TOP HEADLINES

· People under the age of 30 in Germany should receive only the jab made by Pfizer, as per recommendation of the country's vaccine advisory committee. The committee, known as STIKO, said Pfizer has shown a lower rate of cases of heart inflammation in younger people than the Moderna jab. It also recommended pregnant women be given the Pfizer shot.

· Germany reported a new record number of new daily cases on Wednesday, with 39,676 reported in the previous 24 hours.

· Czechia has also reported a record number of daily infections on Wednesday, with 14,539 new cases. Prime Minister Andrej Babis's government has refused to impose a new lockdown despite the growing number of infections.

· And Greece joins Germany and Czechia in reporting its highest number of daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic. "We are facing a fourth wave," which "mainly concerns the unvaccinated," said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

The use of vaccine passports has been made mandatory in outdoor cafes and restaurants and indoor public spaces.

· Hungary also reported its highest number of daily infections since early April, with 8,434 new cases on Wednesday. The number of hospitalization has also been growing recently, as the country seems to be on the verge of experiencing a fresh wave of cases.

· Slovakia reported 7,055 new cases, a new record number of daily infections in the country.

· People aged over 65 in France will have to take a booster shot to keep their vaccine passports valid and "lead a normal life," in the words of President Emmanuel Macron. The vaccine passport is still required to access many places that represent ordinary life in France, including cafes and restaurants. "We have not finished with the pandemic," Macron said during a 27-minute speech. 

France is one of the countries with the highest level of immunization in Europe, with 69 percent of its population having received two shots of a vaccine. The new rule for over-65s will take effect on December 15.

· Children in elementary school in France will have to wear face masks in class starting next Monday, the country's education minister announced immediately after Macron's speech.

· Front-line health workers in England will have to be fully vaccinated by next spring, as a new announcement by the UK government declared. If they fail to do so by April 2022, they risk losing their jobs. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday that 90 percent of NHS staff are already fully vaccinated.

· Singapore has announced it will stop paying the cost of healthcare for patients who refuse to get vaccinated. With the exception of those who aren't eligible, the unvaccinated will be charged the cost of hospitalization from December 8. More than 80 percent of Singaporeans are vaccinated.

· Four lions at a Singapore zoo tested positive after three zookeepers were confirmed to be infected. The infected big cats have now been placed in isolation.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: German COVID-19 cases hit highest level of the pandemic

CGTN China: Chinese mainland records 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases

CGTN America: COVID cases soar in U.S. state Colorado, cause shortage in health care

CGTN Africa: Africa's COVID-19 infections cases near 8.53 million