China added Japan to South Korea and stopped issuing visas for visitors from both countries on Tuesday in apparent retaliation for COVID testing measures imposed on travelers from China, the Associated Press reported. China had warned it would take action against those who mandate testing for its citizens, who are now free to travel after the government lifted strict restrictions on movement last month, creating a wave of new cases. At least 10 countries in Europe, North America and Asia have done so recently, with officials expressing concern about a lack of information about the Chinese outbreak and the potential for new virus variants to emerge.
In the U.S., the seven-day average of new cases stood at 63,982 on Tuesday, according to a New York Times tracker. That’s down 4% from two weeks ago and below the recent peak of 70,508 on Christmas Eve. The daily average for hospitalizations was up 15% at 46,900. The average for deaths was 580, up 50% from two weeks ago. The global tally of confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 665.3 million on Wednesday, while the death toll rose above 6.7 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. leads the world with 101.3 million cases and 1,097,660 fatalities.
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