COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on  2 February

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on  2 February

This daily news 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 news stories: Omicron subvariant BA.2 likely to have same severity as 'original', says World Health Organization; WHO also warns about easing restrictions too quickly; record cases in Czech Republic and Turkey.





1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 381.9 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.68 million. More than 10.1 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Tonga, hit by a tsunami last month, has gone into lockdown after two wharf workers were confirmed to have COVID-19.

Australia's COVID-19 hospitalization rate has fallen to its lowest in nearly three weeks.

Norway will scrap its remaining COVID-19 lockdown measures. A spike in infections is unlikely to jeopardize health services, the prime minister said yesterday.

The Czech Republic reported 57,195 new confirmed COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, its highest daily tally since the pandemic started.

Turkey has also recorded its highest daily case tally since the start of the pandemic,