The number of cases in the United States rises “almost vertical” – tracking the worldwide pandemic – rts.ch

United States – an unprecedented increase in the number of cases

The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is following an “almost vertical” curve, Dr Anthony Fauci, senior White House adviser on the health crisis, said on Sunday.

“We are in the middle of a very strong wave,” the doctor said, adding that the increase in cases was “unprecedented”, with an average of about 400,000 new infections per day. He said hospitalizations are also increasing, but not at the same rate.

Even if one “should not draw too hasty conclusions”, hospitalization is often an indicator of the latter, there is “greater evidence” that the highly infectious Omicron variant leads to less severe forms. , explained the eminent scientist, citing South African and English data.

According to him, with so many infections, the variant could still take more people to the hospital, thus “putting pressure on the hospital system”.

Anthony Fauci said he expects the current wave to peak “after a few weeks” before reversing, as happened in South Africa.

On the eve of the start of the school year, the immunologist called on parents to “seriously consider vaccinating their children,” encouraging them to wear masks and get them tested. “With all this, the situation will be safe enough for the children to go back to school.”

many canceled flights

Conditions in the US sky remained extremely turbulent on Sunday, the day before the holiday, and more than 2,000 flights to the United States had already been canceled by late morning, amid Omicron-linked disturbances, strong winds, flooding and blizzards. .

France – Isolation reduced to seven days for positive people

France’s isolation rules will be eased from Monday, January 3, for people positive for COVID-19 who have a full immunization programme, the government announced on Sunday. They will have to isolate themselves for a period of seven days, irrespective of the type, as against 10 days at present.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said this isolation could be removed after five days in the event of an antigen test or negative PCR and no clinical signs of infection for 48 hours.

Post people who do not have a full vaccination schedule for the coronavirus, they will have to “isolate themselves for ten days, with possible exit after seven days under similar conditions”, he continued.

Also, there will be no further quarantine for contact cases with a complete vaccination schedule. Those who have not received the vaccination booster will have to isolate themselves for seven days.

short delay for booster

Olivier Veran announced that the deadline for taking a booster dose of the Kovid-19 vaccine to be able to hold a valid health pass will be reduced from February 15 to a maximum of four months instead of seven.

The rule currently in force is that the sanitary pass becomes inactive after seven months from 15 January in the absence of a booster dose, often referred to as the third dose.

Netherlands – Protest against sanitation measures

Thousands of people gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against health restrictions in the Netherlands. Many people gathered at the Museumplein, one of the capital’s main squares, despite a pre-demonstration ban by the authorities.

According to Dutch public television NOS, clashes with police resulted in several minor injuries and police made arrests. “Here’s Holland! Power to the people!” One of the demonstrators chanted.

Health restrictions are strict in the Netherlands. A week before Christmas, a new confinement was imposed on the population there in the face of a new wave of Covid-19 and the spread of the Omicron version.

All non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theaters are closed till January 14 and schools till at least January 9. Outside, gatherings of only two people are allowed, with exceptions such as funerals. But no restriction on movement has been fixed.

China – Decrease in cases in Xi’an

Public health officials said new COVID-19 contamination reached its lowest level in the past seven days in Xi’an (North), a Chinese city confined to eleven days.

On Sunday, 122 new coronavirus infections – its lowest level since December 25 – were recorded in this historic city in the north of the country famous for the underground army of China’s first emperor, up from 174 the day before. .

There have been “some positive changes” as a result of the large-scale screening strategy as well as the impact of prevention, according to Zhang Canyu of the Chinese Disease Control Agency, he told China Central Television. According to the National Health Commission, a total of 16 patients are in “critical” condition.

>> Report from 12:30 PM in Xi’an:

>> MORE INFORMATION: China welcomes drop in cases in Xi’an city

Israel – Omicron can lead to collective immunity

The increase in the number of cases of infection with the Omicron version of the coronavirus could lead Israel to herd immunity, according to the Director General of the Ministry of Health. The spread of the variant may have been limited at first, but is now accelerating and the daily number of new cases could reach unprecedented levels within three weeks.

“The cost would be a huge number of transitions,” said Nachman Aish on the radio. “To get herd immunity, the numbers have to be very high. It’s possible but we don’t want to get it through infection, we want it to be the result of mass vaccination.”

The concept of collective immunity corresponds to the situation in which a population is protected from a virus either by vaccination or by the fact that a significant portion of this population has developed antibodies upon contracting the disease.

According to the Ministry of Health, about 60% of Israel’s 9.4 million people have a complete vaccination program, whether they have received a total of three doses or have recently received a second dose. But several million people eligible for the third dose have yet to receive it.

rtsinfo