News Wrap: New COVID-19 cases top 9.5 million globally with a majority caused by omicron

Read the Full Transcript

• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: COVID-19 caused a record 9.5 million new infections worldwide over the past week, nearly all involving the Omicron variant. That was up 70 percent in just seven days.

  Overall, the number of deaths is going down, but the World Health Organization warned today that does not mean Omicron is mild.

• Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, World Health Organization:

  Omicron is not the common cold. It can still cause severe disease, particularly among people who are not vaccinated, but, of course, people of older age, people with underlying conditions.

  And we're just starting to do analyses on the data coming in from countries and seeing data from countries that exhibit this.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service asked for a 120-day delay of the federal vaccine mandate for large employers. The agency warned of potentially catastrophic effects on service.

  And New Orleans kicked off Carnival season amid another COVID surge. It culminates March 1 with Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday.

  In Kazakstan, new violence erupted, with police killing dozens of rioters. They said 18 security troops died as well. Street battles continued for a second day in Almaty, the largest city in the Central Asian country.

  Russia and allied states sent in troops at the Kazakh president's request. The United Nations warned against a hard-line response.

  Stephane Dujarric, Office of the U.N. Secretary-General: I think, for us, the important thing is that security forces, whether they are Kazakh or whether they're non-Kazakh troops, need to uphold the same human rights standards, which is to show restraint.

• Judy Woodruff:

  The unrest began after a spike in fuel prices, and has escalated into a nationwide uprising.

  Thousands of Iranians turned out today for mass funerals of 250 victims of the Iran-Iraq War. In Tehran, mourners in black poured into the streets to follow the coffins. The remains were recovered on former battlefields of the 1980s conflict. The funerals showcased the power of hard-liners, as Iran presses demands at nuclear talks in Vienna.

  Back in this country, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Michael Carvajal, is resigning. His two-year tenure saw the rampant spread of COVID through federal prisons and allegations of misconduct by staffers, including sexual abuse of inmates.

  On Wall Street today, stocks struggled again to make any headway. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 170 points to close at 36236. The Nasdaq fell 19 points. The S&P 500 slipped four.

  And Hollywood director Peter Bogdanovich died early today at his home in Los Angeles. He gained fame with 1971's "The Last Picture Show," earning eight Oscar nominations. Two years later, he directed "Paper Moon," which won an Oscar for 10-year-old Tatum O'Neal. He also had acting roles in several TV series, including "The Sopranos."

  Peter Bogdanovich was 82 years old.

Improved audio player available on our mobile page