In the past seven days, 34 countries have recorded their highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic
The total number of Covid-19 cases registered worldwide passed 300 million on Friday, January 7, with the Omicron variant’s rapid spread setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week, an AFP report in the Khaleej Times says.
In the past week, 34 countries have recorded their highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, including 18 nations in Europe and seven in Africa,
While far more contagious than previous coronavirus variants, Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than previous viruses.
Even as it spurred the world to record 13.5 million cases in the last week alone — 64 per cent higher than the previous seven days — the global average of deaths dropped three per cent.
France’s public health authority said on Friday that the risk of hospitalisation was about 70 per cent lower for Omicron, citing data from the US, the UK, Canada and Israel.
However, with a global average of two million new cases being detected every day, experts warn the sheer numbers threaten to overwhelm health systems.
World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Omicron should not be categorised as mild, as it “is hospitalising people and it is killing people”.
“In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world.”
Omicron’s dizzying spread since being detected six weeks ago has prompted many nations to push harder for more vaccinations and some to clamp down with restrictions.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that access to the country’s bars and restaurants will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus and can also provide a negative test result.
In the United States, challenges against vaccine mandates imposed by the administration of President Joseph Biden were heard by the Supreme Court on Friday.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron stood by controversial comments in which vowed to “piss off” unvaccinated people until they get jabbed.
“People can get upset about a way of speaking that seems colloquial, but I fully stand by it,” he said, adding: “I’m upset about the situation we’re in”.
In India, Omicron-led rising case numbers have brought fears of a return to the country’s darkest pandemic days last year, when thousands were dying of Covid every day.
Gautam Menon, a professor at India’s Ashoka University who has worked on Covid infection modelling, told AFP that “this could potentially stress out health care systems to levels comparable to or worse than the second wave”.
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