Covid situation in Germany is dramatic: Merkel
BERLIN/BEIJING: Germany’s coronavirus situation is dramatic, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, calling for a push to distribute booster shots faster and appealing to those sceptical of vaccination to change their minds.
Germany reported 52,826 new infections on Wednesday - a jump of a third compared with a week ago and another daily record, while 294 people died, bringing the total to 98,274, as the pandemic’s fourth wave tightened its grip on Europe.
“It is not too late to opt for a first vaccine shot,” Merkel told a congress of German city mayors. “Everyone who gets vaccinated protects himself and others. And if enough people get vaccinated that is the way out of the pandemic.”
Beijing tightens entry rules ahead of Olympics Strict new Covid-19 restrictions come into force in Beijing on Wednesday for visitors to the Chinese capital as the city raises the drawbridge against the virus ahead of the Winter Olympics.
With less than 100 days to go to the games in February, China is bracing for a challenge to its zero-Covid strategy when thousands of international athletes descend on Beijing after months of strict border controls.
All visitors to the capital must now show a negative Covid test result from the past 48 hours, while flights from higher risk areas within China will be cancelled or limited to one a day at reduced capacity. The new curbs also include Covid tests every three days for the more than 30,000 people working with cold-chain imports in the city.
Separately, a study said air filtration significantly reduce the presence of airborne Sars-CoV-2 in Covid wards of hospitals.
Researchers at UK’s University of Cambridge placed an air filtration machine in Covid wards, and found that it removed almost all traces of airborne Sars-CoV-2, opening up the possibility of setting standards for cleaner air to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of the infection.