Despite the rampant spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 nations across the world are opening up. A report by the AFP showed that the pandemic is showing signs of ebbing. People across the planet were relieved as the number of new daily cases dropped by 38% in the US-Canada region. Asia and Africa saw cases drop by 16% and 21% respectively. Global cases dropped by 10% as Latin America/Caribbean zone as well as Western Asia saw cases drop by 13% and 4% respectively. Global deaths, according to an AFP report, increased globally for the fourth week in a row to 10,507 per day, recording a rise of 16%.
US Records 900,000 Deaths, Still Worst-Affected
The United States continues to be the worst-affected nation due to the pandemic. It recorded the highest number of new cases with 362,800 per day on average, according to a report by news agency AFP. The death toll due to Covid-19 also crossed a grim milestone as it surged past the 900,000-mark earlier on Friday. The US reported 800,000 deaths mid-December, which is a month and a half ago.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the rate of infections still continues to stress the healthcare system. “Hospitalizations remain high, stretching our healthcare capacity and workforce to its limits in some areas of the country,” Walensky was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Eruption-hit Tonga Now Under Lockdown
The tiny Pacific island-nation still reeling from damage caused by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano announced that it is entering a lockdown as it detected two cases. The Covid-free island earlier recorded its first infection in October. Tongan prime minister Siaosi Sovaleni said that both of them who were infected are fully vaccinated and remain asymptomatic. With these two cases, Tonga recorded 3 cases of Covid-19. Many Pacific islands in the continent of Oceania have to some extent fended off the pandemic but as Omicron rages the virus seems to have caught up with them as countries like Solomon Islands in the Pacific reported a 138% rise in cases.
Future Large Waves Of Covid-19 Possible
The Covid-19 advisors who guide the UK government regarding the pandemic said that future large waves of Covid-19 are a possibility. The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group, told news agency Reuters that waning population immunity and changes in mixing patterns along with the rise of unknown variants is among the biggest factors in the medium-to-long term.
“Large future waves of infection that need active management to prevent detrimental pressure on the health and care sector are, at least, a realistic possibility (high confidence) or likely (medium confidence),” the group said in a statement accessed by news agency Reuters. “The next few years will be highly uncertain, and future outbreaks and waves will likely be noisy as things settle down. A steady, predictable pattern… may be many years away,’ the group further added.
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