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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
France recorded a record high of 104,611 COVID-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began as the omicron variant continued its rapid spread.
Health authorities said the number of COVID patients in intensive care went up by 28 to 3,282.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-reports-more-than-100000-covid-19-infections-first-time-2021-12-25/
By Neha Arora
A staff member cleans medical equipment inside a ward that is set up to treat people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave
India will start administering COVID-19 booster shots as a precautionary measure to healthcare and frontline workers from Jan. 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant rose across the country.
In a national address, Modi also said those aged 15-18 would start receiving COVID-19 vaccinations from Jan. 3 and those above 60 with comorbidities would be offered booster shots after recommendation from doctors.
"From the point of view of precaution, the government has decided that healthcare and frontline workers should start getting a precaution dose," Modi said in the speech.
India has reported a swift rise in Omicron cases, with the number reaching 415 overall across 17 Indian states.
Modi's government has been accelerating its vaccination campaign, administering at least one dose to 88% of the eligible 944 million population, while 61% have taken both doses.
As millions still await second shots, the authorities will now start offering booster shots to healthcare and frontline workers, who suffered from an overwhelming second-wave of the virus in the summer that killed tens of thousands.
Medical experts have said India needs to double down on its vaccination campaign and expand coverage to avert another possible surge in new infections particularly in the vast hinterlands where healthcare facilities are sparse.
Modi urged citizens to continue to wear facemasks and follow other COVID-19 protocols.
The federal government has urged states to impose curbs on overcrowding in the festive season until the new year and a few states have partially banned public celebrations. read more
COVID-19 infections in the nation of 1.3 billion people has fallen by almost half from a month ago. In the past 24 hours, India reported 7,189 new infections, with an overall tally of 34.78 million, the second-highest globally behind only the United States.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-give-covid-19-booster-shots-healthcare-workers-jan-10-2021-12-25/
People prepare documents before being tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mexico City, Mexico December 23, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Mexico's health ministry reported 3,719 additional cases of coronavirus infections and 107 more fatalities on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,951,003 and the death toll from the pandemic to 298,777.
Sunday's figures included data gathered over the course of two days. The health ministry did not publish a formal report on the latest COVID-19 developments on Saturday.
Officials have said the ministry's figures likely represent a significant undercount of both COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicos-confirmed-coronavirus-death-toll-nears-299000-2021-12-27/
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in New York continues to set records, as the state confirmed that 49,708 positive cases were reported on December 24 alone.
That number marks the highest single-day total in the state since the pandemic began.
Just 36,454 people tested positive for COVID on Christmas Day, however, far fewer people were out receiving tests.
Almost every day in the past week has set a new record for positive cases since the pandemic began in 2020.
A week prior there were fewer than 13,000 cases a day reported statewide.
NY has passed 3,000,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic according to statistics released on Wednesday afternoon.
The nationwide spike in cases has been wreaking havoc on everything from sports to shipping and especially travel, with 1,141 flights canceled over the holiday weekend and another 4,578 flights delayed, largely due to rising coronavirus infections among flight crews.
Earlier this week, Delta's CEO sent a letter to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, asking the agency to revisit quarantine guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated.
Globally, airlines scrapped about 2,200 flights as of Sunday morning, down from more than 2,800 from the day before, FlightAware’s data showed. The site does not say why flights are canceled.
Retrieved from: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/new-record-nearly-50000-new-covid-cases-in-ny
Across Africa, the world’s least-vaccinated continent, the spread of the Omicron variant has coincided with a rapid spike in reported case counts, prompting health authorities in several countries to reintroduce curfews and quarantines, and impose new vaccine mandates.
In Kenya, the percentage of positive coronavirus tests has jumped in the past three weeks to 30 percent from 1 percent; in Uganda, nearly 50 lawmakers tested positive after attending a sporting event; and in Zimbabwe, government officials instituted new restrictions on businesses and travelers.
At least 21 African countries are now experiencing a fourth wave of the pandemic, according to the Africa C.D.C. Three — Algeria, Kenya and Mauritius — are enduring a fifth.
Omicron has now been detected in 22 African countries, but limited testing makes it difficult to know if the new variant is responsible for the spike. Early data from South Africa, where the variant was first detected, suggests it may have already peaked there and that it is less severe than earlier variants. However, health experts warned not to extrapolate those results to African countries with older populations and lower vaccination rates.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/briefing/africa-covid-spike.html
By Jessica Elgot and Denis Campbell
Ambulances outside the Royal London Hospital in London. A hospital doctors’ trade union urged ministers to implement further measures without delay. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Boris Johnson is expected to examine crucial hospital data on Monday before making any new announcement on Covid measures, but has no plans to recall his cabinet, with ministers still deeply sceptical of further legal curbs.
Sources said the prime minister would “take stock” after being encouraged by improving data on Friday, a sign that No 10 is leaning away from stricter curbs in England, but Downing Street sources said he would act quickly if there were new causes for concern.
Instead, Johnson will receive only his regular data briefing over the bank holiday with England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty – expected to be knighted in the new year honours – and the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.
Key evidence that the government will examine on Monday includes data on the length of stay in hospitals, the transition rates to ICU and new death figures. There is concern among some government figures about undeclared positive cases – including those asymptomatic but also those isolating after a lateral flow test whose results are not recorded by the NHS because they do not take a PCR.
However, cabinet ministers are still highly sceptical of further legal restrictions, a week after a tense three-hour cabinet meeting in which the majority pushed back against any new curbs.
One cabinet minister said the positive data on Omicron’s severity – a Health Security Agency analysis found those catching Omicron are 50% to 70% less likely to need hospital care compared with previous variants – proved they had been right to hold out.
“The data so far is still struggling to be persuasive of legal changes to be required,” one cabinet minister said. Another said it was “right that we didn’t rush last time given positive, early data”.
But a hospital doctors’ trade union urged ministers to implement further measures without delay to help the NHS, including limits on household mixing and table service only in hospitality venues.
Dr Paul Donaldson, the general secretary of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, warned Johnson that “it would be ludicrous” not to respond more decisively to Omicron, and that Christmas mingling would inevitably have spread Covid.
“There is a high probability we are moving too late,” said Donaldson, a consultant microbiologist.
“We will soon start to see the impact of Christmas. We are holding out hope that hospitalisations are at the lower end of projections. But given the uncertainty we face it would be ludicrous not to take additional precautions,” he added.
The HCSA also wants to see social distancing measures applied in retail and hospitality settings, such as mask-wearing, table spacing, limits on capacity and queueing systems, as well as social distancing and bubbles in all schools and continued working from home.
The NHS Confederation, which represents health service trusts in England, said any further steps would help the NHS, given the rising number of hospitalisations and staff off sick due to the virus. There were 1,171 people admitted to hospital across the UK in the previous 24 hours, the government disclosed on Friday.
“Any new restrictions which are brought in to help ease the pressure on the NHS need to be clearly explained to the public. Confusion and complacency can make any new restrictions ineffective,” said Matthew Taylor, its chief executive.
The prime minister has pledged to his restive backbenchers, a significant number of whom rebelled over the last set of restrictions, that he will recall parliament before implementing new restrictions but it is possible any vote could be retrospective, should the decision be taken later in the week.
Johnson faced significant opposition from his cabinet before Christmas during a three-hour meeting where the decision was taken to delay any new curbs until after the festive weekend.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, and the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, were said to be the most sceptical of restrictions, while the levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, and culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, have urged the most caution.
On Friday, papers released from government scientific advisers showed modelling for the impact of implementing “step 2” restrictions from Tuesday – a date now unlikely to be practicable. That would mean an end to indoor gatherings and introducing the rule of six outdoors, with bars and restaurants only able to serve outdoors.
The modelling suggested that restrictions could reduce deaths by 18% if kept in place until mid-January or 39% if retained until the end of March.
Cabinet resistance to further restrictions is also likely be deepened by the collapse in Johnson’s own poll ratings over the scandal of No 10 Christmas parties and deep rifts with his own party over plan B restrictions to enforce home working, mask-wearing and new Covid passes for large venues.
Speaking to the Observer on Sunday, Conservative MPs suggested that those who wished to eventually replace Johnson should resist further Covid restrictions.
Johnson and the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, are said to be determined that schools reopen on time in January. Step 2 restrictions would allow schools to remain open, as well as non-essential shops, subject to social distancing rules.
New coronavirus restrictions come into force from Monday in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. From Boxing Day, a maximum of six people will be allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales, as well as other restrictions on numbers for larger events.
In Scotland, up to three households can meet, with 1-metre distancing between groups at indoor and outdoor venues such as bars, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gyms. Table service is also required at places where alcohol is served.
Northern Ireland is also recommending restricting socialising to three households, while up to six people can meet in pubs, bars and restaurants.
However, there are serious concerns in the NHS that the large number of frontline personnel falling sick as infections spiral because of Omicron is hampering the service’s ability to provide care.
Staff absences in England due to Covid have been soaring during December, the latest official figures showed last Thursday. The number of days lost to illness caused by Covid went up by 38% to 124,855 in the week to 19 December, while the number of staff off sick rose by 54% from 12,240 to 18,829, both compared with the previous week.
At some hospitals in London, which has been hit first and worst by the new variant, the number of staff off ill with Covid has trebled since the start of the month, NHS England’s figures showed.
Taylor said that the service was facing a “double emergency” of sharply rising staff absences because of illness at the same time as the demand for hospital care was rising.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, has said that the loss of frontline staff to sickness is “a big worry” for hospital bosses who are facing growing demand from patients, especially as the NHS in England has almost 100,000 vacancies anyway.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/26/boris-johnson-to-examine-hospital-data-before-decision-on-covid-rules
Here’s a quick rundown of the latest global developments:
Europe:
· UK prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to examine crucial hospital data on Monday before making any new announcement on Covid measures across England which could include a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors.
· New restrictions are being introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
· Coronavirus vaccination teams could go door-to-door in the UK to reach those yet to have their jabs, reports have suggested.
· France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections at the weekend, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
· Germany also recorded 10,100 Covid cases.
· Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day.
· The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal.
United States:
· US airlines called off nearly 1,200 flights on Sunday as crews remain grounded amid surging Covid-19 infections. It was a third straight day of travelling pain and more cancellations were likely as Covid infections soar.
Asia:
· China’s Covid cases hit a 21-month high as the northern city of Xi’an announced tightened restrictions on Sunday.
· China recorded 200 new coronavirus cases for 26 December, a slight decrease on the 206 cases reported a day earlier. The northwestern province of Shaanxi, home to the recently locked down city of Xi’an, accounted for 150 new cases.
· Bangkok, Thailand, is cancelling its new year celebrations amid growing concerns about a surge in Covid cases.
· South Korea’s daily Covid cases fell below 5,000 for the first time in 20 days.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/27/covid-news-live-australia-case-rise-continues-omicron-grounds-1000-more-us-flights
Medicine
