This article documents the chronology of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this pandemic began in December 2019.
The World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NVX-CoV2373, expanding the basket of WHO-validated vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[1]
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged people to cancel their holiday plans and remain at home for the Christmas holidays in order to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.[2]
Mayor of New York CityBill de Blasio has announced that all private employers in the city will be required to ensure that their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 by 27 December 2021.[3]
Reactions and measures in the Eastern Mediterranean
German ChancellorAngela Merkel and Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz have announced that German federal and state governments will impose various restrictions limiting most businesses and public venues to the vaccinated or recovered individuals, capacity limits at sports venues, and mask requirements at schools. In addition, the Bundestag will vote on legislation to introduce mandatory vaccination.[4][5]
Germany has restricted travel from the United Kingdom, limiting entry to German nationals and UK residents residing in Germany. Denmark, France, Norway and Lebanon have also been added to Germany's "high risk list," restricting travel from those countries.[12]
Reactions and measures in South, East and Southeast Asia
Singapore's Health Sciences Authority approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 with the first shots to be given by the end of the year, making Pfizer-BioNTech the first allowed for children. The use of booster shots is extended to individuals above 18 years of age starting from 14 December, with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine approved for full registration.[13]
The Malaysian Government has reinstated several COVID-19 restrictions including banning mass gatherings and requiring booster doses for high-risk groups in response to the country's second case of the Omicron variant.[14]
The Malaysian Government has lifted a travel ban on travelers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia. The Government has also reduced the interval between primary and booster shots to three months.[16]
