15:50
90% of cases in Madrid are from Omicron
“Almost 90%” of Covid cases registered in the Madrid region, which has seen a surge in infections in recent days, are due to the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus: this was announced by the Madrid Health Adviser, Enrique Ruiz Escudero. It is a “highly contagious” type, Escudero added. But at the moment this is not reflected in a relative increase in hospital admissions. On the other hand, the commissioner admitted that there was a “greater demand for help” directed at the Basic Health System (ASL) and the emergency room network, “mainly due to the need to succumb to tampons”.
15:22
The chief virologist said: “Omicron is prevalent in some areas of Milan.”
Omicron works in Lombardy: “In some regions of Milan it is already spreading, more than 50%, while in the Brescia region it is about 20%, but it is growing rapidly”. This is the shot taken by Arnaldo Caruso, president of the Italian Society of Virology (Siv-Isv), who promised in an interview with Adnkronos Salute that “in a very short time the dominant form of Sars-CoV-2 will change: in January Omicron will prevail over Delta in all across the region,” estimates the expert, Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Brescia, and Director of the Microbiology Laboratory at the Asst Spedali Civili. “Currently – it determines – the variants that we have found are of two types, delta and omicron, while the others have practically disappeared. Omicron is growing rapidly, as expected because this mutant is much more contagious than delta and destined to replace it.”
15:07
In Austria, the curfew returns from December 27
Austria will implement new tightening from December 27 to limit the spread of the Omicron variant. The curfew in bars and restaurants returns at 10pm and some restrictions apply to events. The head of the National Gekko Task Force, chief medical officer Katharina Reich, has appealed to Austrians to abandon their New Year celebrations. “Celebrate outdoors, if possible, in a small space and with vaccinations only,” Reich said.
15:00
Germany, Omicron dominant in 1-3 weeks
The Omicron variant can become dominant in Germany within one to three weeks. This was stated by the President of the Robert Koch Institute (Rki), Lothar Wheeler. “The trend is very clear,” “with a doubling time of about three days, the new variant could actually be responsible for the majority of infections in our country in the next week or two or in the last three weeks,” Wheeler declared. He then called for caution before Christmas, saying “it should not have been the spark that lit the Omicron fire,” and urged Germans to meet as few people as possible at Christmas and to refrain from non-essential travel.
14:56
Bergamo, no New Year’s party and outside mask
“A while ago I decided to cancel the New Year’s Eve party in Bergamo. We also decided to extend the obligation to use the mask outdoors to the whole city from Friday. The situation in hospitals is under control but we prefer to be careful.” Written by Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori on Twitter.
14:47
The first data of new cases from the provinces
Daily bulletins from the regions begin to flow. Veneto reported 4,522 new cases, Apulia – in strong growth – reported 952. The same trend is in Tuscany, where the positive results confirmed in the last 24 hours are 2038. Infections are also rising in the Marche (836) and Umbria (677). In Bolzano, there are 401,168 in Basilicata, and 83 in Molise.
14:38
China, 57 cases in Xi’an: lockdown of 13 million people
Insurance for Xìan. Authorities in the Chinese city of 13 million people have ordered new measures to contain COVID-19 infections. Today’s bulletin from the National Health Commission reported by Xinhua reported 57 new cases of local transmission of the Covid-19 virus for the entire Asian giant – 53 of them in northwestern Shanxi Province, where Shan is located – as well as 20 ‘imported’ cases and 19 related to patients not showing up. They have symptoms. According to official data, 149 cases of local transmission of the coronavirus have been confirmed since December 9 in Shaanxi Province, of which 143 are in Shan, which are in lockdown over the next few hours to limit entry and exit from the city, while allowing residents to leave their homes. Only for “fundamental reasons”. Meanwhile, mass testing of the population continues.
14:27
Piedmont, Serio: “Yellow Zone advances until Friday”
“I am working on an ordinance reintroducing entry into the yellow zone of Piedmont to Friday, and it is in fact already destined for this ruling from next Monday in light of these days’ data. A way of trying to put the Christmas weekend in more safety and shelter” . This is how the President of the Piedmont region, Alberto Serio, came on the sidelines of the opening of the Mauritius Hospital in Turin for the new CT scan of first aid radiology and the children’s vaccine today. He adds, “I will discuss the matter tomorrow by meeting in the region with the mayor of the capital, the governors, the district chiefs and the mayor.”
14:16
Costa: “I rule out lockdown. Orange zones? Not now.”
Possible orange areas? “At the moment no, they are not planned but we will evaluate them from week to week. On the other hand, I rule out possible closures, we can avoid that instead.” Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Andrea Costa tells this to Radio 1, guest of ‘Un Giorno da Pecorà,’ talking about the decisions that will appear in the control room tomorrow. When he thinks the choices that will be made tomorrow will start, “I think they will take effect after Christmas.”
14:00
Omicron, Berlin: ‘Fourth dose probably required’
“It is likely that a fourth dose of the vaccine will be needed.” German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said at a press conference in Berlin, in response to a question. “We don’t know very well the tolerance of the booster,” Lauterbach explained, noting that this may not be effective for long against the Omicron variant.
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