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Nations throughout Europe thought of new curbs on motion on Tuesday whereas US President Joe Biden appealed to all Individuals to get vaccinated to struggle the Omicron variant sweeping the world days earlier than the second Christmas of the pandemic.
Omicron infections are multiplying throughout Europe, the US and Asia, together with in Japan, the place a single cluster of COVID-19 instances at a navy base has grown to not less than 180.
“In case you’re not absolutely vaccinated, you may have good cause to be involved,” Biden mentioned on the White Home, the place he unveiled plans to purchase 500 million fast COVID-19 checks to be distributed totally free to Individuals who request them beginning in January.
Putting a dire tone concerning the dangers to the one in 4 American adults nonetheless unvaccinated, he mentioned: “Your alternative could be the distinction between life and dying.”
Biden additionally activated some 1,000 navy medical personnel to help overwhelmed hospitals.
Hans Kluge, the World Well being Group’s European head, informed a information convention in Vienna that inside weeks Omicron would dominate in additional nations of the area, “pushing already stretched well being techniques additional to the brink”.
“We will see one other storm coming,” Kluge mentioned.
Biden speaks concerning the nation’s struggle in opposition to the coronavirus illness [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]Omicron now accounts for 73 % of all new instances within the US, up from lower than 1 % initially of the month.
Chatting with Al Jazeera through Skype from Los Angeles, George Manson College’s Jennifer Victor mentioned that two issues stood out from Biden’s new COVID initiatives.
“One is a way more deliberate, full throated, full throttled coverage response from the chief department to reply to COVID,” Victor mentioned.
“The second factor I believe we’re seeing is the White Home is utilizing its public platform … and the entire media and management it might probably take over the general public agenda to attract individuals’s consideration to this subject, which I believe is especially notable.”
Nations weigh curbs
Germany, Scotland, Eire, the Netherlands and South Korea are amongst nations to have reimposed partial or full lockdowns or different social distancing measures in latest days.
Portugal ordered nightclubs and bars to shut and informed individuals to work at home for not less than two weeks from Saturday.
Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland – a part of the UK however with devolved tasks for well being – set out plans for additional restrictions on massive public occasions, together with sports activities fixtures, for 3 weeks after Christmas.
“It can additionally imply sadly that enormous scale Hogmanay celebrations, together with that deliberate right here in our capital metropolis [Edinburgh], won’t proceed,” she mentioned, referring to conventional Scottish New 12 months events.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned Germany will introduce new steps, together with limiting non-public gatherings for vaccinated individuals to a most of 10 earlier than New 12 months’s Eve. Scholz agreed with the premiers of the 16 federal states that massive occasions, together with soccer matches, could be with out spectators.
Sweden will urge all staff to work at home if potential and impose tighter guidelines for social distancing.
“I perceive that many are bored with this – so am I – however we now have a brand new virus variant, which suggests we’re in a brand new scenario,” mentioned Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned he wouldn’t introduce new COVID-19 curbs within the UK earlier than Christmas, however the scenario remained extraordinarily troublesome and the federal government would possibly have to act afterwards.
Finance minister Rishi Sunak introduced 1 billion kilos ($1.3bn) of additional help for companies hit hardest by Omicron, which is hammering the hospitality sector and different companies.
Individuals ice-skate across the Christmas tree in London [Kevin Coombs/Reuters]New Zealand COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins mentioned his nation, which imposed a few of the world’s strictest COVID-19 measures, was delaying the beginning of a staggered reopening of its border till the tip of February.
“The entire proof to date factors to Omicron being probably the most transmissible COVID-19 variant but,” he mentioned.
However in Australia, the place Omicron has surged however hospitalisations stay comparatively low, Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged state and territory leaders to keep away from additional lockdowns.
The variant was first detected final month in southern Africa and Hong Kong and has been present in not less than 89 nations.
The severity of sickness it causes stays unclear, however the WHO warned it’s spreading quicker than the Delta variant and is inflicting infections in individuals already vaccinated or who’ve recovered from the COVID-19 illness.
Greater than 274 million individuals have been reported to be contaminated by the coronavirus globally because the pandemic started almost two years in the past. Greater than 5.65 million individuals have died.
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