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Added on the 01/12/2021 17:14:35 - Copyright : Euronews EN
China has reported more local symptomatic Covid-19 cases so far this year than it recorded in all of 2021, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant triggers outbreaks from Shanghai to Shenzhen.
Despite a record number of COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not bring in new restrictions this year in England to limit the spread of Omicron, which now accounts for 90% of all community infections, according to health officials. Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London, joins France 24 to offer perspective on the sharp rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. While Professor Openshaw acknowledges that it is almost too early to determine "whether we're going to be seeing some sort of plateau and then decline," he remains cautiously optimistic. Although the evidence is still out on the older and more vulnerable populations, this particular variant appears to be milder and less virulent. And so the professor has reason to believe that "there are some green shoots of hope."
In France, the Omicron variant continues to spread "like wildfire," leading to a major spike in hospitalizations, and a record number of new cases. As the French government further tightens COVID-19 measures, they are seeking to strike the right balance: no new curfews or lockdowns have been imposed and schools will reopen as planned in early January. According to Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist at Allianz SE, "The choice to keep schools open, or at least to reopen schools as soon as possible, is a way to avoid a recession." The focus is on "business continuity of social services: health and education first," explains Mr. Subran. "And so the idea is to "keep the economy afloat."
During the first year of the COVID pandemic, 40 countries, mostly in Africa, reported a decline in HIV testing, vital to preventing the spread of the virus.
Bulgaria said on Saturday it was days away from sending coronavirus patients abroad as a vicious fourth wave overwhelms its health system and forces neighbouring Romania to ramp up restrictions.
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