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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
People wearing face masks walk in Nantes amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, December 9, 2021. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
There is a "very high" risk the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will become dominant in Europe by early next year and lead to a growing number of hospital admissions and deaths, the European Union's public health body said on Wednesday.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a report that the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) was likely to overtake Delta within the first two months of 2022.
ECDC said data was not yet sufficient to assess the severity of disease caused by the Omicron variant. However, even if the severity of COVID-19 it caused was lower than that caused by Delta, the increased transmissibility would rapidly outweigh any potential benefits.
"It is therefore considered very likely that the Omicron VOC will cause additional hospitalisations and fatalities, in addition to those already expected in previous forecasts that only take into account the Delta VOC," ECDC said.
The ECDC said that, without further measures to reduce social contact or increased booster vaccinations, the levels of transmission could overwhelm healthcare systems.
European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said EU countries should immediately plan for increased health care capacity.
"As Europeans we prepare for the end of the year festivities, we cannot throw caution to the wind," she said in a statement.
ECDC said booster doses would increase protection, according to current evidence, with a higher impact if doses were given to the adult population within a short interval.
Kyriakides said the coming months would be difficult, with Omicron likely to come in a big wave, but with boosters as a "wave-breaker".
Over 66% of Europeans have received initial vaccinations, but Kyriakides said it was "very worrying" that some countries were lagging, such as Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia with uptake below 50%.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/omicron-likely-be-europes-dominant-variant-early-2022-ecdc-2021-12-15/
By Renju Jose
Patrons dine-in at a bar by the harbour in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) regulations easing, following an extended lockdown to curb an outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Australian state leaders must not "panic and overreact" to predicted outbreaks of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Thursday, as some states ease curbs despite rising cases.
New South Wales and Victoria, home to more than half of Australia's near 26 million people, on Wednesday rolled back most tough restrictions, including for the unvaccinated, as double-dose vaccination levels in people above 16 topped 90%.
More relaxations have come as New South Wales, home to Sydney, on Thursday reported its biggest caseload since the pandemic began. The state reported 1,742 new cases, eclipsing a rise of 420 just a week ago. A total of 1,622 new infections have been logged in Victoria, its biggest in nearly seven weeks.
Amid a surge in cases as social distancing rules ease, Frydenberg urged state leaders to "not panic."
"Don't overreact, show compassion and common sense. Understand that we need to live with the virus ... (No one) wants to go back to lockdowns," Frydenberg told Seven News, as he looks to deliver the mid-year budget review later on Thursday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging people to focus less on case numbers and more on hospitalisation rates, which are still low, although some experts have called for restrictions to be tightened to stop the spread of the Omicron strain.
"There is nowhere else in the world that has decided to say we have this new variant coming that seems to spread much faster, so let us relax restrictions," epidemiologist Nancy Baxter told broadcaster ABC.
Authorities have warned daily infections could rise to 25,000 in New South Wales by the end of January as Omicron infections creep up. read more
Australia, which has so far recorded about 239,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,126 deaths, cut the waiting time for booster shots after detecting Omicron cases more than two weeks ago.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-states-told-not-overreact-amid-omicron-scare-2021-12-15/
By Anna Mehler Paperny and Steve Scherer
A United States-bound passenger walks in Toronto Pearson Airport's Terminal 3, days before new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing protocols to enter the U.S. come into effect, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Chris Helgren
Canada's government implored residents on Wednesday not to leave the country as provinces ramp up vaccinations to combat the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, even as efforts to head off a COVID-19 wave are complicated by public fatigue over the pandemic.
COVID-19 case numbers are increasing, with the national seven-day average of new cases at its highest point since Oct. 1, as Canadian hospitals struggle to clear backlogs from months of postponed procedures. Many exhausted staff members appear ill-equipped for another surge in infections.
"I say very clearly: Now is not the time to travel," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a news conference, adding it is clear there is community transmission of Omicron in Canada.
"I understand this sucks," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters as he urged Canadians to follow public health advice and "be careful during this holiday season. Get your kids their shots."
Children aged 5 to 11 had the highest infection rate of any age group in Ontario for the two weeks ended Tuesday.
Ontario will start offering a third shot of the vaccine to everyone over age 18 this week, while shortening the required gap between second and third doses to three months from six.
The province, Canada's most-populous, is also reducing capacity by half at indoor events with a capacity of at least 1,000, including sports activities, concerts and commercial film and television production.
Canada has banned travel from 10 African countries because of concerns about the new variant.
The federal government advised residents in March 2020 not to travel abroad unless necessary. It withdrew the notice this past October - before the first Omicron cases were reported - citing the success of vaccination campaigns.
Peter Juni, director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, urged people to take precautions, get vaccinated and not take Omicron lightly.
"What really worries me is that people are asleep at the steering wheel, internationally," he said. "They have wishful thinking it will be mild. ... This is not a realistic attitude."
Scientists suspect Omicron is more transmissible given its rapid spread, although they caution it is too early to draw conclusions about its severity. read more
'MASSIVE VULNERABILITY'
There is "massive vulnerability" in Canada's healthcare systems, said Andrew Morris, an infectious disease doctor in Toronto, who added it is "highly likely" they will be overwhelmed.
In Alberta, a western Canadian province that experienced a punishing fourth wave, Dr. Christopher Doig's ICU in Calgary still has COVID-19 patients, some of whom have been there for weeks. It is still operating at about 110% capacity, he said.
Shifting staff from other areas lets them "surge up" if needed, Doig said. "The downside of those surges is it pulls staff from other areas," and the pandemic backlog of surgeries grows.
Health officials are trying to persuade the public to get third doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Amid fears of asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission, provinces that were given millions of rapid antigen tests by the federal government have come under fire for not distributing them more widely.
Ontario promised to make 2 million tests available in "high-traffic" areas and to allot five per student to school children this week. Quebec will hand out five tests per person starting next week. Alberta promised to give out 500,000 starting on Friday.
British Columbia health officials said this week they had not received the tests they were hoping for from the federal government and defended the province's providing tens of thousands of rapid tests a week to hundreds of private employers.
Ontario said this week it is "temporarily interrupting" its return-to-office plan for provincial employees.
Alberta loosened restrictions on private gatherings on Wednesday, with Premier Jason Kenney citing pandemic fatigue.
Juni said he understands that people are tired of the pandemic.
"I'm completely exhausted," he said. "I've had it. I'm done completely. But the virus doesn't care."
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-tries-tackle-omicron-amid-pandemic-fatigue-2021-12-15/
Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden is one of several Nets players who are in the NBA's health and safety protocols. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
In the wake of more COVID-19 diagnoses across the NBA, the league is looking into modifying current protocols, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The NBA and NBPA are exploring multiple options, and restricting outside access for teams in visiting markets isn’t out of the question, sources told Yahoo Sports. That was the protocol last season before the COVID-19 vaccines became readily available, and unvaccinated players already follow stringent protocols.
The new likely protocols will include players being tested daily, except for their days off. Currently, players are tested weekly.
But the virus is raging through the league again. In between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the Chicago Bulls experienced an outbreak to the point of postponing two games this week.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Dwight Howard and Ja Morant (already inactive with a knee injury) are among players across the league outside of Chicago who’ve recently tested positive, prompting the NBA to look at its current set of protocols.
And the Brooklyn Nets barely had enough players to field a team against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, leading to the Nets getting a roster exception from the league to sign players.
The Raptors will have their arena at 50% capacity, it was just announced, but there are no other teams taking such measures.
With the Christmas slate of games upcoming, the NBA doesn’t want to risk cancellations for the biggest day on the TV calendar, but it’s not ready to completely restrict outside movement.
Booster shots are available and some teams have already put players through that process.
Whatever is decided, it was stressed by sources that any changes will be fluid and determined by the science. Last winter, several NBA games were postponed in the first half of the season, but the league had the flexibility to create a second-half schedule on the back end to fill those gaps.
There’s no such mechanism in place this season, so it’ll be harder to replace potential lost games if such actions occurred this time around — arena availability being a main reason.
Either way, it’s a whole new world the NBA, sports in general and the world is inhabiting, with flexibility being the main accomplice.
Retrieved from: https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-nba-exploring-modifications-to-covid-19-protocols-with-rising-number-of-players-sidelined-230332704.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAInVvq77GH1TlEeZLlJsPyfAC_k6_FEe2WBaMqmaWdZIRRpEw8xhkR0G0qFNn04tBlrWty19NtTI46lOPi1ZyLNG3BTBrshM2V1YXyzQftd9X9pBMIJy5FfkbYvui3fVcq97UvNiaPR12wM4YWF45v9xgdTBdWz0UZ-vIMgaizoY
By Lara Jakes
Citing the need for caution, the secretary of state expressed “deep regret” to Thailand’s deputy prime minister before returning to the United States earlier than planned.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken cut short his trip to Southeast Asia on Wednesday after a journalist traveling in his delegation tested positive for the coronavirus.
A State Department spokesman said Mr. Blinken has tested negative at every stop on diplomatic visits over the past week to Britain, Indonesia and Malaysia. He had scheduled meetings for Thursday with senior officials in Bangkok, the Thai capital, but canceled to return to the United States.
He did stop in Bangkok briefly to pick up flight crew for his trip back to the United States on Wednesday night.
Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said Mr. Blinken had called the Thai deputy prime minister, Don Pramudwinai, to “express his deep regret” over the change in plan.
“He explained that in order to mitigate the risk of the spread of Covid-19 and to prioritize the health and safety of the U.S. traveling party, and those they would otherwise come into contact with, the secretary would be returning to Washington, D.C., out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Price said in a statement as the delegation was leaving Kuala Lumpur.
It was Mr. Blinken’s first trip to Southeast Asia as secretary of state, and his itinerary was meant to portray the United States as a more reliable ally to nations here than China, the regional heavyweight. The economic competition between the United States and China, which has led to tense diplomatic relations, has been one of President Biden’s major foreign policy concerns.
The administration is preparing a broader strategy for strengthening its role in the Indo-Pacific region, and Mr. Blinken’s travels this week had sought to assure Southeast Asian nations that they would remain a key part of that.
The journalist who tested positive for the virus was part of the small group of news media personnel who travel with the secretary of state. The journalist, who was not identified for privacy reasons, tested negative in Jakarta on Monday but then received a positive test for the virus after arriving in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on Tuesday night.
Foreign governments have stepped up testing requirements for traveling diplomatic delegations as the Delta and Omicron variants have surged around the world.
Mr. Price said the journalist who tested positive would remain in Kuala Lumpur for mandatory isolation while the rest of Mr. Blinken’s entourage traveled on.
Mr. Blinken invited Mr. Pramudwinai, who also serves as Thailand’s top diplomat, to visit Washington “at the earliest opportunity,” Mr. Price said. He also pledged to travel to Thailand as soon as possible.
On Wednesday, Mr. Blinken met with Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Bin Yaakob and other senior Malaysian officials in meetings in Kuala Lumpur, with only a few aides in attendance, to discuss security, economic and cultural issues, as well as coronavirus response.
He also met with Malaysia’s top energy official, and he took questions from reporters with the foreign minister at a news conference.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/world/asia/antony-blinken-journalist-covid.html
(l-r) King Willem-Alexander, Princess Amalia and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family has been criticised for holding an 18th birthday party for the princess in breach of Covid rules. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
The Dutch royal family has expressed regret after it last week invited a reported 21 people to celebrate the 18th birthday of Princess Amalia, the future queen, in breach of coronavirus health guidance.
At present, people in the Netherlands can receive a maximum of four guests over the age of 13 in their homes.
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte wrote in a letter to parliament on Wednesday: “The family strived to treat the coronavirus rules responsibly with this outdoor gathering and by taking precautions” including tests and social distancing.
“The king informed me that on reflection it was not a good idea to organise [the gathering].”
The Netherlands said on Tuesday it will close primary schools early for Christmas holidays and extend a night-time lockdown as fears grow over the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The royal gathering was held on Saturday in a park adjoining a royal palace and guests were required to be vaccinated, to take a Covid test and follow social distancing.
Rutte’s letter did not specify how many people had attended but local media quoted the government as saying 21 invites were sent.
Princess Amalia celebrated her 18th on 7 December and was elevated to the Dutch Council of State, the government’s highest advisory body, by virtue of reaching the age of majority.
The party is the latest in a string of faux pas committed by the Dutch royal household during the pandemic, denting its popularity.
In October last year the royals were forced to cut short a holiday in Greece following an outcry as the Netherlands went into a partial lockdown.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/16/dutch-royals-sorry-for-princess-amalia-birthday-party-that-broke-covid-rules
Here is a snapshot of the latest key developments:
· Covid cases in the UK reached record levels, with 78,610 new cases reported on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant continues its rapid spread.
· England’s chief medical officer warned people not to mix with others unless they have to in the run-up to Christmas after Britain recorded its most daily cases since the start of the pandemic.
· French President Emmanuel Macron said it was possible the Covid-19 vaccine would eventually be made compulsory in France, but said it was not the priority for now.
· A US appeals court revived the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in 26 states.
· US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cut short his trip to Southeast Asia due to a Covid-19 case among his travelling party.
· Moderna will start a trial of its Covid-19 vaccine across eight African countries to determine its efficacy in people who are HIV positive, Bloomberg News reported.
· Early data suggests Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
· Canadians advised against all non-essential international travel.
· The Omicron variant has been found to multiply about 70 times quicker than the original and Delta versions of coronavirus in tissue samples taken from the bronchus, the main tubes from the windpipe to the lungs, a study found.
· Covid cases in the UK reached record levels, with 78,610 new cases reported on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant continues its rapid spread.
· Ukraine will extend Covid restrictions for another three months, to 31 March from the end of December, because of low levels of vaccination, the prime minister Denys Shmyhal said.
· Italy tightens restrictions for arrivals from the rest of the EU, requiring Covid tests of everyone and a five-day quarantine for those who are not vaccinated.
· The Crown Princess of Denmark tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/16/covid-news-live-south-korea-reimpose-dining-curfews-south-africa-daily-cases-record-omicron
Medicine
