Omicron variant, countries run for cover: in France pass only with the vaccine, curfew in Ireland. Uk, new record of infections: 93 thousand

The French government has a law ready “to replace the current health pass (the French green pass, ed) with the vaccine pass. Only the vaccine will count towards obtaining the pass, no more tampons“. The prime minister announced it on live TV Jean Castex, explaining that “it is not right that a few million French who refuse to get vaccinated put everyone else in danger”. France broke its vaccination record in one day on Friday, with around 950 thousand doses injected. The government, Castex said, expects “that the Omicron variant will become dominant in France already at the beginning of 2022, as it is today in Great Britain “. In the country there are several hundred cases of the new mutation: the president Emmanuel Macron canceled an important visit scheduled in Mali due to the health risk.

L’Austria puts a stop to Christmas and New Year’s dinners. Recently released from lockdown generale, left only for the unvaccinated in view of theimmunization obligation which will start from February 2022, Vienna has decided to allow its citizens to gather for the celebrations, but only if vaccinated. For the no vax, however, the lockout is also scheduled during the Christmas holidays, although from 24 to 26 December and 31 December they will be able to leave home for “Visit a loved one”. For all the others, however, this is not a total go-ahead, since they will still be able to meet in groups of a maximum of ten people. In case of a number ranging from 11 to 25 participants, a swab, despite the Minister of Health, Wolfgang Mueckstein, has made an appeal to everyone to be tested even for more restricted meetings. Finally, for New Year’s Eve it will be curfew suspended still in force in the country. Also tight in Ireland: starting from Sunday 19th December and until 30th January, pubs and restaurants they will have to close at 20, the premier announced Michael Martin. “Across Europe there must be a sharp reduction in contacts between people”, he explained, admitting however that these are “deeply disappointing for many” measures.

In Denmark, where yesterday there was a new record of infections since the beginning of the pandemic, the prime minister announced the closing of cinemas, theaters and concert halls. Hospitals under pressure for weeks are those in Great Britain, also due to the increasingly massive diffusion of the Omicron variant in the country and the continuos record of infections registered: only today they were 93,045 positives identified, with 111 dead. According to a University of Birmingham study published in The Lancet, the expected increase in hospitalizations could cause England to cancellation of 100 thousand surgeries between now and February 2022. “Hospitals work hard to prioritize life-saving interventions, including cancer. Patients waiting for elective surgeries, which are not life-saving, but have a strong impact on the quality of life, are paying for the pressure of Covid hospitalizations on hospital activity “, he noted. Aneel Bhangu.

To scare Europe, still struggling with the Delta variant, is the rapid spread of the mutation Omicron. And already very high numbers are registered a Madrid, where the prevalence rate of the variant that has been generated in South Africa is already equal to or greater than 60%, as reported by the councilor for health of the region of the Spanish capital, Enrique Ruiz Escudero placeholder image. In the city the incidence has shot up to 481 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, 90 more than in the previous 24 hours. The prevalence of Omicron is also growing in other areas of Spain: a Barcelona, for example, already accounts for about 25-30% of reported cases, reports the newspaper The vanguard. Record pace in the increase of new infections in northern regions such as Navarra e i Basque country. And in many areas of the country the restrictions return: in Andalusia it will be mandatory to present a green pass to be able to access bars, restaurants or clubs, while in Catalonia returns the 10-day quarantine for vaccinated close contacts of infected. The governor of the Basque country, one of the worst incidence regions, has asked citizens to limit family gatherings on holidays, while the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, has predicted that there will be “new infections” in the coming weeks, which will be “complicated”, and asked the people of Madrid to “be very careful” when meeting “at home and in closed places”.

Omicron is also dominant in Scotland. This was stated by the premier Nicola Sturgeon during a press conference in which he explained that the infections caused by the mutation are 51.4% of the total. In the last 24 hours, a total of 4,336 infections and seven deaths from Covid have been recorded. “It appears that third doses of the vaccine are still very effective in reducing the risk of becoming seriously ill from Omicron,” he explained, adding that the increase in cases is expected to “continue and accelerate” and for this it is necessary to slow the spread of the virus. . In the country, the new guidelines for shops and public places: companies are legally required to adopt “reasonable measures” to minimize infections, such as protective screens, the use of apps for ordering and table service, thus avoiding queues at the counter, as happens in pubs.

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