The Omicron variant risks changing the face of the pandemic. Almost a month after its identification, it is spreading at an unprecedented rate and seems to escape vaccines in part. “I am really worried,” says Roxane Borgès Da Silva, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal. Already, more than 80 countries have recorded cases of contamination with this variant. “If the cases are increasing a lot day by day, there is a good chance that it is due to Omicron”, adds immunologist André Veillette, member of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and of the federal working group on COVID-19 vaccines. “But not all countries test equally. So, I think there are countries that underestimate the Omicron cases. »Update on the situation in the world.
UK
Fully immunized population: 70%
New cases: 93 per 100,000 inhabitants
In the UK, Omicron cases are doubling about every other day. On Friday, the country recorded for the third day in a row a new record of infections, with 93,045 new cases in 24 hours, “a tidal wave” due to the Omicron variant, according to the government. The country already deplores more than 147,000 deaths from COVID-19. “I think that those who do the most analyzes on Omicron are probably in the United Kingdom”, underlines André Veillette. By comparison, there are 14 cases per 100,000 population in Canada.
United States
Fully immunized population: 61%
New cases: 37 per 100,000 inhabitants
The proportion of cases due to Omicron has increased sevenfold in the past week in the United States, from 0.4% to 3% of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . To date, 37 states have reported at least one case related to this variant. The CDC analyzed 43 of these cases: 80% of infected people were fully vaccinated, 32% had received a booster dose and 14% had already had the disease. President Joe Biden predicted a “winter of serious illness and death” for the unvaccinated.
Denmark
Fully immunized population: 77%
New cases: 129 per 100,000 inhabitants
Along with the United Kingdom, Denmark is one of the countries in the world to have detected the most cases of Omicron on its territory. In an attempt to curb the surge in new cases, the government is speeding up the administration of booster doses and vaccination of children. He also asks the inhabitants of the country to limit their social contacts. The country recorded a new record of more than 11,000 cases and a new high of more than 2,500 Omicron cases on Friday.
France
Fully immunized population: 72%
New cases: 76 per 100,000 inhabitants
France is tightening entry conditions for travelers from the United Kingdom, while hospitals continue to fill up. The goal is to try to control the fifth wave caused by the Delta variant and contain Omicron. At the last news, 240 cases of contamination by the Omicron variant had been detected.
Spain
Fully immunized population: 80%
New cases: 53 per 100,000 inhabitants
The dominant strain in Spain continues to be the Delta variant, but the country has seen more than 40 cases due to Omicron. Half of these cases were related to travel abroad and the other half to community transmission.
Italy
Fully immunized population: 74%
New cases: 34 per 100,000 inhabitants
From Thursday until January 31, Italy requires a negative PCR test for all travelers from the European Union. Unvaccinated people must respect a five-day quarantine.
Germany
Fully immunized population: 70%
New cases: 51 per 100,000 inhabitants
The German government expects a “massive wave” of new contaminations linked to the meteoric spread of Omicron. The country, strongly affected since this fall by the Delta variant, however, notes a slight drop in the number of new cases since the return of many restrictions.
Swiss
Fully immunized population: 67%
New cases: 107 per 100,000 inhabitants
Switzerland is “two to three weeks behind” in the epidemiological evolution of the Omicron variant compared to other countries, according to the government. In the hope of maintaining control, new anti-COVID-19 measures will be implemented on Monday: teleworking mandatory and proof of vaccination required in most public places. In addition, during the holidays, private meetings will be limited to 10 people, including children, if one of the guests 16 years of age or older is not vaccinated or cured of COVID-19.
Eswatini
Fully immunized population: 25%
New cases: 93 per 100,000 inhabitants
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is recording the greatest acceleration of new cases of COVID-19 (+ 119% compared to the previous week) in the world, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. Argentina (+ 66%), South Africa (+ 54%), Canada (+ 44%) and Australia (+ 43%) follow. Brazil, Austria, Romania, Hungary and Belgium, for their part, are seeing declines.
South Africa
Fully immunized population: 27%
New cases: 40 per 100,000 inhabitants
The Omicron variant, which was identified in November in Botswana and then in South Africa, has dramatically jumped infections in South Africa, by far the most affected country on the African continent by the pandemic. But, for now, hospitalizations and deaths remain fewer than in previous waves, authorities note.
With Agence France-Presse and the New York Times