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According to the head of WHO, the spread of “Omicron” and can lead to the emergence of new variants of coronavirus
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned world leaders that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. Meanwhile, European countries are experiencing record levels of Covid-19 incidence, although in some countries the wave has already begun to decline – in England, many restrictions are lifted from next week, in Ireland – at the end of the month.
WHO urges to remain vigilant
The WHO chief warned world leaders against suggesting that the now dominant Omicron variant is leading to a much milder course of the disease and that it has eliminated the threat posed by the coronavirus.
“Make no mistake, Omicron leads to hospitalizations and deaths, and even less serious cases put pressure on medical facilities,” Tedros Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva.
The head of the WHO noted that over the past week, Omicron has led to 18 million new cases of Covid-19 worldwide and that a similar surge in cases could lead to the emergence of new variants of coronavirus.
He also expressed concern about the situation in countries with low vaccination rates, where people are more at risk of severe consequences and death from coronavirus.
He was also supported by the head of the WHO emergency department, Mike Ryan, who said that the higher degree of infectiousness of Omicron would cause an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths, especially in regions with low vaccination rates.
“The exponential increase in cases, regardless of the severity of individual cases, leads to an inevitable increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths,” Ryan said.
Record incidence rates in Europe
The official’s statement was made against the backdrop of a sharp jump in the incidence of coronavirus on the European continent.
In France alone, about half a million new cases of Covid-19 were recorded on Tuesday – this has not been seen in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Germany, the incidence rate also updated its all-time highs since the start of the pandemic: more than 118,000 cases have been registered there in the last 24 hours.
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On Tuesday, France broke the daily record for Covid-19 cases in the entire pandemic.
Denmark recorded more than 33,000 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, while Italy recorded more than 228,000, almost three times higher than on Monday.
Amid a spike in cases, French teachers have called for a second strike to protest the coronavirus restrictions. Educators say the health protocols put in place at schools are disrupting the classroom, with many parents scrambling to get their children vaccinated and long queues lining up in front of pharmacies to get tests.
Last Thursday, a strike forced half of the nation’s schools to close.
At the same time, there are early signs that the pandemic has already peaked in some European countries.
Lifting restrictions in England, encouraging data from Spain
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Despite the lifting of restrictions in Britain, the authorities urge to be extra careful in the winter
In Ireland the last few days there has been a decrease in the number of new cases. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, speaking on national radio, said that the restrictions imposed in the country during the Christmas period are likely to be lifted by the end of January.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in Parliament on Wednesday that, in light of the decline in the daily number of new cases in the United Kingdom, the so-called “Plan B” introduced by the government in December will be canceled from next week.
For residents of England this means, among other things, the abolition of the mandatory wearing of masks on transport and in high school, the possibility for workers working from home to return to offices, as well as the abolition of covid passports. Soon, according to the prime minister, the requirements for self-isolation will also be revised.
According to Boris Johnson, the latest scientific data indicate that the peak incidence of “Omicron” in Britain has passed.
Incidence data in Spain also indicate that the dynamics of the spread of infection has declined for the first time since the start of a new wave caused by the Omicron strain two and a half months ago. At the same time, experts urge to take statistical data with great caution.
Hong Kong to exterminate 2,000 rodents
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Hong Kong temporarily bans the sale of hamsters
Hong Kong authorities intend to destroy about 2,000 rodents after a pet store employee and several hamsters brought from the Netherlands were diagnosed with Covid-19, writes the Associated Press.
It is not yet clear whether the employee was infected by hamsters, or vice versa. Hong Kong authorities do not rule out the possibility that it was rodents that transmitted the coronavirus to humans. Now the city has suspended the import and sale of hamsters, as well as other small animals, including chinchillas.
Local residents who have bought hamsters since December 22 last year must take a coronavirus test. Authorities also urged owners not to take their rodents outside or kiss them.
Vaccine side effects linked to ‘nocebo effect’
The authors of a series of clinical trials from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston concluded that 60% of adverse reactions to the coronavirus vaccine are associated with the so-called nocebo effect.
The nocebo effect, as opposed to the placebo effect, occurs when a person believes in the negative effects of a drug that does not have a real pharmacological property.
More than 45,000 people took part in a series of 12 different clinical trials.
Approximately half of the subjects received a real vaccine against coronavirus, the rest were injected with a harmless substance under the guise of a vaccine. None of the patients knew whether they were receiving the real vaccine or a placebo.
As it turned out, in the group of subjects who received a saline solution under the guise of a vaccine, there were quite a lot of those who after that experienced symptoms similar to the consequences of vaccination against covid – in particular, a headache or a feeling of fatigue. Analyzing the received data, researchers came to the conclusionthat about 64% of all complaints about side effects can be attributed to self-hypnosis.
The authors of the study believe that educating people about the nocebo effect will reduce the number of adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Cultural protest in the Netherlands
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Now you can get a manicure in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Cultural institutions in the Netherlands, forced to remain closed due to the pandemic, have decided to fight the coronavirus restrictions in an unusual way.
More than a hundred theaters, museums and art galleries will open their doors to visitors again – but this time as gyms, beauty salons and hairdressers.
So, in the Van Gogh Museum of Art, you can now get a haircut and a manicure. The mayors of the cities warned that they would not tolerate such discoveries even under the guise of something else.