New Delhi: The Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world as cases rise amid the discovery of Omicron, the new variant of the virus, with the current count standing at 27,04,40,970 cases and 53,22,447 deaths.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set a new booster target amid the rapid spread of the “Omicron wave”. Meanwhile, the United States reported 43 fresh Omicron cases, but no deaths. An Israeli expert panel said no to the fourth Covid vaccine dose (second booster dose), focusing on vaccinating the unvaccinated. A new Covid hub had the government urging Chinese workers not to return home for the Lunar New Year.
ThePrint brings you some important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic.
UK targets boosters for all adults by month-end as Omicron spreads
Announcing an “Omicron emergency” in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson Sunday said booster jabs will be offered to everyone aged over 18 in England from this week, the BBC reported.
Setting a new target to administer boosters to all adults who want one by the end of the month, Johnson said: “No one should be in any doubt, there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming.”
This can also mean postponements on some other medical appointments.
The announcement came just hours after the UK’s Covid-19 alert level, or level of transmission, increased to four due to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant. The UK’s alert level hasn’t reached level four since May.
Speaking to the media Sunday, Johnson said: “It is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need. But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all bring our level of protection back up.”
The United Kingdom has reported 1,08,19,515 Covid-19 cases and 1,46,439 deaths.
Also Read: Scientist who discovered the Omicron variant explains why a ‘global fund’ is a necessity
US reports 43 fresh Omicron cases, no deaths
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States so far has reported 43 Covid infections with the Omicron variant, the New York Times reported. The daily further said in its report that only one individual, who was vaccinated, required a brief hospital stay.
The most common symptoms among those infected were cough, fatigue and congestion or a runny nose. While the first cases appeared to be mild, the report warned that “as with all variants, a lag exists between infection and more severe outcomes”.
The report further noted that young adults under the age of 40 accounted for most of the Omicron cases and that 34 individuals, out of 43 who tested positive for Omicron, were fully vaccinated when they had their first symptoms. Six were previously infected with the coronavirus.
Further explaining that Omicron infections transmitted in November will be discovered in the coming days, the report said: “Even if most infections are mild, a highly transmissible variant could result in enough cases to overwhelm health systems. The clinical severity of infection with the Omicron variant will become better understood as additional cases are identified and investigated.”
The United States has reported 5,08,01,455 Covid-19 infections and 8,17,956 fatalities.
Israeli panel says no to 4th vaccine, focuses on vaccinating the unvaccinated
The Israel Health Ministry’s vaccination committee Sunday recommended against administering the fourth vaccination to the general population, including immunocompromised people, Haaretz reported. Experts in the committee said they had decided to prioritise vaccinating those who have not yet received the recommended three doses of the vaccine.
Israel is currently administering the third shot or the booster, five months after receiving the second shot. The panel also decided not to shorten the waiting time between the second and third shots.
Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said: “There is a high probability that a fourth vaccine will be recommended, but we will have to see when.”
Calling the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK the “fastest we have ever seen”, Professor Ron Balicer, head of an expert panel advising the Health Ministry, said: “It has been shown in the UK that the level of protection of two doses against the Omicron strain is very low. That means nearly 42 per cent of Israelis are insufficiently protected against the latest Omicron variant.”
Israel has registered 13,50,215 coronavirus cases and 8,216 deaths.
New Covid hub: Chinese workers asked not to return home for Lunar New Year
Chinese workers were advised not to travel home for the Lunar New Year as a fresh Covid outbreak hit a factory hub with nearly 80 per cent of the country’s new cases, in the manufacturing powerhouse province of Zhejiang, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to the National Health Commission, around 47 — or nearly 80 per cent — of China’s 59 locally infected Covid cases reported Saturday were in Zhejiang, a coastal province on the East China Sea and a major manufacturing powerhouse and home to tech giant Alibaba.
Zhejiang province also houses the Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the world’s largest in terms of cargo tonnage.
Last August, key terminal ports had to cease operations after one worker tested positive for the virus, causing shipping congestion and wreaking havoc on the global supply chain.
China has reported 99,780 Covid-19 cases and 4,636 deaths.
What else we’re reading:
Experts warn Papua New Guinea is potential breeding ground for new Covid variants: The Guardian
Pandemic health costs pushed half a billion people into poverty: Al Jazeera
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Even mild Omicron cases could create major new problems