Ontario reports a record of 3,519 new cases and 89 deaths in the past 24 hours. (CBC)
Pennsylvania reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a resident of Dauphin County who traveled internationally. (WCAU-TV)
Russia surpasses 60,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Moscow Times)
Spain surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (Cadena SER)
The Czech Republic reports a record of 17,668 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of cases to 794,740. (Anadolu Agency)
The United Kingdom reports 1,162 new deaths in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total since April 21, bringing the nationwide death toll to 78,508. (The Independent)
The United States reports a world record of more than 4,000 deaths for the first time. (CNN)
Alberta reports the first case of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa. (CBC)
Brisbane is placed into lockdown for three days in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 after a cleaner at a hotel quarantine site was diagnosed with a known variant of concern. The Northern Territory and Tasmania ban all travellers from Brisbane. (ABC Australia) (The Canberra Times) (News.com.au)
Canada reports a record of 9,197 new cases in the past 24 hours. (Global News)
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan announces that three cases of the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 named 501.V2 variant have been detected in Ireland. All of the people had travelled to South Africa. (The Irish Times)
Germany reports a record 1,188 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide death toll to 38,795. (Taggeschau)
Indonesia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 10,617 new cases. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 10,000 cases and brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 808,340. (Kompas)
Ireland reports a record 8,248 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 135,884. (Irish Examiner)
Japan reports a record 7,841 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. (NHK World)
King Salman receives the first dose of Pfizer's vaccine in Neom. (Arab News)
London mayor Sadiq Khan declares a "major incident" in the capital due to a rise in the number of cases that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. (Sky News)
Malaysia reports a record 16 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 537. (Malay Mail)
Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the first time in an effort to ensure an orderly transition of power. (CNBC)
Peru reports the first case of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom in a citizen who resides in Lima and had attended a family reunion days before Christmas. (Andina)
Pope Francis appoints Vincenzo Buonomo as Head of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia, becoming the first layperson to hold the position. (Catholic News Agency)
Portugal reports a new daily record of 10,176 cases, bringing the nationwide cumulative total of confirmed cases to 466,709. (DGS)
South Africa reports a record 21,980 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,192,570. (Timeslive)
The Indonesian Ulema Council gives a religious approval for use of Sinovac Biotech's vaccine, deeming it halal, or permissible under Islam. (DW)
The United Kingdom reports a record 68,053 new confirmed cases and 1,325 deaths in the past 24 hours. (BBC News)
Tozinameran, Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine developer Pfizer announces that lab studies have concluded that the joint Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine remains effective against mutation variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including Variant of Concern 202012/01 and the 501.V2 variant. (BBC News)
Vaccine developer Pfizer announces that lab studies have concluded that the joint Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine remains effective against mutation variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including Variant of Concern 202012/01 and the 501.V2 variant. (BBC News)
A nationwide blackout occurs in Pakistan, leaving more than 200 million people without power. Senator Faisal Javed Khan says that the blackout was apparently caused by a "sudden frequency drop in the power transmission system". Power is gradually being restored in some parts of the country. (BNO News)
A nighttime curfew takes effect in Quebec in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. (ABC News)
COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The Daily Telegraph)
Fabrizio Soccorsi, Pope Francis' personal physician, dies as a result of "complications due to COVID-19", according to Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. (Fox News)
France extends its curfew to eight departments, including Bouches-du-Rhône, which includes Marseille, where a 6:00 p.m. curfew has been imposed after 21 people tested positive for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the United Kingdom. (France 24)
Indonesian authorities lose contact with Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 shortly after take-off with 62 people onboard. The passenger plane, a Boeing 737, was en route to Pontianak, taking off from the capital Jakarta. (The Age)
Japan surpasses 4,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
Mexico reports a record 16,105 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,524,036. (Reuters)
Minnesota reports its first five cases of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated from the United Kingdom. The patients are aged 15 to 37. (KARE-TV)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The Daily Telegraph)
Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 Indonesian authorities lose contact with Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 shortly after take-off with 62 people onboard. The passenger plane, a Boeing 737, was en route to Pontianak, taking off from the capital Jakarta. (The Age)
The Parler app is suspended indefinitely from the App Store by Apple Inc. Additionally, Amazon also announces that they will discontinue providing cloud services for Parler due to incitement of violence, which will go into effect on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. (CNN) (CNBC)
Africa surpasses 3 million cases of COVID-19. (ABC News)
Belgium surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Brussels Times)
Germany surpasses 40,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Local Germany)
Gold mine explosion in Shandong, China. Twenty-two workers are trapped in a gold mine in Qixia, east China's Shandong province after an explosion tore through the mine at 2:00 p.m. (Xinhua News) (South China Morning Post)
New Zealand reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa. (Newshub)
North Korean state media says that Kim Jong-un has been formally elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, inheriting the title from his late father Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011. (Reuters)
Ontario reports a record 3,945 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. (CBC)
Power is restored in Pakistan following a nationwide blackout. (The Financial Times)
Russia reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. (Reuters)
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide surpasses 90 million. (TVNZ)
The Philippines signs an agreement with the Serum Institute of India to receive 30 million doses of Novavax's vaccine. (Inquirer.com)
Twenty-two workers are trapped in a gold mine in Qixia, east China's Shandong province after an explosion tore through the mine at 2:00 p.m. (Xinhua News) (South China Morning Post)
Uruguay reports a record 1,215 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 26,186. (gob.uy)
Vietnam limits inbound flights until the Lunar New Year holiday due to the spread of new variants of SARS-Cov-2 in many countries. (VnExpress International)
BioNTech says it plans to produce two billion vaccine doses this year. (The Hill)
COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency approves Sinovac's vaccine for emergency use in the country. This comes after a clinical trial showed the vaccine had a 65.3% efficacy in Indonesia compared to an efficacy of 91% in Turkey and 78% in Brazil. (Jakarta Globe)
COVID-19 vaccination program in the Philippines The Philippines orders 25 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine. 50,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in the country by February. (Inquirer)
COVID-19 vaccine BioNTech says it plans to produce two billion vaccine doses this year. (The Hill)
Indiana reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. (Indystar)
Lebanon declares a state of emergency and imposes a 24-hour curfew for 11 days beginning January 14 as part of a lockdown that began on January 7. All private and public companies as well as house of worships will be closed with few exceptions and travel restrictions will also be introduced. (The Daily Star)
Lockdowns in Brisbane and the Northern Beaches of Sydney are lifted as the number of cases in those areas drop. (ABC Australia) (9 News)
Mainland China reports 103 new cases in the past 24 hours, mainly in Hebei province, which is the highest single-day total since July 30 and brings the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 87,536. (CNA)
Michigan announces it will ban open-carry guns at the state capitol. (HuffPost)
The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency approves Sinovac's vaccine for emergency use in the country. This comes after a clinical trial showed the vaccine had a 65.3% efficacy in Indonesia compared to an efficacy of 91% in Turkey and 78% in Brazil. (Jakarta Globe)
The Philippines orders 25 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine. 50,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in the country by February. (Inquirer)
The state surpasses 30,000 deaths from COVID-19, just a month after surpassing 20,000 deaths. (AP)
Tunisia reports a record 3,074 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide case total to 162,350. (Reuters)
Two gorillas in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park test positive for COVID-19, making this the first case of transmission to non-human primates or great apes. (The Los Angeles Times)
Baden-Württemberg reports Germany's first case of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a family that travelled from South Africa. (DW)
Chinese authorities place 4.9 million people in Langfang under lockdown for the next seven days and also subject them to mass testing in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Swiss Info)
Eight people die in an apartment building fire in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Investigators say that the preliminary cause of death is carbon monoxide poisoning. (Znak)
Formula One postpones the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix due to COVID-19-related restrictions. The Australian Grand Prix will take place in November instead of March, while the discussion over a new date for the Chinese Grand Prix is ongoing. (BBC News)
Japan plans to extend the ongoing state of emergency to locations outside of the Greater Tokyo Area. (Insidethegames)
Malaysia reports a record 3,309 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours ahead of the return of movement control orders in parts of the country, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 141,553. (The Straits Times)
Maryland reports their first two cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a married couple from Anne Arundel County, one of whom had travelled to the United Kingdom. (WJZ-TV)
Portugal reports a record 155 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,080. (DGS)
