Daily roundupWednesday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from Luxembourg show that 2,548 new cases of coronavirus were discovered over the last 24 hours, while the death toll increased by three.

• The government could lift the 11pm curfew on restaurants as early as next week, according to RTL sources.

• The OGBL union has said it opposes a vaccine mandate and called for an end to CovidCheck in the workplace.

• RTL has fact checked claims made by Dr Benoît Ochs regarding vaccine-related deaths and the treatment of Covid-19 patients, ahead of his appeal process.

• The Medical Board said it had found further points of contention in the ongoing case against Ochs and has not ruled out taking further steps against the doctor.

And abroad

• France began lifting coronavirus restrictions including mandatory outdoor mask-wearing Wednesday in a bid to ease citizens’ daily lives, dividing opinion as the country only last month reported record Covid-19 infections.

• Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking emergency authorisation from US health regulators for use of their Covid vaccine for children aged over six months and under five years.

• US private businesses shed jobs last month for the first time since December 2020 as the Omicron strain again complicated workplaces, potentially a bad sign for the upcoming government employment report.

• Curling got the Beijing Winter Olympics under way on Wednesday in front of a smattering of spectators as China tried to move on from the diplomatic boycotts and Covid fears that have dogged the lead-up to the Games.

• Spanish banking giant Santander bounced back from the pandemic as it returned to profit last year, beating analyst expectations and exceeding its pre-Covid earnings, the group said Wednesday.

• Restaurants across the United States are rolling out subscriptions to bolster their damaged businesses and lure back customers who were scared off by the pandemic.