COVID-19: Recent Global Developments
These are the recent developments in the corona crisis:
– Pandemic Christmas 2 –
The world is announcing a second Christmas pandemic and a third since China’s first outbreak as the rapid spread of the Omicron virus brings the prospect of even more Covid restrictions.
– Thousands of flights canceled –
At least 5,700 flights worldwide were canceled and thousands more are delayed over the long Christmas weekend, according to the tracking site Flightaware.com.
– The Pope prays for vaccines –
In his Christmas blessing, Pope Francis prays that God will “provide the necessary medical care and especially the vaccinations for those who need them most”.
– France exceeds 100,000 daily cases –
France recorded a record of positive cases for the third day in a row, with more than 100,000 positive cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours.
– Christmas shots in the UK –
England continues its Covid-19 vaccination campaign to vaccinate as many people as possible as cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus skyrocket.
– Portugal says Omicron is dominant –
Omicron has become the dominant strain of coronavirus in Portugal, with more than 10,000 Covid-19 cases daily on Saturday.
China reports the highest number of new coronavirus cases in four months as authorities scramble to contain the outbreaks in several regions, including the city of Xi’an, where millions of people are still detained.
– K-pop stars tested positive –
Three members of K-pop sensation BTS have tested positive for Covid-19 since returning from the United States, where they have given their first personal concerts since the pandemic began.
– More than 5.3 million dead –
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,392,347 people since the epidemic broke out in China in December 2019, according to a count made Saturday from official AFP sources.
Worldwide, the United States recorded the highest number of Covid deaths with 816,436, followed by Brazil with 618,392, India with 479,520, and Russia with 303,250.
Peru lost the most people to the virus in relation to its population, followed by Hungary and Bosnia.
The UK, Denmark, Spain, France, Canada, Finland, Australia, Kenya, Malta, South Sudan, Iceland, and Monaco have broken a record number of new infections since the pandemic began this week.
Given the excess mortality associated with Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates that the total number of deaths could be two to three times higher.