‘Tsunami’ of new COVID-19 cases clog global health systems – WHO
SWITZERLAND, UK, NIGERIA ,THAILAND: In view of the rising number COVID-19 cases around the globe, World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday said the “tsunami of cases” – driven by the new, highly transmissible Omicron variant – has now started to overwhelm health systems all across the globe.
In a new high, a record number of 9.5 million fresh COVID-19 cases were reported globally in the week between December 27, 2021, and January 2, 2022. The weekly epidemiological update issued by the WHO showed that the daily tally of global cases had increased sharply during this duration by 71 per cent as compared to the week prior.
The number of new deaths, too, took a 10 per cent hike during this span. This corresponds to just under 9.5 million new cases and over 41,000 new deaths being reported during the last week.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday hit out at anti-vaccine groups who spread “mumbo jumbo” on social media but ruled out the UK following some European countries in making COVID-19 vaccination a mandatory legal requirement.
“They (anti-vaxxers) are totally wrong and I think it is time that I, the government, call them out on what they are doing,” Boris told reporters.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, President Muhammadu Buhari said in a televised interview on Thursday, as the country battles growing cases of the virus.
The West African country has been exploring options to acquire or purchase vaccines through the COVAX facility to enable it to inoculate at least 70% of its population.
Meanwhile, France’s Parliament on Thursday approved President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for a vaccine pass to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant after a tumultuous debate whipped up by Macron’s comments about the unvaccinated.
Macron told Le Parisien newspaper earlier this week that he wanted to make the lives of those refusing the COVID-19 vaccine so complicated by squeezing them out of public places that they would end up getting jabbed.
Meanwhile, Thailand on Thursday raised its COVID-19 alert level following rising infections driven by the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a senior health official said.
The change, from level three to four, sets a pretext for possible measures that could follow, such as closing high-risk areas and placing restrictions on domestic travel or public gatherings.
“Level four means we may close high-risk places and announce more measures.”
– THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, PTI,THE INDIAN EXPRESS