Coronavirus LIVE highlights: WHO 'concerned' over new surge in COVID-19 cases in China; India reports 243 new cases in last 24 hours

Travellers from China to Spain will be required to test negative for COVID-19 or demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated against the disease, according to Health Minister Carolina Darias on Friday.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the removal of all restrictions imposed for controlling the spread of Covid-19 with immediate effect since most of the citizens of the country have antibodies to coronavirus. "There will be no more restrictions on gatherings and movements," said the president, while addressing a news conference, adding that the government took the decision on the basis of the country's latest infection figures.

Before the president made the announcement, the government had removed most mobility restrictions for people who have received at least one booster vaccine shot, however, masks needed to be worn indoors and they needed to use a COVID tracker app, when going to public spaces.

China's medical products regulator said on Friday that Merck's COVID-19 treatment Molnupiravir has received conditional approval for import. According to China's National Medical Products Administration, molnupiravir, developed by Merck and known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, is approved for use in adult patients with mild to medium COVID infection and a high risk of progressing to severe cases.

A top infectious diseases expert said on Friday that while Covid is unlikely to be completely eradicated, there is little chance of a significant outbreak in India in the next two months. Dr. Parvaiz Koul, director of the SKIMS Hospital in Kashmir, made the remarks in the context of highly transmissible Omicron strains, primarily BF.7, causing a spike in coronavirus cases in many countries, including China.

"It is uncertain when or if Covid will become an endemic, but it is unlikely that it will be completely eliminated. We may see occasional outbreaks, if new mutations emerge, like in China. In India, it seems unlikely that there will be a significant new outbreak in the next two-three months", Koul, a leading pulmonologist and researcher on infectious diseases, said.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued revised Covid guidelines for international flight passengers on Friday, ahead of the RT-PCR negative test report becoming mandatory for travellers from six countries, including China and Thailand. A pre-departure RT-PCR negative test report will be required for all international flights departing from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Japan beginning 1 January, 2023. RT-PCR testing should have been done 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.

Airlines have been directed to adjust their check-in functionality to reflect the changes and to issue boarding passes only to international passengers travelling from the six countries who have submitted self-declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal, according to a communication from the ministry.

Japan began requiring COVID-19 tests for all passengers arriving from China on Friday as an emergency measure in response to rising infections there and rising case numbers and record-level deaths at home.
According to the Health Ministry, Japan reported 420 new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, one day after breaking an earlier single-day record of 415 deaths.
The daily deaths are higher than at the peak of an earlier wave in August, when they exceeded 300. According to experts, the cause of the latest increase is unknown, but it could be linked to deaths caused by the worsening of chronic illnesses in elderly patients.

Amid an increase in Covid cases, many tourists are flocking to Himachal Pradesh after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted snowfall in six districts of the state ahead of the New Year. Tourists have flocked to the state's key tourist destinations of Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, and Kullu. Hotels in the state's tourist destinations have nearly 95 per cent occupancy. Fresh snow has also fallen on the Atal Tunnel Rohtang. A large number of tourists have descended on the region, and those in hill tourist destinations have begun to extend their plans for the next few days in the hope of seeing fresh snowfall. They are also concerned about Covid-19, as a large number of people have flocked to the area.

China has asserted that the data it publishes on Covid-19 deaths is transparent, according to state media, despite the official figures being small in comparison to other countries and its hospitals being overrun with infections. Beijing's release of all virus information was done "in the spirit of openness", a top health chief said at a press briefing held by China's State Council, Xinhua reported late Thursday. On Friday, a national disease control body reported 5,500 new local cases and one death, but with the end of mass testing and the narrowing of criteria for what counts as a Covid-19 fatality, those figures are no longer thought to reflect reality. According to some experts, there could be up to 9,000 deaths per day.

Jiao Yahui from the National Health Commission (NHC) told reporters on Thursday, "China has always been publishing information on Covid-19 deaths and severe cases in the spirit of openness and transparency". 

In the last 24 hours, India has reported 243 new Covid cases. The recovery rate is currently 98.8 per cent. The daily positivity rate is 0.1 per cent, the weekly positivity rate is 0.16 per cent, and India's active caseload is 3,609. 220.09 crore total vaccine doses have been administered so far, 81,097 doses have been administered in the last 24 hours, and the country's active caseload is 0.01 per cent.