The world began ushering in 2022 on Friday after another tumultuous and pandemic-ridden year capped by new restrictions, soaring case numbers, and a slight glimmer of hope for better times ahead.
More than 5.4 million people have died since the coronavirus was first reported in central China in December 2019.
In Kenya, Christians gathered in churches for overnight thanksgiving prayers.
New Zealand was one of the first places to celebrate the new year with a low-key lights display projected onto Auckland landmarks, including the Sky Tower and Harbour Bridge, replacing the traditional fireworks show.
In many places, New Year’s Eve celebrations were muted or canceled for the second straight year due to a surge of coronavirus infections, this time is driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Neighbouring Australia, however, went ahead with its celebrations despite an explosion in virus cases.
But so far, at least, the Omicron surge hasn’t resulted in the same levels of hospitalizations and deaths as previous outbreaks — especially among vaccinated people — offering a glimmer of hope for 2022.
