The Omicron variant advances with record numbers. The covid bulletins of Italy, Great Britain and France reach record numbers, thanks to the new variant which – according to the data – is decidedly more contagious than the Delta but apparently causes less severe symptoms. Italy, while the government passes the new decree that shortens the duration of the Green pass from February, is registering 44,595 infections, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest peak reached last year was recorded on November 13, 2020 with 40,902 positives. In addition, in the bulletin of December 23, another 168 deaths
901,450 swabs were processed with a 4.94% positivity rate. The admissions to intensive care in 24 hours were 93, while the new hospitalized with symptoms since yesterday were 178 for a total of 8,722. The infected have risen to 5,517,054 since the beginning of the emergency while the victims reach 44,595. The healed are a total of 4,950,780, 17,117 in the last 24 hours. To date, there are 430,029 coronavirus positives in Italy, 27,300 more than yesterday.
Even more impressive figures in Great Britain, with the record of 119,789 new cases and 147 deaths. The positives show an increase of 139% compared to the bulletin of 15 days ago. There are 16,817 new positive cases for the Omicron variant. In total, we reach 90,906 in a picture that – according to experts’ forecasts – could reach 2 million daily infections by the end of 2021.
According to the data, 1 in 45 people in England have been infected with covid. In Wales, 1 in 55. In Northern Ireland, 1 in 50 and Scotland, 1 in 70. In London, Sky News reports, 1 in 30. In the race against the variant, the vaccination campaign for the administration of the booster dose continues of the vaccine: the latest bulletin refers to 840,038 daily doses, a total of 31.6 million.
France is also approaching the threshold of 100,000 cases per day, which stores a day at 91,608, a figure higher than the initial estimate of Health Minister Olivier Veran, who had spoken of a forecast of 88,000 infections for the day. These are “the worst figures since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Veran, according to whom the positivity rate has risen to 7.2%.
Germany goes against the trend, where new infections continue to drop: they were 44,927 against the 45,659 of the previous day and 51,301 of a week ago. The incidence per 100 thousand inhabitants over seven days is 280.3 cases compared to 289 on Wednesday 22 December and 353.0 a week ago. Last month it was 386.5. Deaths attributed to covid are also decreasing: 425 were recorded, compared to 453 a week ago.
However, the first death linked to the Omicron variant is reported and the Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach foresees the arrival of a strong wave at the beginning of 2o22. “We don’t have a big, fast wave yet. This will change at the beginning of the year and in the first week of January,” he said speaking on WDR 2.
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