Covid-19 surges wreaked havoc around the world (File)
Berlin:
The WHO warned on Tuesday that the Omicron coronavirus variant could lead to overburdening the healthcare system, although early studies suggest it leads to milder illness, as China and Germany introduce restrictions. tough to prevent the rise of new infections.
China has put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown, while infections have reached new highs in many US states and European countries.
The Covid-19 spikes have wreaked havoc around the world, with many countries trying to strike a balance between economic sanctions restrictions and controlling the spread of the virus.
The US has halved the quarantine period for asymptomatic cases to try to prevent disruption, while France requires companies to have employees work from home at least three days a week. .
Contact restrictions have been imposed in Germany for the second year in a row on the eve of the new year, as Europe’s largest economy shut down nightclubs and forced sports competitions to close.
Despite facing a much smaller outbreak than the global virus hotspots, China has not relaxed its “zero Covid” strategy, imposing stay-at-home orders in many regions. of the city of Yan’an.
Hundreds of thousands of affected residents there have joined 13 million in the city of Xi’an, who have entered their sixth day of home confinement as China faces a high number of daily cases. the most in 21 months.
“I’m going to starve,” wrote one Xi’an resident on the Twitter-like Twitter platform.
“Without food, my compound won’t let me out, and I’m running out of instant noodles… please help!”
Many Xi’an residents have similarly complained on social media about the restrictions, including a driving ban and only one family member being allowed to go out to shop once every three days.
The shutdown is the strongest crackdown in China since a city the size of Wuhan was cut off from the rest of the world in the early days of the pandemic.
– ‘Widespread Disruption’ –
The increase in many countries has been driven by the highly transmittable variant of Omicron.
WHO has warned against complacency although preliminary findings suggest that Omicron may lead to milder disease.
“The rapid growth of Omicron … even when combined with a slightly milder disease, will still lead to large numbers of hospitalizations, especially among the unvaccinated groups, and cause widespread disruption to health systems and other vital services,” warned WHO Covid Incident Europe Management Catherine Smallwood.
To stem the flow, European nations have put in place curbs with painful social and economic consequences.
Facing a record high number of infections, France has stopped issuing stay-at-home orders but urged employers to make employees work from home three days a week if possible.
Sweden and Finland have required negative tests for non-resident travelers since Tuesday, a day after Denmark – which currently has the highest infection rate per capita in the world – imposed the measure. similar law.
In Germany, private gatherings are currently limited to 10 vaccinated people – or two households where there are any unvaccinated people – and nightclubs have been closed. All sports competitions will be held behind closed doors.
One Berlin resident told AFP TV.
But not all accept the measure.
Thousands of protesters marched across Germany late Monday, against curbs, with some hurling fireworks or bottles at police and injuring at least 12 officers.
– Travel chaos –
In addition to the social strife, the pandemic has been economically punishing, especially for sectors like tourism.
About 11,500 flights have been canceled worldwide since Friday and tens of thousands more delayed, during one of the busiest times of the year.
Many airlines have blamed staffing shortages on the spike in Omicron cases.
The rise in the US has been driven by the Omicron variant, as well as the large population of unvaccinated residents and a lack of access to quick and easy testing.
President Joe Biden on Monday said some US hospitals could be “overwhelmed” but the country was generally well prepared.
He emphasized that Omicron will not have the same impact as the original Covid outbreak or the Delta variant outbreak this year.
“Omicron is a source of concern, but it shouldn’t be a source of panic,” Biden said.
In an effort to prevent mass labor shortages during the spike, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday cut quarantine times for asymptomatic cases from 10 down to five days.
The US is the country hardest hit by the pandemic and is hitting a daily high of 250,000 cases recorded last January.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
