The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and the cases of COVID-19 related to this mutation are doubling in places with community infections and not only by infections acquired abroad, warned the World Health Organization (WHO ) Saturday.
As a result, some countries are imposing stricter restrictions, closing their borders to certain nationalities, or, as in the case of the United States, canceling holiday events where contagion is highly likely.
The WHO noted that the omicron variant is spreading rapidly even in countries with high vaccination rates or where a significant proportion of the population has recovered from COVID-19.
The "substantial growth advantage" of omicron over the delta variant means that it is likely to soon overtake it as the dominant form of the virus in countries where the new variant is spreading locally, the UN health agency added.
Omicron variant COVID-19 cases increase in three days, according to CDC
Dec. 17, 202103: 13
Latin America reacts to omicron
For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has confirmed the presence of the variant in seven Latin American countries: Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Cuba, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda.
Added to this is the recent announcement by the Ecuadorian authorities that they detected a third case in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
Only 55% of the region is fully vaccinated.
According to PAHO data, in countries such as Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, vaccination coverage is much lower.
"The appearance of a new variant does not necessarily mean a worsening of the situation, but it does mean that we must increase precautions," PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said at a press conference earlier this month.
The CDC warns that by January the country may experience a rebound in COVID-19 cases
Dec 16, 202100: 46
Mexico
The Mexican authorities confirmed the arrival of the variant on December 3, but they affirm that a decrease in infections has been maintained since the peak of the third wave that was reached between July and August.
According to official data, the country registered 211 new deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, reaching the figure of 297,567 total deaths and 2,750 new infections for a total of 3,930,015 infections.
Brazil
As of Saturday, some 30 cases of the omicron variant have been verified in Brazil, but the figure is suspected to be much higher because the government's electronic data collection system was recently attacked by
hackers
and has not yet been recovered.
Yesterday the country registered 153 deaths from coronavirus, which brings the number of deaths to 617,754.
In addition, the authorities detected 3,323 new cases, so the infections already total 22,212,343.
Europe on alert
Several European countries are applying tougher measures in an attempt to stem the new wave of cases unleashed by the contagious omicron.
The continent faces the Christmas holidays amid a scenario of restrictions, uncertainty, nervousness, warnings and calls for calm from public leaders.
Doctors warn of a triple threat to health during the end of the year season
Dec. 16, 202103: 42
Netherlands, the most restrictive
The European state that imposed the most restrictive measures was the Netherlands, which this Sunday entered a confinement that put an end to all non-essential activity and that places it as a possible model for other countries that are analyzing forceful measures, such as the United Kingdom, whose The government did not rule out implementing them before Christmas, or Germany, which tightened the conditions for the entry into its territory of travelers from Great Britain.
On the contrary, France opposes the confinement and closure of face-to-face teaching, the maintenance of which it considers essential, and Spain shows concern and caution in the face of the sixth wave of the covid and plans possible mechanisms of action whose execution it leaves in the hands of the autonomous communities .
The Dutch confinement, described as "strict" by the government, paralyzed today, and until January 14, all non-essential activities, closed the educational centers and limited the outdoor groups and home visits to two people, before the fear that omicron will be the dominant variant in the Netherlands in a maximum of ten days, despite the fact that daily infections have been on a downward trend for more than a week.
The measure assumes that supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations will only be able to open until 8 pm, in addition to the minimum services, but a curfew was not decreed nor is it prohibited to go out on the streets.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the Minister of Health, Sajid Javid, today expressed his uncertainty about the effects of omicron and, therefore, the need for caution after the United Kingdom registered this Saturday, according to the latest official figures, 90,418 new cases ,
almost double than a week ago.
Dr. Fauci knows that there will be a new wave of COVID-19 infections and "hopes it is not too severe"
Dec. 15, 202101: 22
For now, the authorities recently imposed the obligation to wear a mask in public transport and closed spaces, as well as to present a COVID pass, to enter large events, which shows that a person is vaccinated or has a negative test.
Germany
Here the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 continues to decline, but the country will consider the United Kingdom as a risk zone due to virus variant as of next midnight, which implies a tightening of measures for the entry into German territory of people from of British territory.
Russia
It registered 27,967 new infections and 1,023 deaths from COVID-19 this Sunday (reaffirming a downward trend and a return to the levels of last October).
It reported 25 cases of the new omicron variant and imposed restrictions on the entry of foreigners from Hong Kong and some countries in southern Africa.
Spain
The Government recognized this Sunday the "real risk" of the sixth wave of coronavirus infections, which is advancing unstoppably, and the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, asked to "intensify" the measures to stop it, while committing to coordinate them with the autonomies, for which he called for a meeting with the regional presidents on Wednesday.
Four days before the start of the Christmas holidays, Spain is at maximum risk of viral transmission, with more than 33,000 new cases reported just last Friday, when it seems that the omicron variant, much more contagious, will end up being the dominant one in the country.
France
The French Government assured today that it will do everything possible to avoid another confinement with the new wave that is coming over with the omicron variant, according to the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, who insisted that if there are new restrictions "the school is the last thing to close. "
They warn that the omicron variant is spreading rapidly throughout the United States.
Dec. 15, 202102: 11
Protests in Belgium and Italy
Discontent with the restrictive measures today led to demonstrations in Belgium and Italy, following up on Saturday in Luxembourg.
In the Belgian capital, around 3,500 people, according to the police, and 50,000 according to the organizers, demonstrated against the COVID digital certificate, which in Belgium is required to access hotels or cultural events, and against the mandatory vaccination between the toilets or the fire brigade.
In Brussels, a group of protesters threw firecrackers, twigs, cobblestones and glass bottles at police, to which officers responded with tear gas and 13 arrests, according to public radio broadcaster RTBF.
In Rome, members of the health personnel stormed the assembly of the College of Physicians to protest against the mandatory nature of the coronavirus vaccine and the suspension of colleagues who did not comply with this provision.
Some forty people broke into the assembly, which took place at the Villa Palace hotel in the capital, shouting "shame" and "gangsters", according to local media, with videos showing moments of tension and struggles.
Natalie Balli, 71, and her twin sister, Linda Calderon, in the background, in the COVID-19 unit at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, on Dec. 17, 2021. Jae C. Hong / AP
Closures and cancellations in the US
In different parts of the United States they struggle to deal with the exhaustion of doctors, nurses and other workers who were already affected by the surge of patients caused by the increase in the delta variant of the coronavirus, and who are now preparing to face another highly communicable mutation .
Ohio became the latest state to summon the National Guard to help overwhelmed hospitals.
Experts in Nebraska warned that their hospitals could ration care.
Medical officials in Kansas and Missouri are postponing surgery and rejecting patient transfers as they try to hire nurses.
"There is no class in medical schools that prepares you for this level of death," said Jacqueline Pflaum-Carlson, an emergency medicine specialist at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
"The blows keep coming."
The US already has more than 800,000 deaths from COVID-19, with more deaths in 2021 than last year
Dec. 14, 202100: 32
The seven-day national average of COVID-19 hospitalizations was 60,000 for Wednesday, well below last winter's peak, but 50% higher than in early November, according to the government.
The situation is most dire in cold-climate regions, where people are increasingly gathering indoors and recent infections are piling up.
New York state reported Saturday that just over 21,900 people had tested positive for coronavirus a day earlier, a record since the tests became widely available.
The fallout was swift: the Rockettes Christmas show was canceled, and some Broadway theaters canceled performances due to outbreaks among the cast.
And
Saturday Night Live
announced that it would record with no audience present and with only limited cast and other personnel.
"We are in a situation where we are facing a major surge in the delta variant and awaiting the arrival of a surge in omicron," Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said of the two variants.
Pfizer says its COVID-19 pill reduces the chance of death and hospitalization by 89%
Dec. 14, 202100: 33
At AdventHweath Shawnee Mission Hospital near Kansas City, Missouri, Medical Director Lisa Hays said the emergency department is experiencing delays that sometimes span several days.
"The beds are not the problem. It is the nursing staff ... and all of that has been created by the increase in COVID-19 cases and exhaustion," he said.
"Our nurses are exhausted."
Experts attribute most of the increase in cases and hospitalizations to infections among people who have not been vaccinated against the virus.
The federal government states that 61% of the population in the country is fully vaccinated.
Steve Stites, medical director at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, noted that "the unvaccinated pandemic" continues to overwhelm hospitals and their workers.
Pfizer works on a specific vaccine against the omicron variant
Dec. 9, 202103: 08
The National Guard deployment to Ohio is one of the largest on record during the pandemic, with more than 1,000 items dispatched to assist hospital personnel, especially in the Akron, Canton and Cleveland areas.
As of Friday, 4,723 people in the state were hospitalized for coronavirus, a number last seen about a year ago, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.
Hospital staff were taking short breaks before returning to work for a second shift, he added.
In other regions of the country, health systems face less serious situations but experts have expressed concern about the arrival of the omicron variant and are preparing for the impact of the virus outbreak.
With information from EFE, The Associated Press and the
Pan American Health Organization
