What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

HERE'S what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

WHO-led team in Wuhan to begin fieldwork

A World Health Organization-led team of experts investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic was due to meet Chinese scientists on Friday, and plans to visit labs, markets and hospitals in the city of Wuhan, the WHO said.

The group is expected to spend two more weeks in China, and will visit the seafood market at the centre of the early outbreak. It will also visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

One hypothesis, rejected by China, is that the outbreak was caused by a leak at the government lab.

Outbreak spreads to Hanoi

Vietnam reported nine more new COVID-19 infections early on Friday as its first outbreak for nearly two months spread to Hanoi, the capital, where the ruling Communist Party is holding its key five-yearly congress.

At an urgent meeting held on Thursday night, Hanoi authorities said they were ramping up tracking and testing capabilities, adding that the city can conduct 10,000 tests a day. State television quoted the coronavirus taskforce chief as saying preparations should be made for up to 30,000 COVID-19 cases.

South Korea delays easing social distancing

South Korea has delayed until Sunday any easing of social distancing measures because outbreaks involving Christian mission schools are threatening to undermine efforts to keep new infections under control ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

South Korea's social distancing policy has become a whack-a-mole game, a repetition of tightening and easing of curfews and restrictions, said Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul.

UK bans direct flights from UAE

Britain is banning direct passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Friday, shutting down the current world's busiest international airline route from Dubai to London.

Britain said it was adding the UAE, Burundi and Rwanda to its coronavirus travel ban list because of worries over the spread of a more contagious and potentially vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa.

Why tweaking vaccines to fight variants won't be simple

After developing COVID-19 vaccines at record speed, drugmakers are already facing variants of the rapidly evolving coronavirus that may render them ineffective, a challenge that will require months of research and a massive financial investment, according to disease experts.

A global surveillance network to assess emerging variants must be built. Scientists need to establish what level of antibodies will be required to protect people from COVID-19 and determine when vaccines need to be altered. And regulators must convey what is needed to demonstrate updated vaccines are still safe and effective.