Around 55 percent of the cases of infection in Switzerland can now be traced back to the Omikron variant, officials said at a press conference in Bern. More than 13,000 new infections were reported on Tuesday. New calculations in the USA also showed that Omikron is currently the most common variant.
In Switzerland there have also been around 40 cases nationwide in which sick people had to be admitted to hospital despite a booster vaccination, said Patrick Mathys, head of the crisis management and international cooperation section at the Federal Office of Public Health. So far, 22 percent of the Swiss have received a booster vaccination, around 65 percent have been vaccinated twice.
The Netherlands recorded a decrease in new infections on Tuesday with 9,213 cases. Because of the high risk of infection of the Omikron variant B.1.1.529, however, “new infections will occur in the next few days,” said the national institute for public health. As a result, the number of hospital admissions will also increase.
The Netherlands had imposed a new lockdown before Christmas. All non-essential shops, restaurants and bars, cinemas, museums and theaters will be closed until mid-January. This step apparently already has positive effects, said the Institute for Public Health. The number of hospital admissions has decreased from 256 last week to 191 this week.
In the USA, according to the US epidemic authority CDC, Omikron is now the most common variant in the country with 58.6 percent of corona infection cases. According to the latest calculations, this estimate from December 25 is compared to a share of 22 percent seven days earlier. Omikron was first detected in the United States on December 1.
Source: Nachrichten
