Emmanuel Macron
Omicron has not yet peaked: US Surgeon General
In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Dr Murthy noted the "good news" of the plateaus and drops in known cases in the Northeast, especially in New York City and New Jersey. But "the challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace", he said, adding "we shouldn't expect a national peak in the coming days".
Macron meets von der Leyen as France kicks off EU Council Presidency
At a press conference, Macron outlined the French Presidency's agenda and said that Paris will focus on promoting the EU in the international community, pushing the digital transformation and protecting the EU's external borders, Xinhua news agency reported. Von der Leyen recalled the solidarity between European countries during the pandemic.
Over 95% US Covid cases now Omicron: CDC data
According to new CDC estimates released late on Tuesday, the swing from Delta to Omicron happened in nearly a month. At the end of November, more than 99.5 per cent of coronavirus infections were Delta in the country. On Monday, the US shattered a single-day record with over 1 million Covid-19 cases amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and government decisions to ease prevention and control measures in the country.
Omicron surge forces US NIH to delay elective surgeries
The move came as at least 80 clinical centre staff called in sick on Wednesday alone because of Covid-19 infections or exposures, Xinhua news agency quoted a Reuters report on Thursday citing the memo as saying.
Macron "optimistic" for 2022, warning upcoming "few difficult weeks"
Speaking from the Elysee to the nation for New Year, Macron on Friday stressed the importance of vaccination against coronavirus. "Vaccination is our most secure asset. It divides the number of severe forms by ten," he added. He urged the 5 million non-vaccinated French citizens to get vaccinated for themselves, for their compatriots and for their country.
New Covid cases in NY break previous records
Thursday's figure was an 11 per cent increase over Wednesday's 67,090 positive cases, Xinhua news agency reported citing the data. The state's overall infection tally currently stood at 3,330,403. Meanwhile, a total of 7,373 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised across the state after 606 more were admitted in the past 24 hours.
New 'surge hubs' to be set up in UK amid Omicron wave
Temporary structures capable of housing around 100 patients will be erected on the grounds of eight hospitals across the country, with work starting as early as this week, NHS England has said. NHS trusts have also been asked to identify areas such as gyms and education centres that can be converted to accommodate patients and more sites could be added to create up to 4,000 "super surge" beds across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.
US CDC warns against cruise travel as Omicron drives up Covid-19 cases
"The Covid-19 Travel Health Notice level has been updated from Level 3 to Level 4, the highest level. This reflects increase in cases onboard cruise ships since identification of the Omicron variant," said the CDC. Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants, the agency added. "The virus that causes Covid-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting Covid-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose," said the CDC.
US San Francisco, more Bay Area counties require masks indoors due to Omicron surge
San Francisco, Marin and Alameda counties on Wednesday rescinded the exemptions that they preserved just two weeks ago, following California's reinstatement of a universal mask mandate. The counties' new orders take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday. San Francisco on Tuesday also announced the cancellation of the city's annual New Year's eve fireworks show, Xinhua news agency reported. Contra Costa County had made a similar move to revoke exemptions on Tuesday.
WHO warns of "tsunami of cases" from Omicron, Delta
Recapping WHO's response since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said at a press briefing that he's "highly concerned that Omicron being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta -- is leading to a tsunami of cases." Tedros reiterated his concern over a recent narrative that Omicron has been causing milder or less severe diseases, Xinhua news agency reported.
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