Disasters and accidents

• Late December 2021 Bahia floods
  • Flooding in the Bahia state of Northeast Brazil kills 18 people. (NBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala
        • The Indian state of Kerala imposes a nighttime curfew from December 30 to January 2 in order to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. (Khaleej Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
      • The Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, Israel, begins the world's first clinical trial of fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, involving 150 medical personnel, in order to determine if a fourth dose can provide extra immunity against COVID-19. (Voice of America)
      • The health ministry reduces the interval between the second dose and booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to three months, citing concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, COVID-19 drug development
      • South Korea authorizes the emergency use of the anti-viral oral drug Paxlovid manufactured by Pfizer for high-risk patients over the age of 12 years, becoming the first drug to be approved for use in the country. (Yonhap News Agency)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The Ministry of Health and Prevention approves the emergency use of Sinopharm's new recombinant protein vaccine. (Khaleej Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
      • COVID-19 drug development
        • Swissmedic approves the use of the monoclonal antibody cocktail Ronapreve developed by Roche and Regeneron to treat severe COVID-19 patients. (Swissinfo)
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland
        • Swissmedic approves the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for people over the age of 18 years, which can be administered two months after the first dose, or six months after a person receives mixed vaccinations with mRNA-based vaccines. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France
      • French prime minister Jean Castex announces that, for the next three weeks, all public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people indoors and 5,000 people outdoors. Work from home will be mandated where possible, and outdoor mask wearing will be mandatory in city centres. The interval between the second dose and the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will also be reduced to three months in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • The Greek government announces new restrictions that will be in effect from January 3 until at least January 16, which include mandatory high-protection or double mask wearing in supermarkets and on public transport, closure of entertainment and hospitality venues at midnight, reinstating work from home policies for up to 50% of employees, and reducing the capacity of sports stadiums to 10%. This comes after the country reported a record 9,284 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Kathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland
      • Iceland reports a record 672 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Mint)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales
      • New South Wales reports Australia's first confirmed death from the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a fully vaccinated man in his 80s who had experienced breakthrough infections and also had underlying health conditions. (The Hill)
      • Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital incorrectly issues premature negative COVID-19 test results to 1,395 people who had actually tested positive in the past 48 hours. (ABC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia
      • South Australia reports a record 842 new cases in the past 24 hours. The state also reports their first death from COVID-19 since April 2020 in a 92-year-old woman. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • Canada surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (CTV News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay
    • Paraguay reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in three people who travelled outside the country earlier this month. (Reuters)
• 2020–2021 H5N8 outbreak
  • A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel kills at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forces farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens in what authorities say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history. (The Washington Post)