Covid Real-time News: South Korea’s surge triggers hospital alerts; “invisible” Omicron variant found | World News

A leading official of the World Health Organization stated that Omicron does not seem to cause more serious disease than the previous Covid variant, and “Extremely unlikely” to avoid vaccine protection completely.

Michael Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency situations, said that while there is still much to be learned about the new, highly mutated variant of Covid-19, preliminary data suggests that it is no more sicker than Delta and other strains.

“Preliminary data does not indicate that this is more serious. In fact, if any, the direction is not too serious,” Ryan said in an interview with Agence France-Presse, insisting that more research is needed.

“It’s too early. We have to be very careful about how we interpret this signal.”

At the same time, he said that there is no sign that Omicron can completely avoid the protection provided by the existing Covid vaccine.

The 56-year-old epidemiologist and former trauma surgeon said: “So far, we have highly effective vaccines, which have been proven effective for all variants in terms of severe diseases and hospitalization.”

“There is no reason to expect that Omicron will not be like this,” he said, noting that early data from South Africa, where the variant was first detected, “shows that the vaccine is at least tenable in terms of protection.”

The Romanian government will relax some Covid restrictions on Wednesday, Including the abolition of the curfew and the obligation to wear masks outdoors before winter vacation.

Romania reported 1,421 new daily cases and 107 deaths on Tuesday, well below the record highs set in the deadliest pandemic wave in October and early November.

Starting Wednesday night, shops and restaurants will close at 10pm, one hour later than now. Not only people who have been vaccinated or recovered from the virus, but also people who have tested negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to enter most non-essential public places.

It will continue to be mandatory to wear masks in public transportation and indoor public places, but it is no longer required to wear masks outdoors except in crowded areas such as markets.

Romania’s vaccination rate ranks second in the European Union, with only 39% of the population being vaccinated.

The South Korean government is scrambling to strengthen the country’s health system Since the start of the pandemic two years ago, the number of Covid cases has surged, with the average daily number of cases exceeding 7,000.

The Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,175 new coronavirus cases and 63 deaths on Tuesday, and the hospital is treating a record 840 critical and severe cases.

Prime Minister Kim Phu Kyun said on Wednesday that the capacity of the hospital is tight and he is mobilizing more personnel to supervise the self-treatment of coronavirus patients at home and improve the emergency transfer system for those with severe symptoms.

In addition to major hospitals, private clinics will also treat COVID-19 patients.

Infect South Korea After the government began to relax restrictions in November under the so-called “cohabitation with COVID-19” plan, it soared this month.

Jin urges the elderly to step up injections because more than 35% of infections occur in people 60 years and older, and these people account for 84% of severe cases. He also urged young people to get vaccinated.

To date, South Korea has confirmed 38 cases of Omicron variant. Since 80% of the cases occur in Greater Seoul, the authorities have been working hard to secure enough beds for hospitalized patients in the area.

No matter where you are, in the morning/afternoon/evening, welcome to a new blog covering the latest developments in the global pandemic:

This is a summary of what has happened so far:

• The number of daily cases in South Korea exceeds 7,000 for the first time At the beginning of the pandemic, Prime Minister Kim Phu Kyun said on Wednesday morning that with the increase in deaths and severe cases, hospital capacity is under pressure.
• Scientists have identified an “invisible” version of the Omicron variant​​ The routine tests that public health officials use to track its spread around the world cannot detect this condition. The invisible variant has a lot in common with the standard Omicron, But the researchers said that it is genetically different, so the behavior is likely to be different.
• A new variant of Omicron, called Omicron “like”, was discovered when arriving in Queensland overseas The Australian Minister of Health from South Africa said on Wednesday morning.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Is facing an accusation of lying On the 10th senior officials were Filming jokes at the employee’s Christmas party Last year, this would violate the strict Covid regulations at the time. Johnson and his assistants have repeatedly denied that the incident violated Covid rules or did not happen at all.
• Omicron variants can partially evade the protection of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, According to early data from South Africa. The researchers found that the vaccine that can neutralize Omicron reduced antibodies by about 40 times compared with earlier strains.
• The African Union calls for an urgent end to travel restrictions Imposing on some of its member states that these measures effectively punish the government for sharing data in a timely manner in accordance with international health regulations.
• US Anthony Fauci The preliminary evidence indicated that the Omicron variant may be more contagious, but caused less disease, and warned that it would take several weeks to draw any clear conclusions.
• Millions of English people will be able to book their Covid boosters As a vaccine for the NHS on Wednesday Shorten qualifying time From six months to three months after the second dose.
• No more than 10 visitors are allowed to enter the private residence Norway, According to the new restrictions imposed by the government today, people must keep at least one metre away from anyone outside of their homes.
• Swede Starting from Wednesday, it will face new measures to curb the rise of new coronavirus infections. This includes re-maintaining social distancing, working from home and wearing masks on public transportation.
• I Health agency says vaccines should be mixed and matched For the initial course of treatment and booster dose. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) stated in a joint statement that there is evidence that the combination of viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines can produce good levels of coronavirus antibodies.