Graffiti in Berlin. Germany closes clubs and stadiums after Christmas. While some countries are afraid of a new powerful wave of diseases that the “Omikron” variant may bring, others are reluctant to sacrifice their economy and Christmas again, and are relying on accelerated mass vaccination. The main news about the coronavirus pandemic worldwide as of December 22 is summarized by the Russian branch of the BBC.
Some studies show that Omicron is less likely to lead to a severe form of COVID-19 than previous variants. However, scientists still lack the data to speak confidently about it, and experts and politicians fear that due to the increased infectivity of “Omicron”, the number of simultaneous illnesses, especially severe ones, will eventually be so large that hospitals will not be able to cope with the influx.
The British Prime Minister promises that there will be nothing like a lockdown for Christmas. But after that – it is not excluded. The number of COVID-19 infections in the UK has exceeded 100,000 in a single day. Despite a record number of people being vaccinated with a third dose of the vaccine – more than 6.1 million doses have been administered in the past week alone – 106,122 new infections have been recorded each day since December 22. The number of deaths within 28 days of infection was 140 on Wednesday.
At the same time, those infected with COVID-19 in England have been allowed to end self-isolation on day seven instead of day ten, provided they test negative on days six and seven of illness. Government advisers on vaccination have recommended that at-risk children between the ages of 5 and 11 should receive a low-dose vaccine, while teenagers aged 16 to 17 should receive a booster dose. The recommendations from scientific experts still have to be approved by ministers in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, but this is usually a formal process. However, the authorities have decided not to impose a lockdown over Christmas, although Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out new restrictions after the holiday, and Deputy Health Minister Gillian Keegan told Sky News on Wednesday that the government would have no hesitation in imposing restrictions if the situation required it. On Wednesday, the UK announced the purchase of 4.25 million full courses of the latest antiviral drugs Molnupiravir and Paxlovid from American companies Merck and Pfizer.
Nightclubs will be closed in Northern Ireland from December 26, but at least the people will have time to have fun at Christmas. The Northern Ireland government, which has autonomy to decide on the introduction or lifting of restrictive measures during the pandemic, decided after four hours of discussions that from 6 a.m. on December 26, all nightclubs and establishments where people do not sit at tables will be closed. Dances and discos will also be cancelled, except for wedding dances. As of December 27, visitors will only be served at tables in cafes, bars and restaurants, and groups cannot exceed six people. An exception will be made for weddings. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the daily number of infections has reached a record 3231 people. As in many other places, the “omicron” variant is already dominant in Northern Ireland, accounting for nearly 60% of all COVID-19 infections.
We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The Episodes End of story. Podcast advertising. Salim Abdul Karim, South Africa’s chief specialist in infectious diseases, is convinced that the country’s infection rate has peaked and will soon be followed by almost all other countries. Today, the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases released a report confirming earlier findings that Omicron” is less likely to cause hospitalization or serious complications compared to other types of coronavirus. According to Karim, the rapid increase in the infection rate and the milder form in which “Omicron” is transmitted may be related to the characteristics of South Africa, specifically the fact that over 70% of South Africans have already had some form of coronavirus and the population has developed immunity. As recently as a week ago, the number of new Omicron infections in South Africa was rising rapidly, and there were huge queues of people waiting to be tested at medical centers. Since the beginning of the week, the situation has begun to normalize, but the United States and many other countries that have imposed travel restrictions on citizens from South Africa and neighboring countries are in no hurry to lift them.
Germany is once again closing nightclubs from December 28, instructing citizens not to gather in groups of more than ten people, and denying football fans access to matches. “The coronavirus does not go on Christmas holidays. We cannot close our eyes to the next wave that is beginning to hit us,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the eve of the holiday. Portugal will close nightclubs and bars as of December 26, and like Germany, will ban gatherings of more than ten people at home and reintroduce mandatory home-based work. Finland has ordered bars and restaurants to stop serving alcohol from 9 pm on Christmas Eve and close by 10 pm. From December 28, alcohol can only be sold until 5 p.m., and bars must close by 6 p.m., while restaurants must close by 8 p.m. The number of visitors will also be limited: bars can only fill 50% of their capacity, while restaurants can fill up to 75%. In addition, the Finnish government has reintroduced mandatory tests for arrivals from Schengen countries. South Korea reintroduced COVID restrictions – reduced operating hours for bars, restaurants, and movie theaters, and a ban on gatherings of more than four people – last Saturday. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-geum announced that the country would double the number of hospital beds – to ten thousand by mid-January – and that some hospitals would switch entirely to treating COVID patients. French Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Wednesday that the government was not currently planning to impose new restrictions or extend school vacations, but did not rule anything out in the future. France has already closed nightclubs and canceled mass gatherings and fireworks for the New Year. According to Veran, the rapid spread of the “Omicron” variant could lead to 100,000 new infections per day in France in the near future (84,000 on Wednesday). The French government hopes to mitigate the consequences by speeding up the administration of the third dose of the vaccine – the booster. Currently, about 20 million of the country’s 65.5 million people have received it, and according to Veran, that number will reach 22-23 million by Christmas. “The goal is not to slow the spread of the virus; this strain is too contagious. The goal is to reduce the risk of hospitals being overwhelmed by severe patients,” Veran said during an appearance on BFM TV.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes that a third vaccine will prevent the need for strict lockdowns at this time. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday announced new funding for the vaccination program and called on states to reopen vaccination centers that were closed after the country reached an 80% vaccination rate for fully vaccinated adults. The Prime Minister also promised that there would be no new strict lockdown in Australia. Over the past day, 5000 new infections have been reported in Australia, a record for the entire duration of the pandemic.