China has faced pressure from countries and health experts to reveal and be more forthcoming with Covid data, most notably official numbers around severe hospitalisations and deaths.

China's population fell last year for the first time in six decades, weighed down by rising living costs especially in big, sprawling urban hubs, weak economic growth, and changing attitudes towards raising a family.

For such people who have received their primary vaccination course and one booster dose, there is no risk in having further jabs but the returns are slight, the WHO's vaccine experts say.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson intentionally or recklessly misled the House of Commons in a series of statements about the gatherings.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson intentionally or recklessly misled parliament in a series of statements about the rule-breaking parties.

The virus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, with many suspecting a live animal market to be involved, before spreading round the world and killing nearly 7 million people to date.

The bill poses political risks for Joe Biden, who is negotiating a difficult relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

WHO officials say such information, while not conclusive, represents a new lead into the investigation of Covid's origins and should have been shared immediately.

The move marks the latest step towards reopening China to the outside world, as Beijing gradually breaks with the strict zero-Covid strategy that defined its pandemic response until a few months ago.

Japan is one of the last major economies to relax official guidance on the coverings.

The Senate had already voted last week to require director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify the material, meaning the bill now goes to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature.

The numbers were up 112.4% year-over-year.