March 14 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Omicron-hit Chinese province bans travel A northeastern Chinese province on Monday imposed a rare travel ban on its population as the region's Omicron outbreak helped drive China's tally of new local COVID-19 cases so far this year higher than any recorded in 2021.
Mainland China reported 1,337 new domestically transmitted COVID infections with confirmed symptoms on March 13, the National Health Commission said on Monday. That brought the registered total this year to more than 9,000, compared with 8,378 in 2021, according to Reuters calculations.
Over 30% of the 2022 cases were found in the northeastern province of Jilin, which is scrambling to rein in the fast spread of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant of the coronavirus.
Jilin, which spans 187,400 sq km, announced that all its 24.1 million residents were prohibited from travelling out of or into the province, or across different areas within the province.
Hong Kong rules out tightening COVID curbs for now Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday there were no plans to tighten strict social distancing measures as the Chinese-ruled territory battles to contain a coronavirus surge that has submerged its health system amid soaring deaths.
Lam said there was limited room to tighten further, with the global financial hub already having put in place the strictest measures since the pandemic started. Gatherings of more than two people are banned, most venues are shut - including schools - and masks are compulsory everywhere, even when exercising outdoors.
Moscow mayor ends mask requirement Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Monday cancelled a long-standing requirement for people to wear protective medical masks in public, citing the improving situation with COVID-19 and the need to support businesses facing sanctions pressure.
Daily coronavirus cases peaked at 203,949 on Feb. 11 as the Omicron variant spread rapidly across the country, but have fallen steadily since then. On Monday, 41,055 new infections were recorded.
India to start vaccinating 12- to 14-year-olds India will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations to 12- to 14-year-olds from March 16, the country's health ministry said on Monday, as schools reopen across the country with standard restrictions amid a significant fall in cases.
The government also decided to remove the condition of co-morbidity for people above 60 years to receive a booster shot, the ministry said in a statement.
Australians told to get boosters Australian authorities on Monday said the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots could allow a new wave of infections to form amid the threat from the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron strain.
Australia battled record cases and hospitalisation rates during the initial Omicron wave, but they have steadied over the past six weeks.
Novavax's vaccine rollout in EU off to a slow start Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine produced by U.S. biotech firm Novavax has been underwhelming in the European Union's main countries in the early rollout, so far undermining hopes that it could convince vaccine sceptics to get a shot.
The Novavax vaccine, the latest to receive the EU regulators' approval under the trade name of Nuvaxovid, was expected to persuade some sceptics because it is based on a more conventional technology than the other four vaccines authorised so far in the EU.
But initial data on Nuvaxovid's rollout show that it has had a small impact on vaccination campaigns.
