COVID updates: New Zealand imposes restrictions amid omicron outbreak

The country's PM also postponed her wedding due to the rise in cases.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: January 24, 2022, 12:09 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 865,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 63.3% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 17, 2022, 7:50 AM EST

Beijing records 1st omicron case, tightens restrictions ahead of Olympics

China is tightening travel restrictions for its capital ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, requiring all travelers to take a nucleic acid test within 72 hours of entry.

The new restrictions, which will be put in place on Jan. 22, were announced after Beijing recorded its first case of the highly contagious omicron variant in a suburb near many of the Olympic venues over the weekend. Health authorities have sealed off the patient's' residential compound and workplace.

PHOTO: A man gets a throat swab for a COVID-19 test at a mobile testing facility outside commercial office buildings in Beijing, China, on Jan. 17, 2022.
A man gets a throat swab for a COVID-19 test at a mobile testing facility outside commercial office buildings in Beijing, China, on Jan. 17, 2022. Beijing's first reported case of the highly contagious omicron variant has prompted stepped-up measures in the Chinese capital, just weeks before it hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Andy Wong, AP

Beijing health officials told reporters Monday that the single omicron case in the city may have been infected by a package the patient received from Canada. None of the patient's close contacts in their community or workplace tested positive, officials said during a press conference.

Some schools in Beijing have also closed early and moved classes online.

According to the Chinese National Health Commission's daily report released Monday, there were 65 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on the mainland and 54 imported cases. One new case was recorded in Beijing, the report said. 

The 2022 Winter Olympics is slated to kick off in the Chinese capital on Feb. 4. 

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Karson Yiu

Jan 17, 2022, 4:58 AM EST

Italian police arrest nurse accused of faking shots for anti-vaxxers

Italian police have arrested a nurse accused of pretending to inject COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of anti-vaxxers so they could benefit from vaccination certificates.

Investigators used a hidden camera to capture the nurse working at a vaccination center in Palmero. A clip from the footage, released Saturday by Italy's State Police, purportedly shows the woman preparing a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and then emptying the syringe into a piece of gauze before pretending to inject it into an individual's arm. She faces charges of forgery and embezzlement, according to police.

Police said the woman also faked her own booster shot so she could continue working at the vaccination center, in coordination with another nurse who was arrested last December on similar charges. The other nurse is accused of faking COVID-19 vaccinations for 11 people, including a well-known leader of an anti-vaccine movement, according to police.

New restrictions came into force in Italy on Jan. 10, barring people who aren't fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from accessing restaurants, gyms, swimming pools, theaters, cinemas, sport events and public transport. Unvaccinated individuals who recently recovered from COVID-19 are exempt from the new rule, which will be in force until March 31. The measures were imposed amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections across the European country.

PHOTO: People gather for a demonstration at piazza San Giovanni in Rome, Italy, on Jan. 15, 2022, after new restrictions were imposed in the face of a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections.
People gather for a demonstration at piazza San Giovanni in Rome, Italy, on Jan. 15, 2022, after new restrictions were imposed in the face of a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections. New restrictions came into force in Italy on Jan. 10, 2022, barring the unvaccinated from restaurants, gyms, swimming pools, theaters, cinemas, sports events and public transport, with only those recently recovered from COVID-19 exempt.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

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