A Reuters analysis – conducted last week – showed a decline in cases of Corona virus (Covid-19) in the United States of America, while the European Health Agency announced that the mutated Omicron has become dominant in the European Union and the European industrial area.
Analysis last week compared to the previous week showed that Covid-19 infections decreased in 15 states, in addition to Washington and Puerto Rico.
In the Northeast, which has seen some of the highest infection rates in the latest wave, infections are down 36% on a weekly basis.
“This certainly bodes well for us in terms of the Omicron pathway,” said Wafa Al-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York.
The decline in infections in areas that were most affected by the Omicron mutation opens a window of hope for overcoming the crisis, but injuries are still high in large parts of the United States.
At the country level, the average daily cases is still high, up to 765,000 injuries per day, but it is less than 805,000 on January 15.
opposite position
But Rafael Manez, head of the intensive care department at the University Hospital Belvetigue near Barcelona, one of the largest medical facilities in Catalonia in northeastern Spain, said, “The more we think we are at the end of the tunnel, the longer the road goes.”
In Catalonia, one of Spain’s most densely populated regions with 7.7 million people, more than 42% of intensive care beds are occupied by Covid patients, far exceeding the national average of about 23%.
“Our medical teams are really tired, especially from the sense of uncertainty. Will this be the last wave, or will there be another one?” said Gloria Romero, chief of nursing at the hospital’s respiratory care unit.
With 40 of its 44 beds filled with Covid patients, the pace in the intensive care unit of this hospital, which provides service to a densely populated area south of Barcelona, has not slowed.
And the French press agency says that the impact of continuous work, about two years after the epidemic, is becoming more and more evident on the medical staff, with high rates of fatigue and injuries to Covid, and 600 employees have been forced to take leave since the first of December.
Due to the recent surge in cases, the hospital has again been forced to prevent visits, leaving critically ill patients to fight death alone, far from their loved ones and with only medical staff at their side.
“It is very difficult physically, but it is more difficult emotionally because it does not stop,” says physical therapist Elena Capo, who works in the intensive care unit.
Omicron prevalent in Europe
For its part, the European Health Agency announced – today, Friday – that the mutant Omicron is now prevalent in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
“The pattern of Omicron transmission in the EU/EEA has changed from societal to mainstream,” the Stockholm-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in a weekly report.
The European Economic Area includes the 27 member states of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
health passport
In France, the Constitutional Council approved most of the controversial legislation on the permissibility of vaccination.
The Council adopted the draft law, including the possibility for the owners of cafes and restaurants to check the identity of customers, to ensure that the identity matches that of the holder of the passport to vaccinate against the Corona virus.
On the other hand, members of the Constitutional Council rejected the possibility of political festival organizers requesting this permit from their participants.
hamster execution in hong kong
And in Hong Kong, the government on Friday warned local animal lovers not to obstruct the cull cull animals that were launched after a hamster (a type of rodent that looks like a mouse) was confirmed to have COVID-19 in a pet store.
The authorities have ordered the killing of about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas (a type of rodent) and felines (a type of rodent that makes a sound like a pig) as a “precautionary measure”, after a positive case of Covid-19 was recorded in the “Little Boss” store. to sell animals. She asked people who bought small animals after the 22nd of December to turn them in.
This killing policy provoked an angry reaction, as animal lovers gathered outside a government-run center where hamsters are collected, to prevent the owners of the animals from abandoning them for cull.
Health officials warned of the “increased possibility” of transmission of the virus from animals to humans, after detecting more positive cases of Covid-19 linked to other local stores.
Flight suspension exchange
In this context, the US Department of Transportation said – today, Friday – that it will suspend 44 flights of Chinese companies heading from the United States to China, in response to a decision by the Chinese government to suspend some flights of American airlines due to fears of Covid-19.
The measure of the administration of US President Joe Biden comes after the Chinese authorities suspended 44 flights of United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, after tests had recently proven Some passengers have contracted COVID-19.
The suspension of flights will begin on January 30, with the scheduled flight of Xiamen Airlines from Los Angeles to the Chinese city of Xiamen.
