The daily count of Covid-19 infections in Delhi rose to 21,259 taking the total caseload to nearly 16 lakh as authorities ordered closure of all private offices, except those in exempted categories in view of the sharp uptick in cases.

A third Chinese city has locked down its residents because of a COVID-19 outbreak, raising the number confined to their homes in China to about 20 million people.

At least 2,458 new infections were recorded and two people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Experts said Monday that an alleged hybrid coronavirus mutation dubbed "Deltacron" reportedly discovered in a Cyprus lab is most likely the result of a lab contamination, and not a new worrying variant.

Three dengue patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till 8 am today, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and his wife Rahat Ara Begum have tested positive for coronavirus.

Nearly one million Hindu worshippers are expected to gather on the banks of the Ganges river this Friday and Saturday for a holy bathe despite galloping Covid-19 infections across the country, an official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday the government has secured enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for all eligible Canadians to receive a booster as well as a fourth dose, according a statement from Trudeau’s office.

Pfizer expects a Covid-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant to be ready in March, the company's head said Monday.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States reached a record high on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as a surge in infections caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant strains health systems in several states.

The Covid curbs are back five months after relaxation as the government looks to stem the tide of Covid-19 cases that can potentially cripple the economy and overwhelm hospitals once again.

While authorities have taken an initiative to inoculate students of Chattogram, health guidelines are barely being followed during the vaccination campaign. Students and their guardians crowded the inoculation centres yesterday, with no social distancing in sight.

Taking the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and its new variant Omicron into consideration, the government has issued fresh restrictions on public gatherings -- to be effective from January 13.

High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against Covid-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines.

At least 2,231 new infections were recorded and three people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Nine more cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Bangladesh, taking the total tally to 30 till today, according to GISAID, the global database for genomic data on the coronavirus.

The government aims to ensure first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to 75.54 lakh school students (aged above 12) by January 31.

Everything is under control -- still. But the ticking hospital bed occupancy rate from the turn of the year presages a storm ahead, not too dissimilar from the one witnessed about six months ago.

Vikram K Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, has discouraged Bangladeshis from travelling to the neighbouring country unless if it is absolutely essential.

Students aged between 12 and 18 will not be allowed to attend classes in person unless they are vaccinated against Covid-19, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education said in a circular yesterday.