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Covid pandemic: Highest single-day deaths in S Korea, Australia shortens gap for booster dose

ThePrint brings you some important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic.

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New Delhi: The new SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron has raised fresh concern about the spread of Covid globally. The total number of Covid cases from across the world has reached 278,588,451, with 5,402,557 deaths reported.

European countries are experiencing a rapid increase in the number of cases due to the new variant of the pandemic. The German health minister has said that the country will see a rise in cases around the New Year, while South Korea Thursday recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day, since the beginning of the pandemic.

ThePrint brings you some important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic.


Also read: UK PM Johnson uses Christmas message to push COVID-19 boosters


South Korea reports record deaths

South Korea recorded 109 deaths from Covid Thursday, the highest number the country has seen in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a report published in The Korea Herald Thursday.

While the number of daily new cases fell below 7,000, there has been a reported increase in the number of critical cases — resulting in a shortage of hospital beds — and deaths. The current rate of hospital bed occupancy in ICU stands at 79.1 per cent, with 367 Covid patients in the greater Seoul area reportedly waiting for a hospital bed. The Korean government has also launched a new set of restrictions to curb the spread of the disease, reported The Korea Herald.

South Korea has recorded 596,209 cases and 5,071 deaths due to Covid so far.


Also read: How Covid arbitrage became trade of the year, be it in India or Taiwan


German health minister says rise in cases feared around New Year

Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has said that he expects a rise in Covid-19 cases around the New Year and people will likely need a fourth vaccine shot to maintain the best immune response, the news agency AP reported Thursday.

The minister told the country’s public radio network WDR 2 that the country has not seen a rapid increase in the number of cases till now unlike other countries in Europe, but New Year could change that.

“That will change around New Year and in the first week of January,” Lauterbach said. According to the government, 70.7 per cent of the German population has received a full course of vaccine, while 35 per cent has had a booster dose. The country has also reported one death from Omicron.

Germany has so far recorded 6,954,549 Covid cases and 110,636 deaths.


Also read: How will the Covid pandemic end?


Australia shortens gap for booster shots

Australians will be able to get booster shots from 4 January, Bloomberg reported Friday.

In view of the Omicron outbreak, the country has announced that booster doses will be available at an interval of four months (from the last vaccine dose) from the beginning of 2022 and three months from end-January onwards. Australia had initially announced booster doses after a six month interval, which was then shortened to five, and now four.

“About 91 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have had two jabs”, Health Minister Greg Hunt was quoted as saying in the Bloomberg report.

Australia has registered 282,584 Covid cases and 2,182 deaths, since the pandemic started.


Also read: World Economic Forum defers Davos meeting over Omicron fears


South Africa to end quarantine, contact

According to a notice issued by the Director General of Health, South Africa will stop contact tracing and quarantining people, as 80 per cent of its population has had past infection, Bloomberg reported Friday.

“Quarantine has been costly to essential services and society as many people stay away from their work and thus lose their income and children miss on their schooling, we never identify most high risk patients, the notice reportedly stated.

The health department has decided to conduct tracing only in case of a cluster outbreak. The country is also recovering from its deepest economic contraction in almost three decades, induced by the pandemic.

The decision follows advice from experts to the government on grounds that these measures were of “negligible public health benefit”.

South Africa has so far reported 3,374,262 Covid cases and 90,662 deaths from the disease.

What else are we reading:

Omicron: Half of colds will be Covid, warn UK researchers: BBC

UK overtakes Israel in race to become world’s most boosted nation against Covid: The Telegraph


Also read: Omicron less severe than Delta variant, UK studies find


 

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