China imposes strict Covid lockdown for 13 million people in city of Xi'an

A new mutation of Covid-19 is reported to have been discovered in Cyprus, and has been entitled the Deltacron variant.

China reported 165 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Jan. 8, up from 159 a day earlier, health authorities said on Sunday.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that three people have died from covid in the last 24 hours.

First identified in Botswana and South Africa, Omicron has now become the dominant strain of Covid in Scotland.

Going out for your weekly shop puts you at the highest risk for catching Covid, according to new data

COLOMBO (News 1st); Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Sunday (9) afternoon.According to the President’s Media Division, the meeting took place to further strengthen the 65 year diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka.Welcoming the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister, the President recalled the historic close ties between the two countries.The President on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and her people, thanked the Government of China for the material and financial assistance received to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.Reflecting on the friendship between the two countries, Wang Yi said he was pleased to be back in Sri Lanka and said that China would always support the island nation as a close friend.President Rajapaksa also thanked the Chinese Government for its continued support in providing Sri Lanka with Sinopharm vaccines for the successful implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.The President requested Wang Yi to assist in attracting Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka by allowing visitation using the bio-bubble program.The President pointed out that it would be a great relief to the country if the focus could be on restructuring the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of COVID-19.The President also said that if a concessional trade credit scheme could be obtained for imports from China, it would enable industries to run smoothly.Wang Yi invited the President to visit China and expressed confidence that the visit would take place soon.

It has been a pretty tough start to the year for some who were forced to miss out on festive celebrations because of Covid.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The People’s Bank of Sri Lanka has informed the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka of its request to be taken off the blacklist by the Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Office over the Chinese Fertilizer shipment that was rejected by Sri Lanka, after pathogens were detected in samples twice.This is after People’s Bank honoured the Letter of Credit obligation of USD 6.9 Mn to China’s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group.The People’s Bank of Sri Lanka announced that a sum of USD 6.9 Million was paid to Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd, on Friday (7) as per the Letter of Credit opened for the purchase of organic fertilizer.This announcement comes three days after the Colombo Commercial High Court dissolved an order preventing the payment to a Chinese company for imported fertilizer.The order was dissolved on the basis that the Chinese company and the Sri Lankan Government had reached a settlement on the issue.The People’s Bank of Sri Lanka was then blacklisted by the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka for failing to make the payment according to the Letter of Credit and the contracts between the two parties.

Andy Ryan says Hamilton are disappointed to only come away with a draw from their battling performance against Partick Thistle.

Dean McDermott took to Instagram on Saturday to share his struggle with a Covid-19 infection.Speaking to his 136,000 followers on the app he said, 'My breathing was so compromised I thought I was going to be put on a ventilator.'The 55-year-old actor noted that the first thing he plans to do once he recovers is hit the ice to play hockey. Bad bout with coronavirus: Dean McDermott took to Instagram on Saturday to share his struggle with a Covid-19 infectionUnderneath a picture of him playing the high-intensity sport he wrote, 'This is the first place I’m going once I get over COVID!!' He continued in his post, 'I’ve got to be honest, this scared the s*** out of me.'But the father-of-six noted that he's slowly getting better.

As the return to in-person learning approaches, the province says it will be expanding vaccine clinics for education workers and childcare staff to get their booster shots.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Sri Lanka on Saturday (8) on 2-day visit to mark the 65th anniversary of Diplomatic Ties between the twi countries.During his visit, the Chinese Foreign Minister will meet with the country’s top leadership.His visit marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations and the 70th anniversary of theLanka-China Rubber Rice Pact. Signed in 1952, the Rubber-Rice Pact was a trade agreement between Lanka andChina under which Colombo supplied rubber to Beijing in exchange for rice, leading to the establishment ofdiplomatic relations and expansion of trade between the two nations.Profile:Wang Yi, a native of Beijing, was born in October 1953.

A heartbroken family have urged everyone to get the vaccine after their 'fit and healthy' dad died of Covid-19.

Cases of Covid remain high in Scotland as Omicron takes hold.

Covid may soon resemble a common cold as Omicron could end the pandemic, according to a medical expert.

Scotland has recorded another 12,602 Covid cases as the number of people being treated in hospital with the disease climbed again in the last 24 hours.

Times points out, the set of women using the Natural Cycles app isn’t nationally representative—these users tend to be white, educated, thinner than the average American woman, and are not using hormonal contraception, making it difficult to draw generalizable conclusions. Alison Edelman, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University and the lead author of the study, also noted that there’s lots of room for individual variation in the data. For example, a large factor influencing the findings was a group of 380 women who experienced a two-day delay in the start of their period, she told the Times.

Bin collections are among the South Lanarkshire Council services to have been impacted by staff shortages due to coronavirus.

A fourth coronavirus jab may be needed to improve levels of protection, a vaccine boss has said.

Novak Djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter Australia after contracting Covid-19 last month, his lawyers said in a court filing on Saturday.

There is a mix of excitement and concern among parents in Alberta as students prepare to go back to classrooms on Monday. The priority is to keep them there despite a surge in COVID-19 cases, but Edmonton school boards say staffing levels could make that difficult.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Five Sri Lankan fishermen have been rescued by merchant ship YM Summit 170 nautical miles east of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, after a Sri Lankan fishing vessel capsized off the coast of the Maldives.The Navy Spokesperson, Captain Indika de Silva said that there were six fishermen on board the vessel, however, one was missing.The Indian Coast Guard stated that the rescue was coordinated by Indian Coast Guard Maritime rescue coordination center (Mumbai) and Chennai.The rescued fishermen are due to be handed over to the Navy by the relevant merchant ship off the coast of Galle this afternoon (08).The fishing vessel, named Asela Putha has gone to sea from Beruwala.Subsequently, the owner of the vessel had complained to the Beruwala Police on 5th January that communication with the vessel had been disrupted.The Navy said it had informed the Maldivian and Mumbai naval authorities about the incident as well.

In the latest edition of Health Matters, a look at how pressure on Canada’s health-care system is growing because of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Breanna Karstens-Smith has reaction from Alberta to the federal health minister’s comments that provinces may eventually consider whether COVID-19 vaccines need to be mandatory.

Two new cases of COVID-19 in Wellington have been confirmed today.

Ana Navarro has become the latest star on The View to contract COVID-19.The journalist, 50, who is fully vaccinated, revealed she tested positive for the virus on Friday's episode of the show.'Just before the show started I got a call from Christine, our COVID nurse, and the PCR I took yesterday came out negative so I am now positive for COVID,' Ana revealed. 'I'm feeling no symptoms':Ana Navarro has become the latest star on The View to contract COVID-19'I'm feeling no symptoms, I'm feeling pretty good.

Global’s Keith Baldrey on how COVID-19 hospitalization numbers don’t actually tell the full story of that part of the pandemic.

As the Omicron variant sends the U.S. COVID-19 case count to record-breaking highs, more people are calling in sick, crippling health systems, businesses, and even public transit systems.

With Canada’s COVID-19 caseload rising due to Omicron, so too is the number of hospitalizations, further straining already stressed health-care workers.

With Ontario schools closed to control the COVID-19 surge, both parents and children are once again facing frustrations trying to juggle their lives with virtual learning. As Abigail Bimman explains, the strategy is also affecting the health-care system.

The remote Bearskin Lake Reserve First Nation in Ontario is pleading for help as COVID-19 rages through the community, infecting nearly half of its residents.

As parents and students get ready to head back to school amid the ongoing fifth wave of COVID-19 on Monday, there are already concerns about the possibility of going online. Adam MacVicar has more on what parents should be prepared for.

B.C. is reporting 349 individuals are in hospital and 93 are in critical care due to COVID-19 related illness on Friday, Jan.

Despite restrictions preventing most gyms and fitness centres from opening – under the Ontario government’s “Step 2” rules – some F45s will be back open for business as of the weekend. Sean O’Shea reports.

A couple who were married for over four decades held hands as they died from coronavirus just seconds apart.

On Friday, B.C.’s Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside explains how there will no longer be individual contact notifications around schools but instead, parents will to be notified if there is a drop in what is considered typical attendance numbers.

Tori Spelling has revealed her entire family has COVID-19.The 48-year-old American television personality took to Instagram to share a selfie alongside four-year-old son Beau with a lengthy caption detailing the McDermott family's trials and tribulations fighting the disease.She began the caption to her 1.6million followers writing:I share a lot on social media but this is one thing I didn’t want to share...'But, at this point people are getting frustrated not getting responses personally and business wise from me and wondering why I’m MIA so I finally decided to share. Our entire family has COVID. Yes, every single member got it.

The reason some young people haven't gotten vaccinated for Covid has puzzled researchers.

Erika Jayne appears fully recovered from her bout with COVID-19 and stepped out in a low-key glam look on Friday morning near her Los Angeles area home.The Pretty Mess star, 50, is getting back into the swing of things now that she'd been given the go-head to return to filming Real Housewives of Beverly Hills following her positive coronavirus diagnosis.Jayne's troubled personal life with her estranged ex Tom Girardi and their various legal woes will be the main topic of the upcoming season of the popular Bravo franchise. Back to normal:Erika Jayne appears fully recovered from her bout with COVID-19 and stepped out in a low-key glam look on Friday morning near her Los Angeles area homeErika picked up groceries from Whole Foods in a trendy athletic ensemble.

Covid infections continue to rise in Scotland following the emergence of the new Omicron variant over the past few weeks.

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During Friday’s COVID-19 update, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell said that the province is expanding eligibility to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to include pregnant individuals.

New Brunswick’s Health Minister Dorothy Shephard announced on Friday that starting Jan.

South Ayrshire schools returned this week from winter break to an already brighter start to the year than last year’s online learning.

The Scottish Government has confirmed TWO new coronavirus death s were reported in Tayside in the last 24 hours.

Saskatchewan reported a new daily high for COVID-19 cases on Thursday and people are being urged to avoid visiting others for the next few weeks.

Forth Valley health board are to postpone some non-urgent operations over the coming weeks as it aims to reduce the pressures on services caused by the Omicron variant.