Global COVID-19 cases surpass 300m
NEW YORK — Global COVID-19 cases topped 300 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
This came as the World Health Organization insisted on Thursday that the Omicron variant is killing people across the globe and should not be dismissed as mild.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said record numbers of people catching the new variant — which is rapidly outcompeting the previously dominant Delta variant in many countries — meant that hospitals are being overwhelmed.
“While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as mild,” Tedros said.
Just under 9.5 million new COVID-19 cases were reported to the WHO last week — a record, up 71 percent the week before.
According to data from Johns Hopkins, the United States reported more than 58.4 million cases and 833,957 deaths since the pandemic began, both the highest counts in the world. It also accounts for more than 19 percent of global cases and more than 15 percent of global deaths.
With more children getting infected, schools resuming virtual classes and flights being canceled, the US is still mired in social disorder and chaos in the midst of the raging pandemic.
More than 4,000 children were hospitalized across the US on Wednesday, marking a new high that towered above previous peaks set during the summer when Delta was driving up infections, reported The Washington Post on Thursday.
The tally “reflects a steep rise in infections in that group”, according to the report by the Post, noting that less than two weeks ago on Christmas Day, fewer than 2,000 children were in hospitals with COVID-19.
Challenges to mandates
The US Supreme Court was scheduled to hear challenges on Friday to President Joe Biden’s bid to impose vaccination mandates on millions of workers.
After months of public appeals to hesitant or reluctant people to get their shots, Biden turned up the pressure in September.
But the mandates came under immediate attack from some Republicans and business owners as an infringement on individual rights and an abuse of government power.
A flurry of lawsuits ensued, and the Supreme Court would hold a special hearing to decide whether the mandates can be implemented while the legal challenges continue. A decision is expected within a few weeks.
In Europe, France reported 261,481 new infections on Thursday, less than the record of more than 332,000 set on Wednesday, but the seven-day moving average of new cases rose above 200,000 for the first time since the start of the health crisis. Its cumulative number of infections now stands at nearly 11.2 million.
The Parliament has pushed through a stricter “vaccine pass” law that effectively blocks unvaccinated people in the country from entering entertainment venues.
The global caseload reached the grim milestone of 100 million on Jan 26 and rose to 200 million on Aug 4.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said on Thursday that current COVID-19 vaccines do work against all variants that are circulating and are highly effective against preventing severe disease and death.
“I think that’s really important for the public to know ... when it is your turn, get vaccinated because it’s really critical,” she said.