Children aged 6-11 in South Tangerang city, Indonesia, get vaccinated on December 14, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen asked for adherence to COVID-19 precautions after the first case of the Omicron variant was detected in Cambodia on Tuesday. Thailand’s Department of Medical Services appealed for strict observance of preventive measures to keep Omicron infections from surging during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Health officials in Germany announced that people are not required to get tested before entering entertainment venues, if they have received a booster shot.

The Omicron variant caused a single-day record of new confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK on Wednesday. The previous record of 68,000 was set in January by the Alpha variant.

France is considering introducing mandatory PCR tests for all travelers entering France from the UK, a French government source said on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the same day that he is considering mandating COVID-19 vaccination in France.   

272.5 million COVID-19 cases had been confirmed as of Thursday with 5.3 million deaths, according to worldometers.info.