Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate: WHO

[ghazi52]

Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate, WHO says

The Omicron variant was first identified by South Africa

The new coronavirus variant Omicron is spreading across the globe at an unprecedented rate, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Cases of the heavily mutated variant have been confirmed in 77 countries.

But at a press conference, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was probably in many others that had yet to detect it.

Dr Tedros said he was concerned that not enough was being done to tackle the variant.

"Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems," he said.

The WHO's latest data suggests the variant - first detected in South Africa in November - can better evade existing vaccines and carries a higher risk of re-infection, leading the organisation to say the level of risk remains very high.

A number of countries have introduced travel bans affecting South Africa and its neighbours following the emergence of Omicron, but this has failed to stop it from spreading around the world.


In other developments

• More than 800,000 Americans have now died from the coronavirus - the highest recorded national death toll from the global pandemic
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson won backing for Covid passes in England, despite the biggest revolt by members of his own party since he became PM
• The UK government also announced on Tuesday that all 11 countries on its travel red list would be taken off, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying the Omicron variant had spread so widely the rules no longer had much purpose
• Italy has extended a state of emergency until 31 March 2022, citing concerns over Omicron. The measures, which were due to expire at the end of December, give the government more power to limit travel and public gatherings
• The Netherlands says it will close primary schools a week before the Christmas holidays are due to start, in a pre-emptive bid to tackle infections
• Norway has announced a ban on serving alcohol in bars and restaurants, among other measures

In Tuesday's news conference, Dr Tedros reiterated concerns about vaccine inequity, as some countries accelerate rollouts of a booster shot in response to Omicron.

Recent studies of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine showed it produced far fewer neutralising antibodies against Omicron than against the original strain, but that this deficit could be reversed by a third, booster, jab.

What we know about Omicron and its impact on Africa
Dr Tedros said boosters could play an important role in curbing the spread of Covid-19, but that it was "a question of prioritisation".
"The order matters. Giving boosters to groups at low risk of severe disease or death simply endangers the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their primary doses because of supply constraints," he said.
Supplies to the global vaccine-sharing programme Covax have increased in recent months.

However, world health officials fear a shortfall of tens of millions of doses - like the one which occurred in the middle of this year when India suspended its vaccine exports - could happen again.
In poorer countries, some vulnerable people are yet to receive a single dose.

Global vaccine rollout

Location	Percent fully vaccinated	Total doses
World	46	8,511,726,559
China	80	2,621,190,000
India	37	1,335,465,563
US	60	485,359,746
Brazil	65	320,737,938
Indonesia	37	249,974,816
Japan	78	198,248,857
Mexico	51	137,357,032
Russia	42	136,087,233
Germany	69	135,406,073
Pakistan	25	134,818,017
Vietnam	59	132,873,501
Bangladesh	26	129,238,605
Turkey	60	121,804,033
UK	69	121,616,098
France	71	112,800,038
Iran	58	109,807,742
Italy	73	102,029,307
Thailand	62	97,403,117
Philippines	37	97,237,440
South Korea	81	90,413,574
Spain	81	80,647,211
Argentina	68	71,507,682
Canada	77	63,335,536
Colombia	51	60,630,010
Malaysia	78	54,591,679
Morocco	61	49,316,418
Saudi Arabia	65	48,104,477
Egypt	17	46,239,670
Peru	59	45,021,391
Poland	55	44,239,198
Chile	85	42,219,185
Australia	75	40,331,164
Uzbekistan	17	36,064,004
Taiwan	63	33,607,831
Sri Lanka	64	31,054,377
Cambodia	80	29,502,058
Cuba	83	29,006,443
Myanmar	22	28,707,770
South Africa	26	27,090,975
Ukraine	29	26,718,836
Venezuela	34	26,314,390
Ecuador	66	25,840,596
Netherlands	74	24,791,526
United Arab Emirates	90	22,166,754
Belgium	75	19,877,988
Nepal	29	19,157,444
Portugal	89	18,411,867
Kazakhstan	44	17,147,214
Sweden	71	16,584,289
Israel	62	16,337,639
Greece	65	15,645,361
Romania	40	15,407,313
Austria	69	15,271,012
Hungary	61	14,655,778
Czech Republic	61	14,468,552
Dominican Republic	52	13,945,195
Iraq	13	13,174,583
Switzerland	66	12,637,185
Algeria	12	12,293,060
Nigeria	2	11,863,889
Mozambique	14	11,730,770
Tunisia	45	11,012,280
Azerbaijan	45	10,894,080
Guatemala	24	10,586,654
Ethiopia	1	10,429,727
Denmark	77	10,347,965
Angola	10	10,319,552
Rwanda	29	10,268,499
Hong Kong	61	9,663,557
Singapore	87	9,489,264
El Salvador	63	9,395,152
Norway	71	9,117,805
Bolivia	37	9,064,726
Honduras	39	9,030,824
Finland	74	8,928,976
Ireland	77	8,659,409
Kenya	6	8,198,259
Serbia	46	8,075,369
Jordan	37	8,065,101
New Zealand	73	7,897,646
Uganda	3	7,813,170
Turkmenistan	52	7,580,976
Costa Rica	64	7,222,020
Zimbabwe	20	6,956,144
Nicaragua	38	6,942,756
Uruguay	76	6,865,377
Belarus	30	6,677,937
Kuwait	74	6,677,397
Paraguay	38	6,324,638
Oman	54	5,934,585
Laos	42	5,830,021
Tajikistan	27	5,711,036
Panama	56	5,685,382
Afghanistan	9	5,228,706
Qatar	76	5,066,606
Slovakia	43	5,055,765
Ivory Coast	6	4,812,235
Mongolia	65	4,419,007
Croatia	50	4,386,603
Lithuania	67	3,888,676
Lebanon	26	3,825,224
Bulgaria	27	3,506,354
Ghana	3	3,493,688
Sudan	3	3,276,654
Palestinian Territories	27	3,184,868
Bahrain	67	3,055,893
Slovenia	56	2,762,009
Libya	11	2,536,160
Guinea	6	2,502,912
Georgia	26	2,324,131
Latvia	66	2,250,883
Albania	35	2,196,145
Togo	10	2,159,257
Kyrgyzstan	14	2,122,034
Senegal	5	1,928,411
Mauritius	72	1,875,132
Mauritania	15	1,812,604
Tanzania	2	1,699,523
Moldova	24	1,686,020
North Macedonia	38	1,675,793
Kosovo	43	1,644,358
Bosnia and Herzegovina	22	1,553,874
Malawi	3	1,553,347
Estonia	61	1,498,693
Botswana	22	1,483,181
Syria	4	1,422,377
Cyprus	66	1,413,274
Trinidad and Tobago	47	1,353,722
Armenia	17	1,352,805
Zambia	4	1,264,656
Fiji	66	1,257,375
Jamaica	18	1,164,194
Bhutan	72	1,154,093
Somalia	4	1,147,627
Benin	7	1,144,390
Timor-Leste	36	1,142,003
Malta	84	993,372
Luxembourg	68	973,411
Cameroon	2	972,360
Niger	2	971,636
Mali	2	963,968
Macau	68	945,950
Sierra Leone	5	923,880
Yemen	1	786,027
Brunei	86	783,549
Maldives	67	781,076
Madagascar	2	742,069
Namibia	12	697,262
Iceland	82	689,243
Guyana	36	687,627
Congo	2	686,096
Burkina Faso	2	661,796
Lesotho	29	635,881
Liberia	11	605,863
Cape Verde	45	550,192
Montenegro	42	543,835
Comoros	28	527,119
Papua New Guinea	2	498,598
Suriname	38	484,487
Equatorial Guinea	14	446,624
Central African Republic	7	436,772
Belize	49	416,878
Guinea-Bissau	1	406,401
Gabon	8	392,898
Eswatini	24	344,255
Barbados	49	294,304
Bahamas	36	288,008
Chad	0.4769	285,922
Gambia	9	273,365
South Sudan	2	263,939
Samoa	61	262,895
DR Congo	0.0832	246,840
Solomon Islands	7	228,912
Jersey	75	194,274
Haiti	0.5795	184,769
Seychelles	79	182,903
Vanuatu	15	147,609
Sao Tome and Principe	22	134,615
Isle of Man	76	133,548
Cayman Islands	85	128,181
Antigua and Barbuda	59	119,809
Tonga	43	119,535
Djibouti	3	108,945
Bermuda	73	106,520
Andorra	65	106,428
Guernsey	21	104,457
Gibraltar	118	103,818
Saint Lucia	26	102,696
Kiribati	19	82,167
Faroe Islands	78	78,347
Greenland	66	78,120
Grenada	31	75,893
St Vincent and the Grenadines	22	57,295
Turks and Caicos Islands	69	56,343
Dominica	38	56,179
Liechtenstein	66	55,894
Saint Kitts and Nevis	47	53,486
Monaco	59	49,980
San Marino	70	48,672
British Virgin Islands	55	34,992
Cook Islands	67	24,326
Anguilla	61	20,284
Nauru	67	14,863
Tuvalu	49	12,114
Saint Helena	58	7,892
Falkland Islands	50	4,407
Burundi	0.0169	4,010
Montserrat	28	2,949
Niue	71	2,352
Tokelau	71	1,936
Pitcairn	100	94
British Indian Ocean Territory	0	0
Eritrea	0	0
North Korea	0	0
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	0	0
Vatican	0	0

This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals or vaccines administered for each location. Total vaccinations refers to the number of doses given, and may include booster doses in addition to those required for full vaccination. The definition of full vaccination varies by location and vaccine type and is subject to change over time. Full vaccination can refer to one dose of a one-shot vaccine, two doses of a two-dose vaccine, etc., or sometimes recovery from infection plus one dose of a vaccine. Definitions have not yet been updated to account for booster campaigns to control the spread of new variants.

Source: Our World in Data
Last updated: 14 December 2021, 13:32 GMT

 

[ghazi52]

Omicron: What we know about the symptoms

What do we know about the new coronavirus variant’s symptoms and its severity, and what are the effect of vaccines?

22 Dec 2021

A new coronavirus (or SARS-CoV-2) variant, known as Omicron (or B.1.1.529), was first identified by scientists in South Africa on November 24.

The latest variant of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease is believed to be more transmissible than the already highly transmissible Delta variant. Omicron has already been detected in 106 countries, the WHO has said.

Scientists are also concerned that the variant’s high number of mutations may help it evade vaccinations.

When Delta became the predominant variant, cold-like upper respiratory symptoms became more common, while the loss of taste and smell became less common than in other variants.
With Omicron, some experts have said the symptoms appear to be milder than Delta, while others say it is too soon to confirm.


What are the most common symptoms of Omicron?

Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first alerted authorities to the presence of the new COVID-19 variant, has said muscle aches, fatigue, a scratchy throat and night sweats are common Omicron symptoms.

Early data released on 16 December by the COVID Symptoms Study, run by the health science company Zoe and King’s College London, said cold-like symptoms were the most commonly reported by people with the new Omicron variant.

The data showed that the top five symptoms reported in the app for Omicron infection were a runny nose, headache, fatigue (either mild or severe), sneezing, and a sore throat.

The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe Hans Kluge said 89 percent of those with confirmed Omicron infections in Europe reported symptoms common with other coronavirus variants, including cough, sore throat, fever.


Are Omicron symptoms milder than with other variants?

Coetzee has described the symptoms of Omicron as “very, very mild” compared with those of the Delta variant. She also said that, unlike in other variants, patients have not reported loss of smell or taste and there has been no major drop in oxygen levels with the new variant.

A South African study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, has suggested there are reduced risks of hospitalisation and severe disease in people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant versus the Delta one, though the authors say some of that is likely due to high population immunity.

But researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) have said, “We find no evidence (for both risk of hospitalisation attendance and symptom status) of Omicron having different severity from Delta,” although it added that data on hospitalisations remains very limited. Their study is also not yet peer-reviewed.

Experts have also been concerned that the speed at which Omicron appears to spread will offset any reduction in severity.


What impact do vaccines have on symptoms?

Experts have said symptoms of Omicron infection in vaccinated people might be even milder than in those who are unvaccinated, which could lead to the cases to be missed.

Christina Marriott, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) said, “Growing evidence shows that people who’ve received two doses of the vaccine typically present with less severe symptoms, such as headache, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and loss of smell.

“It’s important for people who’ve been fully vaccinated to stay vigilant for cold-like symptoms and get tested if they’re living or working around people who are at greater risk from the disease.”

 

[Faqirze]

 

[ghazi52]

Dr Fauci vows more testing as Omicron hammers US

Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci has acknowledged a Covid “testing problem” as the Omicron strain overwhelms the nation, and he vowed to make more tests available to Americans next month, AFP reports.

“One of the problems is that that's not going to be totally available to everyone until we get to January, and there are still some issues now of people having trouble getting tested,” Fauci told ABC talk show “This Week.”

“But we're addressing the testing problem,” he added, saying it should be corrected “very soon.”

 

[ghazi52]

French virus infections spike over holidays

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time since the pandemic struck, and Covid-19 hospitalisations have doubled over the past month as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the governments efforts to stave off a new lockdown, AP reports.

More than 1 person in 100 in the Paris region has tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days.

Meanwhile, a surge in delta variant infections in recent months is pushing up hospital admissions. More than 1,000 people in France with the virus died over the past week, bringing the overall death toll to more than 122,000.

 

[ghazi52]

No 'panic' but Covid to 'overrun' some US hospitals: Biden

President Joe Biden has said some US hospitals could be “overrun” by Covid-19 cases, but the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge and Americans need not panic, reports AFP.

In a virtual meeting hosted by the White House with several state governors and top health advisers, Biden stressed that the rapid spread of the Omicron variant would not have the same impact as the initial outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 or the Delta surge this year.

“Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic,” he said.

 

[Englishman]

Good news is that this version of the Chinese virus is not as deadly.

 

[ghazi52]

Disabled need extra Covid legal protection: German court

Lawmakers must draw up rules to protect people with disabilities from being discriminated against if hospitals are forced to carry out triage in the coronavirus pandemic, Germany's constitutional court ruled.

With the health emergency which began in early 2020 headed for its third year and the Omicron variant raging, fears have grown that hospitals will be pressed to decide who they can save for lack of resources such as ventilators, AFP reports.

Nine people with disabilities or who are chronically ill brought the case to Germany's Federal Constitutional Court, seeking firm rules should health institutions be forced into triage. Currently, medical staff have only guidelines to work with.

 

[ghazi52]

Turkey's daily Covid-19 cases surge to near 40,000

Turkey has recorded 39,681 new Covid-19 cases, the highest number of daily infections since April 28, reports Reuters.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has warned about the growing prevalence of the Omicron variant.

The number of daily cases has doubled in the last week and Koca said the situation required people to be much more careful than they have been in the past.

Turkey has also recorded 139 deaths as a result of the virus, down from 142 a day earlier.

 

[jamal18]

Good news about omicron. Less dangerous. Discussion of research paper.

 

[Menthol]

Speechless, half a million a day!

 

[Imran Khan]

should i worry even after taking damn 3 doses of vaccine

 

[ghazi52]

England reports 162,572 new cases of Covid-19

England has reported 162,572 new cases of Covid-19, up from 160,276 the previous day, official data shows.
The daily update also shows 154 new deaths from the virus in England within 28 days of a positive test, down from 178 on Friday, reports Reuters.

The data normally also includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but did not for this update because of differences in reporting schedules over the New Year weekend.

 

[ghazi52]

data in detail


Scroll table to see more data
*Deaths per 100,000 people

Country	Deaths	Death rate*	Total Cases
US	833,928	254.1	59,701,281	JAN 2020 JAN 2022
Brazil	620,251	293.9	22,529,183
India	483,936	35.4	35,707,727
Russia	310,513	215.1	10,485,705
Mexico	300,334	235.4	4,125,388
Peru	203,019	624.5	2,358,685
UK	150,154	224.7	14,475,192
Indonesia	144,129	53.3	4,266,195
Italy	139,038	230.6	7,436,939
Iran	131,878	159.1	6,206,405
Colombia	130,338	258.9	5,330,662
France	124,809	186.1	10,921,757
Argentina	117,492	261.4	6,310,844
Germany	114,033	137.2	7,553,745
Ukraine	103,716	233.7	3,885,416
Poland	99,742	262.7	4,213,197
South Africa	92,453	157.9	3,526,054
Spain	89,934	191.0	7,164,906
Turkey	83,702	100.3	9,980,422
Romania	59,011	304.9	1,844,537
Philippines	52,150	48.2	2,965,447
Hungary	39,947	408.9	1,297,612
Chile	39,272	207.2	1,829,437
Czech Republic	36,624	343.3	2,530,917
Vietnam	34,319	35.6	1,899,575
Ecuador	33,699	194.0	559,950
Malaysia	31,678	99.1	2,786,219
Bulgaria	31,556	452.4	780,417
Canada	30,812	82.0	2,532,885
Pakistan	28,972	13.4	1,305,707
Belgium	28,459	247.8	2,231,686
Bangladesh	28,102	17.2	1,593,700
Tunisia	25,665	219.5	743,838
Iraq	24,207	61.6	2,097,540
Egypt	21,964	21.9	392,857
Thailand	21,838	31.4	2,277,476
Greece	21,394	199.6	1,507,616
Netherlands	21,080	121.6	3,343,146
Bolivia	19,983	173.6	677,166
Myanmar	19,291	35.7	532,062
Portugal	19,029	185.3	1,499,976
Japan	18,399	14.6	1,764,280
Kazakhstan	18,274	98.7	1,081,758
Slovakia	16,962	311.0	1,397,257
Paraguay	16,658	236.5	472,673
Guatemala	16,125	97.1	638,705
Sweden	15,377	149.5	1,416,650
Sri Lanka	15,119	69.3	591,667
Morocco	14,911	40.9	1,002,084
Georgia	14,218	382.2	962,827
Austria	13,848	156.0	1,339,421
Bosnia and Herzegovina	13,568	411.0	297,333
Serbia	12,912	185.9	1,350,595
Croatia	12,878	316.6	765,605
Jordan	12,372	122.5	1,047,953
Switzerland	12,352	144.0	1,483,212
Nepal	11,604	40.6	832,589
Honduras	10,443	107.2	381,254
Moldova	10,363	389.9	380,290
Lebanon	9,283	135.4	774,180
Saudi Arabia	8,893	26.0	578,753
Azerbaijan	8,445	84.3	621,234
Cuba	8,328	73.5	977,410
Israel	8,269	91.3	1,503,082
North Macedonia	8,032	385.5	233,464
Armenia	8,004	270.6	345,981
Lithuania	7,554	271.1	544,242
Panama	7,465	175.8	526,315
Afghanistan	7,373	19.4	158,394
Costa Rica	7,372	146.1	584,547
Ethiopia	7,030	6.3	444,124
Algeria	6,339	14.7	222,157
Uruguay	6,192	178.9	449,422
South Korea	6,071	11.7	667,390
Ireland	5,952	120.5	978,104
Libya	5,788	85.4	393,447
Belarus	5,712	60.3	708,291
Slovenia	5,655	270.8	490,784
Kenya	5,446	10.4	311,538
Venezuela	5,357	18.8	447,288
Zimbabwe	5,160	35.2	222,291
Palestinian Territories	4,954	105.7	471,414
China	4,849	0.3	116,641
Latvia	4,658	243.5	287,851
Dominican Republic	4,255	39.6	457,227
Oman	4,118	82.8	307,722
El Salvador	3,827	59.3	122,469
Zambia	3,812	21.3	282,904
Namibia	3,724	149.3	152,390
Denmark	3,385	58.2	969,485
Sudan	3,340	7.8	47,443
Uganda	3,339	7.5	153,762
Albania	3,240	113.5	219,694
Nigeria	3,077	1.5	248,312
Trinidad and Tobago	3,066	219.8	96,952
Cambodia	3,015	18.3	120,636
Kosovo	2,991	166.7	162,677
Syria	2,926	17.1	50,502
Kyrgyzstan	2,819	43.7	186,065
Jamaica	2,499	84.8	102,505
Botswana	2,475	107.4	229,855
Kuwait	2,471	58.7	433,919
Montenegro	2,442	392.5	190,279
Malawi	2,413	13.0	79,987
Australia	2,389	9.4	1,049,306
United Arab Emirates	2,174	22.3	785,625
Mozambique	2,085	6.9	210,399
Mongolia	2,074	64.3	395,129
Yemen	1,986	6.8	10,197
Estonia	1,956	147.4	253,775
Senegal	1,898	11.6	79,290
Cameroon	1,853	7.2	109,666
Angola	1,826	5.7	89,718
Finland	1,638	29.7	305,522
Uzbekistan	1,497	4.5	200,730
Bahrain	1,397	85.1	292,572
Rwanda	1,375	10.9	120,984
Norway	1,350	25.2	444,368
Eswatini	1,336	116.4	67,294
Somalia	1,335	8.6	24,261
Ghana	1,325	4.4	150,874
DR Congo	1,225	1.4	80,175
Suriname	1,198	206.1	57,705
Madagascar	1,117	4.1	54,101
Guyana	1,070	136.7	44,902
Luxembourg	922	148.7	112,203
Mauritania	886	19.6	49,006
Taiwan	850	3.6	17,362
Singapore	838	14.7	285,647
Guadeloupe	831	207.7	56,515
Martinique	788	209.8	51,840
Haiti	780	6.9	26,654
Tanzania	740	1.3	30,564
Ivory Coast	735	2.9	77,449
Bahamas	717	184.1	28,619
Fiji	709	79.7	57,257
Lesotho	683	32.1	31,106
Mali	672	3.4	25,197
Cyprus	657	54.8	204,372
French Polynesia	636	227.7	46,534
Qatar	618	21.8	270,651
Belize	605	155.0	35,802
Papua New Guinea	591	6.7	36,357
Malta	487	96.9	60,386
Laos	437	6.1	118,880
Réunion	419	47.1	85,960
Guinea	400	3.1	34,673
Congo	370	6.9	22,418
Cape Verde	361	65.6	50,250
Gambia	343	14.6	10,792
French Guiana	342	117.6	55,701
Burkina Faso	333	1.6	19,636
Saint Lucia	306	167.4	14,874
Gabon	295	13.6	43,939
Liberia	287	5.8	6,851
New Caledonia	281	97.6	13,161
Niger	280	1.2	8,006
Barbados	266	92.7	31,841
Maldives	264	49.7	98,052
Togo	253	3.1	33,915
Mauritius	240	19.0	24,051
Nicaragua	218	3.3	17,526
Grenada	200	178.6	7,699
Curaçao	193	122.5	28,663
Djibouti	189	19.4	14,177
Mayotte	186	69.9	24,671
Chad	184	1.2	6,185
Aruba	182	171.2	27,392
Equatorial Guinea	177	13.1	14,401
Benin	161	1.4	25,522
Comoros	159	18.7	7,622
Guinea-Bissau	149	7.8	6,694
Andorra	141	182.8	26,408
South Sudan	136	1.2	16,042
Seychelles	134	137.3	26,968
Tajikistan	125	1.3	17,493
Sierra Leone	124	1.6	7,448
Timor-Leste	122	9.4	19,856
Antigua and Barbuda	120	123.6	5,058
Channel Islands	116	67.3	32,409
Bermuda	110	172.1	7,191
San Marino	103	304.2	9,095
Central African Republic	101	2.1	12,454
Gibraltar	100	296.7	9,891
Brunei	98	22.6	15,634
St Vincent and the Grenadines	84	76.0	6,247
Eritrea	82	2.3	8,335
Sint Maarten	75	184.1	6,692
Liechtenstein	71	186.7	6,658
Isle of Man	68	80.4	18,274
Sao Tome and Principe	63	29.3	4,892
Saint Martin	59	155.3	5,148
New Zealand	51	1.0	14,733
Dominica	47	65.5	7,299
Monaco	42	107.8	5,593
British Virgin Islands	40	133.2	4,207
Iceland	39	10.8	36,447
Burundi	38	0.3	34,722
Saint Kitts and Nevis	28	53.0	4,145
Turks and Caicos Islands	27	70.7	4,011
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	23	88.5	4,395
Faroe Islands	15	30.8	7,708
Diamond Princess cruise ship	13		712
Cayman Islands	12	18.5	10,618
Wallis and Futuna Islands	7	61.2	454
Saint Barthelemy	6	60.9	2,363
Anguilla	6	40.3	1,777
Bhutan	3	0.4	2,781
MS Zaandam cruise ship	2		9
Greenland	1	1.8	4,996
Montserrat	1	20.0	114
Vanuatu	1	0.3	7
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	0	0.0	113
Falkland Islands	0	0.0	85
Solomon Islands	0	0.0	28
Vatican	0	0.0	27
Palau	0	0.0	8
Marshall Islands	0	0.0	7
Saint Helena	0	0.0	4
Samoa	0	0.0	3
Cook Islands	0	0.0	2
Kiribati	0	0.0	2
Micronesia	0	0.0	1
Tonga	0	0.0	1

This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.

** The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average. Due to revisions in the number of cases, an average cannot be calculated for this date.

Source: Johns Hopkins University and national public health agencies

Figures last updated: 10 January 2022, 10:43 GMT

 

[ghazi52]

Omicron pushing Covid out of pandemic phase: EU

The spread of the Omicron variant is pushing Covid towards being an endemic disease that humanity can live with, although it remains a pandemic for now, the EU's drug watchdog said on Tuesday.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also expressed doubts about giving a fourth vaccine shot to the general population, saying repeated boosters were not a "sustainable" strategy.

"Nobody knows exactly when we will be at the end of the tunnel but we will be there," Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccine strategy at the Amsterdam-based regulator, told journalists.