Health and Healthcare Systems

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 22 January

People wait to receive the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre inside the Salisbury Cathedral, in Salisbury, Britain January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2MBL9VVKVM

The vaccination drive has seen England's Salisbury Cathedral turned into a vaccine centre. Image: REUTERS/Paul Childs

Joe Myers
Writer, Forum Agenda
  • This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
  • Top stories: Record daily case rise in Spain; new measures set to be introduced in the US; Portugal suspends UK flights.
Have you read?

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 97.5 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 2.09 million.

Oil prices have fallen, retreating from 11-month highs seen light week. They've been hit by concerns about demand in China, as new restrictions are introduced.

Amazon is set to open a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic in its Seattle headquarters. They hope to vaccinate 2,000 eligible members of the public on the first day.

Japan's core consumer prices fell in December at the fastest pace in a decade, dropping 1% compared to the same month a year before.

The French government is now recommending that people wear surgical masks in public because they offer better protection from COVID-19 transmission that fabric coverings.

Portugal has suspended all flights to and from the UK and closed schools for 15 days, from today, in an effort to tackle surging COVID-19 cases.

Spain has reported a record number of new daily COVID-19 cases – 44,357.

The state of emergency in the Czech Republic has been extended until 14 February.

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum doing to manage emerging risks from COVID-19?

2. New measures set to be introduced in the US

President Biden issued an executive order yesterday that would require international air travellers to quarantine on arrival in the United States. It also called for a federal mask mandate on interstate transport.

The order says "to the extent possible' travellers must comply with applicable US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines concerning international travel – the CDC recommends a 7-day quarantine period for almost all international arrivals.

The order came as President Biden said the US death toll could top 500,000 next month. "Things are going to continue to get worse before they get better," he told a White House event.

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the United States
US deaths have topped 400,000. Image: Our World in Data

But, in better news for the US, Dr Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases expert, said that based on most recent seven-day averages, COVID-19 infections might be about to hit a plateau.

He also said that he expects current vaccines to be effective against recently discovered virus mutations.

“Bottom line: we’re paying very close attention to it for our alternative plans if we have to ever modify the vaccine,” he said. “But right now, from the reports we have ... it appears that the vaccines will still be effective against them.”

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Global Health

Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Global Health is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Global leaders are transforming the conversation on women’s health. Here's how

Alaa Murabit and Amira Ghouaibi

November 12, 2024

4 ways AI is improving healthcare, according to one of the world's largest medical groups

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum