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 WHO-led team in Wuhan to begin fieldwork
A World Health Organization-led team of experts investigating the
origins of the COVID-19 pandemic was due to meet Chinese scientists
on Friday, and plans to visit labs, markets and hospitals in the
city of Wuhan, the WHO said.
The group is expected to spend two more weeks in China, and will
visit the seafood market at the centre of the early outbreak. It
will also visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
One hypothesis, rejected by China, is that the outbreak was caused
by a leak at the government lab.
Outbreak spreads to Hanoi
Vietnam reported nine more new COVID-19 infections early on Friday
as its first outbreak for nearly two months spread to Hanoi, the
capital, where the ruling Communist Party is holding its key
five-yearly congress.
At an urgent meeting held on Thursday night, Hanoi authorities said
they were ramping up tracking and testing capabilities, adding that
the city can conduct 10,000 tests a day. State television quoted the
coronavirus taskforce chief as saying preparations should be made
for up to 30,000 COVID-19 cases.
South Korea delays easing social distancing
South Korea has delayed until Sunday any easing of social distancing
measures because outbreaks involving Christian mission schools are
threatening to undermine efforts to keep new infections under
control ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.
South Korea's social distancing policy has become a whack-a-mole
game, a repetition of tightening and easing of curfews and
restrictions, said Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious diseases
at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul.
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 UK bans direct flights from UAE
Britain is banning direct passenger flights to
and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from
Friday, shutting down the current world's
busiest international airline route from Dubai
to London. Britain said it was
adding the UAE, Burundi and Rwanda to its coronavirus travel ban
list because of worries over the spread of a more contagious and
potentially vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variant first identified in
South Africa.
Why tweaking vaccines to fight variants won't be simple
After developing COVID-19 vaccines at record speed, drugmakers are
already facing variants of the rapidly evolving coronavirus that may
render them ineffective, a challenge that will require months of
research and a massive financial investment, according to disease
experts.
A global surveillance network to assess emerging variants must be
built. Scientists need to establish what level of antibodies will be
required to protect people from COVID-19 and determine when vaccines
need to be altered. And regulators must convey what is needed to
demonstrate updated vaccines are still safe and effective.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh)
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