Covid, UK: infections drop below 20 thousand. In Austria schools and shops reopen. Denmark, back to class in elementary school

On the day of oceanic funeral a Jerusalem which was attended by thousands of Orthodox Jews without respecting any distancing rules, the Israeli government has decided to extend the lockdown national until 7am (local time) on Friday February 5th. The closure of the airport has also been extended Ben Gurion, the country’s main airport, until midnight on Sunday 7 February. Looking instead at the UK, where infections have fallen below the threshold of 20 thousand per day, the British health service (NHS) has completed the first phase of anti-Covid vaccinations in all nursing homes in theEngland, deadly outbreaks of infection at the beginning of the pandemic. Also in Netherlands the British variant is concerned, which is at the origin of “half of the new cases” that emerged until last January 26, while in Denmark elementary school children go back to school. And for the epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, consultant of Joe Biden for the pandemic, this mutation will hit the United States “like a hurricane”. As for vaccines, the Poland has decided that he will not administer that of AstraZeneca to over 65, as also decided by Germany e Austria. The government of Vienna is preparing to loosen the lockdown: shops and schools will reopen from 8 February.

UK – To announce the end of the administration in nursing homes was Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who specified that this step constitutes “a crucial milestone” in the immunization campaign. The UK aims to secure a first dose for 15 million people (including all over 70s) by mid-February. A record 600,000 doses were administered on Saturday, up to nearly 9 million in total, while recalls per hour have been 490,000. Minimum peak for almost two months for new infections and daily deaths from Covid: 18,607 infections (out of almost 600 thousand tests) and 406 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Austria – The country is preparing to ease the lockdown from Monday 8 February. Schools will return at face-to-face lessons e shops will reopen, with limits on customer attendance and the obligation to wear a mask FFP2. The same rules apply to galleries, museums and zoos. According to what the chancellor announced Sebastian Kurz, the government will again take stock of the situation in two weeks, to decide on any further easing or a new tightening in case the infections from Covid-19 worsen.

Denmark – Primary school children will return to school again from February 8th after a stop to face-to-face lessons that lasted from December 21st. The decision was made on the basis of new calculations by the Statens Serum Institut which took a closer look at the health consequences of returning younger students. At this time, infection rates are relatively low, but the percentage of people infected with the so-called English variant, considered more contagious, is growing.

Israel – The decision was made overnight on the basis of the need to lower the rate of infections, particularly high within the Orthodox community, reluctant to comply with the measures anti-Covid. The government will meet again on Wednesday 3 February to decide whether to extend the country’s blockade beyond Friday’s date. In a statement released, the office of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained this morning that non-essential activities and schools will remain closed at least until Friday and that requests from Israelis who must return for humanitarian reasons.

United States – In the last 24 hours, the United States recorded 110,470 new coronavirus cases and an additional 1,789 deaths caused by the disease. The new data bring the total number of contagion since the beginning of the pandemic at an altitude of 26,185,355 and that of deaths at an altitude of 441,319. At least 49,933,250 doses of vaccines and at least 31,123,299 doses were administered. To worry is the English variant of the coronavirus, which will hit Americans “like a hurricane”. The epidemiologist has raised the alarm for the variant, considered particularly contagious in the US Michael Osterholm, consultant of Joe Biden for the pandemic during transition and director of the University of Infectious Disease Research Center Minnesota. “The increase in cases with this new variant from England will occur in the next six to 14 weeks,” he said. Osterholm to Nbc. The researcher then addressed an appeal to the administration Biden, so that as many people as possible can be vaccinated, because “the hurricane is coming”. The risk is that “we will have a situation like we have never seen it yet”. Perspective that makes room in a scenario in which the United States they come to confirm 26.185.476 infections and 441.319 deaths from complications, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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