AUTHORITIES in Shanghai have denied rumours of a city-wide lockdown after a sixth straight increase in daily asymptomatic coronavirus cases pushed its count to record levels despite a campaign of mass testing aimed at stifling the spread.


AMERICAS

* About one-in-three COVID-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant of the coronavirus, according to government data that also showed overall infections still declining from January's record highs. 


EUROPE

* Poland's parliament will try to thrash out a compromise on Wednesday over reforms to the Supreme Court that could unlock 36 billion euros of EU COVID-recovery grants and loans being withheld due to a dispute over judicial independence. 


ASIA-PACIFIC

* South Korea's total coronavirus infections topped 10 million, or nearly 20% of its population, authorities said, as surging severe cases and deaths increasingly put a strain on crematories and funeral homes nationwide.

* Hong Kong is looking to resolve a problem over a ban on airlines which bring in COVID-positive passengers as it eases travel curbs that have sealed off the city for two years, its leader said on Wednesday. 

* Indonesia will lift a ban on domestic travel during the Muslim holiday season of Eid al-Fitr in early May, after banning the annual tradition for two years during the pandemic. 


AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said restrictive COVID-19 regulations that have weighed on the nation's struggling economy for two years would be removed, with the national state of disaster also to end soon.


MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Europe's drug regulator is expected to give the go-ahead this week for AstraZeneca's antibody-based injection for preventing COVID-19 infections, two people familiar with the review said, following U.S. and UK approvals. 

* People may be at increased risk for developing diabetes for up to a year after a diagnosis of COVID-19, according to two studies. 

* Moderna said it will ask regulators to authorise its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 6 years old based on data showing it generated a similar immune response in young children as for adults in its clinical trial. 


ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Wall Street pushed stocks and Treasury yields down on Wednesday after both had powered higher earlier in the week as investors took in the strength of the economy and hawkish comments from U.S. policymakers. 

* Italy is set to downgrade its growth outlook this year to around 3% from a previous 4.7% target, a Treasury official said, amid surging energy costs and turmoil linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.