COVID-19 daily cases hit a record high in the United States, parts of Europe and Australia, as the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus is out of control, keeping workers at home and flooding diagnostic centers.
Nearly two years after China first announced an outbreak of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, the coronavirus, which often displays strains, is causing chaos in many parts of the world, forcing governments to reconsider quarantine rules and diagnostic tests.
Although some studies have suggested that the Omicron variant is less lethal than some other strains, the large number of positive people means that hospitals in some countries may soon be flooded with patients, while businesses may have difficulty their operation as their employees are quarantined.
France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Malta all announced a record number of new cases yesterday.
The average number of daily coronavirus cases in the US in the last seven days reached a record –258,312– according to a Reuters count. The previous peak of the seven-day average of cases in the US was recorded in January this year.
New daytime infections in Australia rose to nearly 18,300 today, surpassing the previous pandemic record of around 11,300 a day earlier.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said his country needs a “speed change” to manage overcrowded diagnostic centers, as long queues are emerging in several areas.
Problems at diagnostic centers are also exacerbated in European countries, including Spain, where demand for the free COVID-19 test provided by the local government of Madrid exceeded supply yesterday, leading to long queues outside pharmacies.
“I JUST WANT TO GO TO MY HOME”
A number of governments are increasingly concerned about the huge numbers of citizens being quarantined for coming into contact with a case.
“We can not just take them all out of circulation just because they just happened to be in a certain place at a certain time,” the Australian prime minister told reporters.
Italy was expected to ease some of the quarantine rules today amid fears that the country would soon pull the brakes given the large number of citizens entering precautionary isolation, with cases doubling yesterday from 78,313 a day earlier. .
However, China has shown no signs of easing its zero-tolerance policy, keeping its 13 million people in Xi’an under a strict lockdown for a seventh day as new COVID-19 cases persist, with 151 cases reported yesterday. “I just want to go home,” said a 32-year-old engineer who was in Xi’an last week for business when the city was virtually cut off from the outside world. No Omicron cases have been reported in Xi’an so far.
Many countries are still facing the Delta strain, including Poland, which today announced 794 deaths due to complications of COVID – the highest number in the fourth wave of the pandemic. Undersecretary of Health Waldemar Kraska said more than 75% of the people who ended up were unvaccinated.
Preliminary data from Britain, South Africa and Denmark suggest that there is a reduced risk of hospitalization for Omicron compared to the Delta, the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological bulletin. However, according to the report, further evidence is needed to understand how the severity of the disease may be affected by a previous infection or vaccination.
The increase in cases coincides with the New Year holidays, which are typically a time for celebrations and travel. Some countries, such as Italy, canceled public celebrations while authorities in Japan called on citizens to have a small number of guests.
“The biggest risk is meeting people without taking adequate measures to prevent infection,” said Norio Omagari, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a key health adviser to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
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