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SYDNEY (AP) — Like millions of others in the most locked-down place on the planet, Melbourne resident Rav Thomas dutifully spent 262 days confined to his home as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. He got vaccinated.
Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically.
When Chicago teachers went on strike last week to protest COVID-19 safety protections in the nation’s third-largest school district, Democratic Party officials leapt into action.
NEW YORK (AP) — For two years, coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations have been widely used barometers of the pandemic's march across the world.
But the omicron wave is making a mess of the usual statistics, forcing news organizations to rethink the way they report such figures.
BEIJING (AP) — The northern Chinese city of Tianjin ordered a second round of COVID-19 testing of all 14 million residents Wednesday following the discovery of 97 cases of the omicron variant during initial screenings that began Sunday.
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Wednesday for attending a garden party during Britain’s coronavirus lockdown in 2020, but brushed aside opposition demands that he resign for breaching the rules his own government had imposed.
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain called off its upcoming trip to the Persian Gulf region on Wednesday because of coronavirus concerns.
The French league leader was scheduled to fly to Qatar for a three-day training camp starting Sunday and then play a friendly match in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Jan.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic knew he'd tested positive for COVID-19 when he attended a newspaper interview and photo shoot in Serbia last month, saying Wednesday he made an “error of judgment" and should have immediately gone into isolation.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's president called Wednesday for a thorough debate over plans for compulsory coronavirus vaccinations in the country, saying such a drastic measure needs to be comprehensively justified.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge.
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s legislature convened Wednesday for the first time since elections last month that were held under new legislation ensuring that only “patriots” who have proven their loyalty to Beijing could run as candidates.
GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus infections in the last week jumped by about 55%, although the number of deaths remained stable, the World Health Organization said in its latest pandemic report.
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is facing a new surge of coronavirus infections because of the highly contagious omicron variant.
“It's obvious that we are in a very difficult situation today, in a situation on the verge of possible new surges (of the virus),” Putin said during a meeting with top government officials and called for a “mobilization” of the country's health care system.
MUREHWA, Zimbabwe (AP) — Inside a sparsely furnished two-room home in rural Zimbabwe, a 3-month-old baby cries. His mother, Virginia Mavhunga, spends her days making trips to the well with a bucket on her head, selling fruits and vegetables at the roadside, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes — she has too much on her hands to offer her child, Tawananyasha, much comfort.
TOKYO (AP) — Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now — over three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant.
TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese minister responsible for containing COVID-19 while steering the world’s third largest economy toward growth says he is confident he can carry out that precarious “balancing act.”
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, his office announced.
Justice said in a statement he woke up with a cough and congestion, then developed a headache and high fever.
Novak Djokovic's bid to get around rules requiring players at the Australian Open to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is still in limbo.
Two panels approved his request for a medical exemption in order to enter Victoria state — where the year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament is held — based on having tested positive in the past six months for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
Benjamin Whitely headed to a Safeway supermarket in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to grab some items for dinner. But he was disappointed to find the vegetable bins barren and a sparse selection of turkey, chicken and milk.
SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, made the reporting of rapid antigen test results mandatory Wednesday as it experienced its deadliest day of the pandemic with 21 deaths.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia kicked off a COVID-19 booster campaign for the general public on Wednesday, prioritizing third shots for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
The government hopes to provide 21 million booster shots in January to people who received their second jabs at least six months ago.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly called Tuesday for another freeze in tuition at Kansas colleges in a State of the State address that portrayed the state as booming economically and previewed what are likely to be major themes in her reelection campaign.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb extolled the state’s economic expansion amid the COVID-19 pandemic during the annual State of the State speech Tuesday night while saying many challenges remain from the ongoing health crisis.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday urged lawmakers to use federal pandemic relief on longstanding problems such as broadband access and water and sewer infrastructure, but also praised Alabama's legal effort to block the Biden administration's vaccine mandates.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is making it easier for school districts to hire teachers and other employees amid staffing shortages brought on by the latest surge in coronavirus cases, the governor said Tuesday.
MONTREAL (AP) — The premier of the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec announced Tuesday that adult residents who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus will be charged a financial penalty.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White has made a last-minute decision to compete in a World Cup event in Switzerland later this week.
U.S. airlines say China has blocked more than a dozen recent and future flights from entering the country, which has been tightening already-strict COVID-19 travel restrictions.
China ordered the cancellations after some passengers tested positive for COVID-19 on flights that arrived in China in late December, according to industry officials.
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago schools will expand COVID-19 testing and have standards to switch schools to remote learning under a hard-fought tentative deal approved by teachers' union leaders.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Citing spiraling omicron variant case counts and hospitalizations and facing an expiration of his emergency powers, New Jersey's Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy again declared a public health emergency during his fourth state of the state address.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas-area school administrators cited “extreme staffing shortages” Tuesday in an announcement telling parents there will be no school for students on Friday and Jan. 18.
Clark County School District administrators said they hoped a five-day “pause” on classes through the weekend including the Martin Luther King Jr.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — J. Cole, Tool and Stevie Nicks will headline this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which is set to return after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic and weather.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The judge handling the federal trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights urged attorneys Tuesday to “move the case along” to reduce chances that the proceeding will be disrupted by COVID-19.
PHOENIX (AP) — After a record-breaking day last week of COVID-19 tests, officials at Sonora Quest Laboratories said Tuesday that Arizona's largest diagnostic testing lab will expand its operation and be able to take on thousands more samples.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York will no longer require local health departments to conduct contact tracing for people who test positive for COVID-19, state health officials said Tuesday.
The shift will help public health staff across New York focus on testing and vaccination, Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers returned to Montgomery on Tuesday to begin the 2022 legislative session against a backdrop of rising coronavirus cases and looming elections, faced with major decisions including how to use the state's remaining pandemic relief funds.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Though Novak Djokovic still faces the prospect of deportation from Australia, his father is bolstering public opinion at home in Serbia that the case “is closed.”
“The whole situation regarding Novak Djokovic is closed by the verdict of the Australian court,” Srdjan Djokovic told Bosnian Serb TV station RTRS on Tuesday.

