Status: December 28, 2021 8:47 p.m.
How the corona situation is in Germany is difficult to assess due to reporting delays. However, a look at other European countries does not bode well: In many countries there are more new infections than ever before.
In France, the number of new corona infections has been increasing significantly for days. While more than 100,000 new cases were reported for the first time on Christmas Day, the authorities now registered 179,807 new infections within one day. The role of the highly contagious Omikron variant cannot yet be fully assessed.
In view of the significantly increasing number of cases, the French government had on Monday once again tightened their corona measures significantly. The aim is to prevent an overload of the health system and a serious disruption to the economy.
New high in the UK
The UK has also set a new high in new infections with more than 129,000 cases. Authorities reported 129,471 new infections in England and Wales within 24 hours. The number of deaths rose 18 to a total of 148,021. The figures from Northern Ireland and Scotland were not yet available due to delays in sending data over the holidays. The Scottish authorities only reported a preliminary record of 9,360 new infections.
In the UK, where each region is responsible for its own health policy, the highly contagious omicron variant of the virus is spreading rapidly. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have therefore tightened the corona measures after Christmas. The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which is responsible for England, has so far rejected this.
Numbers doubled in Italy
Italy has also seen a surge in the number of corona cases. The Ministry of Health reported more than 78,300 new infections within one day. That is far more than twice as many as the day before. In addition, around 200 other people died in connection with the virus.
The Mediterranean country registered a new high since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, according to experts, the Omikron variant is currently spreading rapidly there too.
Greece reports a new high
New highs are also reported from Greece. The health authority registered a total of 21,657 new corona infections in the past 24 hours. That is more than twice as much as the day before and a new negative record since the beginning of the pandemic. So far, the number of new infections in the country with its around eleven million inhabitants has been 3000 to 5000 cases every day.
The experts attribute the sudden increase to the Omikron variant, which is particularly common in Athens. The authorities registered a good half of the new infections in the metropolitan area of the capital, around 70 percent are omicrons, according to state television.
Also many new infections in Spain
In Spain, more new infections were registered within a day than ever since the beginning of the pandemic. Health officials recently reported 214,619 new cases. The Omikron variant is primarily responsible for the explosive increase. However, the number of infected patients requiring hospital treatment is relatively fewer than in previous outbreaks.
A significant increase in new infections has also been reported from other European countries. The figures are difficult to compare, however, as there may be regional reporting delays due to public holidays.