WHO: Omikron on the rise in 89 countries | Current world | DW
The Omikron infection doubles every 1.5 to three days, reports the World Health Organization in Geneva. So far, the variant has been found in 89 countries.
The WHO warned that with the rapid rise in cases, hospitals could be overwhelmed in some places. “The number of hospitalizations in the UK and South Africa continues to rise and given the rapidly increasing number of cases, it is possible that many health systems could quickly become overwhelmed,” Reuters news agency quoted the World Health Organization as saying.
Lauterbach speaks of a massive fifth wave
In Germany, the corona situation remains tense – despite a falling nationwide seven-day incidence. The Robert Koch Institute gave the value as 321.8 – the day before it was 331.8. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expects a massive fifth corona wave from the new Omikron variant.
That should also aggravate the situation at the clinics significantly, says the head of the German Hospital Association, Gerald Gaß. If it is confirmed that these are much more contagious than Delta and the severity is comparable, in the worst case scenario you will have to deal with a large number of simultaneously cumbersome patients, said Gass. “For the hospitals, dying would be a further aggravated situation, going beyond anything that we have experienced so far.”
France introduces new vaccination certificate
In France, Health Minister Olivier Veran is likely to have seven percent of new infections on the Omikron variant: “We already have several hospital hotspots for the Omikron variant, especially in the greater Paris area,” said Veran in Paris.
The French Minister of Health Veran: Booster vaccinations in care and in the fire department
The rapid spread of Omikron is due to the introduction of a new vaccination pass at the beginning of next year, which must be presented in restaurants and on public transport routes. A negative test is currently sufficient.
At the end of January, a third-party vaccination against the corona virus will be introduced in France for nursing staff and the fire brigade. Veran: “We don’t want 25 to 30 percent of the nursing staff to be unable to work, as is the case in Scotland, for example, because they were all contact persons and therefore have to be quarantined.”
nob / AR (dpa, rtr)