WHO warns of Covid 'tsunami' as Omicron fuels record surges

The world smashed a record number of Covid infections in a week, an AFP tally reveals as the WHO warns that Omicron poses a "very high" risk and could yet overwhelm healthcare systems. Here's a look at the Covid situation around the world.

A Covid "tsunami" threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO said Wednesday, as record surges fuelled by the Omicron variant dampened New Year celebrations around the world once again.

- 'This is serious' - Millions around the world will again welcome a new year in the shadow of the pandemic, which is known to have killed more than 5.4 million people so far, with festivities dampened or cancelled in many countries.