The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is becoming increasingly popular in the United Kingdom, where 1,239 new cases are reported, almost double compared to yesterday’s 633 and where, for the first time, hospitalizations related to the new and more contagious mutation of the virus are reported. Most of those infected with Omicron are in England (1,196 new ones for a total of 2,953).
In the United Kingdom, therefore, the Covid alert level rises from 3 to 4. And the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will give a televised speech to the nation at 21 Italian time. Johnson will talk about third doses of the vaccine as concern over the Omicron variant grows.
In Scotland there are 38 new infections (159 in all) while there are no new ones in Wales (15 current ones). There are 5 new cases in Northern Ireland (10 in total). The news of the first hospitalizations was given by the education minister, Nadhim Zahawi, while Susan Hopkins, chief medical consultant of the United Kingdom Health Safety Agency, says that hospitals are “diagnosing Omicron in an increasing number of people. entering the emergency room “.
Britain has been struggling with tens of thousands of daily infections from Covid for months, and the spread of Omicron risks further complicating the management of the pandemic. A situation that according to experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine requires new and tougher restrictions, the so-called ‘plan C’, an eventuality that the government of Boris Johnson has so far ruled out.
This while Plan B – measures that are not particularly strict to limit infections – goes to the Westminster vote, before coming into force next Tuesday. Yesterday, the Health Security Agency had already warned that, in the absence of a more rigorous containment strategy, the deaths from Covid in the next 5 months could be as much as 75,000.
But Omicron – whose danger has yet to be ascertained – worries the whole world, not just the UK.
In Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett defended the choice to close national borders, inviting compatriots to vaccinate without hesitation: the ‘booster’ in fact, seems to be effective even against the mutation, Israeli scientists have indicated. The closure of the Israeli borders – in force at least until the 22nd – has however provoked criticism from the Custos of the Holy Land Father Francesco Patton, for whom “the ban on entry for foreigners to Israel entails cutting all Catholic pilgrims in the world out of the country. on the occasion of Christmas “.
In Turkey Meanwhile, the first six cases of Omicron are recorded, while Austria, in contrast to the decrease in infections, puts an end to the restrictions imposed three weeks ago also on people vaccinated in most of the country to fight the increase in coronavirus infections. But only the vaccinated will regain their freedom: those who do not get vaccinated will continue to be subjected to a severe lockdown, in view of the vaccination obligation for all that will start in February.
Also in Belgium the new daily cases appear to be slowing down: they return to below 15,000 in the week from 2 to 8 December, a drop of 17% compared to the previous one. Hospitalizations also fell, but the positive rate on the number of swabs performed remained unchanged, at 16.6%. On the other side of the world, Brazil is instead running for cover against Omicron: a judge of the country’s Supreme Court has imposed on anyone entering the country from abroad a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19: a decision that overturns the previous ones rules of the national health agency.
In Germany, in the last 24 hours, 53,697 infections and 510 deaths from covid-19 have been recorded. This was reported by the Robert Koch Institute (Rki). The weekly incidence remains high, with 402.9 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, but there is a decrease compared to last week when it stood at around 450 cases. The infections since the beginning of the pandemic are now close to 6.5 million cases: at the moment there are a total of 6,477,217. Deaths reached 105,506, making Germany the third EU country for the number of covid deaths after Italy and France where yesterday there were 53,720 new cases of Covid in the last 24 hours and 66 deaths. The number of cases is slightly lower than that recorded on Friday, which was over 55 thousand. In hospitals there are 13,855 hospitalized for Covid, with a 30% increase compared to last week’s hospitalizations. The French health authorities have also approved the use of a monoclonal antibody-based treatment made by AstraZeneca for high-risk people who show resistance to coronavirus vaccines. The French independent public health organization has announced its green light for the preventive use of ‘Evusheld’ “for patients at very high risk of contracting a severe form of Covid-19”. The Evusheld treatment, developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, has already received authorization for emergency use in the United States for adults and children 12 years of age and older this week, while the French authorization is only valid for adults. Made up of a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, it is administered in two injections. Unlike most other Covid treatments, which are given to patients already hospitalized to prevent serious illness, Evusheld is intended for healthy people who are feared not having an adequate immune response to the virus. During clinical studies, cardiovascular risks have emerged among the contraindications that advise against its use in cases with two or more risk factors such as diabetes and obesity.
In Mexico In the last 24 hours, 2,655 new positive cases of Covid 19 and 235 deaths have been recorded. This is what the Mexican health ministry has announced. The total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic is 296,620, while the total cases are 3,917,361. With these figures, Mexico remains the country with the fourth largest number of deaths from Covid-19, behind the United States, Brazil and India, and the fifteenth largest number of confirmed infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
Meanwhile in the use the Omicron variant is frightening, but it is the Delta that is leading the country towards a “holiday crisis”, as has been defined by the experts, given the increase in infections and hospitalizations, in a period of holidays. The situation is particularly worrying in the Northeast States. In 12 states and in the capital Washington, the average daily hospitalization in one week increased by at least 50% compared to two weeks earlier, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
In some states in the Midwest and Northeast, the growth in the number of hospitalizations is following last year’s trend. In New Jersey, the average day-to-day hospitalization in one week increased 78% from two weeks earlier.
On Wednesday, Illinois recorded 3,178 hospitalizations for Covid, the highest number since January. In the last day, about 117,000 new cases were recorded in the United States. Just over 200 million people in the United States have completed the primary vaccination course, or 60.4% of the entire population, with about 49 million people also receiving the booster dose, according to data from the Centers for Health. disease control and prevention (CDC). According to data from the CDC, for unvaccinated people the risk of dying from Covid-19 is about 14 times higher than for vaccinated people. President Joe Biden continues to ask citizens to get vaccinated, but his plan risks colliding with the reluctance of many; furthermore, the vaccination obligation imposed on employees of large private companies has been blocked in court. Vaccinating children between the ages of 5 and 11 is also slow, despite the high availability of doses: Of the 28 million children who could get vaccinated, only five million have received at least one dose, according to federal data. According to data from the CDC, in total, almost 50 million cases of Covid-19 have been registered in the country and just under 800,000 deaths.
The situation of the state of Michigan overwhelmed by a new wave of Covid-19 is worrying: deaths and hospitalizations, as the CNN clarifies. “We have more patients than we have ever had at any one time and we are seeing more people dying at a rate never seen before,” Jim Dover, president and chief executive of the hospital for the Sparrow Health System, which runs the hospital, told broadcaster. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
According to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, hospitalizations for Covid-19 have increased 88% in the past month. “We have had about 289 deaths since January; 75% are unvaccinated people, ”Dover explained.
“And the very few (vaccinated people) who died were all more than 6 months after the injection. So we didn’t have a single person with a booster vaccination that died from Covid, ”he pointed out. Nationwide, it’s not that much better: hospitalizations for Covid-19 have increased 40% from a month ago, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The next few weeks are looking difficult. We currently have over 100% capacity, ”Dover said. “Most hospitals and health systems in the state of Michigan have switched to code red triage, which means they won’t accept transfers. We are already reducing ordinary interventions and expanding the intensive care unit ».
Yesterday in China continental 49 new cases of Covid-19 with local transmission have been reported. This was announced today by the National Health Commission in the usual daily bulletin. A new suspected case from outside was also reported in Shanghai. No further disease-related deaths emerged. The total number of confirmed infections in mainland China on 11 December reached 99,679, with 1,323 patients still in therapy, 28 of whom are in serious condition. The total number of people discharged from hospitals following recovery instead amounts to 93,720 while 4,636 people have lost their lives due to consequences due to the virus. In addition, 20 new asymptomatics emerged yesterday, 10 of which were imported.
Zhejiang province in eastern China has recorded 138 confirmed cases of Covid-19 transmitted locally and an asymptomatic carrier between December 5 and 3pm today, as part of the latest outbreak of the virus. Of the total, 44 cases were reported in Ningbo, 77 cases and an asymptomatic carrier in Shaoxing, and 17 cases in the provincial capital of Hangzhou, the provincial government said today during a press conference. Genome-wide sequencing and analysis found that cases in the three cities were caused by the Delta AY.4 variant, which is more contagious and carries a higher viral load than the original new coronavirus, according to a center official. Zhejiang Provincial for Disease Control and Prevention. Local authorities have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and travel outside the province to prevent the virus from spreading further.
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