Faced with Omicron, Biden refuses to “panic” when Europe tightens the screw

Europe is increasing restrictions and warnings when the United States refuses to “panic”: a proactive Joe Biden assured Tuesday that the world’s leading power was “ready” in the face of the surge of the Omicron variant.

“We can see another storm approaching,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe.

“Omicron is becoming, or has already become, dominant in several countries including Denmark, Portugal and the UK, where numbers are doubling every one and a half to three days, resulting in unprecedented rates of transmission.” , he continued.

In response to the wave, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Tuesday that all Israelis over 60 and medical staff would be entitled to a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, after consulting with a group experts.

Already dominant also in the United States, the new variant is spreading at a lightning speed across the world, leading to contamination records, as in Spain which recorded 49,823 cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours.

“I know you are tired. (…) I know you have had enough. We all want it to be over, but we are still in the middle of it. And we are at a critical moment,” said Joe Biden to his compatriots from the White House.

And to add: “We have more tools than we have ever had. We are ready.”

As he had said a few weeks ago, the American president repeated, to the address of some 70% of Americans fully or partially vaccinated: “We must not panic.”

– Free tests –

The Democrat, whose levers at the federal level are limited anyway, called for keeping schools open and promised that the United States would not relive spring 2020.

The US federal government will hand out 500 million free tests starting in January – to see if that calms recurring criticism of insufficient screening in the United States, where lines are stretched out in front of testing centers every day.

Joe Biden’s strategy contrasts with the tougher decisions taken especially in Europe.

– “Continue to play” –

The Germans will not be able to meet with more than ten vaccinated people, or two unvaccinated for the holidays, warned the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Clubs and discos will also close their doors across the country. And all sports competitions, especially football matches, will now take place behind closed doors.

African football is staying the course: despite insistent rumors of postponement or cancellation, the African Football Confederation has confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations will indeed be held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6.

The NBA, the North American basketball championship, also has no plans to interrupt the current season, boss Adam Silver said on Tuesday.

“This virus is not going to go away and we will have to learn to live with it,” he said.

The Netherlands has closed stores deemed non-essential, cinemas or restaurants.

In Portugal, teleworking will become compulsory for two weeks and bars and nightclubs will be closed.

Faced with record contamination figures, Finland has notably decided that bars should close at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

– A 10th vaccine –

No turn of the screw of this type planned for the moment in France, where approximately 20% of new cases of Covid-19 now fall under Omicron.

In the United Kingdom, among the most severely affected (more than 90,000 contaminations per day), the government released on Tuesday a billion pounds for companies suffering the consequences of the variant.

According to WHO Scientific Chief Soumya Swaminathan, the first data from South Africa shows that Omicron-related hospitalizations remain lower than during previous Delta waves.

The WHO urgently approved a new vaccine against Covid on Tuesday, that of the American company Novavax – the 10th that it thus approves -, with more classic technology and different from vaccines already widely used in the EU.

Joe Biden also stands out on international travel. He said “consider” the lifting of the ban on entry into the United States, which concerns eight African countries, where Omicron had started to circulate.

Other countries, on the contrary, are increasing the restrictions. Israel on Tuesday added the United States and several other countries to its red list of around 50 states to which travel is prohibited.

The pandemic has killed at least 5.36 million people worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP on Tuesday, without doubt much lower than reality.

bur-aue / rle / led