The passengers returning from India who received  two doses of government approved Covid-19 vaccines or one dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine will not need to provide covid-negative certificates while entering Bangladesh. Raju Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge of Benapole immigration check post said the new rule has become effective from Monday. Also read: Fake Covid-negative certificates from govt's screening booth at Darshana checkpost Dr Yusub Ali, in-charge of Sharsha upazila health complex said, “We received a letter in this regard from the authority on Sunday.” “The mandate of the RT-PCR test conducted before 72 hours of entering the Bangladesh border will not be applicable for those who received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. But it will remain applicable for others” said OC Raju Ahmed. Also read: Vaccine certificate must for getting DNCC services: Atiq According to the health division of the immigration the passengers headed for India receiving a third Covid-19 jab or booster dose will not need to provide negative certificates. But it will be mandatory to stay in isolation and get tested for those who have symptoms of the virus.

Seventy-five per cent  of the target population have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday. “Already 10 crore doses of vaccine have been administered  and 75% people out of 12 crore people have been brought under vaccination programme,” he said while speaking at a programme on the occasion of Cancer Day at the Cancer Research Institute in the city. Steps have been taken to vaccinate the floating  people and transport workers, he said. “I have talked to some people who are not willing to take the Covid jabs but I want to say that most of the people in Bangladesh want to get vaccinated unlike people of many other countries,” said Maleque. Also read: US donates 6mn more Pfizer vaccine doses to Bangladesh Mentioning that vaccines can reduce the risk of mortality, the Health Minister said the mortality rate is low in the country because a large number of people were brought under vaccination programme. “That’s why the number of patients in the hospitals is less.” During the second wave of Covid-19, 10,000-12,000 people were hospitalised but some 1000-1500 people were hospitlaised  during the third wave of Covid, he said. “Seventy-five percent of hospital beds are empty now so I would  request you to take Covid jabs in your arms,” said the Minister. The number of cancer patients is increasing due to changes in lifestyle, he said adding  currently, there are 20 lakh cancer patients and every year, 1.5 lakh people are diagnosed with cancer while one lakh people die of cancer every year in the country, he said. If detected at the primary stage, cancer is curable, he added. Also read: Bank officials, staff must have vaccine certificates :BB The government has taken a step to build eight cancer hospitals in eight divisions to ensure medical services to cancer patients, said Maleque.

Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that his Australian travel declaration form contained incorrect information, as the government nears a decision on whether to deport the Serbian tennis star, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, on public interest grounds. The men’s tennis No. 1 had his visa canceled on arrival in Melbourne last week when his vaccination exemption was questioned, but he won a legal battle on procedural grounds that allowed him to stay in the country. He still faces the prospect of deportation — a decision that is entirely at the discretion of Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke if deemed to be in the public interest for health and safety reasons. Hawke has been considering the question since a judge reinstated Djokovic's visa on Monday. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said most Australians disapproved of the nine-time and defending Australian Open champion coming to Melbourne to compete in breach of the nation’s tough pandemic quarantine rules. “Most of us thought because Mr. Djokovic hadn’t been vaxxed twice that he would be asked to leave,” Joyce told Nine Network television on Thursday. “Well, that was our view, but it wasn’t the court’s view.” “The vast majority of Australians ... didn’t like the idea that another individual, whether they’re a tennis player or ... the king of Spain or the Queen of England, can come up here and have a different set of rules to what everybody else has to deal with,” Joyce added. The draw to determine men’s and women’s singles brackets at the tournament was scheduled to be held at 3 p.m. local time (0400 GMT) in Melbourne, but a tournament official told waiting media that the ceremony had been postponed until further notice and declined further comment. Read: Judge asks what more Djokovic could have done for a visa There was speculation that the delay reflected uncertainty over whether Djokovic will be able to compete. The debate over Djokovic's presence in Australia rages against a backdrop of surging COVID-19 infections across the nation. Victoria state, which hosts the Australian Open, on Thursday eased seven-day isolation rules for close contacts of those infected in sectors including education and transport to curb the number of employees staying away from work. The state recorded 37,169 new COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour period on Thursday, as well as 25 deaths and 953 hospitalizations. Ticket sales to the tennis tournament have been limited to reduce the risk of transmission. In a statement posted to his social media accounts on Wednesday, the tennis star blamed “human error” by his support team for failing to declare that he had traveled in the two-week period before entering Australia. Giving false information on the form could be grounds for deportation, the latest twist in a saga over whether the athlete should be allowed stay in Australia despite not being vaccinated. The initial news that Djokovic was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules to enter the country provoked an outcry and the ensuing dispute has since overshadowed the lead-up to the Australian Open. Djokovic acknowledged the lapses when he sought to clarify what he called “continuing misinformation” about his movements after he became infected last month — though he did not spell out what inaccuracies he was referring to. The statement was posted while Djokovic was in Rod Laver Arena holding a practice session, his third on the tournament’s main court since being released from four nights in immigration detention. Djokovic remains in limbo before the year’s first tennis major starts Monday. The stakes are particularly high since he is seeking a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title. Deportation could result in sanctions ranging up to a three-year ban from entering Australia, a daunting prospect for a player who has won almost half of his 20 Grand Slam singles titles here. Court documents detailing Djokovic’s positive test sparked speculation over the star player’s attendance at events in his native Serbia last month. Further questions also were raised about errors on his immigration form that could potentially result in the cancellation of his visa yet again. On the form, Djokovic said he had not traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia, despite being seen in Spain and Serbia in that period. In his statement, Djokovic described recent commentary as “hurtful” and said he wanted to address it in the interest of “alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia.” The 34-year-old Serb said he’d taken rapid tests that were negative and he was asymptomatic before he received his positive result from a PCR test he undertook out of an “abundance of caution” after attending a basketball game in Belgrade on Dec. 14. He received the result late Dec. 17, he said, and scrapped all his commitments except a long-standing interview with L’Equipe newspaper the following day. “I felt obliged to go ahead ... but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken,” Djokovic said. The L’Equipe reporter who interviewed the athlete wrote in the newspaper that he and a photographer were also masked during the session — and kept their distance except for a brief moment as Djokovic said goodbye. The reporter said he tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday, and did not mention the photographer’s status. “While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgment,” Djokovic said. Read:Will he stay or will he go? Djokovic’s hearing looms large At the time, Serbia required those who were infected with COVID-19 to isolate for at least 14 days. But Djokovic was seen a little over a week after his positive test on the streets of Belgrade, though he said he had tested negative in between. Meanwhile, Djokovic addressed the Australian travel declaration by saying it was submitted by his support team and “my agent sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box.” “This was a human error and certainly not deliberate,” he wrote. “My team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.” The decision could take a while — but there is time pressure since the draw to determine brackets for the Australian Open is set to take place Thursday. Hawke’s office issued a statement on Wednesday saying Djokovic’s legal team had filed further documents and added: “Naturally, this will affect the timeframe for a decision.” At issue is whether he has a valid exemption to strict rules requiring vaccination to enter Australia since he recently recovered from COVID-19. His exemption to compete was approved by the Victoria state government and Tennis Australia, the tournament organizer. That apparently allowed him to receive a visa to travel. But the Australian Border Force rejected the exemption and canceled his visa upon arrival before a federal judge overturned that decision. Lawyers for the government have said an infection was only grounds for an exemption in cases in which the coronavirus caused severe illness — though it’s not clear why he was issued a visa if that’s the case. The initial decision to let him compete sparked complaints that Djokovic was being given special treatment — and the subsequent cancellation of his visa raised allegations that he was being targeted once the issue became political. The saga is playing out against the backdrop of growing concern in Australia over surging COVID-19 cases — and the government’s strategy to contain them. If Djokovic’s visa is canceled, his lawyers could go back to court to apply for an injunction that would prevent him from being forced to leave the country. Sydney-based immigration lawyer Simon Jeans said if Djokovic's visa were canceled, he would likely be held in immigration detention. Djokovic could apply for a bridging visa to compete in the tournament pending the appeal. The immigration department would have two business days to decide that application. If Djokovic were refused such a visa, an appeal would typically take weeks, Jeans said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged all to get vaccinated without unnecessary fear to fight off the Coronavirus and its new variants. “I request all, please get vaccinated… do not fear. This vaccine will at least save your lives. Maybe you will suffer for a few days (if infected by the virus), but your life will be saved. That’s why my request to all that don't fear and take jabs,” Hasina said.  She made the call while addressing a programme marking the laying the foundation stone of 460-bed integrated cancer, kidney and heart units at medical colleges in eight divisional cities of the country. Held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium, the Prime Minister joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. The Prime Minister said the government has managed some 31 crore coronavirus jabs for the people of the country. “No one will be left unvaccinated,” she said. Hasina said many are unwilling to take vaccines fearing the pain caused by the injection needle in addition to various negative propaganda against vaccination. “Our target is to put 80 percent of the total population, except minors, under the vaccination coverage to save them from the Coronavirus and the new variant Omicron.” READ: Focus on quality products to boost exports: Hasina   As the new variant is also infecting children, the government has started vaccinating the 12-above children, she said adding, “Whenever WHO will announce the age of children for taking jabs, we’ll start vaccinating them as per its guideline. By the time we’ve given more than 13 crore doses, including double doses. We’ve started giving booster doses as well as I want the people of the country to remain safe.” Hasina called upon all to strictly follow the health guidelines as the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus is spreading fast across the world very fast. “Please use masks and avoid mass gatherings.”  

A couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn't make them very sick, and its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places. People might mistakenly think the COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota. And the vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who've gotten boosters. Also read: CDC mulling COVID test requirement for asymptomatic: Fauci Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine still offer strong protection against serious illness from omicron. While those initial doses aren’t very good at blocking omicron infection, boosters — particularly with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — rev up levels of the antibodies to help fend off infection. Omicron appears to replicate much more efficiently than previous variants. And if infected people have high virus loads, there's a greater likelihood they'll pass it on to others, especially the unvaccinated. Vaccinated people who get the virus are more likely to have mild symptoms, if any, since the shots trigger multiple defenses in your immune system, making it much more difficult for omicron to slip past them all. Also read: US children hospitalized with COVID in record numbers Advice for staying safe hasn't changed. Doctors say to wear masks indoors, avoid crowds and get vaccinated and boosted. Even though the shots won’t always keep you from catching the virus, they'll make it much more likely you stay alive and out of the hospital.

Approximately 90 per cent of the adult population in India has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose, said The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday, reports ANI. Briefing media persons, Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry said, "Approximately 90 per cent of the adult population in India has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose. On average, India reported more than 8,000 cases per day last week. Overall case positivity rate stands at 0.92 per cent. From December 26 onwards, the country has been reporting 10,000 daily cases." Read: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel: Fauci "The weekly positivity rate of more than 10 per cent is being noted in eight districts including six districts of Mizoram, one from Arunachal Pradesh and Kolkata in West Bengal. The weekly case positivity rate is between 5-10 per cent in 14 districts of the country. There are 961 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus in India, out of which 320 patients have recovered," he added. India has reported 13,154 new COVID-19 cases and 268 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. The tally of Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the country has gone up to 961 with maximum cases were reported from Delhi (263) and Maharashtra (252). With this, the country's COVID-19 tally has risen to 34,822,040 while the death toll has mounted to 4,80,860. The ministry informed that the active caseload in the country stands at 82,402 constituting 0.24 per cent of the total cases. As many as 7,486 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries to 3,42,58,778. The recovery rate in the country currently stands at 98.38 per cent. Read:French kids line up to get vaccine shots as omicron spreads The weekly positivity rate in the country is 0.76 per cent which remains lesser than 1 per cent for the last 46 days. The daily positivity rate is 1.10 per cent which remains lesser than 2 per cent for the last 87 days. The country has conducted as many as 67.64 crore COVID-19 tests so far. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated her call to all to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as the government is going to take the vaccination drive to the grassroots level. “We’ve already decided to continue the vaccination programme through every community clinic and health centre so that rural people can take jabs soon. No one should remain unvaccinated. All must avail of it,” she said, adding that many people still show reluctance to receive the vaccine. The Prime Minister said this while addressing a function at the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. READ: Vaccination progamme for Ctg prisoners kicks off, 800 get vaccinated on day 1 At the function, she published the results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations-2021 and inaugurated the distribution of free textbooks among students up to the secondary level for the academic year of 2022. Hasina said since the Covid-19 jabs will be given through community clinics or other health centres, all of those who have not yet received the vaccine will have to take it. Noting that the government has already vaccinated the teachers of educational institutes, she said now the jabs are being given to students. The PM directed the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to be sincere so that all the students receive vaccines. Pointing at the guardians of students, Hasina said not only the parents but also their children will have to take vaccines. Sheikh Hasina directed the Education Ministry to continue their online education programmes as the Corona infection rate goes up and down. Mentioning that it was noticed that the outbreak of this pandemic witnessed a surge immediately after the winter season, she said the Education Ministry will have to take preparations from right now to continue the online education programmes in the case of possible surge in Covid-19 infections. “Since it would not be possible to keep schools open in case of a fresh outbreak of Covid-19, you’ll have to take measures to ensure the access of online teaching to every house,” she said. READ: Over 1.6 lakh EPZ workers vaccinated: BEPZA She also urged guardians to assist students over online education. Focusing on the Awami League government’s development measures for the education sector, the PM said her government gives importance to two issues --nutrition and mental health awareness—of the students. Hasina said the government started a school feeding programme. But parents or guardians also have to pay attention to the nutrition of their kids, she added. She said one lakh teachers and officials have been given training on nutrition issues while two lakh teachers on mental health issues. Noting that many of this country are not aware about their children’s mental health, the PM said sometimes many kids cannot concentrate on their education and classroom teaching, which is one type of disability and a different type of syndrome.

As coronavirus cases surge in the days before Christmas, President Joe Biden plans to stress in a speech the importance of getting vaccinated to protect from the wave of infections tied to the new omicron variant. The world is confronting the prospect of a second straight holiday season with COVID-19 as families and friends begin to gather while the variant quickly spreads. Scientists don’t yet know whether omicron causes more serious disease, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death. In a preview of Biden’s speech Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at Monday’s press briefing that the president doesn’t plan to impose any lockdowns and will instead be encouraging people to get inoculated — and, if they’re eligible, to get their booster shot. “This is not a speech about locking the country down. This is a speech about the benefits of being vaccinated,” Psaki told reporters. Read: Boosters key to fight omicron, lot still to learn Biden’s top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said over the weekend that Biden will issue “a stark warning of what the winter will look like” for unvaccinated Americans. Biden has found himself in the delicate position of both alerting the country to the dangers posed by omicron and reassuring Americans that the vaccines will protect them. White House officials are looking to ease the nation back toward accepting the reality of an endemic virus with far lower stakes for the vaccinated. This has meant setting a difficult balance as cases rise and as deaths and serious illness among the unvaccinated dominate headlines. Underscoring how widespread the virus is, the White House said late Monday that Biden had been in close contact with a staff member who later tested positive for COVID-19. The staffer spent about 30 minutes around the president on Air Force One on Friday on a trip from Orange, South Carolina, to Philadelphia. The staffer, who was fully vaccinated and boosted, tested positive earlier Monday, Psaki said. Psaki said Biden has tested negative twice since Sunday and will test again on Wednesday. Citing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Psaki said Biden didn’t need to quarantine and would continue with his regular schedule. There are 40 million eligible but unvaccinated American adults. Efforts to increase vaccination rates have struggled to overcome a series of political, social and cultural divides. Psaki said the president plans to appeal to survival instincts. “Our health experts assess that you are 14 times more likely to die of COVID if you have not been vaccinated versus vaccinated,” she said Monday. Leana Wen, the former public health commissioner for Baltimore, said she would like to hear Biden commit in his speech to having enough tests available within three months so that every family can test twice a week. Other countries have already done this, she noted. “Every family testing twice a week is the goal that we should get to,” Wen said in an interview. Wen, who teaches public health at George Washington University, said she’d also like to see more restrictions put in place on the still-sizable portion of the public that remains unvaccinated, such as following some cities and requiring proof of vaccination to be admitted to bars, restaurants, concert venues and gyms, for example. Read: Queen Elizabeth II to skip Christmas trip amid omicron surge Further complicating Biden’s message is uncertainty about the omicron variant. Scientists say omicron spreads even easier than other coronavirus strains, including delta. It has already become the dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for nearly three-quarters of new infections last week. Early studies suggest that the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing an omicron infection but that even without the extra dose, vaccination should still largely protect people from serious sickness or death. In New York City, nearly 42,600 people citywide tested positive from Wednesday through Saturday — compared to fewer than 35,800 in the entire month of November. The city has never had so many people test positive in such a short period of time since testing became widely available; there’s no clear picture of how many people got the virus during the city’s first surge in the spring of 2020. The latest outbreak reflects the global challenges of stopping the pandemic. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said officials have decided against imposing further restrictions, at least for now. “We will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public,” Johnson said Monday. “The arguments either way are very, very finely balanced.” The Dutch government began a tough nationwide lockdown on Sunday to rein in sharply rising infections, but many European leaders have opted for something less. France and Germany have barred most British travelers from entering, and the government in Paris has banned public concerts and fireworks displays at New Year’s celebrations. Ireland imposed an 8 p.m. curfew on pubs and bars and limited attendance at indoor and outdoor events, while Greece will have 10,000 police officers on duty over the holidays to carry out COVID-19 pass checks. In Spain, the national average of new cases is double what it was a year ago. But authorities in the country with one of Europe’s highest vaccination rates are betting primarily on mandatory mask-wearing indoors and the rollout of booster shots, with no further restrictions planned. Neighboring Portugal is telling most nonessential workers to work from home for a week in January, but the country has no other new measures in the pipeline. Stock markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. fell on Monday with the expectation that the infections could weigh on global economic growth and worsen global supply chain challenges.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease Sunday, his office said. Ramaphosa started feeling unwell and a test confirmed COVID-19, a statement from the presidency announced. Read:South African doctors see signs omicron is milder than delta He is self-isolating in Cape Town and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service, the statement said. He has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week. Ramaphosa, 69, is fully vaccinated. The statement didn’t say whether he had been infected with the omicron coronavirus variant. Last week, Ramaphosa visited four West African countries. He and all members of his delegation were tested for COVID-19 in each of the countries during the trip. Some in the delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South Africa. Throughout the rest of the trip, Ramaphosa and his delegation tested negative. Ramaphosa returned from Senegal on Dec. 8 Ramaphosa said his own infection serves as a caution to all people in South Africa to be vaccinated and remain vigilant against exposure, the statement said. Vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness and hospitalization, it said. People in South Africa who have had contact with Ramaphosa on Sunday are advised to watch for symptoms or to have themselves tested, it said. South Africa is currently battling a rapid resurgence driven by the omicron variant, health officials say. Read:Omicron may be driving S Africa's surge; wary world watches The country recorded more than 18,000 new confirmed cases Sunday night. More than 70% of the cases are estimated to be from omicron, according to genetic sequencing surveys. After a period of low transmission of about 200 new cases per day in early November, South Africa COVID-19 cases began rising dramatically. On Nov. 25, scientists in southern Africa confirmed the omicron variant, which has more than 50 mutations. Omicron appears to be highly transmissible and has quickly become dominant in the country. So far, the majority of cases have been relatively mild and the percentage of severe cases needing oxygen have been low, say doctors.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said the government will administer 6 crore more Covid-19 vaccine doses by January next across the country. “So far, 9 crore vaccine doses have been administered and the government aims to administer 6 crore more doses by January next,” he said. With the administering of 6 crore more vaccine doses, some 7.5 crore people of the country will fully be vaccinated, Zahid Maleque added. Also read: Covid vaccines to be administered in all schools to vaccinate students The minister said this at the inauguration programme of Bangabandhu Gold Cup Premier Division District Football League at Shaheed Miraj Tapan Stadium in Manikganj district town.