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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
By Crispian Balmer and Alexandra Alper
People wait outside a COVID-19 testing centre, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Manchester, Britain, December 28 , 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Global COVID-19 infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, Reuters data showed on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant raced out of control and governments tried to contain its spread without paralysing fragile economies.
Almost 900,000 cases were detected on average each day worldwide between Dec. 22 and 28. A number of countries posted all-time highs during the previous 24 hours, including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, the United States and many nations in Europe.
Studies have suggested Omicron is less deadly than some previous variants. But the sheer number of people testing positive could overwhelm hospitals in some countries and leave e businesses struggling to carry on without workers who government officials have ordered to quarantine.
Researchers in South Africa found that a key part of the immune system's second-line defense - its T cells - are highly effective at recognizing and attacking the Omicron variant, preventing most infections from progressing to critical illness.
Political leaders in some nations, fearful of the economic impact of keeping so many workers at home, were considering shortening the period required for isolation after a positive COVID test or exposure.
Spain said on Wednesday it was reducing the quarantine period to seven days from 10, while Italy said it was planning to relax isolation rules for those who came into close contact with sufferers of the virus.
Earlier this week U.S. health authorities released new guidance shortening the isolation period for people with a confirmed infection to five days from 10, so long as they are asymptomatic.
"I am highly concerned that Omicron, being highly transmissible and spreading at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran told lawmakers France was seeing a "dizzying" rise in cases, with 208,000 reported in the space of 24 hours - a national and European record.
Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta all registered record numbers of new cases on Tuesday, while the seven-day average number of new daily cases in the United States hit a record 258,312, according to a Reuters tally on Wednesday. The previous peak was 250,141, registered last January.
Despite the surge in coronavirus infections, deaths and hospitalizations are comparatively low, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Wednesday.
While the current seven-day daily average of cases is about 240,400, up 60% over the previous week, the hospitalization rate for the same period is up just 14% to about 9,000 per day over the same period. Deaths were down about 7% to 1,100 per day, Walensky added.
Some experts questioned the new CDC rules that halve the isolation period for asymptomatic coronavirus infections, saying more infections could result. The new directive does not require testing to confirm that a person is no longer infectious before they go back to work or socialize.
"They were trying to strike a balance: How do we do good public health principles at the time we don't have to get to the point where you're forced to essentially shut the country down," Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease official, told MSNBC in explaining the CDC's new guidance.
Britain reported 183,037 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a new record and over 50,000 more than the previous high registered just a day earlier, government statistics showed. Ireland, too, reported record cases on Wednesday, with more than 16,000 new infections.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not issue new restrictions this year to limit the spread of Omicron, which now accounts for roughly 90% of all community infections, according to health officials.
Australia registered almost 18,300 new cases, eclipsing Tuesday's previous pandemic high of around 11,300.
In Spain, demand for free testing kits from the Madrid regional government far outstripped supply, with long queues forming outside pharmacies.
Governments are increasingly worried by the economic impact of huge numbers of people being forced into isolation because they had been in contact with a coronavirus sufferer.
"We just can't have everybody just being taken out of circulation because they just happen to be at a particular place at a particular time," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters.
Morrison wants to make urgent changes to COVID-19 testing rules to ease pressure on testing sites. He said Australia needed "a gear change" to manage overburdened laboratories and get people out of isolation.
While Spain and Italy moved to relax some isolation rules, China stuck to its policy of zero tolerance, keeping 13 million people in Xian, capital of central Shaanxi province, under rigid lockdown for a seventh day as 151 new cases were reported on Tuesday, albeit none with Omicron so far.
"I just want to go home," said a 32-year-old mechanic who was in the city on business last week when it was effectively shut off from the outside world.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/covid-19-cases-surge-around-world-raising-testing-quarantine-fears-2021-12-29/
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks about the Omicron coronavirus variant during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Top U.S. infectious disease adviser Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that the surge in the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the United States is likely to peak by the end of January.
"I would imagine given the size of our country, and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination, that it's likely to be more than a couple of weeks, probably by the end of January," he said on CNBC.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fauci-says-omicron-likely-peak-us-by-end-january-2021-12-29/
By Michael Holden
A dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is prepared in a vaccination centre at Newmarket Racecourse, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Newmarket, Britain March 26, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
The United Kingdom reported 183,037 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a new record and over 53,000 more than the previous highest figure registered just a day earlier, government statistics showed.
The rise, sparked by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus, also coincides with an increase in the number of patients in hospital who have tested positive for coronavirus.
Despite the growing number of cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not bring in new restrictions this year in England to limit the spread of Omicron, which now accounts for 90% of all community infections, according to health officials.
Johnson said the high number of people who had received COVID booster shots, which now stands at more than 33 million or about 58% of the population aged over 12, meant there was no need for new rules ahead of New Year celebrations. read more
"Enjoy New Year sensibly and cautiously," he said. "We've got cases certainly going up, we've got a lot of cases of Omicron, but on the other hand we can see the data about the relative mildness of Omicron."
The data, which included five days of figures for Northern Ireland due to differences in reporting practices over the Christmas holidays, showed the number of cases had risen from Tuesday's previous high of just under 130,000 and were up 41.4% in the last seven days.
Hospitalisations have also been rising sharply and according to official figures, there were 10,462 people in hospital in England with COVID-19 on Wednesday, up by 916 from the previous day. L9N2RV00L
Of these, 771 needed to be in mechanical ventilation beds, a figure that has changed little during December.
Johnson said he had been told by some doctors that up to 90% of patients with COVID in intensive care had not received their booster vaccines.
There were also 57 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, up from 18 on Tuesday, but well below the numbers being reported earlier this month.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-records-new-record-number-covid-cases-2021-12-29/
People wearing protective face masks make their way to Monastiraki square amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Athens, Greece, December 29, 2021. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi
Greece is introducing new restrictions on the hospitality sector from Thursday, bringing forward measures planned for early January as coronavirus infections surge.
Health authorities reported on Wednesday that daily confirmed COVID-19 cases had jumped by more than 7,000 to 28,828, a new all-time record, with 72 deaths.
Authorities said the Omicron variant, which is highly contagious, appeared to be dominant in the community, barely a month after it was first detected.
Bars, nightclubs and restaurants will be forced to close at midnight, with no standing customers and no music, with the exception of New Year's Eve when then can stay open until 2 a.m..
Restaurant and night club owners braced for a tough period ahead, expecting a hit on sales in the next months.
"Certainly for us in the restaurant sector, it is a disaster. On the other hand, you can't go against the health situation. I can't say I want to stay open and work while people are dying," said Christos Kotsis, a live music cafe owner.
Authorities had also tightened curbs last week, mandating masks in open spaces and banning Christmas and New Year festivities in public places.
Health Minister Thanos Plevris told a news conference that if measures are fully complied with, it would allow a return to normality after mid-January.
"We bought our stock for New Year's Eve, people are out shopping and in the mood to spend, but unfortunately things are going to be really bad financially for our sector once again," said Yannis Amerikanos, a restaurant manager.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-introduces-new-coronavirus-curbs-omicron-pushes-cases-up-2021-12-29/
By Emma Bubola
People line up at a pharmacy to book nasal swab tests, in Milan, Italy, last week.Credit...Luca Bruno/Associated Press
In Italy’s northern valleys near Bergamo, which were ravaged by the coronavirus in 2020, a new surge of infections has confronted doctors with a completely different scenario from the first wave.
About 93 percent of adults in the Serio river valley are vaccinated. Hospitals are not overwhelmed. The biggest problem now, said Mario Sorlini, a doctor in the area, is keeping up with the demand for nasal swabs as people rush to get tested.
“In the beginning, the situation was dramatic because patients got sick and died very quickly, before we even had the time to see them,” Dr. Sorlini said. “Now we have many cases, but with much milder symptoms.”
Still, cases are rising fast, and so are fears that the surge of infections could still swamp hospitals. On Wednesday, as Italy reported more than 98,000 new daily cases, a record, the government extended its vaccination mandate to hotels, outdoor restaurant dining, swimming pools, fairs and practices for team sports. The new requirements will not apply to people who have recently recovered from the virus and will become effective on Jan. 10.
While the Delta variant is still dominant in the country, Omicron, which represented 28 percent of the cases as of last week, is quickly catching up. Italy’s health authorities said that, given its higher transmissibility, Omicron would soon become the leading variant.
On Christmas, Italy made masks compulsory outdoors and extended its Green Pass requirement, making proof of vaccination, recent recovery from the virus or a negative swab test necessary even to drink a coffee at a bar’s counter. The government also closed nightclubs and banned crowded parties and celebrations.
But with studies showing that vaccines offer protection against severe illness and death from Omicron, Renato Brunetta, Italy’s public administration minister, said he hoped to make vaccinations compulsory for all workers. That would push another two or three million people to get vaccinated, he said, bringing Italy a step closer to the near-total lockdown of unvaccinated people, similar to the ones Germany and Austria have imposed.
The labor minister, Andrea Orlando, told the newspaper La Stampathat the spread of the Omicron variant had forced the government to consider “limiting the circulation of unprotected people.”
Many nations are emphasizing vaccination as a weapon in the current surge, believing that total lockdowns cause too great an economic toll and that even days-long quarantine periods for people exposed to the virus should be reduced or done away with. The Italian government on Wednesday announced that it would lift a quarantine mandate for people who had received a booster shot — or a second shot in the four previous months — and had been exposed to the virus. Unvaccinated people would still have to quarantine for 10 days.
Experts say that since hospitalizations and deaths remain lower than in earlier waves, requiring vaccinated people to quarantine after being exposed to the virus would unnecessarily take large numbers of workers away from their jobs.
“If we no longer have doctors and nurses going to the hospital and there are no longer bus or train drivers, the country stops,” said Matteo Bassetti, an infectious-disease doctor in the northwestern city of Genoa. “We cannot afford that,” he added.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/12/29/world/omicron-covid-vaccine-tests/in-hard-hit-bergamo-italy-people-rush-to-get-tested-as-an-omicron-wave-looms
Delta Air Lines was one of the first companies to adapt to the shorter isolation period recommended for people with Covid-19.Credit...Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Delta Air Lines has updated its policies for workers who get sick with the coronavirus, soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened its recommended isolation period for Americans infected with Covid-19.
Delta was one of the first companies to adapt to the updated guidance, which it had publicly called on the C.D.C. to do. The Biden administration and major companies have said shortening the isolation period will help keep society functioning, but unions have worried it could allow companies to pressure employees to come back to work.
The airline’s new policy, dated Tuesday, provides five days of paid leave for workers who test positive for the coronavirus to isolate, according to an internal communication to company leaders obtained by The New York Times. And it encourages, but does not require, a Covid test to go back to work, going a step further than the C.D.C. guidance, which does not include a recommendation for additional testing. Delta’s new protocols make no mention of whether returning employees should have improving symptoms, as suggested by the C.D.C.
Many airlines have had to cancel a spate of flights during the busy holiday travel season, blaming staff shortages caused by a spike in infections. Delta and other airlines asked the C.D.C. last week to update its isolation recommendations, which some public health officials said were outdated. Delta warned that the 10-day isolation period that the C.D.C. put in place last year could “significantly impact” its operations as the Omicron variant of the virus rapidly spreads, and it suggested a five-day isolation period with an “appropriate testing protocol.”
A spokesman for the airline said Delta is “strongly recommending our people get tested prior to returning to work, regardless of symptoms (or absence of).” He did not say whether the airline would request to see the results of any test. Delta requires all employees to wear masks in work areas, in airports and on flights.
Delta will extend its five days of Covid-specific paid time off, which it offers only to fully vaccinated individuals, by two additional days if an employee tests positive at the end of the initial isolation period, according to the memo. It previously offered 10 days of paid leave for workers with Covid.
The airline also put in place new guidelines for workers who are exposed to Covid for long periods of time without the protection of masks. (The guidelines echo new parameters outlined by the C.D.C.) Those who have received a booster shot or are recently fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine. Those who are unvaccinated or who received their primary shots longer ago should quarantine for five days after a high-risk exposure.
Delta said that 97 percent of its work force is vaccinated. While other carriers, like United Airlines, have mandated vaccines for their work force, Delta has opted to charge unvaccinated workers an additional $200 a month to remain on the company’s health plan.
Some scientists have been critical of the C.D.C.’s decision to shorten the isolation period without a requirement for testing. The Association of Flight Attendants is asking airlines to require a negative test for employees at the end of a five-day isolation period. It is also asking that unvaccinated workers be required to abide by a 10-day isolation period and that employees be provided with high-quality masks for at least five days after returning to work.
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/business/delta-air-lines-coronavirus-isolation-policy.html
Medicine
