Covid Live News: South Africa says fourth wave has peaked; The United States will soon see ‘a viral snowstorm,’ warns the expert World news

U.S. health experts urge Americans to prepare for serious disruptions in the coming weeks due to the growing wave of Covid cases led by the Omicron variant.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told MSNBC:

We will see that the number of cases in this country is increasing so dramatically that it will be difficult for us to keep our daily life running.

Next month will be a viral snowstorm, “he added.” The whole of society will be pressured by this. “

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease official, also warned that cases are likely to increase throughout January.

The Louisiana governor, where hospitalizations have more than tripled in the past two weeks, said January would be “very challenging.”

“We are still at the beginning of this current rise,” John Bel Edwards told a news conference on Thursday. “January will be very, very challenging.”

The warning comes when the United States reached a record number of Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row.

South Africa has lifted the night curfew on the movement of people with immediate effect, believing that the country has overcome the peak of its fourth wave of coronavirus driven by the Omicron variant.

The government removed the midnight curfew at 4 a.m. based on the trajectory of the pandemic, vaccination levels and available capacity in the health sector, the government said on Thursday.

A statement from a special cabinet meeting on Thursday said:

All indicators suggest that the country may have surpassed the peak of the fourth wave nationwide.

Although the Omicron variant is highly transmissible, there have been lower hospitalization rates than in previous waves. “

Health Department data showed a 29.7% weekly decrease in new cases detected in the week ending Dec. 25, the government said. Hospital admissions have declined in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces.

South Africa, with nearly 3.5 million infections and 91,000 deaths, has been the worst-hit country in Africa during the pandemic in both respects, and was where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected. last month.

The country is at the bottom of its five-stage Covid-19 alert levels.

Israel has approved a fourth vaccination for vulnerable and immunocompromised people, becoming one of the first countries to do so, amid an increase in Covid in cases caused by the Omicron variant.

The country also received its first shipment of anti-Covid pills from Pfizer.

Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash told reporters:

Today I approved giving the fourth vaccine for immunocompromised people.

I did so in the light of studies showing the benefit of the vaccine, including the fourth vaccine, for this population, and in light of the fear that they may be more vulnerable in this outbreak of Omicron. “

Health authorities reported more than 4,000 new cases on Thursday, a high not seen since September.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Israel was in a “fifth wave”, with most cases probably related to the Omicron variant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel, which was one of the first countries in the world to offer a third injection to the general public, would be a pioneer for the fourth time.

“Israel will lead the way in administering a fourth vaccine to the Israeli people,” he said.

Hi, we are Samantha Lock with you on the blog as we count the last few hours until 2022.

Regions around the world are struggling to curb an increase in Covid infections driven largely by the Omicron variant.

despite this South Africa, the first country to report the variant, seems to be catching up.

Health officials say a drop in infections last week indicates the peak of the current wave has passed.

“All indicators suggest that the country may have surpassed the peak of the fourth wave nationwide,” a statement from the special cabinet meeting on Thursday said.

New cases detected in the week ending December 25 fell 29.7% compared to the previous week, according to government data.

Meanwhile at the United States, Health experts urge Americans to prepare for serious disruptions in the coming weeks due to the growing wave of Covid cases led by the Omicron variant.

“We’re going to see the number of cases in this country increase so dramatically that it’s going to cost us to keep our daily lives running,” Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told MSNBC.

“Next month will be a viral snowstorm,” he added. “The whole of society will be pressured by this.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease official, also warned that cases are likely to increase throughout January.

Here is a brief summary of Covid’s latest developments:

• The number of people who will die due to Covid Eastern Europe has reached 1 million, as Russia climbed above Brazil become the country with the second highest number of deaths behind WE.
• South Africa he said the country had surpassed its Omicron peak without a large increase in deaths, offering hope to countries hard hit by the mutated variant.
• France reported 206,243 new confirmed cases of Covid, more than 200,000 for the second day in a row.
• He UK reported 189,213 new Covid cases, breaking Wednesday’s record of 183,037 positive tests.
• He UK is haunted by the scarcity of evidence, as Wales attends England with 4-meter tests amid fears that New Year’s Eve celebrations will become a breeding ground for the virus.
• ScotlandThe Prime Minister urged people to avoid domestic mixes after a record high of almost 17,000 cases.
• India fears it is entering a new wave after cases escalate, as confirmed cases of Omicron also increase.
• Portugal cuts the isolation of the Covid from ten days to seven, after the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the cut in isolation was a trade-off between transmission and economic concerns.
• Germany will reduce quarantine demands UK travelers from January 4 after watching their own Omicron cases jump over 3,000 recently.
• Malaysia detected 3,997 positive cases of Covid, and the number of survivors of its recent deadly floods rose to 442 in total.
• Japan recorded more than 500 new infections for the first time in two months.
• Five Bulgarian The regions went from yellow to red, with the country registering 3,449 new infections, 139% more than two weeks ago.
• He WE The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said all people should avoid cruises, following an increase in Covid cases on board in a major blow to the industry.