Northern Ireland reports a record 3,231 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours
Northern Ireland reports a record 3,231 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Herald section
Health
The latest health reporting from The Belfast Herald.
Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 oral pill named Paxlovid for at-risk people over the age of 12 years
The Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 oral pill named Paxlovid for at-risk people over the age of 12 years, becoming the first at-home oral treatment to be approved by the FDA.
Austria enacts new omicron restrictions including early restaurant closures
Austria introduced new measures to combat the omicron variant, including closing restaurants at 10 p.m. from 27 December, limiting gatherings, and imposing stricter entry rules for travellers from the UK, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands.
EU sets 9-month validity for digital Covid pass without booster
The European Commission has adopted binding rules making the EU Digital Covid Certificate valid for travel within the EU for nine months after primary vaccination, unless a booster is received. The new rules will apply to all 27 EU member states from 1 February.
Philippine FDA shortens COVID-19 booster interval to three months
The Philippine Food and Drug Administration approved a reduction in the interval for COVID-19 booster doses to three months for those who completed a two-dose primary series, and two months for those who received a single-dose vaccine, to address variant transmission.
STIKO recommends three-month interval for COVID-19 booster doses
The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends shortening the interval between the second dose and booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to three months and urges all citizens over 18 to receive a booster dose of an mRNA-based vaccine to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant.