An ever-increasing number of countries were reporting cases of the omicron coronavirus disease on Friday, although the WHO says it has no knowledge of fatalities at this time, so worried that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is revising its global is considering doing. development forecast.
More than a week after South Africa announced its discovery, the new variant has been identified in 38 countries and is causing a wave of panic across the planet, prompting many to tighten their health measures. is forcing, but also to close its borders.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday that with such a rapid spread, Omicron could “shake confidence” and “possibly cause a fall in our October projections for global growth.”
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in some countries: Russia recorded nearly 75,000 deaths in October alone, according to its statistical agency, the country’s deadliest to date. The pandemic that has killed a total of 520,000 people there.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Economic Area (EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) reported 109 cases at noon on Friday.
In France, 12 cases have been identified, according to health officials the United States has counted for its Part 10, including two related patients who have not traveled abroad, a sign that transmission is still local. Huh.
Australia, for its part, announced the three first cases in Sydney on Friday, despite a ban on foreigners entering its territory and flights to southern Africa.
Spain also detected its first case of local contamination, a 62-year-old vaccinated man with no travel.
Tunisia and Mexico announced their first cases on Friday.
In October, the IMF revised its forecast for global GDP growth this year to 5.9%, especially due to uneven vaccination across the world.
According to UN data, about 65% of people in more developed countries have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to only 7% in less developed countries.
The emergence of the variant is the “ultimate proof” of the danger of inequalities, Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), told AFP, recalling the danger of seeing “very new variants”. places where vaccination rates are very low”.
many unknowns
If the new variant seems highly contagious, a spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO), Christian Lindmayer, explained on Friday that he had not found “any information reporting deaths linked to Omicron”.
With more and more countries testing for the new version, “we will have more cases, more information, and – although I hope – there will probably not be deaths,” he said.
In total, omicrons have been detected in 38 countries and the variant is now widespread in six WHO regions, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the organization’s technical manager for COVID-19, during the same press briefing.
The WHO considers it “probable” that the variant spreads globally, especially since, according to a South African study, the risk of catching Covid-19 again with Omicron is three times higher than with beta and delta variants.
In South Africa, the new version is already in effect and health officials have reported contamination peaks in children, without knowing whether it is linked to Omicron.
Never since the emergence of Delta has a variant of COVID-19 caused such panic, which is currently dominant and is already very contagious. Around the world, there are increasing announcements of harsh measures and travel restrictions.
After Austria, Germany is moving towards compulsory vaccination, with a law to be examined by parliament by the end of the year.
The Irish government announced new restrictions on Friday evening, including the closure of nightclubs from December 7 to January 9, while Greece shortened the deadline for receiving a third dose.
Switzerland will end mandatory quarantine at the country’s entrance for those vaccinated on Saturday, but will tighten testing requirements.
In Asia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka reported their first cases on Friday in the wake of Singapore’s announcement of two cases, each time from travelers returning from Africa.
For the time being, underlined Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, inadequate vaccination coverage and the level of screening, especially in Africa, is “an ideal recipe for variants to breed and grow”.
Various laboratories, including Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Novavax, have expressed confidence in its ability to create a vaccine against Omicron. Russia is also working on a version of its Sputnik V specifically targeting this variant.
According to AFP’s count, Covid-19 has killed at least 5,233,111 people worldwide and infected nearly 265 million people since the end of 2019.