Daily roundupWednesday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Luxembourgish Ministry of Health report that 1,924 new cases of coronavirus cases were detected over the last 24 hours.

• Debate about petition against vaccine mandate lasts for over two hours.

• Minister of Health Paulette Lenert acknowledges that current vaccines “keep the situation under control”, but do not curb infection. Her hope: a new generation of vaccines.

• The 2G+ regime will be slightly adapted. Specifically, the testing obligation will be dropped for those who have received their second vaccine dose or have recovered from Covid-19 less than six months ago.

• The Omicron wave has led to private laboratories facing an even higher demand than before, making them a key player in the fight against the pandemic.

• Around 9% of educators are signed off at primary schools and around 8% at secondary schools. Some tutoring and reception classes have had to be cancelled.

• The Covid-19 situation in Luxembourg’s retirement and nursing homes has calmed down substantially, particularly regarding severe courses of the disease and hospitalisations.

• Lateral flow tests are an important tool against the rapid spread of Omicron, but how reliable are they at detecting it?

And Abroad

• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he was doing well despite catching Covid-19 for a second time, reassuring the country that Omicron was a less dangerous variant.

• Novak Djokovic probably “did not know” of his own positive Covid-19 test result when he mixed with the public in Serbia without a mask, his mother said Wednesday in a television interview.

• Cathay Pacific has said its crews spent a combined total of 73,000 nights in quarantine last year as the airline struggles to keep flying through Hong Kong’s strict zero-Covid controls.

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised on Wednesday after admitting he attended a lockdown-breaching party in Downing Street, but deflected opposition demands for his resignation.

• From British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, the Dutch royals and now tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, a slew of politicians and celebrities have found themselves in hot water over Covid rules.

• Thailand will introduce a $9 entry fee for foreign visitors from April, officials said Wednesday, even as the kingdom seeks to lure travellers back and repair its Covid-battered tourism sector.

• Indonesia opened its coronavirus booster campaign to the public Wednesday as the country records rising infections driven by the Omicron variant.

• The Australian Open is mired in controversy and confusion just days before it begins, with Novak Djokovic’s title defence in grave doubt and questions about his fitness even if he is allowed to play.

• China is battling coronavirus outbreaks in several cities, testing the country’s strict “zero-Covid” strategy just weeks before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics.

• Around three-fourths of French teachers plan to go on strike Thursday to protest the government’s shifting rules on Covid testing for students, forcing the closure of half the country’s primary schools, a union said Tuesday.

• More than half of people in Europe will likely catch Omicron by March, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, as the World Bank warned the contagious variant could hamper global economic recovery.

• The Women’s Tennis Association said Wednesday that Renata Voracova did nothing wrong after the Czech player was detained on the same “unfortunate” grounds as Novak Djokovic and deported from Australia.