WHO investigation in China sheds light on Covid-19 origins; Spain deaths soar

WHO rejects the hypothesis that the Corona virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory. Photo: AP

Bloomberg quoted Mr. Peter Ben Embarek - a World Health Organization (WHO) official stating at a joint press conference with the Chinese side in Wuhan that it is unlikely that the virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory.

The virus may have emerged at the Huanan market in Wuhan through an infected person or a product sold there, the official said.

WHO officials said the team that went to Wuhan tested tens of thousands of samples from Wuhan before the first cases emerged in 2019. There is no evidence that a major outbreak occurred in China before December 2019.

117-year-old nun beats Covid-19

Europe's oldest person, French nun Andre, has beaten the coronavirus and will celebrate her 117th birthday this week, Reuters reported, citing her caretaker.

Lucile Randon, who took the name Sister Andre when she joined a Catholic charity in 1944, tested positive for the coronavirus on January 16. She was at a nursing home in Toulon, southern France, when she was diagnosed. She was isolated from others and showed no signs of infection.

When asked if she was afraid, the woman said: “No, I am not afraid because I am not afraid of death… I am happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else… To see my brother, my grandparents”.

UK threatens 10-year prison sentence for Covid-19 quarantine violators

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that travellers who do not comply with the UK's latest quarantine rules, which will come into effect from February 15, could face up to 10 years in prison. In addition to jail time, violators could also be fined up to £10,000.

According to Bloomberg, the official also said that travelers to the UK from countries on the red list will have to pay nearly 2,000 pounds in quarantine fees. Those returning to the UK will have to pay 1,750 pounds per person for a 10-day quarantine period at designated hotels.

International visitors arriving in the UK who do not undergo a mandatory Covid-19 test will also be fined £1,000. The fine will double if they do not undergo a second test.

The information comes as Britain tightens border controls next week to combat variants of the coronavirus.

Spain's death toll soars as it faces third wave of Covid-19

According to the Guardian, in the past 24 hours, Spain recorded 766 deaths from Covid-19, the highest number of deaths in a day as the country suffered a third wave of infections.

Spain has now recorded more than 3 million cases of coronavirus. Statistics from the country's Ministry of Health show that from Monday to Tuesday, 16,402 new cases were detected, bringing the total number of infections to 3,005,487. To date, 63,061 Spaniards have died from Covid-19.

However, despite the gloomy milestone, the number of infections per 100,000 people overnight continued to fall, from 667 to 630 in the past 24 hours.