Kuwait's Ministry of Health approves an Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. (Arab News)
The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea surpasses 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, bringing the nationwide total to 42,766. (Yonhap News Agency)
2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season Cyclones Yasa and Zazu threaten several Pacific countries, especially Fiji. Yasa intensifies into a category 2 storm, remaining in the waters between Fiji and Vanuatu. It is expected to reach Fiji on Thursday as a category 4 storm. Zazu also brings heavy rains to Tonga. (RNZ)
COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi Delhi surpasses 10,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (India Today)
COVID-19 pandemic in England Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces that London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into the highest level "Tier 3" restrictions on December 16 at 00:01 a.m. GMT. (Sky News) The United Kingdom discovers a new variant of COVID-19 which is growing faster in some parts of England. (BBC)
COVID-19 pandemic in India COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi Delhi surpasses 10,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (India Today)
COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announces that the city will rollback to phase 2 and tighten their restrictions as an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. (AP) (WCVB-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea South Korea orders schools in the Seoul Capital Area to close from tomorrow until the end of the month due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases, which has broken records not seen since the pandemic began. (CNA)
COVID-19 pandemic in West Virginia Governor Jim Justice becomes one of the first elected officials to receive the vaccine. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Cyclones Yasa and Zazu threaten several Pacific countries, especially Fiji. Yasa intensifies into a category 2 storm, remaining in the waters between Fiji and Vanuatu. It is expected to reach Fiji on Thursday as a category 4 storm. Zazu also brings heavy rains to Tonga. (RNZ)
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces that London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into the highest level "Tier 3" restrictions on December 16 at 00:01 a.m. GMT. (Sky News)
South Korea orders schools in the Seoul Capital Area to close from tomorrow until the end of the month due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases, which has broken records not seen since the pandemic began. (CNA)
Two magnitude 4.0 earthquakes occur in Northern California at around 6:55–7:00 a.m. PST and are felt from San Jose to as far north as San Francisco. There are no reported injuries or deaths. (San Jose Mercury News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Africa COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco Morocco surpasses 400,000 total COVID-19 cases. (Xinhua) COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria The northwestern Nigerian state of Kaduna announces the closure of schools from tomorrow due to an increase of COVID-19 cases. (The Punch)
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases mandates the wearing of a "full" face shield in addition to wearing a face mask when going outside. Face shields were previously compulsory in enclosed areas, such as shopping malls. (Rappler) COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea South Korea reports a record 13 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 600. (Anadolu Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco Morocco surpasses 400,000 total COVID-19 cases. (Xinhua)
COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria The northwestern Nigerian state of Kaduna announces the closure of schools from tomorrow due to an increase of COVID-19 cases. (The Punch)
COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario Ontario reports 2,275 cases, a new single-day record. (National Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea South Korea reports a record 13 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 600. (Anadolu Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases mandates the wearing of a "full" face shield in addition to wearing a face mask when going outside. Face shields were previously compulsory in enclosed areas, such as shopping malls. (Rappler)
COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Turkey reports a record 235 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 16,881. (Reuters)
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases mandates the wearing of a "full" face shield in addition to wearing a face mask when going outside. Face shields were previously compulsory in enclosed areas, such as shopping malls. (Rappler)
2020 H5N8 outbreak About 32,000 birds will be slaughtered and buried in Sukumo in Kochi Prefecture after a highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered at an poultry farm. (The Japan Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia New South Wales reports the first locally-transmitted case in two weeks, after a 45-year-old Sydney man who drives international flight crews to and from the Sydney Airport tested positive for COVID-19. (ABC Australia)
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil Brazil surpasses seven million total cases of COVID-19, becoming the third country to do so after India and the United States. (The Jerusalem Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in California California reports a record 53,711 new cases and 293 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 1,671,081 cases and death toll to 21,481. (KABC-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Germany reports a record 952 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 23,427, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute. (DW)
COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Tokyo reports a new single-day record of 678 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 48,668. (The Japan Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan Michigan surpasses 11,000 deaths from COVID-19, eight days after surpassing 10,000. (WDIV-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea The number of confirmed cases in South Korea reaches a record 1,078 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 45,442 cases. (Al Jazeera)
COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee Tennessee reports 11,410 cases, a new single-day record. (WMC-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands The Netherlands reports a record 11,214 new cases in the past 24 hours. (NL Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Turkey reports a record 240 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 17,121. (Reuters)
Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic Twitter says that it will ban false and misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines on its platform. (Reuters)
California reports 52,281 new cases and 379 deaths in the past 24 hours, both a new single-day record for the state and nationwide since the beginning of the pandemic. (KABC-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta Alberta reports a record 30 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial death toll to 790. (Calgary Herald)
COVID-19 pandemic in California California reports 52,281 new cases and 379 deaths in the past 24 hours, both a new single-day record for the state and nationwide since the beginning of the pandemic. (KABC-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta Alberta reports a record 30 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial death toll to 790. (Calgary Herald) COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario Ontario reports 2,432 cases, a new-single day record. (The Globe and Mail) Canada reports over 7,002 cases, a new-single day record. (Global News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany The Robert Koch Institute reports a revised total of more than 30,000 cases in the past 24 hours, a new record, because around 3,500 cases in Baden-Württemberg were not initially reported. (The Local Germany)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan issues a gubernatorial instruction and decree that requires anyone leaving and entering the city from tomorrow until January 8 to have a negative rapid antigen test result. The order also limits the capacity of offices to 50% and requires cafés, restaurants and tourist attractions to close at 7:00 p.m. local time from December 24 to 27 and December 31 to January 2. (The Jakarta Post) (Jakarta Globe)
COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario Ontario reports 2,432 cases, a new-single day record. (The Globe and Mail)
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea South Korea reports a record 22 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 634. (Yonhap News Agency)
COVID-19 pandemic in Texas Texas reports a new single-day record of 16,864 cases, bringing the totals to 1,371,223 confirmed cases and 167,966 probable cases. (KEYE-TV)
COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Turkey reports a record 243 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 17,364. (Daily Sabah)
COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine Mayor Hennadiy Kernes of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, dies in Germany due to complications caused by COVID-19 after contracting the virus in September. (Kyiv Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malaysia surpasses 90,000. (The Malaysian Insight) COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The Philippines reports 2,122 new cases, the highest daily total in more than a month, bringing the nationwide total to 456,562 cases. (ABS-CBN News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Austria Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces that the country will impose a third nationwide lockdown beginning on December 26. However, people who take part in mass testing programmes between January 15 and 17 and test negative will be allowed to enter shops and restaurants beginning on January 18. (Barron's)
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Germany reports a record 33,777 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,439,938. (Bild)
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malaysia surpasses 90,000. (The Malaysian Insight)
COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico Mexico City and the State of Mexico move back to the "red traffic light". All non-essential activity will be suspended until January 10 due to an "alarming" increase in both infections and hospital occupancies. (Milenio)
COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota Minnesota Senator Jerry Relph dies from COVID-19 complications. (AP)
COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state) New York reports a record 12,697 new cases in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record set in April. (Bloomberg)
COVID-19 pandemic in Panama Starting from December 21, Panama will reimpose nationwide restrictions by require men and women to carry out holiday shopping on different days. On Christmas and New Year's Day there will be total lockdown for all genders. (The Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The Philippines reports 2,122 new cases, the highest daily total in more than a month, bringing the nationwide total to 456,562 cases. (ABS-CBN News)
Islamic Defenders Front, Islam in Indonesia Supporters of the controversial Indonesian Islamic cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab clash with police during a demonstration in Jakarta, demanding immediate release of Shihab from police detention. Shihab was arrested last weekend for violations of health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic after large gatherings occurred to celebrate his return to the country from self-exile in Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Supporters of the controversial Indonesian Islamic cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab clash with police during a demonstration in Jakarta, demanding immediate release of Shihab from police detention. Shihab was arrested last weekend for violations of health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic after large gatherings occurred to celebrate his return to the country from self-exile in Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Africa The total number of cases in Africa exceeds 2.5 million. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Canada surpasses 500,000 cases of COVID-19. (Toronto Star)
COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia Colombia reports a record 13,990 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 1,496,062. (Xinhua)
COVID-19 pandemic in India India surpasses ten million total cases of COVID-19, becoming the second country after the United States to reach that number. (The Times of India) (ABC News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Jakarta reports a record of 1,899 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. (VOI) Bali requires anyone entering and leaving the province to have a negative PCR swab test for air travel, and a negative rapid antigen test for land and sea travel. However, children aged 12 years and under are exempted from these requirements. (The Bali Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal Portugal surpasses 6,000 total deaths of COVID-19. (Euro Weekly News)
COVID-19 pandemic in Russia Russia surpasses 50,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (Al-Arabiya)
COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland Swissmedic approves the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in Switzerland. (Swissmedic)
COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Turkey surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (The Azeri Times)
2020 H5N8 outbreak Over 8,000 ducks are expected to be culled after a third case of H5N8 avian influenza was confirmed at a farm in Norfolk, UK. (Eastern Daily Press)
2020 Pacific typhoon season Tropical Storm Krovanh (Vicky) makes landfall in the Philippines, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and forcing the evacuation of nearly 10,000 others. (AFP via New Straits Times)
COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, Variant of Concern 202012/01 Belgium bans entry for incoming rail and air passengers from the United Kingdom for at least 24 hours, beginning at midnight. Virologist Marc Van Ranst said yesterday that a variant of SARS-COV-2 from the United Kingdom had been found in four cases from a sample of 2,000 analyses in his laboratory. (VRT)
COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, Cluster 5 Denmark will exhume four millions of minks to prevention pollution contamination. This work will begin in May 2021, when the risk of coronavirus contamination from the dead animals has been eliminated. (DW)
COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador El Salvador bans travelers who have been in the United Kingdom or South Africa in the last 30 days or whose flights included a layover in those countries. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, Variant of Concern 202012/01 Greece introduces a seven-day quarantine for people arriving from the United Kingdom beginning tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. local time due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-COV-2 in the country. (Greek Travel Pages)
COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia Indonesia reports a record 221 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 19,880. (detikHealth)
COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Variant of Concern 202012/01 Iran suspends flights to and from the United Kingdom for two weeks due to the emergence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that was discovered in the UK. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, Variant of Concern 202012/01 Israel bans entry of travelers from Denmark, South Africa, and the United Kingdom due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the latter country. Israeli citizens arriving from those countries will be required to quarantine at state-run quarantine hotels for up to 14 days. (The Jerusalem Post)
COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey Amazon announces that they will close the Robbinsville Township facility, also known as the PNE5, after several workers tested positive for COVID-19. (CNBC)
