Coronavirus: future German minister recommends avoiding Christmas trips - ISTOÉ MONEY

The future German Transport Minister, appointed to the new government of the next chancellor Olaf Scholz, Volker Wissing, told the newspaper this Sunday, 5th. Bild am Sonntag that, “in the current situation, it seems to be wiser to spend Christmas with a small group at home and not plan large trips across the country”. “The winter of 2021 will be more dramatic than the winter of 2020,” he continued, reports the Associated Press. Scholz and his team are expected to take over the country’s administration on Wednesday, pending the signing of a coalition agreement and the support of a parliamentary majority for Scholz.

German federal and state leaders announced on Thursday, new restrictions mainly for unvaccinated people, such as a ban on entering shops, restaurants and sporting and cultural sites considered non-essential. Parliament is also considering establishing a general mandate for vaccination. Around 68.9% of Germans are fully vaccinated against covid-19, below the government’s target of at least 75%. The deficit was considered a key factor in the increase in new cases in recent weeks. On Sunday, the German national center for disease control reported 42,055 new cases. Another 94 deaths within 24 hours brought the total confirmed in Germany during the pandemic to 103,040.

In Japan, Kyodo News reported that the government will try to reduce the interval between the second and third doses of the vaccine, “whenever possible”, according to a statement on Sunday by the chief cabinet secretary of the Seiji Kihara government. in an interview with a Fuji TV show. The country’s administration had initially established a period of at least eight months after the second dose for the booster dose; then shortened the period to six months in exceptional cases. Later, it revised the policy to “eight months in principle”, creating confusion in local governments.

Kihara said the Japanese government is working with local governments to shorten the interval to at least six months, “on the basis of their capacity”, with a view to the prospect of approving Moderna’s vaccine for use as a booster. Japan last Wednesday began administering third doses of the immunizer from Pfizer and BioNTech to health professionals who received the second dose eight months or more ago. Pfizer’s vaccine is currently the only one approved in Japan for booster.

South Korea on Sunday reported three more cases of the Ômicron coronavirus variant, bringing the confirmed total to 12, according to the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA), reports Reuters. On Saturday 4, 5,128 new cases of covid-19 were reported. The country has a total of 473,034 cases and 3,852 deaths. Starting this Monday, 6, people visiting 14 designated public spaces, including places of entertainment, will have to show proof of vaccination, while the government defines a plan to reduce the risk of community spread.

In the United States, ten people aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel approaching New Orleans tested positive for covid-19, authorities reported Saturday night. The Associated Press reported, based on a statement from the Louisiana Department of Health, that the ship departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and will return this weekend. Last week, the vessel made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico, with more than 3,200 people on board. According to the statement, Norwegian “has adhered to appropriate quarantine and isolation protocols, as new cases and exposures have been identified on board the ship.” Before disembarking in New Orleans, each person will be tested and those who test positive will either go directly home or retreat to accommodations provided by the cruise company.