COVID-Global According to Reuters statistics released on Wednesday, 19 cases reached a new high in the preceding seven days as the Omicron variety spread out of control, keeping workers at home and overwhelming testing centres. Between December 22 and December 28, about 900,000 cases were detected on average every day around the world, with many nations, including the United States, Australia, and many in Europe, setting new all-time highs in the previous 24 hours.
The frequently mutating coronavirus is still inflicting havoc nearly two years after China initially alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) to a cluster of "viral pneumonia" cases of unknown origin in the city of Wuhan, pushing numerous governments to reassess quarantine and testing laws.
Although studies have revealed that Omicron is less lethal than earlier variations, the large number of persons who have tested positive means that hospitals in some countries may soon be swamped, and businesses may struggle to keep operating due to personnel being quarantined.
"Delta and Omicron are now twin threats," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Tedros said at a news conference. "They are driving up cases to record levels, contributing to rises in hospitalization and fatalities."
"I'm quite concerned that Omicron is causing a tsunami of cases because it's extremely transmissible and spreading at the same time as Delta."
According to French Health Minister Olivier Veran, the country is experiencing a "dizzying" increase in cases, with 208,000 cases registered in just 24 hours, a national and European record.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia needed "a gear change"
According to a Reuters calculation on Wednesday, the seven-day average number of new daily cases in the United States touched a record 258,312, while the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta also logged record numbers of new cases on Tuesday. The previous high point was 250,141, which occurred in January of last year. Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky told television interviewers that she expects many more cases in the United States.
Booster immunizations, which doctors claim are the best protection against Omicron, were not given to 90 percent of patients who ended up in intensive care, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"You're seeing more cases in hospitals," Johnson said, "but it's certainly milder than the Delta type." Nearly 18,300 new cases were reported in Australia, surpassing the previous pandemic high of around 11,300 cases set on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia needs to "change gears" to deal with overwhelmed testing facilities, which were experiencing long walk-in and drive-in lines in a number of places. Long lines formed outside pharmacies in Spain as demand for free testing kits from the Madrid regional administration vastly outstripped supply.
According to preliminary data from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Denmark, the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron is lower than that from Delta, according to the WHO's most recent epidemiological report.
Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert, said it was too early to make solid conclusions because Omicron was circulating primarily among younger, less sensitive age groups. He explained, "What we haven't seen is the Omicron wave firmly established in the larger population."
According to a Reuters calculation on Wednesday, the seven-day average number of new daily cases in the United States touched a record 258,312, while the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta also logged record numbers of new cases on Tuesday. The previous high point was 250,141, which occurred in January of last year. Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky told television interviewers that she expects many more cases in the United States.
Booster immunizations, which doctors claim are the best protection against Omicron, were not given to 90 percent of patients who ended up in intensive care, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"You're seeing more cases in hospitals," Johnson said, "but it's certainly milder than the Delta type." Nearly 18,300 new cases were reported in Australia, surpassing the previous pandemic high of around 11,300 cases set on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia needs to "change gears" to deal with overwhelmed testing facilities, which were experiencing long walk-in and drive-in lines in a number of places. Long lines formed outside pharmacies in Spain as demand for free testing kits from the Madrid regional administration vastly outstripped supply.
According to preliminary data from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Denmark, the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron is lower than that from Delta, according to the WHO's most recent epidemiological report.
Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert, said it was too early to make solid conclusions because Omicron was circulating primarily among younger, less sensitive age groups. He explained, "What we haven't seen is the Omicron wave firmly established in the larger population."
I simply want to get home
A number of governments were also growing concerned about the large number of people forced into self-isolation after coming into touch with a coronavirus patient.
"We can't just take everyone out of circulation because they happen to be in a specific area at a particular moment," Morrison told reporters in Australia.
On Wednesday, Italy was anticipated to ease some quarantine laws, fearing that the country would grind to a standstill due to a large number of people in cautious self-isolation. On Wednesday, the number of cases there had doubled in only one day, to 78,313 cases.
China, on the other hand, continued to its zero-tolerance stance, keeping 13 million people in Xian under strict lockdown for the seventh day, despite the fact that 151 new cases were reported on Tuesday, none of which involved Omicron.
"I simply want to get home," said a 32-year-old mechanic who was in the city on business when it was virtually cut off from the rest of the world last week.
The increase in cases coincides with the New Year's festivities in many nations, which are traditionally a time of parties and travel. Some countries, such as Italy, have cancelled public celebrations, while officials in Japan have advised residents to keep New Year's Eve gatherings to a minimum.
"Meeting individuals without taking necessary precautions to avoid illness poses the greatest risk," said Norio Ohmagari, director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center.
A number of governments were also growing concerned about the large number of people forced into self-isolation after coming into touch with a coronavirus patient.
"We can't just take everyone out of circulation because they happen to be in a specific area at a particular moment," Morrison told reporters in Australia.
On Wednesday, Italy was anticipated to ease some quarantine laws, fearing that the country would grind to a standstill due to a large number of people in cautious self-isolation. On Wednesday, the number of cases there had doubled in only one day, to 78,313 cases.
China, on the other hand, continued to its zero-tolerance stance, keeping 13 million people in Xian under strict lockdown for the seventh day, despite the fact that 151 new cases were reported on Tuesday, none of which involved Omicron.
"I simply want to get home," said a 32-year-old mechanic who was in the city on business when it was virtually cut off from the rest of the world last week.
The increase in cases coincides with the New Year's festivities in many nations, which are traditionally a time of parties and travel. Some countries, such as Italy, have cancelled public celebrations, while officials in Japan have advised residents to keep New Year's Eve gatherings to a minimum.
"Meeting individuals without taking necessary precautions to avoid illness poses the greatest risk," said Norio Ohmagari, director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center.
Originally posted by ZeeNews - 'Tsunami of cases': WHO's BIG Covid warning as cases surge across the globe