Covid-19 has infected more than 273M people and killed over 5.3M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Omicron to be ‘dominant’ in France in 2022
French Prime Minister Jean Castex likened the spread of the Omicron variant in Europe to “lightning,” adding it would be the dominant strain in France from the start of 2022.
Castex added that while much remains unknown about the variant “it does not seem to be more dangerous than the Delta variant and the data available to us indicate that complete vaccination coverage with the booster dose protects well against severe forms of the disease.”
Nearly 3,000 people are in intensive care with Covid-19 in France according to the latest figures.
Court OKs Biden employer vaccine mandate
A federal appeals court panel allowed President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead.
The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide.
The rule from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration was to take effect Jan. 4.
With the ruling, it’s not clear when the requirement may be put in place.
Canada lifts Africa ban, reimposes testing
Canada announced the lifting of a ban on foreign travelers from 10 African countries, while reimposing testing requirements and warning that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 risks quickly overwhelming hospitals.
The travel restriction on flights from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt will end at 11:59 pm on Saturday (0459 GMT Sunday), Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a news conference.
The restriction had been announced last month “to slow the arrival of Omicron in Canada and buy us some time,” he said.
Experts urge Dutch government “strict” lockdown
The health experts advising the Netherlands’ government on the Covid-19 strategy have recommended the country go into a “strict” lockdown, Dutch media reported, just days after a partial lockdown was extended through January.
Broadcaster RTL Nieuws and newspaper NRC Handelsblad cited sources within the panel of experts, whose recommendations are not made public until after the government has taken a decision, that they have advised the closure of all but essential stores.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Omicron to be ‘dominant’ in France with new year – latest updates
Source: News Achor Trending
0 Comments