Live | Covid-19: “Omicron is expected to become dominant strain by mid-December” in UK – Bien Public

2:50 p.m .: “Omicron is rapidly gaining ground in the UK and is expected to become the dominant strain by mid-December”

The British government on Sunday announced additional measures to combat the spread of the Omicron variant. From Tuesday, fully vaccinated contact cases of people who test positive for Covid-19 will also be asked to carry out antigenic tests daily for seven days, while those who are not vaccinated must remain isolated for ten days, announced the Ministry of Health.

“The Omicron variant is rapidly gaining ground in the UK and is expected to become the dominant strain by mid-December,” Health Minister Sajid Javid said in a statement, explaining that the new measure is intended to “limit impact on people’s daily lives while helping to reduce the spread of Omicron ”.

In London, Omicron represents a third of Covid-19 cases. Omicron is “so contagious that it will become dominant and grow exponentially,” warned Sajid Zahawi, justifying the government’s efforts to slow its course.

2:31 p.m.: Police officers injured in Germany during an anti-Covid demonstration

After Luxembourg, Spain, Germany also experienced rallies against health measures this weekend. At least 14 police officers were injured during protests in Greiz, in the Land of Thuringia (east). Calls to protest were launched on social networks, and up to 1,000 people gathered in the German city on Saturday.

2:29 p.m .: End of confinement in Austria except for the unvaccinated

The three-week lockdown in Austria has ended since midnight on the night of Saturday to Sunday in almost the whole country. However, the lifting of measures to combat the coronavirus only concerns people who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered from Covid-19. This Sunday, theaters, museums and the leisure sector in Austria reopened their doors. Stores will follow on Monday.

1:45 p.m.: Darmanin announces 400 investigations in progress on false health pass networks

Four hundred investigations have been opened to dismantle networks of fake health passes, of which “several thousand” have been detected in France by the police, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Sunday.

11:18 am: Boris Johnson accused of breaking his own rules

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of cultivating a “culture of disregard for the rules” in government, after the publication on Sunday in the Sunday mirror of a photo showing him participating in a quiz in December 2020 at a time when the British were asked to limit their social interactions. The new revelation comes on top of a string of scandals that are damaging the Tory leader’s credibility as he calls on Britons to comply with new rules to tackle the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the country.

9.47am: “Addressing the looming Omicron wave by targeting the weakest circulation of the virus is crucial”

Professor Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute for Global Health and professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Geneva, is not very optimistic about the spread of the Omircron variant. On social networks, the epidemiologist writes: “The spread of the variant is dazzling, giving rise to fear of a new wave of very strong magnitude shortly after the 5th wave, the top of which seems close in France and Switzerland. Addressing the looming Omicron wave by targeting the weakest circulation of the virus is crucial if we are to avoid further re-containments in the months to come.
The urgency today is therefore to lower the contamination curve to the lowest possible level. “

How? ‘Or’ What ? “By vaccinating the entire population three doses as quickly as possible. By instituting telework wherever it is possible. By extending the Christmas holidays in schools and universities. By promoting ventilation and masks indoors, ”he says.

9:23 am: Green light for preventive treatment in France

The French health authorities authorize the preventive use of an antibody treatment against Covid-19, in people whose body is resistant to vaccination, provided that they present a high risk of severe form. Evusheld is a synthetic antibody treatment developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory. Unlike most anti-Covid antibody treatments, which are intended for patients already hospitalized to prevent them from a very serious form, Evusheld aims to act before the onset of the disease, on the same principle as a vaccine.

8:56 am: After two years of hiatus, Hong Kong returns to the traditional swimming port crossing

The traditional swim through the port of Hong Kong made a comeback on Sunday after the cancellation of the two previous editions due to pro-democracy protests and the Covid-19. This sporting event is one of the few to have been authorized this year in the financial center. However, due to the strict measures still in place to fight Covid-19, only half of the roughly 3,000 swimmers usually registered have been allowed to participate.

8:23 am: In Luxembourg, a tense demonstration against anti-Covid measures

Several hundred people demonstrated in Luxembourg on Saturday against the anti-Covid measures adopted in the Grand Duchy, under close surveillance by the police who used a water cannon and carried out arrests. “No to these liberticidal laws”, “No to this indirect vaccination obligation” proclaimed the signs of the demonstrators, numbering about 500 according to the police, who marched chanting “Liberty, Liberty, Liberty”. The rally, flown over by a helicopter and drones, was strictly supervised by Luxembourg police, supported by reinforcements from neighboring Belgium, after overflows that occurred on Saturday December 4 during a similar demonstration

8:21 am: Outbreak of deaths in Peru

Peru, the country with the highest Covid-19 death rate in the world, recorded more than 100 deaths on Friday, for the first time in four months, the health ministry reported.

8:01 am: Brazilian judge demands vaccination certificate to enter country

A judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil decided on Saturday to make compulsory the presentation of an anti-Covid 19 vaccination certificate for travelers arriving in the country, in order to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The decision, which will still have to be validated by nine other judges of the Federal Supreme Court, responds to a request from the Rede Sustentabilidade party (center left). Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa had recommended requiring a health passport for travelers arriving in Brazil, where at least eight cases of Omicron have been confirmed and where a larger influx of tourists is expected for the holidays. end of year.

7:19 am: A thousand people demonstrate against the health pass in Barcelona

A thousand people according to the police demonstrated on Saturday in Barcelona (northeast) against the health pass in force in Catalonia, while rallies against the restrictions were relatively rare in Spain. Marching through the center of the Catalan city, the demonstrators marched behind a banner proclaiming in Catalan “Health passport = totalitarian state” or “governments and caregivers = murderers”.

6:52 am: The health pass for 5-11 year olds? “Not on the agenda”, answers Véran.

Does the government, which opens vaccination to 5-11 year olds, plan to impose a health pass on them? “This is not on the agenda,” assures Olivier Véran, interviewed by Le Parisien. Which specifies however: “After, if a new variant appeared and affected more seriously the children, our decision could evolve. “

6:49 am: “We are reaching the peak” of the fifth wave, assures Véran

Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, assures us that “we are reaching the peak” of the fifth wave, in an interview with the Parisian. “Daily contaminations increased by 60% over one week. It is now much less. Between Saturday 4 and Saturday 11 December, the increase is only 5%. “

The minister blames this slowdown on the acceleration of the recall campaign and the return of barrier gestures in the behavior of the French. His fear now is whether “the contaminations will then decrease rapidly or remain on a high plateau”.

6:47 am: Over 2,500 patients in critical care wards

Hospital pressure is not weakening in France where more than 2,500 people are currently received in critical care services, according to figures from Public Health France. They are exactly 2,539, including 176 new patients in 24 hours. In total, 13,855 Covid patients are hospitalized in France.

53,720

On Saturday, 53,720 new cases of contamination were recorded, down from the day before (55,339) and Thursday (56,854).

6:45 am: Hello everyone and welcome to this live stream dedicated to the news of the Covid-19 pandemic in France and around the world.