All regions of the world reported an increase in cases except Africa, where there was an 11% drop, the agency said.
The number of new cases in Europe increased by 31%, but deaths fell by 10%, while the American continent registered the highest number of cases that week, with an increase of 78%, driven mainly by the United States.
However, the greatest jump in infections was observed in South and Southeast Asia, where cases increased by more than 400%, with the highest figures reported in India, East Timor, Thailand and Bangladesh, although the number of deaths in the region it fell by 6%.
The WHO said the extremely contagious Omicron variant continues to define the pandemic globally and is displacing the previously dominant Delta variant.
According to the agency, this strain was shown to have a shorter doubling time, with growing evidence that it is capable of “evading immunity” provided by vaccines, although it also noted that – according to numerous studies – it is less severe compared to previous variants.
At the regional level, Ómicron continues its unbridled advance and sets new records of infections in several countries.
In Bolivia, health authorities reported a maximum of daily cases today, with 11,213 reported the day before, while there were 57 deaths, thus exceeding the threshold of 20,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic almost two years ago.
This scenario of increasing cases called into question the resumption of classes, scheduled for the month of February, and caused regional authorities to impose restrictions on the night-time movement of people and vehicles in the most affected areas.
In addition, the Government considered it appropriate to suspend the carnival celebrations throughout the country, due to the worsening of the coronavirus pandemic, but left the decision in the hands of local authorities.
“The recommendation would be not to carry out the carnivals because the numbers (of infections) are going up and that scares; in each department, the numbers are increasing,” said the Minister of Cultures, Sabrina Orellana, at a press conference.
Also in neighboring Peru, a new record of infections was reported, with 24,288 cases reported in the last day, including that of its Minister of Economy, at a time when a third wave of the pandemic driven by Ómicron hits the country.
The figure reported last night by the Ministry of Health, corresponding to the previous 24 hours, exceeds by more than 7,100 the record mark reached last Sunday of 17,128, and raises the total in Peru to more than 2.4 million since the beginning of its outbreak, in 2020.
In this framework, the National Civil Service Authority (Servir) urged the heads of public entities to order the application of remote work for employees whose functions are compatible with this type of work, as a preventive measure against the increase of the cases.
For those positions in which remote work is not possible, other measures may be provided such as the application of mixed modalities, the license with enjoyment of having subject to subsequent compensation for the risk group and labor collaboration, said the Andina agency.
New regulations were also adopted in Brazil, where the southern state of São Paulo, the most populous in the country, announced today that soccer matches may not have a capacity greater than 70% of the public and recommended that municipalities use the same criteria for capacity at social events and shows, in addition to extending the use of the mandatory chinstrap until March 31.
The decision was informed in a press conference by the governor of San Pablo, Joao Doria, by virtue of the progress of 99% of hospitalizations in nursing and 59% in intensive care that has been registered in San Pablo since the first day of 2022, amid the wave of cases driven by Ómicron.
With 46 million inhabitants, São Paulo is the state with the most cases and infections in the country and is also home to the largest passenger hub in South America, Guarulhos International Airport.
New maximums of infections were also reported in the European continent, where Germany reported today a record number of 80,430 new infections amid the voracious advance of the pandemic in the country, while the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, called for a debate to Address the mandatory nature of vaccination, a measure that grows in political and citizen support.
With Germany still facing a spike caused by the Delta variant of the virus and awaiting the arrival of the even more contagious Omicron, the country’s disease control agency also reported 384 deaths from coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Switzerland, the authorities said today that the spread of Ómicron could make the coronavirus stop being a pandemic and become an endemic disease, although it clarified that out of prudence it will maintain until March the measures adopted to contain its fifth wave.
These statements come two days after the Spanish government revealed that it is working on a plan to assess the evolution of the virus with “different parameters”, as an endemic flu-like disease and thus “stop counting cases” daily.
However, for now, both the WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) considered it premature to go in that direction and demanded prudence and continue to consider it a pandemic and not endemic virus.
Source From: Ambito
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