The Covid surge in Europe continues, while Australia prepares for its 4th shot
Key Takeawasy:
- A surge in coronavirus cases has been reported in European countries, implying that the pandemic is far from over.
- Italy reported 75,616 Covid-19-related cases on Friday, compared to 81,811 the day before. According to Reuters, there were 146 deaths today, down from 182.
A wave in coronavirus cases has been reported in European countries, indicating that the pandemic may not be over anytime soon. As China battled one of the worst Covid spikes in two years, accelerated by the emergence of the more-transmissible BA.2 omicron strain, it was forced to reinstate some of the toughest restrictions in recent weeks.
Australia has evolved the latest country to join the list of countries that have begun administering the second booster vaccine shot to halt the spread of the virus and protect those who are most vulnerable.
Here's a 10-point summary of the Covid surge around the world:
> According to Reuters, the number of patients hospitalized for Covid-19 in France has decreased by 4% in the last 24 hours to 20,616, but the number is still high weekly. On Tuesday, France saw the largest increase in new Covid-19 cases since February, with 1.80 lakh new infections reported in a single day. A weekly increase of 164,884 was recorded on March 7-14.
> On Friday, Italy reported 75,616 Covid-19-related cases, compared to 81,811. According to Reuters, deaths dropped to 146 from 182 the day before.
> Germany's health minister urged individuals over 60 with risk factors like high blood pressure or a weak heart to get a 2nd booster shot to lower their chances of becoming seriously ill. Germany saw a weekly rise of 188,304 cases from March 7 to 14. According to the DW news website, the country reported over 300,000 cases for the first time.
> Australia will begin administering a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to its most vulnerable citizens next month to prevent new outbreaks ahead of the winter season.
> Hong Kong's government announced on Friday that public services would be gradually restored beginning April 1, with the global financial hub reporting its lowest daily infection rate in about a month, according to reports.
> Hong Kong government departments said that normal service would be restored by April 21 as part of a broader relaxation of strict coronavirus measures that have enraged residents and businesses.
> According to the country's> China's national health authority reported 1,366 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 24.
> According to Bloomberg, Shanghai's new Covid-19 cases increased by more than 40% in a single day, setting a new high on Friday. As new coronavirus cases emerge in the Chinese metropolis, the city's approach to combating outbreaks is being questioned.
> Despite the reality that the number of cases in Shanghai is small by global standards, the densely populated city has become a testbed for China's "zero-COVID" strategy to control the highly infectious Omicron variant.
> According to Reuters, nearly a year after Covid vaccines became widely available in the United States, one-fourth of American adults are still unvaccinated. According to health experts, the costs of not getting vaccinated in America are rising for both workers and businesses.