Coronavirus cases grow worldwide, with the omicron variant as dominant

In the week from January 10 to 16, the world registered 18.7 million cases of coronavirus covid-19, an increase of twenty percent in relation to the preceding seven days, according to the weekly epidemiological report of the World Health Organization (WHO). This percentage indicates a slowdown in the curve compared to the previous week, where the rise was 55%, and the first of the year (more than 70%).

The confirmed deaths in the period studied were more than 45,000, 4% higher than the previous week.

LOOK: Coronavirus: omicron variant gains ground and already concentrates 72% of global cases

by continents, Africa was the only one that saw cases decrease last week (190,000, 27% less), while in Europe they rose 10%, up to 8.2 million, in America 17% (7.1 million) and in East Asia 38% (one million new positives).

OMICRON, DOMINANT

The omicron variant of coronavirus cause of covid-19, discovered in early November, is already present in 71.9% of the cases analyzed in the last 30 days by the global network of GISAID laboratories, the WHO weekly epidemiological report indicated today.

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Of the 405,000 specimens collected, the omicron variant in 291,000 cases, while the delta, which dominated much of the pandemic in 2021, was only present in 28% of the analyzes of the last 30 days (113,000), the report stressed.

The omicron variant is causing record numbers of infections globally, although this is not accompanied by an increase in deaths, so in principle it seems to be associated with less severe forms of covid-19.

LOOK: Germany exceeds 100,000 daily coronavirus infections, its highest figure of the entire pandemic

VARIOUS COUNTRIES IN PEAK FIGURES

Russia continues to record new highs in coronavirus infections so far this year due to the spread of the omicron variant, with the detection of 33,899 new cases in the last 24 hours.

This is the largest number of infections of coronavirus in this country since the end of November 2021. So far in the pandemic, 10.89 million confirmed infections of covid-19 have been detected throughout the country.

Germany It exceeded 100,000 new daily infections for the first time in the entire pandemic and also marked a new maximum in incidence for the sixth consecutive day, while the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, predicted the peak of this wave for mid-February.

Health authorities reported 112,323 new infections in 24 hours and 239 deaths with or from covid-19, compared to 80,430 and 384 a week ago, while the number of active cases is around 972,400.

Israel registered 71,593 new positives for covid-19 on Tuesday, another daily record of cases throughout the pandemic, when the country faces a new peak of infections by the omicron variant.

Hungary In the last 24 hours, a new record of covid infections was registered, with 14,890 confirmed cases, doubling the data of the previous day. In one day, 85 people died from the coronavirus, with which in the Central European country of 9.7 million inhabitants, the pandemic has already claimed the lives of 40,686 people.

The advance of the highly contagious variant of omicron It has led to a new record of positives in the Czech Republic, where 28,469 cases were registered in the last hours, 40% more than the previous day, the Ministry of Health reported today.

CONTAINMENT MEASURES

The government of Japan decided today to raise the health alert for coronavirus in Tokyo and 12 other prefectures due to the spread of the omicron variant, which today caused some 40,000 infections throughout the country, a new record.

The Executive declared this Wednesday the state of “quasi-emergency” for coronavirus in some of the main Japanese regions, which will allow local authorities to reapply restrictions that will mainly affect businesses such as bars and restaurants.

In the US, the president Joe Biden will announce this Wednesday that his government will provide citizens with 400 million N95-type masks free of charge at various locations across the country.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the US Executive opened the website for citizens to request the sending of a maximum of four free antigen tests per household, despite the fact that last week they had announced that there would be eight rapid tests per month per person.

Also in America, the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, has entered a red alert due to the increase in infections by covid-19, which means limited capacity in public transport, virtual classes in municipal educational centers for several months and promoting the vaccination of teachers and students.

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Deshawn