Headlines WHO official posits that Omicron's spread could mark a new, more stable phase (New York Times) In a statement today, Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO's top official in Europe, said that the spread of Omicron could help bring about a new phase in the pandemic—and potentially some stabilization and normalization in the coming months, thanks to a combination of vaccines and natural immunity. That said, he and other officials have cautioned against complacency. The head of the WHO said in a meeting today that "it's dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant or that we are in the endgame." The Beijing Olympic Committee lowers the threshold for a negative PCR test (CBC) Yesterday, Chinese authorities and the Beijing Olympic Committee announced that they're lowering the threshold for a negative PCR test for Olympians. Now the required "cycle threshold value"—the number of cycles required for a PCR test to detect the virus—will be 35 instead of 40, which will make it easier for participants to test negative, especially if they have previously been infected. The change is effective immediately. Officials also said yesterday that there have been 72 confirmed positive cases so far among people who have arrived for the Games, though none of them are athletes. Europeans take to the streets to protest vaccine mandates and other policies (Deutsche Welle) Last weekend, thousands gathered across Germany to protest vaccinations and other public health restrictions. Cases in the country recently hit a record high. People took to the streets elsewhere in Europe as well, including in Italy, which just made vaccines mandatory for people over 50, and in Austria and France, where lawmakers are weighing vaccine mandates and tighter rules for people who haven't gotten their shots. | 
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