COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Ljubljana – Slovenia confirmed 1,624 new Covid cases on Wednesday in what is an 18% drop week-on-week. As the epidemic continues to wane, hospitalisations remain stable, shows the latest data by the Health Ministry. The total of patients in regular wards who are hospitalised for Covid-19 as their main condition has increased by five to 91 in a day.

Fiona Shi lost her job twice during the pandemic - first, in 2020 when Covid ravaged the travel industry, and then this year as China's strict virus controls hammered businesses in the world's number two economy.    

The World Bank has sharply slashed its annual growth forecast for China, warning in a report that COVID disruptions could further slow recovery in the world's second-largest economy.    

Beijing will gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions this week, city officials said on Sunday.    

After some easing in recent days, the Chinese capital - which reported 19 new infections Sunday - announced residents would start returning to work from Monday and schools would reopen from June 13.    

Shoppers returned to the malls of Beijing yesterday as the Chinese capital relaxed pandemic restrictions after declaring a small but persistent COVID-19 outbreak effectively under control.

Hong Kong on Thursday reopened beaches and pools in relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, while China's capital Beijing began easing quarantine rules for arrivals from overseas.

Hong Kong relaxed pandemic restrictions on Thursday, with Disneyland and museums reopening and nighttime restaurant dining resuming as the city's worst COVID-19 outbreak appears to be fading.

Enthusiastic visitors ran into Disneyland the moment the gates opened after a three-month closure.

The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities.

Shanghai has taken the brunt of the surge, with another 26,087 cases announced on Monday, only 914 of which showed symptoms. The city of 26 million is under a tight lockdown, with many residents confined to their homes for up to three weeks.

China reported more than 20,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily tally given since the start of the pandemic, as millions in locked-down Shanghai began a new round of testing.

China reported 13,000 Covid cases on Sunday, the most since the peak of the first pandemic wave over two years ago, as health officials said they have found a suspected new subtype of the Omicron variant in the Shanghai area.

China's "zero-Covid" strategy is under extreme pressure as the virus whips across the country.