The official number of cases of COVID-19, undoubtedly underestimated, surpassed the barrier of 300 million on Friday, at a time when all countries fight against the spread of the variant omicron and increase vaccination campaigns
According to the AFP’s calculation based on official balances, at least 300′042,439 cases of infection have been diagnosed since the office of the WHO in China registered the appearance of the disease at the end of December 2019.
The world, where cases have increased since mid-December, two weeks after the discovery of the omicron variant in Botswana and South Africa, is currently experiencing a fourth wave with a record of recorded contaminations.
The increase in contamination for now is not accompanied by a global rise in deaths.
In U.S, the Supreme Court heard this Friday the challenges to the president’s attempt Joe Biden to force the workforce of all companies with at least 100 employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“This is a pandemic in which almost a million people have died”said Judge Elena Kagan. “It is by far the greatest public health hazard this country has faced in the last century. And this is the policy most aimed at stopping all this”, He added
Scott Keller, a former Texas attorney general who represents business associations, said the rule would lead many workers to resign.
“It would cause the permanent displacement of workers, which would affect our national economy”, Keller said.
After months of public appeals to people who are hesitant or reluctant to get their shots, Biden stepped up the pressure in September. “We have been patient, but our patience is wearing thin”, He said.
Mass vaccinations in Bolivia
The new variant also wreaks havoc in Latin America. The Bolivian Minister of Health confirmed the presence of omicron in the country, whose citizens continue to flock to get vaccinated, essential to access public and private offices.
“I have to take care of my health”Teacher Roxana Matías Pérez, who has already contracted the disease twice, told AFP at a health center in El Alto, near La Paz.
Peru delayed the start of its soccer league due to outbreaks in different clubs and Mexico canceled dozens of flights after 87 pilots tested positive for COVID-19.
And in Ecuador, where immunization is mandatory, the Minister of Health, Ximena Garzón, evoked an increase in cases “very similar” to that of “the worst outbreaks of the pandemic.”
Germany considered following in the footsteps of Ecuador and approving an obligation to vaccinate but the plan loses force. In contrast, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced restrictions on access to restaurants and cafes to stop omicron.
No later than January 15, customers of restaurants, cafes and bars must now, in addition to a certificate of vaccination or cure, present a negative test of the day, unless they have received a third dose of the immunizer.
The three injections did not prevent Austria’s head of government, Karl Nehammer, from testing positive for COVID-19, although without developing symptoms, the foreign ministry announced.
And in France the controversy continues over the statements of Emmanuel Macron in which he said he wanted “annoy” to the unvaccinated. At a press conference, the president assumed “Completely” shis words, in which he used the colloquial word “emmerder”, which can also be translated as “bother” The “fuck”.
Great hindu festival
An India, heavily punished in 2021 by the variant delta, infections exceeded 100,000 on Friday and the authorities of several megacities restored restrictions.
Even so, hundreds of thousands of people will congregate at the confluence of the Ganges and the Gulf of Bengal starting Saturday, during the Gangasagar Mela festival, to bathe on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the holy day of the Hindu calendar.
A Calcutta doctor had asked for a court order to ban the festival because of the health context, but a court rejected his claim.
In Australia, the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic He spent Friday, Orthodox Christmas Day, held in Melbourne.
The world number one was arrested after his entry visa was canceled on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, for not complying with the strict conditions of entry into Australian territory imposed in the framework of the fight against the pandemic.
He will not be expelled before Monday, after a new hearing with a Melbourne judge.
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Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
