In the United States, health officials report at least 297,099 new infections within 24 hours. That gives a Reuters count based on official data. At least 1,176 other people died with or from the coronavirus. The USA, where around 330 million people live, has the highest numbers of infections and deaths in the world. In total, more than 52.15 million cases of infection have been detected since the beginning of the pandemic, and at least 819 249 people have died. Omikron has already displaced Delta as the most common virus variant in the country.
In Russia, too, many people died again. Health officials recorded 981 more coronavirus-related deaths within 24 hours. In addition, 24,946 people have been shown to have been infected. (25.12.2021)
More than 4,500 flights canceled over the Christmas holidays
In view of the steep rise in Omicron infections, more than 4,500 flights have been canceled worldwide over the Christmas holidays. In addition, almost 10,000 started late on Friday. This is reported by the website FlightAware, which tracks flights worldwide.
The airlines are struggling to provide enough staff for their flights because so many crew members are currently calling in sick. “We are now looking from day to day,” said a United Airlines spokesman on Friday.
Lufthansa also canceled intercontinental flights shortly before Christmas because so many pilots had called in sick. A company spokesman said on Thursday that connections across the North Atlantic, for example to Boston, Houston and Washington, were particularly affected from December 23 to 26. It is in this traffic area that passengers can most easily be rebooked. A return flight to Japan has also been canceled. “We planned with a very large buffer. But that is not enough for the extremely high sickness rate,” said the spokesman. He did not want to speculate about a connection with the Omikron, since Lufthansa was not informed about the nature of the illnesses. (25.12.2021)
One in ten Londoners is probably infected with Corona
In London, one in ten people has contracted the corona virus. The latest daily estimate by the ONS national statistics office shows that around 9.5 percent of London’s residents were infected with the virus on Sunday. Estimates for England suggest that the spread of the virus has accelerated. According to this, one in 35 people was infected in the seven days from December 13 to 19. In the seven days leading up to December 16, it was one in 45 people.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson therefore called on his compatriots in his Christmas address to test themselves for the corona virus and get vaccinated before family get-togethers. “Although the time to buy presents is theoretically running out, there is still one wonderful thing you can give to your families and the whole country – and that is to get vaccinated,” said Johnson according to a speech in his address to the nation on Christmas Eve.
Despite a record number of new infections from the Omikron variant, there are no contact restrictions or other stricter measures in the UK over Christmas. In the hospitals in England, however, it is already becoming apparent that there is a risk of overload in the near future. Within a week, sickness reports related to Covid-19 in the English health service rose by almost 40 percent, like the one Guardian reported. The number of Covid patients in hospitals is increasing.
Johnson called for testing for the virus, especially before meeting with loved ones at risk. However, he believes that this Christmas will be “significantly better” than the last, said the conservative politician. In 2020, the government banned all celebrations shortly before the festival due to the emerging alpha variant. Johnson describes the vaccination as an “invisible gift of inestimable value”. It makes it possible for more celebrations to be possible again this year. (12/24/2021)
US agency reduces isolation time for health workers
Fearing that hospitals could become overburdened due to Omikron, the US health authorities have reduced the length of isolation for health workers after a corona infection. The CDC announced on Thursday that anyone who had a negative test and no symptoms could return to work after seven days. Typically, the CDC recommends ten days of isolation. The CDC defines isolation as the time after a confirmed infection.
“Our goal is to protect health workers and patients and to avoid excessive stress on our health facilities,” said CDC boss Rochelle Walensky. Healthcare workers who received all of the recommended corona vaccination doses would also not have to stay at home in quarantine after high-risk exposure. These guidelines only apply to health workers. Omikron is now dominant in the USA. The number of corona cases has recently skyrocketed. US President Joe Biden is primarily relying on armament for hospitals. (12/24/2021)
Australia reduced the interval for booster vaccinations
In Australia, the intervals between the second Covid vaccination and the booster will be shortened from the beginning of the year. Health Secretary Greg Hunt said on Friday that citizens should get their booster vaccination from January 4th just four months after the second vaccination. From the end of January, this interval is to be reduced to three months, as announced by the Immunization Advisory Commission. Currently, the booster can only be administered after five months. With these changes, the number of Australians who can claim a booster vaccination increases from the current 3.2 million to 7.5 million at the beginning of the year. With the further shortening of the interval at the end of January, this number rose to 16 million. (12/24/2021)
Sundance Festival in January requires booster vaccination for participants
The Sundance Film Festival in the US state of Utah has tightened the requirements because of the spread of the Omikron variant. Participants in the largest US film festival for independent productions must now show a booster vaccination, as the organizers announced on Thursday. Mask requirements and other hygiene rules also apply. Founded in the 1980s by Robert Redford, the festival is scheduled to take place from January 20th to 30th in the Park City winter sports region. Usually tens of thousands of film fans make the pilgrimage to the event in Utah, but due to the pandemic, the film festival was last moved to the Internet. In 2022, visitors to the planned hybrid event are expected again on site and online. (12/24/2021)
France and Italy report record numbers of infections
There are new records for the number of infections in France and Italy. Authorities recorded 91,608 new cases in France, the highest number since the pandemic began. “Today’s numbers are not good,” said Health Minister Olivier Veran, assuming that the numbers were slightly lower, but they were also at a high. There will probably be changes to the Corona regulations soon.
In Italy, the health authorities have also recorded a new high since the start of the pandemic, with around 44,600 new corona infections. Almost 170 people died with the virus, according to data from the Ministry of Health. The authorities last registered the highest number of new infections on November 13, 2020 at just under 41,000.
However, a lot more corona tests were done in the days before Christmas. According to the ministry, there were more than 900,000 on Thursday. The proportion of positive cases including fluctuated in the past seven days between 3.6 percent and 4.9 percent.
The Italian government is reacting to the high number of cases by tightening its measures. From February 1, 2022, the vaccination certificate will only be valid for six months instead of the previous nine months, said Health Minister Roberto Speranza. Proof is important for access to transportation or work. The booster vaccination could also be given after four months instead of the previous five.
According to Speranza, people across the country have to wear masks outdoors. In addition, an FFP-2 mask is mandatory in public transport, as well as in cinemas, theaters and football stadiums. The consumption of beverages and food is also prohibited there. Italy is introducing the 2G rule in museums and exhibitions. Only those who have been vaccinated or have recovered are allowed access. Outdoor parties are also prohibited until January 31, 2022. Discos that were previously open again in Italy will have to close.
The regulation for access to old people’s and nursing homes is also new. For this, people have to be boosted or have a negative test in addition to a double vaccination or proof of recovery.
The number of cases is also high in Spain. The seven-day incidence was given by the Ministry of Health in Madrid on Thursday evening as 563. That was almost 80 more than the day before. The incidence is now around twice as high as in Germany. However, since almost 80 percent of all citizens have received basic immunization through a double vaccination or, in the case of Johnson & Johnson, a single vaccination and the third vaccinations are also relatively advanced, the situation in the hospitals is even less dramatic than in Germany. The number of corona patients in intensive care units was given as 1515. They thus occupied a good 16 percent of the capacities in this area. However, the regional differences were great. While only a good two percent of the intensive care beds in Extremadura were occupied by corona patients, it was 32 percent in Catalonia. 82 more coronavirus-related deaths were registered within one day. (23.12.2021)
New high risk areas
In the latest listing by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the USA, Spain – including the Balearic and Canary Islands – Portugal, Cyprus and Finland are now listed as high-risk areas. In contrast, Austria, Bosnia and Serbia, among others, are no longer considered to be such.
Anyone who enters from a high-risk area and is not fully vaccinated or recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days and can only get rid of it with a negative test five days after arrival at the earliest. (23.12.2021)
Novovax is said to work well against Omikron
According to the manufacturer, the Novavax corona vaccine offers effective protection against the Omikron variant. The vaccine elicits an effective immune reaction against the variant, an additional booster vaccination increases the immune response, the company announced after the first data of an ongoing study on the effectiveness of the vaccine in adolescents and as a booster.
The vaccine was only recently approved by the EU. However, it may take weeks or months before the vaccine becomes widely available. Therefore, experts advise not to wait for Novavax. But to fall back on one of the available vaccines. (23.12.2021)