The discovery and advancement of the omicron variant has raised new alerts about the direction of the Covid-19 pandemic, with new case records raising concern in some countries.
In recent days, some situations have drawn attention, such as the confirmation of the first death by the omicron variant in the United Kingdom, the possible ineffectiveness of the two doses of the vaccine against the new strain, and China returning to enact a lockdown after registering a new outbreak.
first kill by omicron
The United Kingdom confirmed the first death by the omicron variant of the coronavirus this Monday (13), as reported by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
It is the first death from the strain announced by a country since it was identified by scientists in South Africa in November.
According to the prime minister, the strain already represents 40% of new daily infections in London. In recent days, there has been a surge in cases of the new variant in the United Kingdom, with around 4,713 notifications, a number that the authorities themselves acknowledge to be underreported.
Two doses of vaccine seem insufficient
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the omicron appears to propagate faster than the delta variant, despite causing milder symptoms, according to preliminary data.
Two doses of the Covid vaccine also seem to be insufficient to circumvent the action of the new strain.
WHO estimates that the new variant should surpass delta in places where there is community transmission.
On the other hand, a study developed by the British Health Safety Agency found that the application of a booster dose against Covid significantly restored protection against mild symptoms caused by the omicron variant.
“These preliminary findings should be taken with caution, but they indicate that a few months after the second dose of vaccine there is a greater risk of contracting the omicron variant than the delta variant,” said Mary Ramsay, director of Immunization at the UK agency.
The British agency also reported that the risk of reinfection with the variant is 3 to 8 times higher.
According to the director, the data suggest that the risk of serious illness is significantly reduced after the booster vaccine.
The analysis found that with a booster dose of Pfizer vaccine, the level of protection against symptomatic infection rose to 70% among people who had initially taken the AstraZeneca vaccine and to 75% among those immunized with Pfizer.
​Record of cases in sports
The Premier League reported 42 new cases of Covid this Monday (13), a record since test results were published in May 2020, the Premier League announced.
Clubs such as Tottenham, Manchester United, Norwich and Aston Villa reported several positive cases in their squads.
Also Monday, the NFL, the US football league, recorded 37 positive tests for Covid, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began in March 2020, reported sports channel ESPN.
On the same day, the NBA postponed the Chicago Bulls’ next two games due to Covid infections on the team. This is the first time in the 2021-2022 season that the American basketball league has been forced to postpone games due to the pandemic.
Ring no Peru
The Peruvian government warned this Monday (13) that the country faces a spike in the Covid pandemic. The number of infections and deaths has doubled in the last month.
The country had already registered a record of deaths in previous waves. In May, when reviewing the number of deaths from Covid, the government found an increase of almost triple the number of deaths.
Last week, the daily number of infections rose to 1,565, on average, after hovering around 800 between September and the first week of November, according to official figures. In addition, deaths increased, on average, from 28 a day last month to 56.
Due to the peal, the government banned family gatherings and Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.
Lockdown in China and mask in California
Zhejiang province, China’s economic engine, registered a Covid outbreak on Tuesday (14) and authorities announced the confinement of half a million people, as well as the closure of commercial establishments in several districts.
Chinese media reported on Monday that the country had detected the first case of the omicron variant in the city of Tianjin (north).
In recent days, some districts in Ningbo, Zhejiang’s main port, and the neighboring city of Shaoxing have also announced the suspension of some commercial operations.
Several companies in the provincial capital Hangzhou also suspended production. Hundreds of flights taking off from Hangzhou were also cancelled.
In the US, California authorities announced on Monday (13) the reinstatement of mandatory use of masks in closed public places to contain a spike in Covid cases registered in the state in recent weeks.
The measure, which takes effect on Wednesday (15), will apply to all people, vaccinated or not.
California Health Secretary Mark Ghaly justified the decision by the rapid progression of Covid’s cases, which have increased 47% since Thanksgiving in late November.
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