Britain on Sunday raised its alert level for the Covid-19 pandemic to the fourth level from the third, based on the recommendation of its top medical officials, in an effort to counter the rapid spread of the mutated Omicron strain of the Corona virus that causes the disease. It spreads much faster than the delta mutant and that the vaccine's protection against omicron infection is low.” Level 4 means that health authorities see infection rates as high and put pressure on health care services.
Pressure on British hospitals
British media reported that the health authorities in the United Kingdom asked hospitals to work to increase their capacity to provide care for critical cases of people with corona, with the dramatic rise in injuries this winter due to the mutant Omicron.
In some parts of the country, there is only one per cent of available beds, The Independent said.
Accordingly, NHS officials have been asked to prepare for the expected peak in mid-January, when the health service is likely to have to implement the highest level of preparedness or the so-called "black alert".
Meanwhile, hospital administrators said they will have to face "ethical dilemmas" and choose between prioritizing beds for emergency and accident patients and keeping them for people who have already waited too long for their planned surgery.
The warnings come after the government's Scientific Advisory Group said on Thursday that the number of hospitalizations of patients infected with the novel coronavirus could reach 1,000 per day by the end of the year, with the peak likely to be "several times that level".
On Saturday, government advisers warned that without additional restrictions, Omicron could trigger an even bigger wave than Britain saw last winter, with up to 75,000 people likely to die in England alone by the end of April.
New actions
In addition, the British government announced on Sunday additional measures to combat the outbreak of the mutant Omicron of the Corona virus, including expanding the campaign to give booster doses of the Covid vaccines to people over the age of thirty, starting from Monday. -19, rapid antigen checks are conducted daily for seven days, while unvaccinated people who have been in contact with infected people will have to undergo a 10-day isolation, according to the Ministry of Health. to become the dominant strain by mid-December,” he explained, explaining that this new measure is intended “to reduce the impact on people’s daily lives while contributing to mitigating the spread of Omicron.” Javid also called on the population to receive the vaccine or the booster dose “as soon as possible.” as soon as possible.” The government intends to propose a third dose of vaccines for all people over the age of 18 in England by late January and has announced that from Monday People over the age of 30 will be able to book an appointment to receive the booster dose. These measures are in addition to new measures previously announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, including the return to remote work and the requirement to present a health certificate in some places. These measures will be put to a vote by MPs on Tuesday. It is expected that it will be adopted with the support of the labor opposition and despite the suspicion of a section of the conservative camp to which the prime minister belongs.
Fauci and the three doses
Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said that three doses of vaccines are the "optimal care" of COVID-19, but the US government still formally defines full vaccination as two doses of the Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News that health officials will continue to assess what should be an official definition. Asked if three doses of vaccines might be the new standard of care, Fauci said, "Well, I certainly think it represents optimal care. "I mean, in terms of official requirements, the two doses of Pfizer/Biontech or Moderna or the dose of Johnson & Johnson still match the official definition of what is needed. But I think if you look at the data, it becomes more and more clear that if You want to be optimally protected, you really have to get a booster.” Fauci added that it would take months to say whether there was a need to receive annual booster doses of vaccines, explaining that he hoped from an immunological point of view that a single booster dose would be enough to provide protection. ac PR from the six months provided by the initial vaccine.
European protests
Several European cities are witnessing protests against the measures to confront "Covid-19". On Saturday, December 11, hundreds gathered in Luxembourg, as well as in Barcelona and Vienna.
Luxembourg police arrested 12 people during a demonstration against measures to combat "Covid-19", Saturday, December 11. Police used water cannons, according to an AFP correspondent.
The demonstrators, who numbered about 500 people, according to the police, carried placards that read, "No to these laws that exterminate freedoms" and "No to this obligatory indirect vaccination," chanting: "Freedom, freedom."
The demonstration took place under strict supervision by the Luxembourg police, backed by reinforcements from neighboring Belgium, after violations that occurred on December 4 during a similar demonstration.
And flying in the air helicopters and unmanned aircraft. The police used water cannons to repel a group of demonstrators who were trying to bypass a barrier preventing access to the city center.
One protester said, "The government is putting pressure on the population by (practicing) blackmail in social life, and soon in professional life."
Luxembourg has recently tightened its procedures by imposing the obligation to show a health permit in the entertainment sector, showing that its holder has recovered or received a vaccination against "Covid-19". It is no longer just a negative test, in addition, a certificate of vaccination or a negative test of no more than 48 hours will be required in companies from January 15th.
During the past two weeks, the country has witnessed a rise in injuries and cases that require admission to intensive care.
Protest in Barcelona against the health permit
In Spain, about a thousand people demonstrated, according to the police, on Saturday, in Barcelona (northeastern Spain), to protest against the health permit in force in Catalonia, while gatherings against health restrictions are relatively rare in the country.
During a march in the center of the Catalan city, the demonstrators marched behind a banner that read in Catalan: "Health permit = a totalitarian state," according to a journalist on Agence France-Presse TV.
Others held banners "No to Nazi Permit," "Governments and caregivers = killers," and "Covid declaration: Dictatorship."
"This is not a pandemic, this is a dictatorship," chanted the demonstrators, who numbered between 1,000 and 1,500 people, according to the police. The demonstrators, who have gathered for the second week in a row, want to gather every Saturday "until the health permit is buried."
In Spain, decisions to combat the pandemic are made at a local level, with decisions related to health being the responsibility of each region.
3 doses provide protection from "Omicron"
Israeli researchers found, on Saturday, that three doses of the "Pfizer" vaccine provided great protection against the new strain of the Corona virus, "Omicron".
read more
This section contains related articles, placed in the Related Nodes field.
Pfizer and Biontech presented similar results a few days ago, which was an early indication that a booster dose of the vaccine may be necessary to protect against infection with the "Omicron" strain.
The study, conducted by the Sheba Medical Center and the Central Laboratory of Virology of the Israeli Ministry of Health, compared the blood of 20 people who received two doses of the vaccine five or six months ago with the blood of a similar number of individuals who received a booster dose a month ago.
"Those who received the second dose five or six months ago have no ability to neutralize omicron, while they have some ability to counteract (the strain) delta," Gilly Regev Yochai, director of the infectious diseases unit at the Sheba Center, told reporters. ".
"The good news is that the booster dose increases (resistance to the strain) about a hundredfold. The booster dose offers great protection. It is four times less than the neutralizing ability against delta," she added.
The Israeli research comes after a study from South Africa that found that the "Omicron" strain can infect those who received both doses of the vaccine.
Australia cuts waiting time for a booster shot
On Sunday, Australia said that it would reduce the waiting time to obtain a booster dose against “Covid-19” after the increase in infections with the mutated “Omicron” strain of the Corona virus, and Australia had previously said that it would give a booster dose to everyone over the age of 18, and six months had passed since He did get his second dose of the vaccination, but with Omikron infections on the rise, Health Secretary Greg Hunt said that period would be shortened to five months after the second dose.
Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, with nearly 90 percent of people over the age of 16 vaccinated, however, Australia said that it recorded 1,556 injuries within 24 hours after recording, on Saturday, the highest daily infection level in six weeks.
Injuries
In terms of injuries, official data showed that Britain recorded 54,073 new cases of corona and 132 deaths within 28 days of tests confirming the infection of the disease.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases showed, on Sunday, that the number of confirmed infections with the Corona virus in Germany rose to six million and 509863 after recording 32,646 new infections, and the data indicated that the total number of deaths rose to 105,638 after 132 new deaths were recorded.
In Italy, 96 deaths related to the Corona virus were recorded, down from 118 on Friday, while the daily number of new infections rose to 21,042.
Peru, the country with the highest death rate from "Covid-19" relative to the population in the world, recorded more than 100 deaths Friday, for the first time in four months, according to the Ministry of Health.
In Brazil, the Ministry of Health recorded, on Saturday, 3,355 new infections and 53 deaths from the Corona virus during the past 24 hours.
The ministry announced that the country has recorded 22.19 million injuries since the start of the pandemic, while the number of deaths has risen to 616,744.
And the Ministry of Health in India announced, on Sunday, that the total number of injuries rose to 34.69 million, after 7,774 injuries were recorded during the past 24 hours, and the ministry said that the number of deaths caused by infection with the disease rose to 475,434 after recording 306 new deaths.
In China, on Saturday, 75 new cases of the Corona virus were recorded, down from 87 cases the day before.
A statement from the National Health Committee stated that 49 of the new infections were transmitted locally, compared to 51 the day before.
China also recorded 20 new asymptomatic infections, down from 30 a day earlier. China does not classify these cases as confirmed cases.
The committee stated that mainland China has so far recorded 99,679 confirmed cases. The number of deaths remained unchanged at 4,636.
In Egypt, the Ministry of Health recorded 879 new infections with the Corona virus and 49 deaths on Saturday, compared to 822 injuries and 47 deaths the previous day, bringing the total number that was registered in Egypt with the Corona virus until Saturday is 368,335, including 306,106 cases that were cured, and 21,015 deaths. .