemic-related fatalities over a 24-hour period, as the country battles a third wave. Russia has now set seven new pandemic highs for COVID-19 deaths in the last 12 days as it fights a surging outbreak driven by the highly infectious Delta variant and a sluggish vaccination campaign. Also read | Russia sets another Covid record as world battles Delta variant The country's official virus caseload passed 5.75 million on Saturday, making it the fifth-worst hit nation worldwide, according to an AFP tally. As of Saturday, just 18.9 million of Russia's population of some 146 million people had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid data from the regions. In Moscow, the epicentre of Russia's outbreak, just 1.8 million of the city's some 12 million people had been fully vaccinated despite free jabs having been available since December. Authorities have faced a vaccine-sceptic population, with an independent poll this week showing that 54 percent of Russians do not plan on getting a COVID-19 jab. Also read | 'Nobody wants a lockdown': Coronavirus related deaths spike in Russia But the pace of the vaccination drive has nonetheless picked up after Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin last month mandated that 60 per cent of service industry workers must be fully inoculated by mid-August, with a number of Russian regions since following suit. On Friday, Sobyanin said 3.5 million Muscovites will have received at least their first dose of a vaccine by the end of the weekend. The mayor has also ordered offices in the Russian capital to send home a third of their unvaccinated employees and restaurants to allow inside only patrons who have been vaccinated or infected in the past six months. The Kremlin, however, has rejected mandatory vaccinations for all groups of the population as well as suggestions of reimposing a nationwide lockdown. Also read | Russia reports record Covid deaths for fifth straight day With 142,253 deaths from the virus, Russia has the highest official COVID-19 toll in Europe, even as authorities have been accused of downplaying the severity of the country's outbreak. Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat at the end of April said that Russia has seen at least 270,000 fatalities.

Russia sets latest pandemic high for coronavirus deaths

According to preliminary findings from physicians at New York City's largest hospital system, treating Coronavirus patients with blood thinners may help in boosting survival rate of patients. Watch the full report to know more.

Study says blood thinners reduce deaths among COVID-19 patients