Millions around the world yesterday braced for drastically curtailed New Year celebrations as record coronavirus cases fuelled by the Omicron variant saw the WHO warn a Covid “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems.

The government will launch a countrywide special campaign up to ward level tomorrow to inoculate around three crore people with Covid-19 vaccines.

The government in India’s West Bengal state today announced a ban on all direct flights from the United Kingdom to Kolkata starting from January 3, till further notice, following a sudden rise in the number of Omicron cases.

One person died of dengue fever today and at least 31 other patients were hospitalised in 24 hours till 8 am, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Limited, one of the leading drug manufacturing companies of Bangladesh, has received emergency use authorisation for a novel oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 -- world’s 1st generic version of Nirmatrelvir tablets co-packaged with Ritonavir tablets -- with the brand name “Paxovir”.

Seven people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today directed the education ministry to continue online learning programmes if there is a rise in Covid-19 infections.

As Delhi’s total Omicron cases reached 263, the union territory's Health Minister Satyendar Jain today said people with no foreign travel history were found infected with the latest variant of Covid-19 which means “it's gradually spreading in community.”

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

The simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus is creating a "tsunami of cases", World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing on Wednesday.

The country recorded a spike in daily Covid cases as the health directorate logged 495 new infections in 24 hours preceding 8:00am yesterday.

The major challenges for the healthcare sector of Bangladesh in 2021 was ensuring supply of Covid vaccines, inoculating a huge chunk of the population, and making sure the infected got beds, ICU beds, and adequate oxygen.

Omicron still poses “very high” risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO warned yesterday, as the highly transmissible coronavirus variant fuelled record outbreaks in many countries. 

Bangladesh will administer 4 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses every month from January, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday.

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in the Indian capital in the last few days, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today pointed out that many international travellers, who tested negative at the airport, are testing positive a few days later and infecting their family members during the period.

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

One person died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Three more cases of Covid-19 variant Omicron have been identified in Bangladesh, raising the tally to seven.

All through a lot of 2020 and early 2021, South America was ground zero in the battle against Covid-19.

The risk posed by the Omicron variant is still "very high", the World Health Organization said Wednesday, after Covid-19 case numbers shot up by 11 percent globally last week.