Coronavirus outbreak updates: Jan. 3, 2021

 

As of 9:20 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 3

• India's drug regulator said Sunday it has approved its first emergency-use coronavirus vaccines, including an indigenously developed one, paving the way for mass vaccination against the new virus in the second most populous country.
  
  
• Men's world No. 1 badminton player Kento Momota has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Nippon Badminton Association announced Sunday.
  
  
• The government will hear opinions from health experts soon on whether to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures hit by surging coronavirus cases, taking heed of a request by their governors, officials said Sunday.
  
  
• This year will be critical for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's hopes of remaining in power as he mulls the timing of a general election while steering Japan's response to the coronavirus and pushing ahead with plans to hold the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the summer.

As of 9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 2

• Festivals allow people to escape their everyday lives and experience the color and cultures of the world without having to travel. In 2020, however, such opportunities were limited by the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• The Japanese prime minister and International Olympic Committee chief promised the Tokyo Games will demonstrate the world is winning the war against the coronavirus pandemic. But is it really a good idea to go ahead with the Olympics?
  
  
• The government will consider whether to declare another state of emergency over the novel coronavirus, a minister said Saturday, following a request from the governors of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures where a resurgence of infections has strained the medical system.