Covid-19 infections continue to gallop across the world even as measures have been imposed to curb the spread of the virus led by the more contagious Omicron variant. The total number of Covid-19 cases registered worldwide passed 300 million on Friday, with the Omicron variant’s rapid spread setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week.
HOSPITALISATIONS SKYROCKET IN KIDS IN US
Hospitalisations of US children under five with Covid-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine.
The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to help protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since mid-December, with the highly contagious omicron variant spreading furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate in these youngest kids has surged to more than 4 in 100,000 children, up from 2.5 per 100,000. The rate among children ages 5 to 17 is about 1 per 100,000, according to the CDC data, which is drawn from over 250 hospitals in 14 states.
Overall, “Pediatric hospitalisations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic,” Walensky said, noting that just over 50 per cent of children aged between 12 years to 18 years, and only 16 per cent of those in the age group of 5 years and 11 years, are fully vaccinated.
UK SAYS 4TH COVID JABS NOT NEEDED
Booster jabs are still providing high levels of protection for older people against severe disease from the Omicron coronavirus variant and there is no need for now for people to have a fourth shot, British health officials said on Friday. Around three months after receiving a third jab, protection against hospitalisation among those aged 65 and over remained at about 90 per cent, the UK Health Security Agency said.
“The data is highly encouraging and emphasises the value of a booster jab,” Wei Shen Lim, chair for Covid-19 immunisation on the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said in a statement.
By comparison, with only two vaccine doses, protection against severe disease for the over-65s dropped to around 70 per cent after three months and to 50 per cent after six months, the UKHSA said. “The current data show the booster dose is continuing to provide high levels of protection against severe disease, even for the most vulnerable older age groups,” Lim said.
“For this reason, the committee has concluded there is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, though this will continue to be reviewed.”
COVID CASES CROSS 300-MILLION MARK WORLDWIDE
The total number of Covid-19 cases registered worldwide passed 300 million on Friday, with the Omicron variant’s rapid spread setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week. In the past seven days, 34 countries have recorded their highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, including 18 nations in Europe and seven in Africa, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
While far more contagious than previous coronavirus variants, Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than its predecessors.
Even as it spurred the world to record 13.5 million cases in the last week alone — 64 percent higher than the previous seven days — the global average of deaths dropped three percent. France’s public health authority said Friday that the risk of hospitalisation was about 70 percent lower for Omicron, citing data from the US, the UK, Canada and Israel.