Kovid in America: Joe Biden formally announced new measures to deal with the growth of Kovid.
Washington:
President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Americans concerned about the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant that the country was “prepared” to fight it, as Israel – which pioneered the use of Covid vaccine boosters – took 60 Announced the fourth shot for more people and health workers. ,
Omicron, which is now present in dozens of countries, appears to be more contagious than earlier coronavirus strains, despite early indications that it does not cause a more severe form of COVID-19 than the delta version.
Its lightning strikes around the world have prompted some governments to reimpose restrictions ahead of the holidays, hoping the worst of the pandemic is over, or to reevaluate their plans to stop the spread. For.
“We could see a new storm approaching,” warned the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge.
In a televised address, Biden formally announced new measures to deal with the winter surge — including shipping half a billion in home tests — but denied that his administration was adequate to handle the fresh wave of cases. Failed to prepare.
“We should all be concerned about Omicron but not panic,” he told the White House.
“This is not March of 2020,” he continued. “Two hundred million people have been fully vaccinated. We’re ready, we know more. We just have to stay focused.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would give $580 million in additional aid to international organizations to fight COVID due to a rise in Omicron cases.
Omicron contributed 73.2 percent of America’s new cases in the past week ending Saturday, according to the latest official figures.
Denmark said on Tuesday that it had become a major tension there as well.
In Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said civilians and medical teams over the age of 60 would be eligible for a fourth COVID vaccine shot following the recommendation of an expert panel.
Israel was the first country to make the third dose widely available, a decision that was deemed unnecessary by some experts at the time but was later proved correct.
“The world will follow in our footsteps,” Bennett tweeted.
Amid fears that the vaccines might not be as effective against the highly mutated version, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was too early to say whether drug companies needed to develop omicron-specific jab.
Biden insists the US vaccination campaign will help prevent severe cases among the 62 percent of the population who are now fully vaccinated – while scolding the unaffiliated for failing to uphold their “patriotic duty” .
“Just the other day, former President Trump announced he had received his booster shot,” Biden said, pointing out, “probably one of the few things he and I agree on.”
‘Celebrate later’
As Omicron fears grew over the year-end holidays, Israel became the latest nation to reimpose tough travel restrictions.
Lawmakers banned citizens and residents from traveling to the United States, adding it to a list of more than 50 countries that were declared off-limits.
It follows a petition by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling for nations to cancel New Year’s events to restart efforts to help end the pandemic because “celebration now It was better to celebrate later than to celebrate and mourn later.”
And the WHO’s regional director for Europe, Kluge, voiced a serious note of caution.
“Within weeks, Omicron will dominate more countries in the region, pushing already stretched health systems to the brink. Omicron is likely to become the dominant version circulating in our region,” Kluge said.
Paris has already canceled its New Year celebrations, and Germany has slapped a cap of 10 people, banning spectators at major events including private parties, closed nightclubs and soccer matches.
“It’s not a time for parties and casual evenings with a lot of people,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin said bars in Finland would be forced to close at 9:00 on Christmas Eve as part of new restrictions designed to fight record Covid infection levels.
Spain’s Catalonia region is also considering a clampdown, while Morocco has announced a complete ban on New Year’s Eve celebrations. The Netherlands has already imposed a Christmas lockdown.
But in the sports world, where some leagues have been forced to postpone matches due to the Covid outbreak, others have gone ahead altogether.
African football chief Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Tuesday that the Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as planned in Cameroon next month, and the NBA says it has no plans to stop the season.
Scientists are racing to learn more about the Omicron strain, which was first detected last month in South Africa, after the infection was reported in fully vaccinated people around the world.
The WHO on Tuesday approved another coronavirus vaccine from US firm Novavax.
The shot was authorized by the European Union on Monday after vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
,