In Germany there won’t be a lockdown before Christmas as in different forms it happens in Netherlands and in Austria. “But we will have a fifth wave, because we have passed a critical number of Omicron infections. This wave can no longer be completely stopped “, but it can be fought” with mandatory vaccines. This is my firm belief “. This is said by the German health minister Karl Lauterbach, interviewed by tv High. Just yesterday, the health ministers of the German laender asked for stricter rules for travelers entering the country. In particular, Berlin has imposed restrictions on entry from France e Denmark, declared high risk areas Covid. For Lauterbach, the goal at this point is “to protect those who are otherwise particularly at risk” by relaunching the vaccination campaign and educating people about what is possible during the holidays and what is not. “My concern now is to carry out the recall campaign and the first vaccination campaign as quickly as possible, without red tape and at maximum speed.”
The country that the whole world is looking at is the United Kingdom, where Omicron cases were 12,133 in 24 hours, up from around 10,000 yesterday. The total of infections ascertained with the new variant of Covid-19 rises to 37,101. “It may be too late to respond” to this variant says the UK health minister Sajid Javid, as cases of this variant in the UK are already widespread. “There are still a lot of things we don’t know about the variant,” he adds: “We have to be clear about the challenge Omicron presents. Our strategy since it emerged has been and remains to buy time for our scientists to assess the threat and build our defenses ”.
Meanwhile, after the Netherlands announced yesterday the lockdown in the country, today it was the turn of the Denmark tighten measures to cope with the increase in cases. As reported by the Bbc, for the whole month there will be a stop at theaters, cinemas and amusement parks. Cafes and restaurants will have to close at 11pm and stores will not be able to sell alcohol after 10pm. Limits will also be imposed on the number of people allowed in the stores depending on the space.
The situation is also of great concern in the United States. For the director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins: the risk for the United States is a million new cases per day. In an interview released on his last day at the helm of the institute where he has been at the helm for 12 years, he says among other things: “I know people are tired. But the virus is not tired of us, it is finding a way to change every couple of months, to become more contagious ”.
Meanwhile, the country is starting to cancel Christmas parties and classroom lessons and to reduce office attendance. Companies review their plans. Many opt for Christmas greetings in virtual format to avoid the spread of the virus. And also Wall Street, among the first to return to the office after the initial emergency, is forced to retrace her steps. Goldman Sachs in recent days, he ordered employees to cancel scheduled parties, while JPMorgan he called for caution in the celebrations. Cnn closed the offices to non-essential staff: “If your job does not require attendance, please work elsewhere,” said the president Jeff Sugar in a communication to employees. Cnn – he added – will also make changes in the recording studios “minimizing the number of people present”. Harvard moved all lessons online for the first three weeks of January.