Confirmed the increase in the number of deaths from the Corona virus. The World Health Organization talks about the factors of the outbreak of the mutated Omicron
The World Health Organization confirmed the increase in the number of deaths from the Corona virus (Covid-19), and pointed to several factors behind the outbreak of the mutated Omicron since last December, including increased mixing.
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said - in an interview with AJ News - that the number of deaths in the world reached 42,000 during the past week.
Harris called for caution, although the symptoms of the Omicron mutant are not serious given the speed of its spread.
The spokeswoman added that the World Health Organization does not prefer to enter into a phase of complete closure, but if countries resort to this, they should apply it in an appropriate manner that takes into account the conditions of the people.
Outbreak factors
For her part, Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the technical team in the WHO's Emergency Diseases Unit, said that people should reduce their exposure to the virus and try to control its transmission.
Van Kerkhove confirmed that Omicron spreads very quickly among people for several reasons, the first of which is the mutations carried by the mutant, which allow it to attach to human cells more easily, and secondly: There is a so-called immune escape, and this means that the infection can be repeated in those who have previously been infected and those who have been vaccinated According to a statement distributed by the World Health Organization.
And the health official added that "there is another reason is that we are witnessing a proliferation of omicron in the upper respiratory tract, which is different in this from delta and other mutant."
But in addition to these factors, the spread of the virus is also driven by increased mixing of people, spending more time in closed places in the winter in the northern hemisphere, and a failure to adhere to preventive measures such as physical distancing.
The World Health Organization announced about 9.5 million new cases of Covid-19 last week, which is a record number, an increase of 71% over the previous week.
300 million injuries
The total recorded cases of Covid-19 around the world since its appearance exceeded 300 million yesterday, Friday, which is certainly an underestimate, while countries are struggling to stop the spread of the mutated Omicron and intensify vaccination campaigns.
According to a census by Agence France-Presse based on official figures, the number of injuries reached 300 million and 42 thousand and 439 cases, which includes all cases that have been announced since the World Health Organization office in China reported the outbreak for the first time in late December 2019.
And the world is witnessing - where infections have been rising since mid-December, two weeks after the appearance of the mutant Omicron in Botswana and South Africa - a fourth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, which led to several countries recording record numbers of injuries, but the increase in the number of injuries has not been accompanied so far. With the increase in the number of deaths.
Procedures
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Schultz announced yesterday that his country will be more stringent in terms of allowing entry to restaurants and cafes, in light of the surge in infections with the mutated Omicron, but it will shorten the quarantine period in order to avoid possible paralysis in Germany.
In Austria, the Chancellery announced that Prime Minister Karl Nehamer contracted Covid-19, despite receiving 3 doses of the vaccine, but he did not show any symptoms.
As for India, a court imposed a request to cancel a major Hindu ceremony, despite fears that this gathering would lead to the spread of the epidemic in a country that is witnessing an increase in infections due to the mutant Omicron.
The number of new infections in India exceeded 100,000 on Friday, and the authorities in several major cities imposed restrictions to contain the spread of the virus.
In France, the head of the French National Assembly said yesterday that MP Jose Evrar - whose far-right party skeptical of vaccines was opposed to government measures to control "Covid-19" - died after being infected with the Corona virus.
It was not clear whether Everr, who died at the age of 76, personally refused to be vaccinated, but he expressed on social media his support for protesters opposing Covid-19 restrictions and health measures to stop the outbreak.