What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Though Australia's states and territories are refraining from a return to the lockdowns which have defined the country's pandemic response, the most populous state, New South Wales, extended a mask mandate by a month, an example of the continuous disruption brought by the virus. About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Pfizer and BioNTech launch trial of Omicron-targeted vaccine

Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen. The companies plan to test the immune response generated by the Omicron-based vaccine both as a three-shot regimen in unvaccinated people and as a booster shot for people who already received two doses of their original vaccine.

South Korea's daily infections top 8,000 South Korea's daily new coronavirus infections topped 8,000 for the first time on Tuesday, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, despite the extension of tough social distancing rules.

The figure of 8,571 on Monday exceeded the previous peak of 7,848 in December, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, as Omicron became dominant in the country last week, though it is less deadly than previous variants. Japan doubles areas under COVID curbs

Japan expanded regions subject to tighter coronavirus curbs to cover 70% of the country on Tuesday, as the government tried to counter a record wave of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. The measures, already in force in 16 prefectures, will take effect in a further 18 including the western prefectures of Kyoto and Osaka and remain in place until the middle of next month.

'Solemn' Hong Kong leader ditches mask Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday defended herself against criticism for not wearing a mask at news conferences, saying it was so people could see how "solemn" she was when talking about the coronavirus.

The Chinese-ruled city reported 124 new infections on Tuesday, in stark contrast with many other places reporting tens or hundreds of thousands. Of the 500-plus people in hospital with COVID-19, none was experiencing severe symptoms. Australia marks two years since first COVID case

Australia on Tuesday recorded one of its highest number of deaths in a day from COVID-19 as an outbreak of the Omicron variant tore through the country which marked two years since its first infection of the coronavirus. Though Australia's states and territories are refraining from a return to the lockdowns which have defined the country's pandemic response, the most populous state, New South Wales, extended a mask mandate by a month, an example of the continuous disruption brought by the virus.

About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday. New York judge strikes down state mask mandate

A New York judge struck down the state's mask mandate on Monday, one week before it was due to expire, ruling the governor overstepped her authority in imposing a rule that needed to have been passed by the state legislature. The requirements in New York state, home to around 20 million people, include wearing masks in schools, on public transit and other public indoor spaces.

(Compiled by Linda Noakes)