The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated in recent days, with world contamination records over the past week, and the World Health Organization on Wednesday warned of a “very high” risk associated with the Omicron version.

On average, more than 935,000 cases of Covid-19 were detected every day between December 22 and 28, a number never reached since the start of the pandemic in late 2019, representing a 37% increase from the previous week. Is. For AFP calculations made from official reports.

Despite preliminary data suggesting a low risk of hospitalization associated with Omicron, the WHO in its weekly epidemiological bulletin said, “The overall risk associated with the new type of anxiety Omicron is very high.”

“Reliable evidence shows that the Omicron version has a growth advantage over the delta version with a doubling rate of two to three days.”

Most of the new contamination is found in Europe where several countries reported new daily cases on Tuesday.

– new records –

About 180,000 cases have been identified in France in the last 24 hours. Daily records also in the United Kingdom, with around 130,000 contamination in England and Wales. Spain is also reaching an unmatched level of pollution (nearly 100,000) and the number of cases in Greece has more than doubled compared to Monday.

Argentina has experienced a dramatic spread of the virus, with nearly 34,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, 10,000 more than the day before and six times more than a week ago, but the government has ruled out new restrictive measures. being done. ,

AFP Katherine Smallwood said: “The rapid increase in omicrons, as we are seeing in many countries, albeit with slightly less severe disease, results in a larger number of hospitalizations, especially among those without vaccination. ” Chief Executives of WHO Europe.

The expert called for taking preliminary data on the low risk of hospitalization “with caution” because, for the time being, cases were mainly related to “young and healthy populations in countries with high vaccination rates”.

US health officials have warned that antigenic tests for COVID-19, with rapid results, are less sensitive to the omicron variant than previous variants and are therefore more likely to indicate a negative result despite infection.

As of December 31, President Joe Biden lifted the ban on entry into the United States for travelers from eight countries in southern Africa, the region in which this version appeared, which now exists around the world.

– new restrictions –

Many countries have imposed tough new restrictions.

China, which recorded an outbreak of the pandemic within 40 days of the Beijing Winter Olympics, confined thousands of additional people on Tuesday.

After subjecting Xi’an (North) city to strict quarantine for a week, thousands of residents of a district in Yan’an city, 300 kilometers from Xi’an, received instructions to stay on Tuesday. home, because businesses have to close.

In the country China, 209 new patients were reported in 24 hours on Tuesday, which is the highest in 21 months.

Sweden requires a negative COVID test for all travelers arriving in its territory from Tuesday. Finland has decided to go ahead by allowing entry only to foreign travelers who have tested negative for COVID-19 and who can fully vaccinate or prove previous infection.

South Africa, which last week announced the end of contact tracing of people who tested positive for COVID-19, reversed the decision.

In France, after announcing on Monday a ban on “compulsory” resorts and permanent concerts for teleworking “where possible”, the government on Wednesday decided to extend by three weeks into January nightclubs effective from 10 December. to shut down New isolation rules should be set for patients and their contacts by the weekend.

And in Germany, a new battery of measures went into effect on Tuesday, such as a ban on private meetings of more than ten people who are vaccinated or recovering. For non-vaccinated, the limit drops to two members in separate outbreaks. All sporting events will be held behind closed doors.

In a ruling published on Tuesday, the German Constitutional Court ordered the state to take legislative measures to protect access to intensive care for people with disabilities in the event of medical “triage” imposed by the pandemic.

In Belgium, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Council of State, on Tuesday suspended a recent government decision to close cinemas and performance halls, noting that the requirement had not been demonstrated.

In the two years since the virus was discovered, more than 282 million cases of COVID-19 have been officially detected worldwide, accounting for more than 5.4 million deaths. According to the WHO, the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 could be two to three times higher, taking into account the additional mortality rates directly and indirectly linked to COVID-19.