Kovit: Pollution records before Christmas, compulsory vaccination in Ecuador – 12/24/2021 00:12 pm

People wait in front of the pharmacy for the Covit-19 test in Paris on December 23, 2021 (AFP / STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)

Cases recorded Thursday in the UK and France: Covit-19 infections are on the rise around the world just before Christmas, forcing many countries to take new measures such as Spain and Italy, which are again pushing the mask out and forcing Ecuador to vaccinate. Five years old, first in the world.

Prior to this South American country, 69% of the 17.7 million population had already received two doses, with only a few states mandating the vaccine, and only for adults.

Faced with the rise of the Omicron variant, the most contagious, exhausting feeling, as this 35-year-old Parisian, Dominique, passed near Champs-Elysées: “There is moral exhaustion. But what can we do about it? Tired last year, we will see its end. We thought so, but we’re told ourselves that many other variations could happen. ”

However, by the end of the year a little hope is weighed down by the virus: preliminary studies in South Africa, Scotland and the UK show that Omicron is less hospitalized than in the Delta.

According to the British Health Organization, patients with the new variant have a 70% lower risk of being hospitalized.

– “Take care of each other” –

In the United Kingdom, an additional 120,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported on Thursday, a new record, as the country was hit hard by the epidemic.

Entrance to the emergency room of St. Thomas Hospital in London on December 23, 2021 (AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS)

The seven-day increase has exceeded 50% and the number of hospital admissions is starting to increase, especially in London.

So far, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have announced stricter restrictions. But in the UK, Boris Johnson’s government is postponing.

France has also reported more than 90,000 new cases in 24 hours, a complete record in this country since the outbreak in March 2020.

For now, officials are betting on vaccinations rather than new restrictions: President Emmanuel Macron has called on the French to “take care of each other”, especially through trials before reuniting with their loved ones for the Christmas holidays. Year.

Pedestrians wearing safety masks against Govt-19 on a street in Madrid on December 22, 2021 (AFP / JAVIER SORIANO)

Other countries in Europe, the global hub of epidemic recovery, are showing masks. Spain, the world champion in vaccination, has decided to make it mandatory to wear it again.

A Spanish court has also ruled in favor of establishing a night curfew in much of Catalonia.

Italy, which has already paid a high price for the epidemic, has decided to make it mandatory to wear a surgical mask outside its borders.

Pedestrians wear safety masks against Govt-19 on a street in Rome on December 23, 2021 (AFP / Filippo MONTEFORTE)

The government has announced that the FFP2 high-security mask will be mandatory for travel to cinemas, theaters, sporting events or public transportation, regardless of the application date.

– Fear of the economy –

Greece has also announced that it is mandatory to wear a mask both indoors and outdoors during the holidays.

Based on the number, country and trend of new pollutants detected in Europe in the last seven days, compared to the previous week on December 22 (AFP /)

Public Christmas and New Year celebrations have all been canceled.

In Sweden, teleworking must be a privilege and a vaccination pass is required for public events of more than 500 people.

In Belgium, the cultural world is on the rise after authorities decided to close theaters and theaters on Sunday.

In Asia, a month and a half before the start of the Winter Olympics on February 4, after a few dozen cases were discovered, China did not hesitate to impose severe imprisonment on the 13 million people of the city of Xi’an (north) under its strict “zero Govt” policy.

Security officers in a locked area on Xi’an in northern China (AFP / STR) on December 22, 2021

In the United States, according to the Govt Act Now site, there are an average of 171,000 daily cases in seven days, with the wave of Omigran already dominating new epidemics, exceeding its peak due to delta variation. But millions of Americans have begun to travel across the country for the holidays.

On Christmas Eve, the first German company, Lufthansa, had to cancel intercontinental flights due to the high number of sick pilots (AFP / Tobias Schwarz).

The current epidemic resurgence could eventually affect economic activity. Leading European airline Lufthansa has announced it will cancel 33,000 flights this winter or 10% off its schedule due to bookings.

However, global stock markets closed on Thursday: “Omigran looks more like a short-term disruption of the economic outlook than a devastating wind,” said Onda analyst Edward Moya.

At a moment when it is considered less dangerous, Omicron will theoretically cause a greater number of deaths. The number of patients will automatically lead to an increase in the number of patients admitted to the hospital – especially those who have not been vaccinated and are weak (e.g. very old or immunocompromised) – and again sink health systems.

The epidemic has killed at least 5,376,527 people worldwide since the end of 2019, according to a report established by the AFP from official sources on Thursday. The WHO estimates that the actual number could be two to three times higher.

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