December 28 coronavirus news

South Korea announced that it has detected the new, more contagious Covid-19 variant -- first identified in England -- in three visitors traveling from London, the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday.

The three visitors were from the same family who arrived from London on December 22, the agency said. They tested positive for Covid-19 when entering South Korea and have since been placed under quarantine.

South Korea on Monday extended a ban on flights from the UK until January 7.

New cases: On Sunday, South Korea reported 808 new Covid-19 cases, of which 787 were locally transmitted, the agency added. 

This brings the total number of infections across the country to 57,680, while the death toll currently stands at 819. 

China's Dalian city announced it has finished a mass testing of 6.38 million residents amid a cluster of Covid-19 cases, local health authorities said on Sunday.

Since December 15, Dalian has reported 33 symptomatic cases, while another 27 asymptomatic patients have been placed under medical observation, the Dalian Municipal Health Commission said. 

The mass testing commenced on December 22, according to state-run People's Daily newspaper.

Beijing testing: Meanwhile, as of 3 p.m. Sunday, Beijing had collected 838,270 samples in another round of mass testing in the city's northeastern Shunyi district, Beijing's Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The mass testing began on Friday after the city reported two locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, it added.

Close to 390,000 test results have returned, and five people who are identified as close contacts of the initial two cases have returned positive results for the virus. 

The United States reported 150,092 new coronavirus infections and 1,209 virus-related deaths on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The nationwide totals now stand at 19,134,976 cases and 333,125 fatalities.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

At least 9,547,925 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 1,944,585 doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Eve firework display is set to go ahead as planned Friday night, but people will not be allowed to gather along the harbor unless they are in hospitality venues, according to a news release issued by the NSW government on Monday.

The leader of the Australian state of New South Wales apologized for the restrictions during a news conference on Monday but said they were necessary to prevent a super spreading event. 

New South Wales has been fighting the spread of a cluster of cases centered around a district in northern Sydney. 

NSW reported five new local cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8 p.m. on Sunday, of which four were linked to the outbreak in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area.

Japan recorded 2,950 new Covid-19 cases and 39 virus-related deaths on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement released Monday.

This is a drop from Friday, when Japan reported the highest single-day infection number at 3,823.

The total number of confirmed cases nationwide now stands at 220,948, while the death toll has reached 3,265, according to the ministry.

A total of 659 patients, or five more compared with Saturday, are currently in serious condition, the ministry added.

UK variant: Starting Monday, Japan has banned foreign nationals from entering the country through the end of January after several cases of the Covid-19 variant were recorded in the country, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

The United Kingdom announced last week that it had detected a new, more contagious coronavirus variant, which has since been detected in more than a dozen countries.

Saudi Arabia is extending its entry ban to the kingdom by air, land and sea for another week because of the spread of the new coronavirus variant to several countries, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday.

The ban first went into effect last week after the United Kingdom announced it had detected a new, more contagious coronavirus variant. Since then, the new variant has been detected in more than a dozen countries.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, according to SPA, said it will only allow travelers to fly into the country under exceptional cases. Non-Saudis can take a flight out of the kingdom if they wish to depart, the ministry said.

Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourão has tested positive for Covid-19, CNN Brasil reported late Sunday, citing a statement from the vice presidency press office.

In early July, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also tested positive for the virus and recovered after isolating at the Presidential Palace in Brasilia. 

As of Sunday, Brazil has reported 7,484,285 cases of Covid-19 and 191,139 virus related deaths.

Japan will introduce a tracking system for overseas travelers before the Tokyo Olympics in an effort to stem the spread of Covid-19, a government minister said on Sunday.

Speaking on a Fuji TV program, digital transformation minister Takuya Hirai said Japan will require all visitors to install a mobile app that can track their movements after entering the country.

The app, which is currently under development, will require users to turn on GPS systems and is expected to be released before the Tokyo Olympics, he added.

 The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021.

The United States reported 118,720 current Covid-19 hospitalizations on Sunday, the fourth highest number reported since the pandemic began, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP). 

This is the 26th consecutive day that the US has remained above 100,000 current hospitalizations.

The highest hospitalization numbers according to CTP data are: