Omicron spreads faster and weakens jabs:

[Ali_Baba]

TBH we are sick of it our lives will be finished in this mess ?

Omicron is considered to be milder than the variants that have gone before it - looks like the virus is slowly burninig itself out. It will come to an end.

No one talks about the spanish flu virus anymore because it burned itself out - so will this one.

 

[jamal18]

Omicron is considered to be milder than the variants that have gone before it - looks like the virus is slowly burninig itself out. It will come to an end.

No one talks about the spanish flu virus anymore because it burned itself out - so will this one.

It will increase natuaral immunity.

 

[ghazi52]

Hopefully, it will be over.

 

[Imran Khan]

Omicron is considered to be milder than the variants that have gone before it - looks like the virus is slowly burninig itself out. It will come to an end.

No one talks about the spanish flu virus anymore because it burned itself out - so will this one.

but my dear sir spanish flu destroyed the lives of millions and they all dead already .

 

[nang2]

but my dear sir spanish flu destroyed the lives of millions and they all dead already .

Yes, that is how human beings earn the right to exist on this planet.

 

[kuge]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Covid-19: Three doses of China's Sinovac vaccine fail to protect against Omicron in study
Jinshan Hong04:44, Dec 24 2021



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Vaccine resistance, transmission, symptoms... What we know about Omicron
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the Covid-19 disease, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
Two doses and a booster of the Covid-19 vaccine made by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, one of the most widely used in the world, didn't produce sufficient levels of neutralising antibodies to protect against the Omicron variant, a laboratory study found.
The research suggests that people who've received Sinovac's shot, known as CoronaVac, should seek out a different vaccine for their booster: Getting Germany's BioNTech's messenger RNA as a third dose saw those previously fully vaccinated with CoronaVac significantly improve in protective levels of antibodies against Omicron, according to the study from the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Two doses of the BioNTech shot, known as Comirnaty, was also insufficient, though adding a booster of the same type raised protection to adequate levels, the researchers said in a statement.

VLADIMIR VORONIN/AP
A medical worker administers a shot of China's Sinovac vaccine to a patient. The vaccine has been used in many different countries.
While much is still unknown about how Sinovac's shot holds up to Omicron -- including how T cells, the immune system's weapon against virus-infected cells, will respond -- the initial results are a blow to those who have received CoronaVac.

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There have been more than 2.3 billion doses of the shot produced and shipped out, mostly in China and the developing world.
With Omicron seen to be about 70 times more transmissible than the delta variant, the prospect of having to roll out different boosters or even re-vaccinate with a more Omicron-specific vaccine will set back the world's efforts to exit the pandemic.
Last week, Sinovac released lab studies saying 94 per cent of people getting three doses generated neutralising antibodies, though it didn't say what level.

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The Hong Kong researchers set a threshold for what they considered a sufficient level of antibodies for protection based on earlier studies published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Sinovac representatives didn't immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
The research, led by Malik Peiris and David Hui, examined the production of virus neutralising antibodies in the blood of people vaccinated with the two shots currently in use in Hong Kong.
They confirm two doses of either vaccine wasn't sufficient to fend off Omicron.

FIRDIA LISNAWATI/AP
A girl receives a shot of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign at an elementary school in Bali, Indonesia.
The news comes as Hong Kong's medical advisers cleared the way for adults in the city to receive a booster shot, no matter which vaccine they initially received.
The new study suggests there are critical differences between them.
The findings are bad news for China, which has managed to insulate the vast majority of its people from Covid-19 with closed borders and strict containment measures, but now faces the challenge of keeping Omicron out.
The government has given out 2.6 billion homegrown shots -- many of them CoronaVac -- to its population of 1.4 billion people, but will likely have to develop and roll out new vaccines before it can shift away from its isolationist stance

 

[ghazi52]

World set to ring in another pandemic Christmas

The rise of the Omicron variant heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa's arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid-19 restrictions.

Festive jokes about reindeer having “herd immunity” and millions isolating “Home Alone” may be wearing thin, but the emergence of the ultra-infectious Omicron variant means the pandemic is not going away anytime soon.

For the second year, surging infections have complicated yuletide plans from Sydney to Seville, AFP reports.

 

[ghazi52]

Denmark, Iceland report record Covid-19 cases as Omicron surges

Denmark and Iceland reported record daily coronavirus cases as the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes Europe the global hotspot for infections and deaths.

Both Nordic nations had some of Europe's lowest infection rates before Omicron's arrival.

Europe recorded the most Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past seven days, according to statistics compiled by AFP and drawn from official sources. The five countries with the highest case rates over the last seven days were all European.

A doctor performs a mouth swab on a patient to test for for Coronavirus Covid-19 in Copenhagen, on April 2, 2020. — AFP/File

 

[ghazi52]

Qatar suspends leave for healthcare staff amid Covid-19 surge

Qatar's main healthcare provider has suspended leave for all medical and administrative staff dealing with Covid, as infections surge across the Gulf.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Qatar — have been recording their highest numbers of new cases in months.

“Due to the recent increase in the number of people infected with Covid-19 in Qatar [...] the difficult decision has been made to put on hold all approved and future employees' leave requests for clinical and admin staff who are working in Covid-19 activities,” the state-owned Hamad Medical Corporation said in an internal memo circulated on Monday and seen by AFP.

 

[ghazi52]

Several European countries report record high daily new Covid-19 infections as Omicron continues to spread

From CNN’s Duarte Mendonca in Cascais, Portugal.

Several European countries — such as France, the UK, Italy, and Portugal — are currently seeing a large increase in daily new cases, many even setting new records since the pandemic began as the Omicron variant continues to spread. Despite the rising trend in daily cases, those figures haven’t translated into more deaths and hospitalizations, particularly when compared to the same period a year ago.

France reported a record high of 179,807 new confirmed coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period on Tuesday, setting the highest number since the start of the pandemic, the French health authorities said.

The latest data shattered the previous record of 104,611 new daily cases, which was set on Saturday.

The increase in daily figures is a huge increment of 176,847 new cases when compared to last year’s figures, yet France latest data is showing less deaths, hospitalizations and intensive care unit occupancy.

French authorities’ data shows that in the last 24 hours, France recorded 290 coronavirus related deaths, 484 people hospitalized and 83 people in ICU beds.

A year ago, the country recorded 363 deaths, 25 hospitalizations and 44 people under intensive care.

Meanwhile, the UK has also set a new daily record of Covid-19 cases with 129,471, according to British government data released Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal has also recorded the highest number of new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, with a total of 17,172 new coronavirus cases, the Portuguese Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The highest count of daily infections took place on Jan. 28, with 16,432 cases reported at the time.

Looking back at last year’s figures, the latest data shows a large increase of 15,079 new daily cases, however, despite the rise in cases, Portugal is showing a lower number on deaths, hospital admissions and ICU occupancy.

The data shows that currently, Portugal has 936 people hospitalized, with 152 of them in intensive care and 19 deaths, whereas a year ago Portugal was recording 2,967 hospitalizations, with 503 of them in ICU units and a total of 58 deaths.

Italy is seeing a similar situation, with the country also reporting their highest daily new cases since the start of the pandemic with 78,313 people infected in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s Health Ministry data.

The latest figures show that the trend of rising cases continues after the country reported recently new daily case records for three consecutive days.
Despite the rise in daily cases, Italy has recorded lower figures in hospitalizations and deaths when compared with data from a year ago.

On Dec. 28, 2020, Italy recorded 8,585 new infections, 445 Covid-19 related deaths and 2,565 ICU beds occupied, which reveals a significant contrast to the most recent numbers of 78,313 new infections, 202 deaths and 1,145 ICU occupancy.

 

[ghazi52]

World hits record number of Covid cases in a week

The world hit a record number of Covid-19 infections in a seven-day period, with more than 935,000 cases detected on average each day between December 22-28, according to an AFP tally.

The figures, the highest since the virus first emerged at the end of 2019, are based on tolls given daily by health authorities in each country.

With 6,550,000 cases recorded between December 22 and December 28 — or an average of 935,863 a day — the virus is spreading at unprecedented speed.

The figures are sharply higher than the previous record between April 23-29 when 817,000 cases were recorded on average each day.

 

[ghazi52]

China's Xian marks first week of lockdown as Covid cases persist

A lockdown of 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xian has entered its seventh day with many unable to leave their homes and virtually dependent on deliveries of necessities as new Covid-19 infections persist, Reuters reports.


Xian has reported 151 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms in the last 24 hours, or nearly all of the 152 cases nationwide, bringing the total number of local Xian cases to nearly 1,000 during the December 9-28 period. No cases of the Omicron variant have been announced in the city.

While the Xian outbreak is small compared with outbreaks in many other places around the world, officials imposed tough curbs on travel within and leaving the city from Dec 23, in line with Beijing's drive to immediately contain outbreaks as they appear.

People line up in the rain at a nucleic acid testing site following cases of the coronavirus in Dongxing, a border city with Vietnam, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, December 27. — Reuters

 

[ghazi52]

US reports record infections as Europe's Omicron cases also soar

,
France reported Europe's highest ever number of new daily cases on Tuesday, with 179,807 infections

The US and several European countries have reported their highest daily rises in Covid cases since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant spreads.

More than 440,000 new cases were recorded in the US on Monday, health officials said.

France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and England have also reported record numbers of daily infections.
Officials have said the high figures could be due in part to reporting delays over the Christmas period.

Studies suggest that Omicron is milder than the previously dominant Delta variant, but fears remain that the sheer number of cases stemming from the highly infectious Omicron could overwhelm hospitals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the risk posed by Omicron "remains very high".

Poland on Wednesday recorded 794 Covid-related deaths, the highest number in its fourth wave of the pandemic, with more than three-quarters of the victims unvaccinated.


In the US, cases recorded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rose by 441,278 on 27 December - by far the highest number of daily cases ever reported to the agency.

The CDC data tracker says US media report the seven-day average rise in infections is now at its highest level since January 2021.
A CDC spokeswoman told news site Politico that the latest infection figures could be overestimated due to lags in testing and test centre closures over the Christmas period, adding that case numbers would "become more stable after the new year".

The health agency has also expanded its travel warnings for parts of Europe, adding Malta, Moldova and Sweden to a list of countries where travel poses a very high risk of infection.

Travellers are asked to avoid these countries under the CDC's Level 4 criteria, which a destination receives if it reports more than 500 cases per 100,000 people.

US infectious disease expert Amesh Adalja told the BBC that Omicron could "get round the protection afforded by vaccines" and "affect anybody at will".

"So we are going to see cases rise," he said. "The key is to keep this away from high-risk people... we're really going to have to focus on severe cases and hospitalisations."

Sharon Catron Sharp waits in a long queue for Covid testing in Memphis, Tennessee


According to a report published by the WHO on Tuesday, the number of new Covid infections of all variants grew by 57% in Europe in the week before 26 December, and by 30% in the Americas.

 

[ghazi52]

Italy reports record 98,030 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, 148 deaths

Reuters
29 Dec 2021

MILAN: Italy reported another fresh record daily tally of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with new cases hitting 98,030 against 78,313 a day earlier, the health ministry said.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths fell to 148 from 202 on Tuesday.

Italy has registered 137,091 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 5,85 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 10,578 on Wednesday, up from 10,089 a day earlier.

There were 126 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 119 on Tuesday.

The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,185 from a previous 1,145.

Some 1.03 million tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, in line with Tuesday's record, the health ministry said.

 

[ghazi52]

Omicron cases in Germany up 26pc within a day

Cases of the coronavirus' Omicrom variant in Germany have increased by 2,686 or nearly 26 per cent within a day to reach a total of 13,129, APP has reported, citing data released by the Robert Koch Institute.

More than 6,060 of the laboratory-confirmed Omicron cases in Germany have been recorded in the 15-34 age group, and around 4,320 cases have been identified in the 35-59 age group, according to the RKI.