Omicron variants have been found in at least 38 countries, but no deaths have been reported. World Health Organization Has said that in the context of warnings that may harm the global economic recovery.
The United States and Australia became the latest countries to confirm locally transmitted cases, as Omicron infections brought the total number of cases in South Africa to more than 3 million.
The WHO warned that it may take several weeks to determine how infectious the variant is, whether it will cause more serious diseases, and how effective treatments and vaccines are.
“We will get the answers everyone needs,” said Michael Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency situations.
The World Health Organization said on Friday that it has not seen any reports of Omicron-related deaths, but the spread of this new variant has led to warnings that it may cause more than half of Covid cases in Europe in the next few months.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva (Kristalina Georgieva) said on Friday that the new variants may also slow the global economic recovery, just as delta pressure has done.
She said: “Even before the emergence of this new variant, we were worried that the recovery is continuing, but we are losing some momentum.” “A new variant that may spread quickly will weaken confidence.”
Researchers’ preliminary research South AfricaThis variant was first reported on November 24, showing that it is three times more likely to cause re-infection compared with Delta or Beta strains.
The head of the Red Cross, Francesco Rocca, said that the emergence of Omicron is the “final evidence” of the danger of inequality in global vaccination rates.
“The scientific community has repeatedly warned… where the vaccination rate is very low, the risk of very new mutations,” he said.
“It’s incredible that we still don’t realize how much we are interconnected. That’s why I call the Omicron variant the final proof.”
Uğur Şahin, CEO of BioNTech, who works with Pfizer to produce the Covid vaccine, said the company should be able to adapt to the vaccine relatively quickly. He said that despite the mutations, current vaccines should continue to provide protection against serious diseases.
“I believe in principle that at some point in time, we will need a new vaccine for this new variant. The question is how urgent it needs to be,” Şahin said.
In the U.S, Another six states confirmed infection with the Omicron variant on Friday.
New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Utah all reported their first cases of Omicron. It has also been found in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating possible Omicron variant cases in other states.
Two cases involved residents with no recent history of international travel-indicating that Omicron has spread within the country.
Australia A report on Friday said that despite prohibiting non-citizens from entering the country and restricting flights from southern Africa, three students in Sydney tested positive for the variant.
Canada A total of 15 new variants of Omicron were discovered. On Friday, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam announced 11 cases of Omicron, all involving people who had recently travelled abroad.
A few hours after she spoke, the City of York said that a child under 12 was diagnosed with Omicron. This child has been to Southern Africa recently. Toronto subsequently reported its first three Omicron cases late on Friday, two of which had recently returned from Nigeria and another returned from Switzerland.
exist NorwayOfficials said that after the office Christmas party in Oslo last week, at least 13 people were infected with Covid-19 and the Omicron variant-even though they had only mild symptoms so far.
But after concerns about clusters surfaced, the government imposed restrictions on Greater Oslo.
South Korea It broke its daily record of coronavirus infection and death again, and confirmed three other new cases of Omicron variants.
The 5,352 new cases are the third time this week that there are more than 5,000 cases. After a record 70 deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, the country’s death toll was 3,809, and the number of severely or critically ill patients was also a record high of 752.
After confirming three other cases, the number of Omicron cases in the country is now nine, related to a couple who arrived from Nigeria on November 24. Officials said that the number of Omicron cases may increase because some patients attended a church meeting with hundreds of people on November 28.
on Friday, Malaysia It was also reported that foreign students who arrived from South Africa on November 19 were infected with Omicron for the first time. Sri Lanka The first case was also announced, a citizen returning from South Africa.
The rising delta cases have forced European governments to re-implement mandatory masks, social distancing, curfews or lockdown measures, making companies worry that it will be another severe Christmas.
Belgian Authorities said on Friday that elementary schools will be closed one week in advance of the Christmas holiday.
German Regional leaders agreed on new measures, including a ban on fireworks at the New Year’s party to prevent large gatherings.
Ireland Indicates that nightclubs will be closed during Christmas and New Year and social distancing will be reintroduced in certain environments.
At the same time Brazil, A Supreme Court judge has ordered an investigation of President Jair Bolsonaro (Jair Bolsonaro) for his comments linking the Covid-19 vaccine to AIDS-a statement rejected by doctors and scientists.
Alexandre de Moraes instructed Augusto Aras, the country’s top prosecutor, to investigate the allegations made in the pandemic investigation conducted by the Brazilian Senate.
Bolsonaro said in a video in October, “The official report of the British government shows that fully vaccinated people… get Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome much faster than expected”. A few days later, Facebook and Instagram took down the video.
The Brazilian President has still not been vaccinated and often opposes vaccine regulations. He argued that he only cited an article in the “Exam” magazine instead of making an assertion.
Moras stated in the ruling that Bolsonaro “used the modus operandi of a large-scale communication plan in social networks”, which requires further investigation.
However, despite the appeals of the Senate committee, Arras rarely opposed the president and did not investigate Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic.
AFP, Reuters and Associated Press
