Covid-19 infections continue to gallop around the world, despite measures being imposed to contain the spread of the virus, led by the more contagious Omicron variant. The total number of registered Covid-19 cases worldwide exceeded 300 million on Friday, with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant setting new infection records in dozen of countries over the past week.
HOSPITALS SKYROCKET IN KIDS IN US
Hospital admissions of U.S. children under five with Covid-19 have risen in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released on Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine.
The worrying trend among children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older children and adults to get their vaccinations to protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since mid-December, when the highly contagious variant of Omicron spread across the country, the hospitalization rate for these youngest children has risen to more than 4 in 100,000, from 2.5 per 100,000. According to CDC data from over 250 hospitals in 14 states, the rate in children ages 5 to 17 is around 1 in 100,000.
Overall, “Children’s hospital admissions have the highest rate compared to any previous point in the pandemic,” Walensky said, noting that just over 50 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 18 and only 16 percent of children aged Group of 5 and 11 years of age, are fully vaccinated.
UK SAYS 4TH COVID JABS NOT NEEDED
Booster jabs still offer the elderly high levels of protection from serious illnesses caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant, and there is no need for people to get a fourth shot, British health officials said on Friday. Around three months after a third vaccination, the protection against hospitalization for people aged 65 and over remained at around 90 percent, said the British health authority.
“The data is very encouraging and underscores the value of a booster,” said Wei Shen Lim, Chair of Covid-19 Vaccination in the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization.
In comparison, the protection against serious illnesses in those over 65 years of age with only two vaccine doses fell to around 70 percent after three months and to 50 percent after six months, the UKHSA said. “The current data shows that the booster dose continues to offer high protection against serious illnesses even for the most vulnerable older age groups,” said Lim.
“As a result, the committee has concluded that the introduction of a second booster dose is not immediately necessary, but is still under review.”
COVID FALLS EXCEED 300 MILLION BRAND WORLDWIDE
The total number of registered Covid-19 cases worldwide exceeded 300 million on Friday, with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant setting new infection records in dozen of countries over the past week. In the past seven days, 34 countries have recorded the highest number of weekly cases since the pandemic began, including 18 nations in Europe and seven in Africa, according to an AFP count based on official numbers.
While Omicron is far more contagious than previous coronavirus variants, it appears to cause fewer serious illnesses than its predecessors.
Although it caused the world to record 13.5 million cases in the last week alone – 64 percent more than the previous seven days – the global average of deaths fell by three percent. The French health authority said Friday that the risk of hospitalization for Omicron was about 70 percent lower, citing data from the US, UK, Canada and Israel.
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