Conflicting reports as to whether officials expect manageable number of severe cases or huge jump; surging cases force reliance on potentially unreliable rapid tests

PCR tests to be reserved for those over 60 or at-risk; for everyone else, antigen tests can be done at home or at supervised locations, depending on vaccination status

Health Ministry urges vaccinations to counter both COVID and influenza, after first 'flurona' case identified

French president uses 'emmerder,' rooted in the word for 'crap' and meaning to rile or to bug, as he talks about policies for those who refuse to get inoculated

Woman reportedly cleared to fly back to Israel after two-week isolation following efforts by Foreign Ministry and airline, as Beijing aims to zero cases ahead of Olympics

Record of 11,978 daily cases comes amid confusion over regulations and massive lines at testing centers; serious cases continue to rise, most of them unvaccinated

Senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood urges against complacency, tells AFP that as COVID-19 mutation rapidly replicates it is more likely to 'throw out' another new strain

Sweden, UK, also set new daily records as top WHO official says low hospitalization rates in South Africa are no guarantee Omicron will hit other countries as mildly

Idan Roll said to be symptom-free, was checked after his husband, singer Harel Skaat, tested positive following case in his production team

Wastewater management outfit Kando says systems can help monitor morbidity rates in cities of over 20,000, allow health authorities to stay ahead