Government working to reduce and contain Omicron

In the United States, the 7-day average of Covid-19 cases is National march of Delta.. As of December 24, the average reached 176,829, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. The average recorded this week is the highest since January. The ever-increasing evidence is Omicron can lead to less severe illnesses Research is ongoing, but people with high levels of immunity due to either vaccination or previous infections.

The state of New York said in a recommendation on Friday that pediatric hospitalizations in New York City had quadrupled since December 5.

The Ministry of Health did not provide the number of children admitted to New York City in a Friday announcement. The department did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

The New York state warning about pediatric hospitalization occurred the day after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York. Relaxed quarantine guidance For some important workers. This development highlights how the authorities issuing guidance are competing to keep up with the ever-evolving data from hospitals and research around the world.

U.S. airlines Canceled more than 600 flights On Friday. By noon on Saturday

Delta Air Lines Ltd,

United Airlines Holdings Ltd

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JetBlue Airlines Ltd

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking site, we have abandoned about 656 flights scheduled for Christmas Day. This represents at least 12% of each carrier’s planned flights, reflecting the turmoil of Covid-19’s rapid expansion.

None of the children aged 5 to 11 years who were admitted to New York City for Covid-19 last week with complete data were completely vaccinated. A quarter of the next age group, 12 to 17 years old, was fully vaccinated, the state said. About half of the hospitalized children were under the age of five and were not eligible for vaccination.

As of Friday, 16% of New York children aged 5-11 and 64% of children aged 12-17 were fully vaccinated.

While some governments have begun to reduce the recommended quarantine period for people infected with the virus to limit labor shortages in major sectors, the United States is rushing to improve its testing capabilities.

New York Governor Kathy Hokul said on Friday that important workers in education, medical care, transportation, grocery stores, hygiene, etc. who tested positive for the virus could return to work after five days under certain conditions. Said. They should be fully vaccinated, have no fever for 72 hours, be asymptomatic or have no symptoms.

Returnees need to remain masked, Hokuru said. “We need you again, we need to allow you to go to work,” she said.

New York state move comes later England has reduced the recommended period of self-quarantine For seven days for vaccinated people, and some airline executives wrote to the US CDC asking for adjustments to government quarantine guidelines to avoid disruptions.

On Thursday, the CDC revised guidelines for quarantine and quarantine of health care workers to allow hospitals to retain sufficient staff to address the increased hospitalizations of Omicron. Healthcare workers can return to work within 7 days after a negative test result, or even faster with a staffed crunch in some cases. Also, fully vaccinated and boosted healthcare workers do not need to be quarantined after high-risk exposure to the virus.

The National Hockey League said on Friday that it would not resume the match until at least Tuesday, the day after the vacation was due to end. It took more time to analyze the test results and assess whether the team was ready to return. The league said players would still return to practice on Sunday and will provide additional updates on resumption by the end of the day.

In South Africa, people without symptoms of Covid-19 do not need to be quarantined or tested if they are in contact with positive cases, the government said Friday.The progress of new variants of the country has been carefully watched after it was done. First identified there last month..The work there, along with similar studies in Scotland and the United Kingdom, is virtually Low risk of hospitalization due to Omicron Compare with previous variants such as Delta.

The South African Ministry of Health does not currently need to isolate asymptomatic individuals who come into contact with those who test positive, instead monitor possible symptoms for up to a week and avoid attending large rallies. I’m giving advice. Only those who develop symptoms should be tested and quarantined for 8-10 days.

Other requirements, such as wearing a face cover, remain the same.

Elsewhere, the government is considering tightening regulations. French authorities will convene a special meeting on Monday to assess the progress of the pandemic. This could lead to further curtailment of travel after France recorded nearly 100,000 new infections on Friday. Italy also reported another daily record of over 50,000 new infections, although the increase in hospitalizations, like elsewhere, remains modest in comparison.

The UK also reported a new daily record of infection on Friday, this time over 120,000. London is one of the most affected areas. The Office for National Statistics estimated that 1 in 20 Londoners was infected with Covid-19 on 16 December, and that number increased to 1 in 10 last Sunday. Important services are beginning to feel the weight of staff absenteeism forced due to quarantine requirements or illness.

The prime minister

Boris JohnsonThe government has reduced the period of isolation needed to ease tensions and get people back to work more quickly, but he has not yet ruled out the prospect of further social distance measures in the coming days. Such procedures have already been announced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many citizens chose to stay at home regardlessI am worried that my test is positive and I have to cancel my vacation plan.

The head of the UK Health Security Agency on Friday said future decisions would likely be based on social needs, as well as the severity of the illness caused by Omicron.

Write in Melissa corn [email protected] And at James Hookway [email protected]