People wearing face masks pass by a poster reminding precautions against the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea on Feb 16, 2022. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)

BANGKOK / HANOI / AMMAN / CAIRO / BENGALURU / JERUSALEM / SEOUL / WELLINGTON - People infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant are nearly 75 percent less likely to develop serious illness or die than those who contract the Delta variant, real world data released on Monday by South Korea's health authorities showed.

A study by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) of some 67,200 infections confirmed since December showed the Omicron variant's severity and death rates averaged 0.38 percent and 0.18 percent, respectively, compared with 1.4 percent and 0.7 percent for the Delta cases.

The KDCA classed severe cases as people who were hospitalized in intensive care units.

Around 56 percent of 1,073 people who died over the past five weeks were either unvaccinated or had received only one dose, the study showed, with people aged 60 or older accounting for 94 percent of deaths.

More than 86 percent of South Korea's 52 million population have been double vaccinated and nearly 60 percent have received a booster shot.

The Omicron variant has led to a surge in cases - daily new infections topped a record 100,000 last week - but authorities have pushed ahead with slightly easing social distancing rules amid the lower fatality rate and ahead of a presidential election next month.

The KDCA said Omicron became the dominant variant in the third week of January and up to 90% of new cases were Omicron by the first week of February.

The KDCA reported 99,444 new cases for Monday, bringing total infections to 2,157,734, with 7,508 deaths.

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A health worker administers COVID-19 vaccination to a girl, in New Delhi, India, Jan 28, 2022. (MANISH SWARUP / AP)

India

Indian vaccine maker Biological E. Ltd said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine received an emergency use approval in the country for use in children aged 12 to 18.

The company's shot, called Corbevax, is the third vaccine approved for use in children aged 12 and above in India, joining Zydus Cadila's DNA shot ZyCoV-D and homegrown player Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

"This will further strengthen our fight against #COVID19," India's health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet late on Monday.

India has so far only started vaccinating children aged 15 and above. According to government figures, more than 76 million children between 15 and 17 have been inoculated mainly using Covaxin.

India's third wave of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant has largely receded, with the country reporting 13,405 infections on Tuesday compared to more than 300,000 in late January.

A medical staff member wearing protective gear tends to a coronavirus patient in the COVID-19 ward at Beilinson Hospital Rabin Medical Centre in Israel's central city of Petah Tikva on Feb 1, 2022. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

Israel

The death toll from the COVID-19 in Israel exceeded 10,000 on Monday, nearly two years after the first fatality from the virus was reported in the country in March 2020.

Israel reported 29 new deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 10,001, the Ministry of Health reported.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 820 to 772, while active cases dropped from 133,040 to 120,713, said the ministry.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Israel has reached 3,566,816, with 17,679 new daily cases being added.

A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace on Oct 12, 2020, shows Bisher al-Khasawneh being sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Jordan, in the capital Amman. (YOUSEF ALLAN / JORDANIAN ROYAL PALACE / AFP)

Jordan

Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh tested positive for COVID-19, said State Minister for Media Affairs and government spokesperson Faisal Shboul on Monday.

He added that the prime minister tested positive earlier Monday while on an official visit in Egypt, assuring that Khasawneh is asymptomatic, Jordan's state-run Petra news agency reported.

The prime minister would self-quarantine upon his return to Jordan according to the established health protocol, added Shboul.

On Monday, Jordan reported 11,254 new cases as well as 31 COVID-19 related deaths, raising the caseload in the country to 1,582,161, and the death toll from the pandemic to 13,713, according to the Health Ministry. 

New Zealand

New Zealand recorded 2,846 new community cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Among the new community infections, 1,802 were in the largest city Auckland. The rest of the cases were confirmed across the nation, including 36 in Northland, 285 in Waikato, 105 in Canterbury, 206 in Southern, and 86 in Bay of Plenty, according to the ministry.

In addition, 15 new cases were detected at the New Zealand border, said the ministry.

This photo shows COVID-19 vaccines jointly produced by China and Egypt, which are to be donated to Palestine at the headquarters of VACSERA in Giza, Egypt, on Feb 20, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Palestine

China and Egypt have donated 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Palestine to boost its fight against the pandemic, the Chinese Embassy to Egypt said in a statement Monday.

The vaccines were locally produced in Egypt through a partnership between Egypt's Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, according to Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypt's acting health minister and higher education minister, who attended a ceremony held at VACSERA's headquarters on Sunday to mark the donation.

The Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang, who was present at the ceremony, described the joint donation as a "new and crucial step" through which the Chinese and the Egyptian governments cooperate to help the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip fight the pandemic and alleviate the humanitarian crisis there.

According to Liao, the donation demonstrates that both China and Egypt have attached great importance to the Palestinian people's health and the Palestinian cause. It also reflects the high level of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Egypt.

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Passengers look at the flight schedule screen at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Feb 1, 2022, as Thailand resumes its quarantine free-travel scheme for vaccinated travelers. (JACK TAYLOR / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand on Monday raised its COVID-19 alert level to the second-highest tier following a rising number of new infections linked to the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Ministry of Public Health raised the COVID-19 alert level from 3 to 4, a category that includes regulations discouraging dining or drinking at restaurants and avoiding public gatherings to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The ministry expected the number of new infections to keep rising in the coming one or two weeks due to the fast spread of the Omicron variant, which now accounts for more than 90 percent of active cases.

Thailand reported 18,883 new cases and 32 additional fatalities over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections and fatalities to more than 2.73 million and 22,656 respectively, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The ministry advised the public to take booster shots as soon as possible, especially those aged above 60 or with underlying diseases.

A man passes walks past a billboard on the coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec 4, 2021. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam

Vietnam registered 46,880 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, down 320 cases from Sunday, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new infections, logged in 62 localities nationwide, included 46,861 domestically transmitted and 19 imported.