Published on Dec 30, 2021 11:30 AM IST
Written by Harshit Sabarwal | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi
On Wednesday, more than 1.63 million people across the world were detected as Covid-19 positive. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned that Omicron along with the Delta variant will push health systems on the brink of collapse.
More than a million cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) were recorded globally for the third consecutive day on Wednesday as countries are scrambling to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant—the biggest reason for the rise in daily infections.
Many countries are seeing a record spike in infections, prompting authorities to impose restrictions keeping in mind that their respective economies are not affected.
On Wednesday, more than 1.63 million people across the world were detected as Covid-19 positive. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned that Omicron along with the Delta variant will push health systems on the brink of collapse.
According to news agency Reuters, from December 22 and December 28, almost 900,000 cases of Covid-19 were being recorded on an average daily.
Even though initial studies have suggested that the Omicron variant of Covid-19, first detected in South Africa in November, is milder and less deadly than the previous ones, its high spreading rate could overwhelm hospitals in many countries in near future.
Here are the latest updates on Covid-19 across the world:
1. France on Wednesday saw a record spike in its daily cases after 208,099 people were found to be infected with Covid-19. In Paris, people will be required to wear masks when outdoors from Friday to slow the spread of the virus fuelled by the Omicron variant. The order applies to everyone above the age of 11.
2. Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, recorded 12,226 new cases in the last 24 hours. Among these, Sydney reported 746 hospitalised patients. On Thursday, the country’s state and territory leaders will meet Prime Minister Scott Morrison to discuss issues such as long queues for Covid testing, the definition of a close contact and isolation requirements.
3. The United Kingdom also set a new record in its daily Covid-19 tally with 183,037 infections on Wednesday. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been placed under tougher restrictions since December 26. However, no restrictions are currently in place for England and the region is under Plan B measures.
4. The Italian government will soon ease quarantine rules in a bid to keep essential services running. The government is also planning to cut the isolation period for vaccinated Covid-19 patients from seven to five days.
5. In the United States, even though there is a drop in fatalities due to Covid-19, infections are still rising because of Omicron’s spread. Presidential medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that Omicron cases will likely peak in the US by the end of January.
(With inputs from Bloomberg, Reuters)
(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/daily-global-covid-cases-above-1mn-for-3rd-day-who-warns-on-omicron-delta-101640840224808.html)