Passengers at Duesseldorf airport, Germnay (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The number of new infections surged again as Germany has relaxed almost all COVID-19 measures. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that a new wave of infections is expected this summer and currently two sub-variants of Omicron, BA.5 and BA.4, are spreading widely in Germany.

In the Netherlands, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased 64% last week. The National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) said that 15,500 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across the country over the past 7 days. Experts believe that the sharp increase can be attributed to Omicron's BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been re-surging in Beijing, China, a few days after the city announced a gradual reopen of public places. Beijing health officials said that the infection originated from a bar on one of the busy streets in the city center. In four days, Beijing reported 166 cases of infection derived from this location and spread to 14 of the city's 16 districts.