Omicron continues to spread, in Europe and in the rest of the world. the variant is already dominant in Portugal, the most vaccinated country in Europe. In France, one hundred thousand daily infections are exceeded, the only state where the situation seems to be slightly improving is Germany.
Slight decrease in cases in Germany
In fact, in the last 24 hours, Germany has registered 10,100 new cases of Covid and 88 deaths due to the virus. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute, underlining that the weekly incidence continues to decrease. In fact, it reached 220.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants, while the day before it was 242.9 and last week it was 315.4. The total number of deaths reached 110,364.
Portugal in the grip of the Omicron variant
Omicron has become the dominant strain in Portugal, where over 10,000 daily cases of Covid have been recorded in the past 24 hours. Portugal is one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world. “The Omicron variant is already dominant in Portugal, it represents 61.5% of cases, as of December 22,” the health authorities said.
France: over one hundred thousand infections in 24 hours
The daily cases of Covid in France are growing: exceeded 100 thousand infections in 24 hours. With 104,611 new cases since yesterday, a threshold has been reached in France that has never been reached since the beginning of the epidemic. According to data from the public health agency, on 4 December last there were 50 thousand cases, so the number of daily infections doubled in three weeks.
First case in North Macedonia
A first case of contagion from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was recorded in North Macedonia. In reporting this, regional media reports that it is a person who has returned from Great Britain, who suffers from mild symptoms and is in isolation at home. He had recovered from Covid-19 last January, and was subsequently given two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Cases on the rise in Israel
Cases are also growing in Israel, but with much lower numbers: in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of health, they were 1,482 with a positive rate of 1.4%. Young people under 20 years of age are most affected with almost 30% of new infections to the detriment of trivaccinated people. Of the 88 serious cases, however, 75% involve unvaccinated people. At the moment, the postponement of the introduction of the fourth dose to over 60 and subjects at risk who, according to some sources, should have started next Sunday has been confirmed.
China is also in trouble because of the variant
China registered 140 new cases today, the highest figure in the last 4 months. The last country left to adopt the “zero strategy”, or the attempt to eradicate the coronavirus within its borders, is struggling against the highly contagious Omicron variant. The city of Xian, the epicenter of the outbreak, remains isolated, with millions of people confined. According to the media, however, the infections have already spread to five other cities, including Beijing. China has recorded two deaths from Covid in the last year and a half, but is anxious about the appointment with the winter Olympics scheduled in the capital in February.
India: 7,189 new cases and 387 deaths
In India, 7,189 cases of Covid and 387 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours. The case of India raises questions and astonishment among scientists: the Asian giant seems to have defeated the pandemic and entered the endemic phase. Experts underlined that the situation appears truly surprising, not to say miraculous, as a few months ago the country was in a truly chaotic situation with skyrocketing numbers of infections and deaths.
Russia, 24,946 infections and deaths are decreasing
The number of new cases in Russia continues to be high in the last 24 hours even if the victims are decreasing: there were 24,946 infections (yesterday there were 24,703) and 981 deaths, the lowest figure since last 12 October. More than 42 thousand patients recovered, for the fifth consecutive day over 40 thousand.
Australia, record of infections in the state of Sydney
In Australia, the state of New South Wales, that is Sydney, the most populous in the country, in the last 24 hours has recorded over 6 thousand cases of Covid-19 for the first time, precisely 6,288. This is the highest number of infections ever recorded in an Australian state since the beginning of the pandemic and marks an increase of 676 cases compared to the previous day. The number of coronavirus patients in the state has risen from 6 to 388, with 52 people in intensive care.
New Zealand without Omicron
Few restrictions in New Zealand, one of the few countries in the world not affected by the Omicron variant. In mid-summer New Zealand, 95% of adults received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, meaning it is one of the countries in the world with the most vaccinated population. The only Omicron cases detected in the country have been isolated and so far safely contained at the border. As Covid-19 has spread around the world for the past two years, New Zealand has used its isolation as an advantage. Border controls have mostly kept the virus at bay and by Christmas this year the country recorded 50 deaths out of a population of 5.5 million people.
Vaccines in Africa still stuck at 8%
The average vaccination rate in Africa is still very low: 8%. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 53 African countries out of 54 – Eritrea alone is missing – have started vaccination programs. So far, however, only 284 million doses have been administered, equal to 64% of those delivered. If the vaccination campaign does not see a significant acceleration, the continent may not reach the 70% vaccination coverage target set by the WHO for mid-2022 before August 2024.