the risk associated with Omicron “very high”, according to the WHO

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New measures, new reports and highlights: Le Figaro takes stock of the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

Now in the majority in many countries, Omicron generated a record number of cases on Tuesday, December 28 in France and the United Kingdom. Deemed to be very risky by the WHO, the variant would be less visible on antigenic tests. Le Figaro takes stock of new information related to Covid-19.

  • The risk associated with Omicron “very high”, according to the WHO

The risk posed by the highly contagious variant of the Omicron coronavirus in the world remains “very high”, warned the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday in its weekly epidemiological bulletin. “Reliable evidence shows that the Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant with a doubling rate of two to three days”, notes the WHO, adding that a “rapid increase in the incidence of cases is observed in a number of countries“.

Read alsoCovid-19: does the Omicron variant justify wearing a mask outdoors?

  • New daily contamination records

France, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece on Tuesday recorded new records of daily cases of Covid-19, proof, according to the authorities, of the meteoric progression of the Omicron variant.

In France, nearly 180,000 cases have been identified in the last 24 hours. Daily record also in the United Kingdom, one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic, with nearly 130,000 contaminations in England and Wales.

In Greece, the number of cases more than doubled compared to Monday.

Read alsoCovid-19: Emmanuel Macron plays the balancing act against the Omicron surge

SEE ALSO – In this Parisian pharmacy, “200 to 250 tests” expected on New Year’s Eve, when their number is already exploding.

  • Antigenic tests less sensitive to Omicron

Antigenic screening tests for Covid-19, which have the advantage of delivering a result in just a few minutes, are less sensitive to the Omicron variant than to previous variants, US health authorities warned on Tuesday.

This means that these tests are more likely to indicate a negative result despite an infection if a person is infected with Omicron.

Read alsoOmicron variant: in France, the fear of a surge in January

  • Majority Omicron in Switzerland and the Netherlands

The Omicron variant has become dominant in Switzerland (around 55% of cases) and the Netherlands, authorities said on Tuesday, warning of an increase in hospital admissions.

  • South Africa: backpedaling at the end of the layout

South Africa, which announced last week the end of the tracing of contact cases of people who tested positive for Covid-19, reversed this decision on Tuesday, which sparked many reactions on the merits of such a withdrawal. .

Read alsoCovid-19: South Africa ends contact case tracing

  • Sharp increase in cases in Argentina

Argentina has experienced an acceleration of the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly 34,000 new contaminations in the past 24 hours, 10,000 more than the day before, six times more than a week ago, but the chief of the state has so far ruled out new restrictive measures.

  • Death of Grichka Bogdanoff

Cosmonaut outfits, controversial scientific works and faces of “extraterrestrials”: Grichka Bogdanoff, one of the star twins of the 80s and accustomed to TV shows, died Tuesday in Paris, at the age of 72, of the Covid- 19, against which he was not vaccinated.

Read also“Grichka Bogdanoff, an exquisite being, of a prodigious intelligence and a vast culture”

SEE ALSO – Grichka Bogdanoff, youngest of famous PAF twins, died of Covid-19

  • Mexico: a cruise ship finally authorized to disembark

Mexico said on Tuesday it would allow all cruise ships that “Ask to dock”, including the one refused by the authorities of the state of Jalisco (West) due to cases of covid-19 on board.

  • More than 5.4 million dead

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 5,404,577 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources, Tuesday at 11:00 GMT. In absolute terms, the United States is the most bereaved country with 820,679 dead, followed by Brazil (618,705), India (480,290) and Russia (306,090).

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.

SEE ALSO – Covid-19: “The key element remains vaccination”, according to Jean Castex

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