MONDAY, JANUARY 31

18:15 As of February 2, the mask outdoors will no longer be mandatory in the city of Paris, the police prefecture of the main French region reported in a statement, in line with the decision taken on January 20 by the government of Emmanuel Macron to lighten certain prohibitions.

"From February 2, 2022, the use of a mask outdoors will no longer be mandatory in Paris. However, respect is required everywhere, including outdoors, of the restrictions: social distancing, regular washing and use of alcohol gel. When it is not possible to respect social distancing, outdoors, everyone is invited to wear a protective mask," the statement said.

The prefecture points out that the decision is part of the recent decrease in the incidence rate of new infections in the Île-de-France province (or the Parisian Region), where about 18% of the country's population lives.

National new infections have been falling after registering a record high of 7,453 daily infections per million inhabitants on January 26 (in Chile, the record is 1,660, registered the day before yesterday). However, hospitalizations in the French country remain at highs similar to those registered in past waves.

14:50 Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced Monday that it received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to apply its vaccine against Covid-19 in the population 18 years of age or older, setting a precedent in its consolidation as a viable and safe tool.

Until now, the Spikevax with messenger RNA technology had an emergency use authorization obtained in December 2020.

"We thank the FDA for their thorough review of our application. We are honored by the role Spikevax™ is playing in helping end this pandemic," the company posted. "The approval was based on a comprehensive submission package that included efficacy and safety data approximately six months after the second dose," he added.

In August of last year, the FDA fully approved Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid vaccine and Moderna announced that it had completed the submission process for full approval of its vaccine. Spikevax is licensed in over 70 countries.

Last week, the Chilean Ministry of Health announced that the government signed a contract with Moderna for the acquisition of 2 million doses of the vaccine.

11:06 The Ministry of Health reported this Monday 26,244 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 19.79% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 119,417 tests, PCR and antigen tests. Daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region was 19.77%.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last day there were 37 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19, so that the total number reaches 39,721.

Regarding the changes in the Step-by-Step Plan, the Minsal announced that 55 communes will phase out starting this Wednesday, January 2, at 5:00 am. These are the modifications:

The following are: Camarones, Ollagüe, San Pedro de Atacama, Sierra Gorda, Antofagasta, Mejillones, Calama, El Quisco, El Tabo, Algarrobo, Pucón, Tortel, Río Ibáñez and Coyhaique.

Regress Preparation: Coltauco, Malloa, Chimbarongo, Lolol, Marchigüe, Parral, Constitución, Chanco, Retiro, Hualañé, Licantén, Ningue, San Carlos, Ñiquen, Coelemu, Tucapel, Quilaco, Santa Bárbara, Florida, Lebu, Los Sauces , Carahue, Lumaco, Paillaco, Río Bueno, Los Lagos, Palena, Purranque, Los Muermos, Curaco de Vélez, Cochamó, Maullín, Quinchao, Queilen, Puqueldón, Hualaihue, O'Higgins, Guaitecas, Laguna Blanca, Primavera and Río Verde.

07:00 Tokyo's population shrank last year for the first time in a quarter century as more businesses turned to remote work amid the pandemic. The population of Japan's capital fell by about 48,600 people to just under 14 million by early 2022, the first decline since 1996, the metropolitan government reported Monday, according to Bloomberg.

Japan has been trying for years to revive its regional economies and prevent Tokyo from swallowing up the nation's dwindling population. Now the coronavirus appears to have done what no government policy could: stop the flow of people into the crowded city.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30

17:30 Argentina registered 21,570 new cases of covid-19 this Sunday, bringing the total number of positives to 8,335,184, while deaths rose to 120,988, after 152 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

The figures mark a decrease compared to the infections reported on Saturday, when 41,978 positives were reported.

The positivity rate reported on this day for the country as a whole was 46.8%, since 46,067 tests were carried out throughout the national territory.

According to official figures, there are 7.6 million people who were infected and have been discharged, while the number of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of the coronavirus who remain in intensive care units was this Sunday 2,912, growing in recent weeks but below the maximum of 7,969 on June 14.

12:30 The Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Benet, noted today the "beginning of a stabilization" of the fifth wave of coronavirus caused by the Omicron variant, although he warned that serious cases, which today exceeded a thousand, they are still tall.

"We are dealing with overcrowding in hospitals and a still high number of infected people," Benet said.

In the country, more than 53,000 cases were registered in the last 24 hours, but at the same time a decrease in the reproduction ratio -which represents the average number of people that each carrier infects- below 1, which indicates to a decrease in the spread of the virus.

Serious cases stand at 1,110 and the authorities estimate that they have not reached the highest figure, so they will not drop until the end of next week. Most Covid patients are unvaccinated people or with an invalid vaccination schedule.

11:00 In a new report from the Ministry of Health, 28,480 new cases of Coronavirus were reported, bringing the sum of patients who are in the active stage to 110,141 people. In addition, in the last 24 hours, 130,969 tests were registered and positivity reached 19.82% nationwide.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last day there were 31 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19, so that the total number reaches 39,684.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday a record of 29,175 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 20.18% in the last 24 hours at the national level, with 132,299 exams, PCR and test of antigen. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 20.64%.

The Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, highlighted that during this current week "we have registered the highest testing numbers since the start of the pandemic and today, Saturday, January 29, we can report 132,299 PCR and antigen tests, the highest number of tests carried out in a single day in Chile, during the last six days we have reported a total of 639,292 PCR tests and antigen tests".

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 2,107,612. Of this total, 99,474 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,961,936.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 33 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,653 in the country.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

19:00 The National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (Invima) of Colombia announced that it approved the emergency use of molnupiravir, the antiviral pill developed by the biotech companies Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to combat Covid-19, amid of the notorious rise in new cases and deaths from the omicron variant of the virus that plagues the region.

"The decision was made after Invima's expert advisory body, relying on current health regulations with absolute autonomy and independence, and always taking into account the country's public health interests, evaluated the scientific information provided and found a balance acceptable risk benefit for the current moment of the pandemic due to Covid-19", said Julio César Aldana, general director of Invima.

According to the official statement, the medication is indicated to treat mild or moderate symptoms in unvaccinated older adults with at least one risk factor (obesity, kidney disease, etc.), who have tested positive for PCR or antigen and who have not previously contracted the virus.

Earlier today, Merck released the results of six preliminary studies showing that molnupiravir confers "consistent antiviral activity against omicron," accounting for the drug's effectiveness in combating the symptoms of the new variant, according to investigations that the firm carried out with Ridgeback.

Deaths from Covid-19 in Colombia have multiplied by six so far in 2022 and currently the occupancy of critical beds nationwide reaches 65%. The Ministry of Health reported that 61.1% of the population has been vaccinated against the virus with a complete scheme and 17.1% has a booster dose.

15:00 The United Kingdom will begin distributing the Covid pill from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in February to the population most at risk of contracting serious symptoms, the country's Ministry of Health reported. Laboratory studies show the drug can reduce hospitalizations and the risk of death from Covid-19 by 88%, says National Health Service (NHS) chief medical officer Stephen Powis.

"It is great news that this new treatment, the latest breakthrough drug being rolled out by the NHS through the new Covid-19 drug delivery units, will now be available to help those most at risk contracting the virus," Powis said.

Meanwhile, US pharmaceutical company Merck reported that six preliminary studies showed that its Covid pill, already approved in the UK, molnupiravir, provides consistent protection against the omicron variant.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Friday a daily record in the pandemic of 26,727 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 19.1% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with a record of tests, PCR and antigen test, 125,215. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 20.45%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 76% and 285% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, two regions have decreased their cases in the last week and none in the last 14 days. The regions with the greatest increase in new confirmed cases in the last 7 days are Los Lagos, Maule, Biobío, and O'Higgins.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 2,075,703. Of this total, 87,734 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,941,840.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 26 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,620 in the country.

08:00 The director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, hopes that "in a month" a satisfactory "starting point" can be reached for both the countries in favor to release patents for vaccines against Covid, like those who oppose it, Efe reported.

"The issue of patents is very complex, we are trying to make progress, we have not yet arrived. In a month we hope to have a starting point that serves as a compromise" for the two blocks of countries in conflict, he said in Paris Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke to the press after meeting with French Foreign Trade Minister Franck Riester.

The director general of the WTO explained that there is a large group of countries, close to a hundred, in favor of releasing patents in order to facilitate the production and distribution of vaccines against Covid. "They believe that this release is essential for access" to immunization.

07:00 Hong Kong is considering expanding the vaccination requirement to include locations including shopping malls and public transportation, HKET reported. Singapore will increase enforcement of its social distancing rules over the Lunar New Year holiday next week in an effort to mitigate the spread of omicron.

Meanwhile, China reported two new coronavirus cases among Olympic teams, while Germany's seven-day infection rate hit a record. San Francisco eliminated the mandatory wearing of masks indoors for offices and gyms, as long as people show they are up to date on vaccinations and boosters, effective February 1. shipping containers.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

20:10 Brazil added 228,954 new infections and 672 deaths from Covid-19 today, while exceeding 625,000 deaths caused by the virus, according to the latest epidemiological bulletin from the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass ), amid the intense spread of the omicron variant.

The agency's national panel indicates that in the last epidemiological week, the Latin American giant has recorded 1,830 deaths, which means an increase of 77% compared to the 1,034 deaths reported in the previous seven days. Despite the unprecedented number of new infections, weekly deaths are still far from the 21,141 reported in the worst epidemiological week of the pandemic in Brazil, in April 2021.

According to the Ministry of Health, 70% of the almost 215 million inhabitants of the country have already been inoculated with the complete vaccination scheme.

In any case, the current wave of Covid-19 in Brazil has put the public health system on alert, with some regions at full capacity in their Intensive Care Units (ICUs), reports EFE. In addition, the country is having problems carrying out tests due to a shortage of supplies in regions such as Rio de Janeiro, the agency details.

13:30 Booster doses "significantly" reduce the risk of death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus, says the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), based on its monitoring reports on the effects of vaccines in the population.

"The findings show that about six months after the second dose of any vaccine for Covid-19, protection against death by omicron was close to 60% in those over 50 years of age. However, this was increased to about 95% after two weeks of receiving a booster dose," the agency said in a statement.

"The pandemic is not over and the vaccine is the best way to increase your protection against the serious consequences of the virus. Please schedule your first, second or third dose as soon as possible," says Mary Ramsay, UKHSA Head of Immunizations.

The agency reported Thursday 338 new deaths from the virus. Deaths from Covid-19 in the United Kingdom have recently stabilized at around 27 weekly per million inhabitants, as has the weekly count of new infections, which remains in the order of 9,000 per million inhabitants.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Thursday 24,037 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 18.82% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 114,063 tests, PCR and antigen tests. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 19.06%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 75% and 299% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, a region has decreased its cases in the last week and none in the last 14 days. The regions with the greatest increase in new confirmed cases in the last 7 days are: Maule, Biobío, O'Higgins and Los Lagos.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 2,045,874. Of this total, 76,778 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,923,031.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 47 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,594 in the country.

10:00 Countries should increase the acceptance of the vaccine in the population not yet vaccinated and offer the booster shot three months after completing the regimen to all eligible adults to stop the transmission of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned this Thursday.

This European Union (EU) reference body for epidemics highlighted that omicron is being transmitted at an "unprecedented" speed and intensity on the continent, with infection rates three times higher than the peak of the pandemic.

"The high number of infected people is putting significant pressure on many countries in Europe due to a combination of increased hospitalizations and sick staff shortages," according to the latest risk assessment report from ECDC, the body based in Stockholm.

The European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, described as "encouraging" that the number of hospitalized and seriously ill patients has not increased at the same rate as infections, but stressed that the virus continues to be "a serious threat", especially for risk groups and the unvaccinated population.

07:00 Denmark will end virus restrictions next week and reclassify Covid-19 as a disease that no longer poses a threat to society, even as infections hit record highs.

The Nordic country will not extend its anti-pandemic measures beyond January 31, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. Denmark's decision to reclassify the virus dramatically boosts an idea that has recently emerged in Europe: that it is time to start thinking of Covid as endemic rather than a pandemic. However, experts from the World Health Organization have warned against complacency.

The easing of restrictions also echoes recent moves elsewhere, including Ireland and the UK, to loosen restrictions amid signs that omicron is less dangerous than earlier variants of the virus.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26

20:30 (EFE) The Colombian health authorities reported 282 deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the record to a record of almost six months, in an escalation of deaths that afflicts the country. The figure is the highest since July 31, when 291 deaths from the virus were recorded. The accumulated figure adds up to a total of 133,019 deaths.

According to today's report from the Ministry of Health, there were 17,889 infections in the last 24 hours. In this way, the total number of confirmed cases rises to 5,798,799, of which 100,970 correspond to active cases.

In recent days, Colombia has observed how the number of deaths from the disease has increased while the cases remain stable, although the number of tests is lower than on other days.

On the other hand, with the 91,803 vaccines given on Monday, of which 95,302 are second doses, the coffee-growing country already has more than 30.9 million people with the full vaccination schedule, that is, 60.8% of the population.

18:40 Brazil, one of the countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, reached a new record of 224,567 infected in the last 24 hours on Wednesday, reported the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass). The previous record was on January 19, when the Latin American giant reported 204,854 new infections.

The total number of people infected by the virus exceeds 24.5 million since the start of the pandemic in the country of 215 million inhabitants, although expert estimates suggest that the real number of infections would be much higher. The country also added 570 new deaths associated with the virus, accumulating a total of 624,413 deaths from this cause.

The mortality rate in Brazil has accelerated since January 6 and registers a weekly average of 1.55 daily deaths per million inhabitants (in Chile it is 0.86), which is still far from 14 .54 (equivalent to 3,112 daily deaths) reported on April 11, 2021.

15:30 The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported Wednesday that in the last week there were more than 8 million new cases of Covid-19, in a virtual press conference by the director of PAHO, Clarissa Étienne. This is the highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic on the continent and means an increase of 32% compared to the previous week, while the new reported deaths amount to 18,000, marking an increase of 37%. in the period.

The regional health agency warns about the situation in southern Mexico, where new infections tripled in the last seven days, while in Central America deaths increased 107% in the same period. Regarding South America, he points out that infections in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador are "especially high".

"As Covid cases spread more actively and faster than ever before, it is clear that omicron has become the predominant SARS COV2 strain in our region right now," says Etienne, noting that the countries of the region must "collect more data" to deal with the pandemic more effectively.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Wednesday a pandemic record of 18,446 new cases of Covid-19 in the country, with a positivity rate of 17.81% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 91,398 tests , PCR and antigen test. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 15.9%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 71% and 312% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, a region has decreased its cases in the last week and none in the last 14 days.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 2,020,082. Of this total, 68,142 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,905,981.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 4 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,547 in the country.

07:10 The cases of Covid-19 associated with the omicron variant, more contagious than the previous strains of the coronavirus, are already 90% of those analyzed in laboratories around the world, the World Health Organization reported last night. Health (WHO).

In its global epidemiological report, the Geneva-based body indicated that of the 372,000 specimens analyzed by the global network of GISAID laboratories in the last 30 days, the omicron variant was detected in 332,000 (89.1%). The delta variant, which was the dominant strain for a good part of 2021, was confirmed in only 10.7% of cases, and the percentages of other strains were almost negligible.

The report indicated that several countries have detected increases in a subvariant of the omicron strain, BA.2, which worries some scientists due to its greater difficulty in being detected by tests, although the WHO indicates that 98.8 % of confirmed omicron cases belong to the BA.1 subvariant, which does not have this feature.

07:00 A "zero tolerance" approach by Hong Kong could keep the Asian financial center isolated from most of the world until 2024, according to a preliminary report from the European Chamber of Commerce in the city, released Wednesday by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, New York state has seen an 86% drop in cases since its peak on January 7. Singapore's cases soared, while South Korea and Germany posted record numbers.

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE reported yesterday that they are initiating a study of a Covid-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant, enrolling participants in a clinical trial that will test the shot's ability to elicit an immune response. in adults. The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has come close to serving a second five-year term.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25

20:40 The Colombian Ministry of Health reported 260 new deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, a figure not seen since August 3, in the midst of a wave where deaths are growing at an accelerated rate. The country of almost 52 million inhabitants officially accumulates 132,737 deaths from the virus.

The infections remain stable, although the number of tests is lower compared to other days. The health authority reported 19,512 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 5,780,910 infected since the start of the pandemic, of which 116,698 are still active.

Regarding vaccination, with the 91,803 doses injected on Sunday, of which 35,299 are second doses, Colombia already has more than 30.8 million people with the full vaccination schedule (60.6% of the total population), while 5,134,877 people have their booster dose.

18:30 Argentina has exceeded 8 million cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began after adding 100,863 new infections in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health of the trans-Andean country reported Tuesday. According to the report, a total of 8,041,520 people have become ill with the virus since March 2020, while the still active cases are 836,932. The number of accumulated deaths is 119,703, of which 260 were reported in the last 24 hours.

Regarding hospitalizations, there are 2,640 Covid-19 patients in intensive care treatment in Argentina, which means an occupation of 48.7% of all adult ICU beds. For the Metropolitan Area of ​​Buenos Aires, the largest urban area in the country, the figure is 47.7%.

Official data shows that 34,579,325 people are vaccinated with the complete scheme, while 8,392,130 have booster doses, which corresponds to 75% and 18% respectively of the almost 46 million inhabitants of Argentina. .

At the beginning of 2022, the government of Alberto Fernández imposed the use of a health pass, which requires accrediting complete vaccination schemes to be able to attend activities considered to be of "epidemiological risk", such as massive events outdoors or in closed spaces , says the EFE agency.

15:00 The United Kingdom registered 439 daily deaths from Covid-19, the highest number since February 24, 2021, according to data published Tuesday by the British Ministry of Health. For its part, the number of new infections in 24 hours corresponds to 94,326, which marks a certain stabilization after the historical record of 218,724 reported on January 4.

Although confirmed deaths from Covid-19 represent a high of almost a year, the figure is far from the 1,359 reported on January 19, 2021, at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Data as of January 23 show that since the start of the pandemic, the European country has accumulated a total of 2,257 deaths per million inhabitants due to the coronavirus, while Chile registers 2,055.

Vaccination rates in the UK show that 90.9% have had their first dose, 83.9% have had their second and 64.3% have been vaccinated with their third or booster dose, indicates the official database.

In two days the country ruled by Boris Johnson will lift most of the health restrictions aimed at fighting the virus.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Tuesday 14,291 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity rate of 15.82% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 80,163 tests, PCR and antigen tests. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 13.59%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 69% and 314% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, a region has decreased its cases in the last week and none in the last 14 days.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 2,001,346. Of this total, 67,018 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,888,382.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 8 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,543 in the country.

10:00 Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said Tuesday they have launched a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the omicron variant of Covid-19, which has evaded some of the protection provided by the regime original of two doses of the drug.

The companies plan to test the immune response generated by the omicron-based vaccine both as a three-dose regimen in unvaccinated people and as a booster shot for people who have already received two doses of the original vaccine.

They are also testing a fourth dose of the current vaccine against a fourth dose of the omicron-based vaccine in people who received their third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine three to six months earlier. The companies plan to study the safety and tolerability of the injections in the more than 1,400 people who will participate in the study, Reuters noted.

08:00 Japan will double the number of regions under strengthened coronavirus controls as it tries to adapt its strategy to deal with the record number of cases caused by the omicron variant, in order to ensure rapid treatment for those who need it, reported Reuters.

The nationwide case count topped 60,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Fuji TV showed on Tuesday. The capital Tokyo recorded 12,813 new cases, while the Osaka region reported 8,612, both records.

A group of health experts approved the extension of stricter measures in 18 other regions, including the western prefectures of Kyoto and Osaka, in response to rising infections and hospital admissions caused by omicron.

The restrictions will apply from Thursday until February 20, empowering regional governors to ask restaurants and bars to reduce their opening hours and stop serving alcohol.

07:00 China offered help to Hong Kong to speed up a mass testing blitz to stop an omicron outbreak in the financial hub, the city's leader said, Bloomberg reports, adding that broader lockdowns were not yet necessary .

"Guangdong province has expressed to my office that it is happy to provide its support," Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters at a regular news briefing on Tuesday. "So it's about considering how we can best use your support to help Hong Kong."

Health officials are struggling to contain a growing cluster of Covid-19 infections at a massive public housing complex where some 276 people have tested positive in recent days, as the government imposes five-day lockdowns on towers that They house thousands of people.

MONDAY, JANUARY 24

19:00 The UK will stop requiring vaccinated travelers to take a Covid-19 test after arriving in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

The new rules are part of a general relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions as the UK begins to treat the virus as endemic.

"So what we're doing with regard to travel, to show that this country is open for business, open for travelers, you're going to see changes so that people who come in no longer have to be tested if they've been vaccinated , if they've been vaccinated twice," Johnson told broadcasters Monday in a joint interview.

EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said in a statement that the airline is looking ahead to what it believes will be "a strong summer."

17:00 Pfizer and BioNTech said a pair of laboratory studies confirmed that three doses of their Covid-19 vaccine produce antibodies that can neutralize the omicron variant.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, the studies also indicate that the immunity provided by T cells after two injections of the vaccine can still protect against serious disease.

A third study published on the bioRxiv preprint server without peer review also showed antibody restoration, but indicated that its ability to neutralize omicron decreases up to two-fold over four months.

The partners said they are now planning human trials of an additional dose of the original vaccine, as well as a vaccine specifically designed for the omicron variant.

16:00 As parts of Europe begin to recover from the latest spike in Covid-10 cases fueled by the omicron variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the region is entering a "new phase" of the pandemic.

Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said in a statement that omicron offers "plausible hope for stabilization and normalization" but that it is "too early to relax."

Citing the milder omicron symptoms, lower risk of hospitalization and vaccine efficacy as positive steps, Kluge said he is still concerned about the number of unvaccinated people around the world who are "helping drive transmission ". He said 2022 must be the "year of vaccine equity in the European region and beyond." The WHO European Region covers 53 countries with different vaccination rates and health care systems.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported on Monday a record of 14,780 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 13.66% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 96,154 exams, PCR and test of antigen. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 13.68%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 68% and 323% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region has decreased its new cases in the last seven and 14 days.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country reaches 1,984,190. Of this total, 66,738 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,871,528.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 23 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19. The total number of deceased amounts to 39,535 in the country.

10:00 Moderna today announced a new supply agreement with the government of Chile for two million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 booster vaccine or an updated vaccine candidate, if approved. "Under the terms of the agreement, Moderna expects to begin delivering the doses during the month of February, after obtaining authorization for emergency use from local authorities," the biotechnology company, a pioneer in the field, said in a statement. development of messenger RNA (mRNA) therapies and vaccines.

"Covid-19 vaccines are the best lines of defense against COVID-19, and we are proud that our booster vaccine can play an important role in Chile," said Román Saglio, Director of Business Alliances for Moderna for the Americas Latina. "We thank the government of Chile for their planning for 2022 and their support for our work to develop an updated booster vaccine."

08:00 A fourth dose of vaccine for older adults leaves them better protected against coronavirus infection than their peers who received three vaccinations, according to a study published by Israel's Ministry of Health.

The preliminary analysis compares data from about 400,000 people aged 60 and older who received a fourth dose in January and about 600,000 people in the same age group who received only three doses of the vaccine, with the third given four months ago. or more.

Researchers determined that those who received the fourth dose had twice the protection against infection as others, and at least three times the protection against severe disease.

Israel began administering a fourth dose to older adults, healthcare workers and people with compromised immune systems in late December as the omicron variant spread rapidly within the population. Since then, almost 600,000 Israelis have received the extra dose. The vast majority of people in Israel have received the vaccine from Pfizer Inc.

07:00 The Chinese city of Xi'an lifted a month-long lockdown after a Covid outbreak was cleared. Shops, supermarkets and restaurants in the city of 13 million inhabitants can resume their activities, said a statement from the local government, quoted by the Bloomberg agency.

Yesterday, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser Anthony Fauci expressed optimism that the rise in omicrons will soon peak, but said the decline will not be uniform across the United States.

The current wave of infections in India may have peaked, according to a note from Cambridge University's India Covid-19 tracker. Cathay Pacific said its monthly cash burn will widen as the highest number of daily cases in about a year in Hong Kong brings tighter restrictions.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23

18:00 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday that she had called off her wedding amid new restrictions to curb the community spread of the omicron variant of Covid-19, Reuters reported.

New Zealand will impose mask rules and limit gatherings from midnight Sunday, after nine cases of Covid-19 crossed from the northern to the southern islands following a wedding. A family flew back to Nelson, South Island, after attending a wedding and other events in Auckland, North Island. The family and a flight attendant tested positive.

"My wedding will not take place," Ardern told reporters on Sunday, adding that he was sorry for anyone in a similar situation. The official had not revealed the date of her wedding, but it was rumored that it was imminent.

When asked by reporters how he felt about the cancellation of his wedding to his partner, fishing show host Clarke Gayford, Ardern replied: "That's life." "I am no different, dare I say it, from thousands of New Zealanders who have had far more devastating impacts from the pandemic, the most devastating of which is the inability to be with a loved one at times when seriously ill. That will overcome with you grow any sadness I experience," he said.

16:00 President Joe Biden's top medical adviser Anthony Fauci expressed optimism that the rise in omicron cases will soon peak, but said the decline will not be uniform across the United States.

Meanwhile, Germany is likely to maintain current pandemic measures after a meeting on Monday to discuss the matter, according to the country's regional leaders, quoted by Bloomberg. In Brussels, meanwhile, protests against the restrictions turned violent.

Hong Kong reported the highest number of covid-19 cases in about a year, while Russian infections hit a daily record. A Covid cluster in China's capital Beijing continues to grow and is showing early signs of spreading to neighboring provinces, increasing pressure on authorities to contain the outbreak two weeks before the official start of the Winter Olympics.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Sunday 13,674 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity rate of 13.6% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 91,715 tests, PCR and antigen tests. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 13.3%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 73% and 334% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region decreases its new cases in those periods.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,965,393. Of this total, 58,573 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,860,971.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 15 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deceased amounts to 39,512 in the country

The Minister of Health (s), María Teresa Valenzuela, called on the population "not to forget and reinforce self-care measures during the vacation period, which are very important at this time of the pandemic to avoid contagion , such as the correct use of the mask, we recommend 3-fold surgical mask, physical distancing, ventilation of closed spaces and the preference of outdoors for social gatherings, hand washing and avoiding crowds. On vacation we should not relax, we have to continue taking care of ourselves and respecting sanitary measures, even more so in the presence of the omicron variant in our country".

10:00 Hong Kong reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases in about a year, while Russian infections hit a daily record. Germany is likely to maintain current pandemic measures after a meeting on Monday to discuss the matter, according to the country's regional leaders, Bloomberg reported.

Meanwhile, a Covid outbreak in China's capital Beijing continues to grow and shows early signs of spreading to neighboring provinces, increasing pressure on authorities to contain the outbreak two weeks before the official start of the Winter Olympics.

New Zealand is tightening restrictions after evidence showed the omicron variant is taking hold in the community, forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to cancel her upcoming wedding.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported 14,449 new cases of Covid-19 in the country on Saturday, after the record this week, with a positivity rate of 13.29% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 96,583 tests, PCR and antigen test. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 13.7%.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,949,675. Of this total, 53,101 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,850,742.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 23 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,497 in the country.

The Minister(s) of Health, María Teresa Valenzuela, explained that "within the framework of the"If I get sick, I'll take care of you" plan, a Person on Covid Alert is someone who lives or has been close, less than one meter away without the correct use of a mask, of a confirmed case of coronavirus in the last two days before the onset of their symptoms, or two days before the sampling of the PCR or antigen test of the confirmed case. Considering this definition, "If I get sick, I'll take care of you", a strategy that started last Thursday is "a plan that is coordinated in real time with all the institutions that depend on the Ministry of Health to respond to the needs required by the management of the Ómicron pandemic," said Valenzuela. The health authority stressed that due to the speed of contagion that characterizes the omicron variant, the plan seeks to focus on "quickly and more efficiently reaching confirmed cases of SARS CoV-2 and thereby isolating them quickly, delivering an opportune diagnosis".

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21

18:30 Citigroup asked its staff in New York City on Friday to return to the office next month, the Bloomberg agency reported, as health indicators show that the recent wave of infections, driven by the variant omicron of the coronavirus, is in retreat. However, Governor Kathy Hochul points out that this is not the case across the state and hospital pressure remains high.

This is a measure that follows in the footsteps of Citi in London, where those who work at the financial services giant must now go to the office at least three times a week.

Normalization, Bloomberg details, follows the trend of other developed countries that have recently been hit by the new strain of Covid-19. Ireland is dropping most emergency health measures, while the UK, France and Belgium are removing certain restrictions despite the influx of new infections.

15:15 (Reuters) New cases of Covid-19 are falling in areas of the United States hardest hit by the fast-spreading omicron variant, according to a Reuters analysis of public health data, offering an early indication that the virus could once again be in retreat.

Infections are down in 19 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico, while in the hard-hit Northeast, they were down 40% last week from the week before. "It certainly bodes well for us in terms of the omicron trajectory," said Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York City.

In the Midwest, however, cases are up 11% in the past seven days compared to the previous week, and are up 2% in the South, though the rise has slowed considerably in recent weeks.

Covid-19 hospitalizations hit a record 152,746 yesterday but have shown signs of stabilizing at around 150,000 in the past week, while new deaths average 50% more than at the start of the month, their highest level high since late September, but still below January 2021 highs.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Friday a pandemic record in Chile of 14,757 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 12.9% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 102,755 tests, PCR and antigen test. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 13.53%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 95% and 355% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region has decreased its new cases in the last seven and 14 days.

According to today's report, of the 14,757 new cases of Covid-19, 8,094 correspond to symptomatic people and 2,166 do not present symptoms. In addition, 4,497 Positive PCR tests were registered that were not notified.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,934,204. Of this total, 48,201 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,840,249.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 18 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,474 in the country.

07:00 Ireland is ready to remove most pandemic restrictions as concerns about the omicron variant ease, while a German official said the country should stick with its current restrictions, even as the variant leads to recording record daily cases.

Meanwhile, data in the UK showed retail sales plunged in December as the spread of the variant kept shoppers at home, Bloomberg reported.

In Asia, about 1.5% of athletes and others entering Beijing for the Winter Olympics test positive, according to the International Olympic Committee's Covid-19 support team. And a rising number of infections in Hong Kong is also baffling authorities, with a suspected superspread event prompting three days of restrictions for thousands of residents. The city added 50 new locations where mandatory testing is required. Meanwhile, pet owners scrambled to save the hamsters from government culling.

America's hospital staff shortage, exacerbated by the latest wave, is showing signs of relief, but many West Coast and rural states are still experiencing the worst.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20

19:20 Brazil registered 168,495 new cases of Covid-19, the second highest number of daily infections since the start of the pandemic, the National Council of Health Secretaries (CONASS) reported Thursday. In the last 24 hours, the country also added 350 deaths associated with the virus, bringing the total death toll to 622,205. The figure comes amid the exponential rise in infections due to the omicron variant, in one of the countries hardest hit by Covid-19 worldwide.

The number of new confirmed deaths is seeing a slight increase in relation to previous levels, already exceeding the weekly average of 1 daily death per million inhabitants (same as the current levels of Chile, under the same metric) although it remains far from the 14.5 scored at the peak of the second wave, in April.

As of January 19, the accumulated deaths in Brazil correspond to 2,907 per million inhabitants, a figure that is 45% higher than the 2,052 registered by Chile.

16:00 The National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil (Anvisa) unanimously approved of its directors the use of CoronaVac, the vaccine against Covid-19 from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. "The emergency use authorization for the inclusion of a new age group in the package insert was specifically granted to the public from 6 to 17 years of age, non-immunocompromised children and adolescents, based on studies carried out in several countries, such as China and Chile, and presented by the Butantan Institute in the process", was the announcement issued by the Brazilian regulator.

Until now, only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was allowed for children and adolescents in Brazil, while the CoronaVac was reserved for people over 18 years of age.

The Instituto Butantan research center, after an initial failed attempt, submitted an application on December 15 to incorporate minors in the CoronaVac vaccination, based on data collected in the clinical study carried out with children in Chile, which took the step to recent approval.

The announcement adds to the authorization from the Argentine regulator to use Pfizer vaccines in children between the ages of five and 11, according to the EFE news agency.

For its part, in Chile the inoculation of a fourth dose against Covid-19 to all health personnel began Thursday, according to what was communicated by the Ministry of Health.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Thursday a new record of 12,500 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 11.69% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 96,981 exams, PCR and tests of antigen. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 12.21%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 102% and 354% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region has decreased its new cases in the last seven and 14 days.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,916,522. Of this total, 67,512 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,803,312.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 25 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,456 in the country.

10:30 The Ministry of Health reported that a new shipment of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 of 309,660 doses from the Pfizer-BioNTech laboratory arrived in Chile this Thursday, giving a total of 19,573,320 from that pharmaceutical company. The breakdown of this shipment is 231,660 doses for people over 18 years of age and 78,000 pediatric doses.

With this shipment, more than 50 million 930 thousand vaccines against Covid-19 entered Chile, which allow the vaccination plan to continue.

To date, 45,942,756 doses have been administered. Of these, 14,345,616 correspond to people with the first and only dose and 14,068,895 completed their vaccination schedule. This is 94.37% and 92.55% of the population susceptible to be vaccinated, respectively, in a process that is voluntary and free. Meanwhile, 6,372,807 have been administered to people between 3 and 17 years of age and 12,140,616 correspond to booster doses in the entire population.

07:00 China is stepping up its coronavirus testing regime, while Tokyo raised its virus alert to the highest level, Bloomberg reported. Germany reported a second straight record in new Covid-19 cases and Hong Kong suspended face-to-face high school classes.

Meanwhile, researchers in South Africa found that booster injections with mRNA vaccines failed to block infection with omicron, while a separate study showed that the new strain may be more dangerous to children than older variants.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19

16:45 French biotechnology company Valneva announced Wednesday that three doses of its VLA2001 vaccine neutralize the omicron variant of the coronavirus, according to the results of an initial laboratory study. "VLA2001 is currently the only adjuvanted, inactivated, whole virus vaccine candidate in clinical trials against Covid-19 in Europe," says the statement issued by the firm.

Juan Carlos Jaramillo, Valneva's medical director, said, "We are very pleased with these results, which confirm the broad-spectrum protective potential of our adjuvanted inactivated virus vaccine and its ability to address circulating variants of concern. at the moment".

According to the study, 100% of the serum samples analyzed presented neutralizing antibodies against the original virus and the delta variant, while 87% responded in the same way against the omicron strain.

According to the statement, the vaccine could receive approvals in the first three months of 2022 and is providing information to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and regulators in the United Kingdom and Bahrain. If the vaccine is approved in Europe, Valneva expects to start supplying doses in April.

13:45 (Reuters) Covid-19 infections continue to accelerate in the Americas, reaching new records, with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15,000 deaths related to the disease in the last week, it said on Wednesday the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). "The virus is spreading more actively than ever before," PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said at a briefing.

North America, the United States and Canada continue to experience an increase in hospitalizations for Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Caribbean presents the most pronounced increase in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic, the regional health agency said.

11:00 - The Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday a new record of 9,509 new cases of Covid-19 in Chile, with a positivity of 12.1% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 70,480 tests, PCR and antigen test. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 11.45%.

The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 114% and 344% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region has decreased its new cases in the last seven and 14 days.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,902,657. Of this total, 58,918 patients are in the active stage. The recovered cases are 1,798,131.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 4 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,431 in the country.

To date, 409 people are hospitalized in Intensive Care Units, of which 318 are supported by mechanical ventilation. Regarding the Integrated Health Network, there are a total of 305 critical beds available for the patient who requires it, regardless of the region where they are located.

07:00 The Tokyo metropolitan government will seek to make bars and restaurants close early under a virus quasi-emergency and, in some cases, stop serving alcohol as the number of cases soars to a record worldwide country, said the national broadcaster NHK, quoted by Bloomberg.

All 13 prefectures, including and around Tokyo, will be under virus control from Friday to February 13, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Wednesday.

With three regions already under a quasi-emergency, the move will mean 16 of Japan's 47 prefectures will be affected, accounting for more than half of the country's economic activity. The western Osaka region is also experiencing record infections that could prompt the government to act soon. Tokyo recorded a record 7,377 new Covid cases on Wednesday.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18

18:30 The Argentine Ministry of Health reported Tuesday 120,982 infections by Covid-19 and 189 deaths in 24 hours. The 165,124 new tests carried out by the ministry returned 73% positivity and confirmed daily deaths from Covid-19 are more than four times those reported at the beginning of the year, as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across Latin America.

According to Our World in Data, on December 15, both Argentina and Chile had a weekly average of 72 daily infections per million inhabitants. Currently the figures are radically different: under the same metric, Argentina registered 2,500 yesterday and Chile reported 387, which accounts for the explosive rise in infections in the South American region, where the trans-Andean country stands out in particular for the enormous spread of the virus. and in a trend that continues to rise.

For its part, the number of deaths adjusted to population (per million inhabitants) shows that Argentina doubles Chile in the weekly average of daily deaths, with 2.15 and 1.05 respectively in the week that reaches 17 from January. In fact, the current figure for Argentina is 4.3 times higher than the 0.5 registered at the beginning of 2022.

The hospitalizations reported by the Health portfolio correspond to 2,330 intensive care (UTI) inmates, which means that the percentage of occupancy of Adult ICU beds nationwide rose to 44.5%, while in the Metropolitan Area Buenos Aires, the largest urban center in the country, the figure reaches 45%.

15:30 After three studies from various laboratories, Pfizer indicated that its Paxlovid pill is effective against the omicron variant, despite its mutations.

Data from Pfizer's clinical trial showed that its two-pill antiviral regimen is 90% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in patients at high risk of severe disease. Recent laboratory data suggest that the drug maintains its efficacy against the omicron variant.

For its part, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the oral medication for the treatment of high-risk adult patients and pediatric patients at least 12 years of age with Covid-19 out of the hospital.

The United Kingdom and Mexico have also joined this approval and allow use for people over 18 years of age with mild or moderate Covid-19.

13:50 The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged manufacturers of vaccines against Covid-19 to provide it with the data it needs to include them on its list of emergency use , reports the agency Reuters.

According to the report, the WHO affirms that delays in the delivery of information are affecting equitable access to vaccines, since with the required data these could be sent to multiple developing countries and used by the vaccine program Covax, focused on providing the input to at least 20% of the most needy population globally.

"The Committee recognized the problems posed by the delay in the submission of vaccine data to the WHO by some manufacturers," says a statement from the health agency. The statement does not clarify which manufacturers have not yet submitted the data, says Reuters.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Tuesday 7,533 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 11.44% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 59,971 tests, PCR and antigen tests. The daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 9.85%. The variation of new confirmed cases at the national level is 120% and 324% for the comparison of seven and 14 days, respectively. Meanwhile, no region has decreased its new cases in the last seven and 14 days.

Thus, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,893,115.

Regarding deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there was 1 death from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,427 in the country.

10:00 China's highly protected capital is seeing signs of further spread of the coronavirus, with new cases of the omicron and delta variants less than three weeks before the Winter Olympics.

Beijing's first omicron patient transmitted the virus to at least two close contacts, according to the health commission. Separately, a person in a different part of the capital tested preliminary positive for delta, city spokesman Xu Hejian said Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.

The infections come despite aggressive measures aimed at preventing an incursion into Beijing and a promise by Chinese officials to eradicate the virus by all means, including multiple rounds of mass testing, aggressive contact tracing, quarantine and crashes when outbreaks occur.

07:00 China has halted the sale of tickets to the general public for the 2022 Winter Olympics and will instead invite groups of spectators to attend the games, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two former Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. flight attendants have been arrested for breaking pandemic rules, Hong Kong police said, after they were identified as the source of the city's omicron outbreak. HSBC Holdings Plc has warned traders that Hong Kong's quarantine policy is one of the biggest risks to business continuity.

Meanwhile, a study from Israel suggests that a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would not be significantly effective in preventing the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

On the other hand, Germany is having some success in keeping its omicron-fueled wave of covid in check, but if more older people start to get infected, the situation would become "dangerous", according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

MONDAY, JANUARY 17

20:20 Starting today, Monday, Ecuador applies strict epidemiological surveillance measures and capacity restrictions, after seeing an exponential jump of 300% in Covid-19 infections and overcoming the worst week since the pandemic began with 42 thousand cases, reports the EFE agency. Of the total of 221 cantons in the country, 193 are in "red light", the most critical situation of the epidemiological traffic light implemented by the health authority, while 26 are in "yellow light" and only two in "green light".

The latest report issued on Sunday by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health reported 11,027 new infections, reaching a cumulative 625,059 positives since the start of the pandemic, while total deaths total 34,227, in a country with 17.64 millions of inhabitants.

The Andean province of Pichincha, whose capital is Quito, accumulates the largest number of positives; however, coastal Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, has seen a drastic increase in new cases. According to EFE, Guayaquil Mayor Cynthia Viteri warned today that ICU beds in city hospitals are "fully occupied" and that in less than four days deaths from the disease rose from 10 to 14 per day.

15:30 In her health report today, Monday, the Minister(s) of Health, María Teresa Valenzuela, announced the reinforcement of the strategy to address the increase in Covid-19 cases and the update of the protocols around close contacts, announcing greater control of the unvaccinated and a 7-day isolation for those who test positive.

Along with announcing that risk communication will be strengthened, the booster dose application campaign and the fourth dose for health personnel, Valenzuela indicated that "we will reinforce the control of the Step by Step plan with emphasis on correct control of the mobility pass and identity control and scanning of the QR code, in addition to greater restrictions in closed spaces for people without an enabled mobility pass".

Regarding the testing, traceability and isolation (TTA) strategy, the minister announced the new approach "If I get sick, I'll take care of you" for people with a positive PCR or antigen test. People who test positive must isolate themselves for 7 days, number 0 being the day of symptoms or the day the sample was taken. "It is contemplated to move from universal traceability, where positive cases are investigated with the aim of identifying and also calling their close contacts, to traceability aimed at timely and correctly isolating all coronavirus cases."

The instructions read as follows: "The person must give notice of their confirmed case status to all the people they can contact directly with whom they have been in close proximity since the 2 days before the onset of symptoms or 2 days before the take a sample of the PCR or antigen test and it will indicate that they are 'people on Covid alert'". This category refers to a "person who has been close, less than a meter away without the correct use of a mask" and "cohabitants of the same place".

"The recommendation is to perform a PCR or antigen test on the fifth day of having been in contact with the case. If you have symptoms, it should be done immediately," the ministry says.

Those affected should take the following precautions: "Extreme self-care measures, especially the correct use of a surgical mask. This consists of a replacement every 4 hours and if the person took it off, do not use it again; avoid massive activities, crowded places, places without ventilation and prefer teleworking as much as possible; alert and protect the people around you".

13:30 Bolivia registered 77,238 new infections of Covid-19 in the second week of 2022, which means an increase of 27% compared to the previous week and marks a record in the number of infections reported weekly since the beginning of the pandemic in that country.

The figure was released at the presentation of the second epidemiological report of the year by Health Minister Jeyson Auza, who highlighted the case fatality rate of 0.6% as the "lowest in the entire history of the pandemic." , in contrast to the maximum reached in the number of new cases.

The number of deaths in the second epidemiological week in the neighboring country reached 281, bringing the number of confirmed fatalities to 20,238, in a country with 11.67 million inhabitants.

Auza highlighted the positive effects of the vaccination plan in avoiding a greater number of deaths. "Only in the first two weeks of this administration, 1,237,200 applied doses have been immunized. This, in our population over 18 years of age, represents 74.6% vaccination coverage," the minister reported.

11:19 The Ministry of Health reported this Monday 8,904 new cases of Covid-19. In this way, the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus reaches 1,885,540 throughout the pandemic.

In relation to the number of deaths from causes associated with Covid-19, in the last 24 hours there were 32 deaths. Thus, the total number of fatalities amounts to 39,426 in the country.

Meanwhile, the national positivity of the last 24 hours was 9.39%, after taking 87,568 PCR tests; while the daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region was 9.15%.

10:00 The omicron variant has spread to China's political, financial and technological centers for the first time, putting pressure on the country's response to the more transmissible variant as it waits for the Winter Olympics to start in less than three weeks.

China has detected locally transmitted omicron infections in the capital Beijing, financial hub Shanghai and Guangdong, home to the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, which together account for a fifth of the country's gross domestic product. The highly mutated strain has been detected in one in five provinces, while 14 of them have reported imported cases.

While still very small in number, the outbreaks are causing consternation due to their timing as well as their location. The Lunar New Year holiday, an event marked by mass travel when millions return home from urban centers for large family gatherings, begins in two weeks on February 1. The Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin later that week on February 4.

07:00 The Tokyo government will seek stricter measures against Covid-19 in the capital and the three surrounding prefectures as a new wave of infections fills hospital beds.

Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters Monday she would quickly submit the request to the central government, saying occupancy of hospital beds designated for Covid patients in the city is expected to exceed 20%, a threshold she set to look for a near emergency. In Tokyo, home to the largest number of cases in the current wave, around 19% of beds were occupied as of Sunday.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to speak with the ministers and make a decision on Wednesday, broadcaster FNN previously reported, quoted by Bloomberg. The government may include Mie and Kumamoto prefectures in the quasi-emergency measures, as well as Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, which surround Tokyo, FNN reported on Monday.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

17:00 France approved this Sunday the vaccination passport, which will impose important social restrictions on people who do not want to be immunized against Covid-19, in an attempt to force the hand of the almost five million people who reject the vaccine .

By 215 votes in favor, 58 against, and 7 abstentions, the National Assembly finished an intense parliamentary process with the Senate, which was rarefied by the political storm generated by President Emmanuel Macron when he said he wanted to "annoy" or " fuck" the unvaccinated.

The law replaces the previous health passport (vaccines or negative test) with one based exclusively on immunization with three or two doses plus a Covid cure certificate.

With the omicron variant causing more than 300,000 daily cases and the vast majority of seriously ill Covid-19 patients being unvaccinated, the Government wants the law to come into force this week in order to help contain the current epidemic wave.

"With the vaccine passport, France equips itself with a new tool to protect its citizens," said the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, after the vote, who was unable to participate in the debates in recent days after announcing his positive for Covid last Thursday.

However, the socialist deputies announced that they will present an appeal to the Constitutional Council to "guarantee fundamental freedoms", which could delay the start of application of the new measure for several days.

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Sunday a new record number of Covid-19 infections, with a total of 9,454 cases, which exceeded the mark reported by the authorities this Saturday. This increases the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic, which has reached 1,876,610 infections. Likewise, the death of 18 people was reported, adding to the 39,394 lives lost since the arrival of Covid-19 in our country.

National positivity in the last 24 hours was 8.91%, while in the Metropolitan Region it was 9.03%.

"In these moments in which we see that new cases are increasing, all the more reason we must intensify self-care measures at all times. Reinforce the correct use of the mask covering the nose, mouth and chin, physical distance, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces and favoring outdoor activities, the use of gel alcohol and frequent hand washing are acts that will help us prevent the possibility of contagion and take care of the people around us.We have to be alert and not neglect ourselves. The pandemic is not over," said the Minister of Health, María Teresa Valenzuela.

In addition, he reiterated that, despite the figures, their effects, both in the number of deaths and in the occupancy of critical beds, is very different from previous seasons where similar figures have been recorded. For this reason, he called on people who have not yet attended the free vaccination clinics to do so to acquire their booster doses or to complete their vaccination schedules.

"The current situation we are experiencing shows us that vaccines are effective and reduce the risks of becoming seriously ill and dying from the virus. We still have people left behind who do not have their booster dose, for which we invite you to come to the vaccinators to acquire it as soon as possible. Also to the immunocompromised people who obtained their booster dose until September 19, to come by tomorrow, to acquire their fourth dose," emphasized Valenzuela.

9:00 The Austrian government announced this Sunday that as of February 1, the mandatory coronavirus vaccine will be applied to all residents over 18 years of age, that is, to about 7.4 of the 8, 9 million inhabitants of the Central European country.

After an initial transition and information phase, the Austrian police will begin on March 16 to carry out random checks on people's vaccination status.

From then on, unvaccinated Austrian residents can be fined 600 euros ($685), up to four times a year.

The authorities will also send a reminder letter to all people who have not been vaccinated, according to a law agreed by the ruling conservative and environmental parties in negotiations with two opposition parties (social democrats and liberals).

If a satisfactory level of vaccination is not reached, a third phase of the law will be applied, with a mandatory appointment to be vaccinated and in case of ignoring the authorities, a fine will be applied automatically, twice a year, with a maximum amount of 3,600 euros (4,100 dollars) per year.

Currently, 74% of the Austrian population has been vaccinated with the full schedule (two or three doses) against the coronavirus, which since the outbreak of the pandemic has caused almost 14,000 deaths in the country.

Apart from those under 18 years of age, pregnant women and people with certain pathologies will be exempt from the mandatory vaccination.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15

11:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Saturday a record number in a pandemic of 9,284 new cases of Covid-19 in Chile, of which 4,714 correspond to symptomatic people and 1,369 do not present symptoms. Nationally, new confirmed cases in the last 7 days were up 143% from the previous week, and new cases in the last 14 days were up 221% from the last two weeks. Regarding the deaths, according to the information provided by the DEIS, in the last 24 hours there were 21 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,376 in the country.

"Unfortunately today what we projected last Monday came true, that we would possibly exceed the maximum number of new cases that had been registered in the country. This Saturday we registered 9,284 new cases of Covid-19, thus exceeding the record of daily positive cases that had occurred on April 9, 2021, 9,171 positive cases. This record is not reflected in the number of deaths or in the occupation of ICU beds, but if we do not take care of ourselves, nothing assures us that it will not happen "said the Minister (s) of Health, María Teresa Valenzuela.

National positivity in the last 24 hours was 9.08%, while in the Metropolitan Region it reached 8.69%. Meanwhile, the total number of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 was 94,825, between PCR and antigen. One of the days with the largest number of tests carried out since the start of the pandemic in our country. The regions according to the sampling that have the highest positivity in the last 7 days are Tarapacá, Magallanes, Arica, and Antofagasta.

07:00 China on Saturday confirmed infections with the omicron variant of Covid-19 in Shanghai and Guangdong province, adding additional pressure on authorities to contain the highly contagious strain ahead of the Winter Olympics, it reported. Bloomberg.

While unvaccinated workers in Singapore risk losing their jobs, Covid-19 infections surge in Tokyo, while Hong Kong will begin vaccinating children as young as five as it battles a increase in cases.

In Australia, tennis star Novak Djokovic faces detention by immigration authorities as the government tries to deport him while the country's pharmaceutical regulator reviews the potential use of the Novavax Inc. vaccine. The UK reported fewer than 100,000 cases new for the first time since late December, raising hopes that the omicron wave has peaked.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14

17:30 The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), Mexico's health regulator, announced Friday the authorization for emergency use of the Paxlovid pill made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, intended to treat adult patients with mild or moderate Covid-19.

"The authorization for emergency use is issued in a controlled manner and requires a medical prescription, considering the use and risk factors detailed in the authorization letter to avoid misuse of this medication, self-medication and/or its irregular sale", details the Cofepris.

The agency adds that "the two components of Paxlovid work together to reduce the rate of hospitalization and mortality from this virus by up to 88%. The first, nirmatrelvir, inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein, preventing it from the virus to replicate; while the second, ritonavir, slows down the breakdown of the drug to help it stay in the body longer."

Paxlovid has already been authorized in the United States and the United Kingdom, Spain and South Korea while others, such as Canada and Japan, are in the process of analysis.

15:30 Brazil reports 20 times more daily cases of Covid-19 than was registered just three weeks ago, amid the spread of the omicron variant in the largest country in Latin America. The weekly average corresponds to 290.56 daily infections per million inhabitants, rapidly approaching the record of 367.6 reached on January 22, according to Our World in Data. The current figure is more than 20 times higher than the low average of 13.95 that was reported on December 24, when the curve shot up.

For comparison, Chile registers a population-adjusted weekly average of 239.17, somewhat below Brazil, but reporting increases in infections at a similar rate.

The deaths, however, are seeing a less dramatic situation in Brazil. The population-adjusted number of daily deaths corresponds to a weekly average of 0.79, even below that of Chile (0.92) and far from the maximum of 14.54 reached in April 2021.

Experts believe that the real number of infections by Covid-19 is much higher, due to the scarcity of tests to detect the virus and the data blackout caused by hackers that has affected the monitoring of the new variant in the giant Latin American, according to Reuters.

Epidemiologists hope that with 67% of the population inoculated in a successful vaccination campaign, the impact of the current wave will be reduced. But as the demand for health services increases, so does the shortage of staff in hospitals as officials must take isolation measures after testing positive for the virus.

11:12 This Friday, the Ministry of Health published the new figures related to the number of cases by Covid-19, in the last hours. During the day, a total of 8,270 new infections were reported, bringing the number of those affected by the coronavirus to 1,857,764.

Regarding the number of deaths, the agency recorded 24 deaths. Thus, the total number of fatalities has reached 39,355 since the pandemic began.

The report detailed the performance of 89,252 PCR tests in the last 24 hours, which reflected a positivity rate of 8.59% nationwide and 8.78% in the Metropolitan Region.

09:00 China grounded dozens of international flights on Friday amid a global surge in omicron cases, while the city of Shanghai curbed tourism activity in a bid to stave off local Covid-19 infections as the virus soared. contagions from people arriving from abroad, Reuters reported.

China's cities are becoming more vigilant against Covid-19 ahead of the Lunar New Year travel season later this month and as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics starting on 4 April February, and many local governments are urging residents not to leave their cities unnecessarily.

Shanghai's tourism and culture authority said travel agencies and online tourism businesses should once again stop organizing group tours, after five new internally transmitted infections were reported on Thursday, all linked to to an arrival from abroad.

7:00 Germany reported record new coronavirus cases for the third day in a row as the highly transmissible óomicron variant swept through Europe's largest economy. The UK is set to abandon covid passes this month, The Times reported, citing an unnamed government official, according to Bloomberg.

Hong Kong will extend a ban on flights from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan and the Philippines until February 4, The South China Morning Post reported. Chief Executive Carrie Lam will announce the measures at a news conference later on Friday, the newspaper said.

Against this backdrop, at least a dozen Hong Kong-based managing directors at banks ranging from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. to Morgan Stanley and UBS Group AG are stranded in countries ranging from the United States United States to Australia due to flight bans, people familiar with said the matter.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13

20:30 This Thursday, Uruguay set a record for daily infections and active cases of Covid-19, registering 10,650 infected and exceeding 65,000 active cases. According to the daily report of the National Emergency System (Sinae), of the 36,302 analyzes carried out, 10,650 were positive, for which the country accumulates an official figure of 483,820 total cases.

Of that total, 65,665 people currently suffer from the disease and 55 of them are in critical beds. On the day there were six fatalities, so the total number of deaths from Covid-19 increased to 6,211.

According to Our World in Data, the South American country registers a weekly average of 1,957 daily infections per million inhabitants, a figure almost 10 times higher than that registered at the time of confirming the arrival of omicron on December 29, when the number in Uruguay it was 208.4, similar to what Chile has today under the same measurement.

11:15 This Thursday, the Ministry of Health published the new figures related to the number of cases by Covid-19, in the last hours. During the day, a total of 7,291 new patients were reported, bringing the number of infections to 1,849,465.

In relation to the number of deaths, the agency registered 41 new fatalities, which add up to 39,331 since the pandemic began.

The report detailed the performance of 95,967 PCR tests in the last 24 hours, which reflected a positivity rate of 6.90% nationwide and 7.39% in the Metropolitan Region.

Regarding the modifications of the Step by Step Plan, the Minsal announced the following changes as of Saturday, January 15 at 5:00 am:

08:00 Vaccinated UK travelers will no longer need an essential reason to enter France from Friday, ending nearly a month of restrictions. With the omicron variant now widespread in both countries, the restrictions are no longer necessary, a statement from the office of French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday.

Coming to a peak for holiday travel, the restrictions had dashed hopes of a much-needed boost to the tourism industry, one of the worst victims of the pandemic.

07:00 China has detected omicron in a second major port city, raising concerns of a broader outbreak on the gates of Beijing and raising the possibility that more foreign companies will follow Toyota Motor Corp. and halt operations along the northeast coast of the country.

Germany reported record new infections for a second day, while the city of Tokyo raised its alert level for the virus. Switzerland joined Spain and the UK in suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic may be entering an endemic phase.

Crowds at the Australian Open will be capped at half capacity as authorities in host city Melbourne worry about rising infections. A US study found that almost all adolescents requiring intensive care for Covid-19 were not vaccinated, strengthening the case for the vaccine in young people.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12

18:00 Spain will begin to consider the coronavirus as endemic once the wave it is currently going through is over, according to an announcement made by the European country's Health portfolio. The name implies that the spread of the virus would no longer be treated as a health crisis and would be monitored in the same way that diseases such as seasonal flu are.

"It is evident that, despite this sixth wave, the situation is not the same as other previous waves. The high vaccination coverage, the increasing presence of omicron and the incidences that we have had are progressively changing the epidemiology of Covid-19," said Carolina Darias, Spain's Minister of Health.

However, the WHO has shown its disagreement with the fact of treating the virus as an endemic disease, since it does not consider that the conditions for it are being met. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, urged caution, saying that "being in the midst of managing a pandemic, we have to be very careful with future predictions."

Spain's announcement adds to the global discussion regarding the politics of the pandemic, with recurring manifestations of discontent regarding the emergency measures adopted by governments and voices in favor of leaving behind the restrictions that characterized the crisis during 2020 and 2021.

15:00 The World Health Organization (WHO) has given the go-ahead to two drugs to treat patients with coronavirus. Specifically, it is about baricitinib and sotrovimab, reports Europapress.

Baricitinib, which is normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is recommended for patients with critical or severe symptoms of Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids. Their recommendation is based on "moderate-certainty" evidence that it improves survival and reduces the need for ventilation, with no observed increase in adverse effects.

Similarly, the WHO has also issued a conditional recommendation for the use of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab in patients with non-severe Covid-19, but only in those at increased risk of hospitalization.

12:40 The omicron variant of the coronavirus is already present in 58.5% of the laboratory analyzes carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine the composition of new infections, which positions it as the dominant strain worldwide, displacing the delta variant.

The weekly epidemiological report published yesterday by the WHO indicates that there are 208,000 omicron findings (58%) out of a total of 357,000 analyzes carried out by the global network of GISAID laboratories in the last 30 days. 147,000 results correspond to delta (41%), which a few weeks ago concentrated 96% of all cases.

The report notes that the omicron variant is capable of "evading immunity" but also cites "growing evidence" that it is in practice less severe than earlier strains of the virus.

11:35 This Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 4,847 new cases of coronavirus infection. Thus, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,842,218.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours there was 1 death from causes associated with Covid-19. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,290 in the country.

The national positivity of 7.28% and in the Metropolitan Region is 7%.

11:00 Italy lost 148 million tourists in 2021 due to the pandemic, in the second year in which the tourism sector ended with numbers in the red, the Federalberghi hoteliers association reported today, revealing that, of the total, 115 million were foreign visitors.

If the data is compared with 2019, the last year before the pandemic, "it is as if one in three reservations had been cancelled", while with regard to foreign tourists, "the loss becomes one in every two for a total of 115 million lost foreign visitors," the association explained in a statement.

The association assured that, in this scenario, the companies and employees of Italian hotels have lost one by one the support measures approved in the past and that had allowed the survival of the companies and related jobs: the tax credit on rents, the exemption of the payment of real estate, the moratorium on mortgages and the freeze on layoffs

While the sector demands new actions, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, explained this Monday at a press conference that they are working to support the segments with the most difficulties, mainly tourism, and that the resources will be used for this provided for in the Budget Law, which is close to 150 million euros. EFE

07.20: In an interview broadcast on Tuesday night with Meganoticias, President Sebastián Piñera ruled out the possibility of returning to a quarantine given the increase in coronavirus cases amid the global expansion of omicron and assured that the worst of the health crisis "is over".

"I hope, and I say it with great calm and confidence, that we are very well prepared to face this new omicron variant," said the president in the interview. "I believe that the worst of the crisis is over. We had two extraordinarily difficult moments, in the middle of 2020 and in the middle of 2021, when we had the health system at its maximum demand, and yet it always responded. In Chile has never denied medical attention to any person," he added.

07:00 American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. said Chinese aviation regulators have blocked some of their flights from entering as the country steps up COVID-19 precautions. Meanwhile, angry parents in Hong Kong are criticizing the government's order to close schools again, Bloomberg reported.

Covid cases in Australia are rising, with the omicron variant now accounting for around 90% of cases in the state of New South Wales - where Sydney is located - but virus deaths and hospitalization rates they are increasing much more slowly than general infections. The nation's immigration chief, Alex Hawke, is considering canceling Novak Djokovic's visa and ruining his hopes of winning the Australian Open.

Some 400,000 Israelis have received a fourth dose of the vaccine, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. European Union regulators said frequent boosters could negatively affect the immune system and may not be feasible. The World Health Organization has warned of a "west to east tidal wave" that could infect more than half of Europe's population in the next six to eight weeks.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11

16:20 France recorded a new record for daily Covid-19 infections on Tuesday with 368,149 new cases, the French country's public health office reported. The figure exceeded the maximum achieved last Wednesday with 330 thousand registered.

Dominated by the rapid spread of the omicron variant, the period is "undeniably difficult," acknowledged French Health Minister Olivier Véran, adding that "the hospital system is undergoing a tremendous ordeal."

There were 341 new deaths associated with the virus, bringing the total recorded during the pandemic to 126,059. The new deaths are already more than doubling the figures of the previous wave that took place in the months of August and September, although they are still far from the levels reached during 2020.

14:50 United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby said Tuesday that the company had about 3,000 employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, but that its vaccinated workers had not recently died or been hospitalized from the virus. the disease, Reuters reported.

Chicago-based United was the first airline in the United States to require vaccinations for its employees to facilitate travel and flight operations. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights since late December, when a surge in omicron cases and wintry weather began to affect schedules.

Kirby said in a memo Tuesday that "since our vaccine policy went into effect, the hospitalization rate among our employees has been 100 times lower than in the general population in the United States." Before United's vaccination requirements were implemented, "tragically, more than one United employee on average 'per week' was dying from COVID," Kirby said.

14:00 The US Department of Health reported a record level of hospitalizations for Covid-19. The figure corresponds to 145,982 admitted patients, of which almost 24,000 are in intensive care units.

With this report, the US exceeds the maximum number of hospitalizations reached in January 2021, at which time it reached 142,000 hospitalizations. After falling to around 40,000 at the beginning of November, the omicron variant has helped to steepen the curve and since Christmas it has skyrocketed at an unprecedented rate.

The avalanche of new infections adds up to a weekly average of 2,265 daily infections per million inhabitants (in Chile this figure is 165), according to Our World in Data. Faced with the complex health situation, the Joe Biden government has opted to reinforce the vaccination campaign and the number of tests.

12:20 The hardware and software company Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced the temporary closure of its offices in Chile as a precautionary measure due to the recent increase in Covid-19 infections. The measure will come into force as of tomorrow, Wednesday, January 12.

In a communication to its teams, HP indicated that the closure is "due to the increase in cases that has been seen in recent times and to prioritize the health of all of you and your families." No reopening date was specified.

11:00 This Tuesday, in a new balance from the Ministry of Health regarding the advance of the coronavirus in the country, it reported 3,922 new cases of Covid-19, totaling 1,837,390.

Regarding the number of fatalities associated with Covid-19, it regretted 4 deaths in the last day, reaching a total of 39,289 since the start of the pandemic.

In addition, the highest health authority indicated that 50,535 examinations, PCR and antigen tests, were carried out in the last 24 hours, obtaining a positivity rate of 7.24% throughout the country and 7% in the Metropolitan Region.

10:00 Omicron has become the dominant coronavirus variant in Brazil, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said on Tuesday.

"Regardless of any sanitary measure that is tried to be adopted, it ends up entering. Unfortunately, it is already the predominant variant in Brazil, we are seeing cases increase," Queiroga told the media.

He also stated that Brazil does not expect to see higher levels of hospitalizations and deaths, citing the strong vaccination program.

08:30 More than half of Europe's population can be infected with omicron in a matter of weeks at current transmission rates, a World Health Organization official has said.

The fast-spreading variant represents a "west-east tidal wave sweeping the region," Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said at a briefing on Tuesday. He cited forecasts by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that most Europeans could contract it in the next six to eight weeks.

So far, the latest surge in Covid has resulted in fewer symptomatic cases and lower death rates than previous waves, fueling optimism that the pandemic may be abating. However, the WHO has repeatedly warned against underestimating the omicron strain as mild. Kluge said that hospitalization rates are rising in Europe, putting pressure on healthcare systems.

Separately, another WHO official said it is too early to consider that Covid-19 is entering an endemic phase, an issue that the Spanish government has suggested is time to discuss.

An endemic phase would see "stable circulation of the virus at predictable levels, but what we're seeing right now for 2022 is nowhere near that," said Catherine Smallwood, WHO's director of emergencies in Europe.

"We still have a great deal of uncertainty, we still have a virus that evolves quite quickly and poses new challenges," he said. "We're certainly not at the point where we can call it endemic."

07:00 Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. has delayed plans for employees to return to the office and will require those who do return to receive a booster shot to protect against covid-19. Employees are expected to return to the office on March 28, according to a company spokeswoman, quoted by Bloomberg. Meta already announced last summer (in the northern hemisphere) that it would require vaccinations for those who return.

Meta employees can request to work remotely permanently, or they can request an extension to continue working from home for an additional three to five months. "We are focused on making sure our employees continue to have choices about where to work given the current Covid-19 landscape," Janelle Gale, Meta's vice president of human resources, said in a statement. "We understand that continued uncertainty makes this a difficult time to make decisions about where to work, so we're giving you more time to choose what works best for you."

MONDAY, JANUARY 10

16:00 Pfizer is already manufacturing doses of a vaccine against the omicron strain. The new vaccine will be available in March, said the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Albert Bourla in an interview with CNBC. Despite not being sure that this is necessary, he indicated that it will come to light considering the demand of some countries.

The executive added that the vaccine will also attack other variants currently in circulation. "We hope to achieve something that will provide much more effective protection, particularly against infections, because protection against hospitalizations and severe disease is reasonable right now, with the vaccines already available as long as you have, say, the third dose," Bourla said. .

Regarding a fourth dose, he stated that he is not sure whether it is necessary either, noting that Pfizer is conducting tests to reach a conclusion on this point.

13:00 The common cold can provide protection against Covid-19, according to a new study from Imperial College London, published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. "We found that high levels of pre-existing T cells, created by the body when infected with other human coronaviruses such as the common cold, can protect against Covid-19 infection," says Rhia Kundu, PhD, lead author of the paper.

Since T cells target more stable, internal proteins of the virus, the research authors say the finding could offer a new target for current vaccines, which currently typically target the spike protein, which changes depending on the variant. "The internal proteins that the protective T cells target that we have identified mutate much less," says Professor Ajit Lalvani, co-author of the study.

11:15 In a new assessment of the Covid-19 situation in our country, the Ministry of Health reported on Monday a total of 4,069 new cases, with a positivity rate of 5.60% nationwide and 5% in the Metropolitan Region.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus in the country amounts to 1,833,478 affected.

Regarding the deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 13 fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths to 39,285 in total.

08:30 At the Chilean Air Force Hospital, President Sebastián Piñera, the Minister(s) of Health María Teresa Valenzuela and the Undersecretary of Assistance Networks, Alberto Dougnac, began the vaccination process with a fourth dose against Covid-19, starting with the country's immunocompromised population.

In the activity, President Piñera referred to the rapid progress of the Ómicron variant, projecting that the number of positive cases in Chile will multiply in the coming weeks."The numbers are going to increase. Today we are around 4 thousand, I think it is likely that we will exceed 10 thousand cases a day, but the peace of mind that I want to give everyone is that we have a country that is well protected by vaccines, that is why we are starting today the fourth vaccine that increases by 20 times protection compared to a person who does not have their full vaccination," said the president.

According to the official schedule, starting February 7, vaccination will be extended with a new booster dose to the entire population aged 55 or over who have completed six months since their previous dose.

07:00 The omicron variant reached a port city bordering Beijing and spread inland before Chinese authorities detected it, seeding the highly contagious variant on the doorstep of the country's capital less than a month earlier before the Winter Olympics began, Bloomberg reported.

There have been 21 new locally confirmed Covid infections in the city of Tianjin, after two cases of omicron were found on Saturday, prompting school closures, travel suspensions and mass testing over the weekend. week.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

17:00 France brushed the ceiling of 300,000 cases in one day this Sunday, slightly below the day before, while hospitalized numbers increased again, according to the health authorities.

The public health agency specifically reported 296,097 infections, after the 303,669 on Saturday, figures that are at the level of what has been verified throughout the week, although they are lower than the record of 332,252 that was reached on Wednesday.

These numbers illustrate, in any case, the escalation of infections that the omicron variant is causing, if one takes into account, for example, that the threshold of 100,000 had been reached on December 29.

14:00 Brazil's central bank director Roberto Campos Neto has tested positive for Covid as a new wave of infections sweeps across the country.

Campos Neto, who is doubly vaccinated, is asymptomatic and will isolate himself at home, the central bank said in a message. The 52-year-old legislator returns to work Monday remotely after the end-of-year vacation.

Omicron, the highly contagious variant of Covid-19, is causing a sharp rise in cases in Brazil after a long respite: daily infections rose to 63,292 on Friday, nearly double the previous day and more than five times the figure reported on Monday. Private diagnostic companies have seen positivity rates skyrocket to as high as 40% in January, from less than 5% just a month ago.

Demand for tests is increasing, with emergency rooms in cities like Sao Paulo and Brasilia full of people reporting flu-like symptoms, and long lines for tests seen in Rio de Janeiro this morning.

11:00 After the record number of infections registered yesterday and after six months, the Ministry of Health reported this Sunday the new figures for infections by Covid-19 in the country, in which a total of 4,064 cases, during the last 24 hours. Totaling 1,625,456 cases, since the pandemic began.

In relation to the number of deaths, the health authority regretted 21, so the total figure rises to 39,272.

Positivity is 5.04% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 75,979 PCR tests performed; while in the Metropolitan Region it is 5%.

10:00 The total number of Covid-19 cases in Argentina rose to 6,237,525 this Saturday after 101,689 new positives were reported in the last 24 hours, slightly below the record of 110,533 infections registered on Friday.

According to the daily report of the Ministry of Health, deaths rose to 117,465, after 37 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, well below the historical record of 792 daily deaths registered on June 22, 2021, in the peak of the "second wave" of coronavirus in Argentina.

09:00 China reported its first community-based cases of Omicron on Sunday, and two people were confirmed with the variant in the northern city of Tianjin, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday.

The cases were confirmed as Omicron by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, after its local branch completed genome sequencing, CCTV reported. The two new cases were found to be from the same chain of transmission, but authorities have yet to establish whether the strain is the same as previously reported imported omicron cases in the city, according to the report.

The city announced that it will begin mass testing from 7 am Sunday, in order to "effectively prevent the spread of the omicron variant," state news agency Xinhua reported.

07:00 Tennis star Novak Djokovic received a waiver from Australian authorities to enter the country based on a positive Covid-19 test on December 16, his lawyers said in court documents, ahead of a hearing on Monday.

Lawyers for the world number one player said Djokovic received an exception from Tennis Australia, the nation's governing body for the sport, and also received a document to that effect from the Department of Internal Affairs on January 1.

"Messrs. Djokovic understood that he had the right to enter Australia and Victoria and compete in the Australian Tennis Open," the lawyers wrote. The 35-page presentation was published on Saturday.

Djokovic has been confined since January 5 in a hotel used to detain refugees and asylum seekers, after his visa was revoked when he landed in Melbourne.

A virtual hearing in Australia's Federal Circuit and Family Court is scheduled for Monday in Melbourne to decide whether to allow the tennis great entry. A ruling against him could lead to him being deported, ruining his chance for a record 21st Grand Slam victory.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

11:30 The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday the new numbers of infections by Covid-19 in the country, which highlights 4,380 new cases of coronavirus, with a national positivity of 5.30% in the last 24 hours and in the Metropolitan Region 6%.

"Today we report the highest number of new cases since June 27 of last year: 4,380. The rise that has been taking place for a few days has continued, although with a health scenario that is very different from that date. Today they are 375 patients connected to mechanical ventilation with 1,725 ​​critical beds occupied, while, on June 27, 2,625 people were on mechanical ventilation with 4,216 critical beds occupied," said Health Minister Enrique Paris.

With this new report, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,825,417. Of this total, 11,732 patients are in the active stage.

Regarding the total number of deaths, the agency reported that in the last 24 hours there were 19 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. Therefore, the total number of fatalities rises to 39,251.

07:00 From Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron, European leaders increasingly go after anti-vaxxers as the battle against the omicron variant deepens the region's pandemic fatigue. Officials are focusing restrictions on unvaccinated people rather than resorting to widespread clampdowns.

Australia reported more than 100,000 new Covid-19 cases for the first time in a single day, as a backlog of home test results was included in the tally and states began to reintroduce restrictions to help hospitals hit by the fast spreading omicron variant. The country canceled the visa of visiting tennis star Novak Djokovic, who is appealing the decision, claiming he already had Covid three weeks ago.

Hong Kong ordered many of its own officials to quarantine due to possible exposure to Covid, amid a scandal over a large birthday party they attended despite government warnings. It is possible that the last round of curbs in the city will continue for another week. In the UK, a panel of experts has warned the government that a fourth round of vaccinations is not yet needed.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7

14:00 Citigroup Inc. is the first major Wall Street bank to impose a strict Covid-19 vaccination mandate: get a shot or face firing. With its deadline fast approaching, the company is gearing up for action, Bloomberg reported.

Office workers who don't comply by Jan. 14 will be placed on unpaid leave, and a message to staff seen by Bloomberg said their last day of employment will come at the end of the month. While some of the employees will be eligible for certain year-end bonus payments, they will have to sign an agreement stating that they will not take legal action against the company to receive the funds, the company said in the message.

"You may apply for other positions with Citi in the future, as long as you comply with Citi's vaccination policy," the company said in the memo.

11:00 This Friday, the Ministry of Health reported the new numbers of infections by Covid-19 in the country, which highlights 3,799 new cases of coronavirus, with a national positivity of 4.75% in the last 24 hours and in the Metropolitan Region of 5%.

With this new report, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,821,071. Of this total, 14,405 patients are in the active stage.

Regarding the total number of deaths, the agency reported that in the last 24 hours there were 25 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19. Therefore, the total number of fatalities rises to 39,232.

07:00 The current wave of Covid-19 engulfing France could peak in around 10 days, said Professor Alain Fischer, the official responsible for France's Covid vaccine strategy.

"I think we are reaching the peak of this new wave," Fischer told LCI TV, adding that this peak could occur "mainly towards the beginning of the second half of January, so if we figure it out, It would be around 10 days."

France reported 261,481 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, down from the record of more than 332,000 set on Wednesday, but the seven-day moving average of new cases rose above 200,000 for the first time since the start of the coronavirus crisis. health.

The French Ministry of Health also reported 204 new deaths, bringing the total death count from Covid-19 to more than 125,000.

French President Emmanuel Macron is confident that enough people will take booster shots of the Covid vaccine to mitigate the effects of the virus and thus allow major new restrictions to address the pandemic to be avoided.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 6

18:00 The Argentine Ministry of Health reported a record 109,608 cases of Covid in the last 24 hours, in an epidemiological rise that does not seem to let up. The trans-Andean authority also indicated that 40 deaths had been registered in the last day.

Argentina has admitted this week that the "volume" of the number of cases "has an impact on the testing centers and on work activities", because the patients do not need hospitalization but they do need to be isolated. The trans-Andean authority confirmed 40 deaths in the last day.

13:48 President Sebastián Piñera announced that the vaccination schedule for the placement of the fourth booster dose will begin on January 10, with immunocompromised people aged 12 years or older, who have received their booster dose up to on September 12, 2021.

The president indicated that the vaccination program will continue on February 7, with people aged 55 or over who have received their booster dose until August 15, 2021, giving priority to those with a chronic disease.

Finally, he urged people who have not received any dose or have not completed the vaccination schedule to go to authorized health centers.

Regarding the changes to the Step by Step Plan, the Ministry of Health reported that the communes of Arica, Pozo Almonte, Lebu and Curanilahue go back to Preparation, starting Saturday, January 8 at 5:00am.

11:17 This Thursday, the Ministry of Health reported 3,134 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 3.84% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 74,438 tests, PCR and antigen tests. Meanwhile, positivity in the Metropolitan Region remains at 4%.

With this new balance, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the country reaches 1,817,300. Of this total, 12,569 patients are in the active stage.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 30 deaths from causes associated with Covid-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 39,207.

07:00 The omicron variant has taken hold in the European Union, where daily coronavirus cases topped 1 million on Wednesday for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

Although omicron symptoms are for the most part relatively mild, governments are still concerned about the pressure on hospitals and health services in general, and have stepped up measures, as well as the tone in language, to compel people to get vaccinated.

04:00 The Italian Council of Ministers approved mandatory vaccination against coronavirus for people over 50 years of age, a measure that seeks to alleviate hospital pressure and control infections to protect the population.

The Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, pointed out in the meeting with the ministers the need for the population to be immunized to control the pandemic. "Today's measures want to preserve the proper functioning of hospitals and, at the same time, keep schools and businesses open. We want to stop the growth of the contagion curve and push Italians who have not yet been vaccinated to get it." do," Draghi said, according to government sources.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5

16:30 Metropolitan Lima and Callao go to a high health alert level in Peru, as ordered by the government of Pedro Castillo in the face of the third wave of Covid-19 infections in the Andean country.

According to Peru's official digital platform, the high health alert level implies "strict mandatory social immobilization" from Monday to Sunday from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day.

Peru registers a weekly average of 130.86 daily cases per million inhabitants, a significant jump from the 42 registered at the end of December, while Chile currently registers a weekly average of 78.47 daily infected per million inhabitants, according to Our World in Data.

12:20 This Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 1,858 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity of 3.2% in the last 24 hours nationwide and in the Metropolitan Region of 4%.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 reaches 1,814,188, since the pandemic began. Of this total, 10,677 patients are in the active stage.

In relation to the number of deaths from causes associated with the coronavirus, in the last 24 hours there were 3 fatalities. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,177.

10:30 The Argentine Ministry of Health acknowledged this Wednesday that the "volume" of the number of cases "has an impact on testing centers and work activities", because patients do not need hospitalization but do remain isolated in the midst of a record outbreak of more than 80,000 daily infections of coronavirus and an omicron variant that grows in the country above other strains, reported El Cronista.

However, from the portfolio they qualified when explaining that the majority of those infected with Covid-19 have the disease with mild symptoms.

"The paradigm is different between Covid with vaccines and without vaccines. We have to see how the tension is in the health system. But we must be vigilant and evaluate not only the number of cases, which are mostly mild, but also the in the volume they can have an impact and that must be continuously measured," said the Undersecretary of Sanitary Strategies, Juan Castelli.

7:50 French President Emmanuel Macron used a harsh informal term to say he wants to "mess up" the unvaccinated, in a colloquial and cutting comment that drew condemnation from the opposition less than 4 months after the upcoming presidential elections. According to Reuters, Macron used the expression "emmerder", from "merde" (shit), which can also be translated as "enervate" and is considered "very informal" by the French dictionary Larousse and prompted immediate criticism from his rivals on the networks. social.

"I really want to annoy the unvaccinated. And we're going to keep doing it like this, until the end. That's the strategy," Macron told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published late on Tuesday.

France launched a health pass last year that prevents people who do not have a PCR test or vaccination proof from entering restaurants, cafes and other premises. The government wants only those vaccinated to have access to the health pass.

"I am not going to send (the unvaccinated) to jail, I am not going to vaccinate by force. So we have to tell them that, as of January 15, they will no longer be able to go to the restaurant, they will not a coffee, go to the theater, to the cinema," he said.

07:00 Hong Kong is imposing strict new virus control measures for the first time in nearly a year as the highly transmissible omicron variant seeps into the community and threatens to trigger a winter surge. The city will ban eating after 6 p.m., close some venues including bars and gyms, scrap large-scale events and halt all flights from eight countries, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a briefing on Wednesday, cited by Bloomberg.

The new rules return to social distancing restrictions that were in place a year ago and were eased after Chinese New Year in 2021, when infections were declining. The eight countries from which people or flights will not be allowed to arrive for the next two weeks are Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States, places with the worst spread of omicron in the today, Lam said.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 4

16:00 Foreign Minister Andrés Allamand tested positive for Covid-19 in the United States. The minister's diagnosis was informed through a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement reads as follows: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that Chancellor Andrés Allamand tested positive for the coronavirus. At the time of being notified of his infection, the Chancellor was in the United States, taking advantage of his holiday legal. The Secretary of State is without symptoms, complying with current health regulations. In his replacement, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Valdivia took over as Minister (s).

12:25 In a new report on the advance of the coronavirus in the country, the Ministry of Health reported 1,058 new cases of Covid-19, with a positivity rate of 3.80% in the last 24 hours nationwide and in the Metropolitan Region of 4%.

So far, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country reaches 1,812,348.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours 1 person died from causes associated with the coronavirus. Thus, the total number of fatalities amounts to 39,174 in the country.

10:50 A fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine increases antibodies by five times a week after the injection is given, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday, citing preliminary results of an Israeli study.

"A week after the fourth dose we know with a higher degree of certainty that it's safe," he said at Sheba Medical Center, which is giving a second booster dose in a trial among its staff, amid a nationwide increase in omicron variant infections.

"The second piece of news is that we know that a week after the administration of a fourth dose, the amount of antibodies in the vaccinated person increases fivefold," he told the media, quoted by Reuters. "Most likely, this will mean a significant increase against infection and (...) hospitalization and (severe) symptoms," Bennett said.

10:30 Insured losses of $44 billion from Covid-19 so far equate to the third-biggest catastrophic loss after Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks, broker Howden said Tuesday.

However, initial projections of more than $100 billion in insured losses from Covid-19 now look "unlikely," Howden said in a report on reinsurance renewals. Property catastrophe reinsurance rates increased 9% on January 1, marking their biggest annual rise since 2009, according to Howden.

07:30 More than 1 million people in the United States were diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday as an omicron tsunami continues to inundate all aspects of daily American life.

The highly mutated variant brought the number of cases in the US to the highest, by a wide margin, of any country ever reported. Monday's number is almost double the previous record of around 590,000 set just four days ago in the US, which itself doubled from the previous week.

It's also more than double the case count seen anywhere else at any time since the pandemic began more than two years ago. The highest number outside the United States occurred during the delta surge in India, when more than 414,000 people were diagnosed on May 7, 2021.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3

11:30 This Monday, the Ministry of Health reported the detection of 1,005 new cases of Covid-19. In this way, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the country reaches 1,811,297.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 11 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 39,173.

The positivity for the last 24 hours at the country level is 3.69% and in the Metropolitan Region it is 4%, with 26,554 PCR tests and antigen tests carried out throughout the national territory.

Regarding the modifications to the Step-by-Step Plan, which will take effect from this Wednesday, January 5 at 5:00 am, the organization announced that eight communes will advance to the next phase: seven to Initial Opening (Phase 4) and one a Preparation (Phase 3); while 19 will regress, of which 15 go to Preparation and four to Transition (Phase 2).

Specifically, the changes were as follows:

Advanced to Initial Opening: Futrono, Río Bueno, Frutillar, Chaitén, Puyehue, Los Muermos, Puerto Octay.

Advance to Preparation: Calbuco.

Return to Preparation: Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Tocopilla, Concón, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilaco, Temuco, Padre Las Casas, Chonchi, Hualaihué, Quinchao, Quellón, Puqueldón, Punta Arenas.

They go back to Transition: Chañaral, Tirúa, Corral, Lago Ranco.

07:00 A record 10 million people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the seven days to Sunday, nearly double the pandemic's previous weekly high, as omicron spreads across the globe, it reported Bloomberg. Weekly deaths continued to fall.

Russia reported the lowest number of cases since June, while Germany is weighing new measures amid rising infections. In Hong Kong, the pace of vaccinations has picked up even as the city government has denied rumors that it will close borders or suspend restaurant dining. China reported 101 new Covid cases, mainly in Xi'an, where some residents complained about a lack of access to food.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he has tested positive for Covid and plans to self-quarantine at home for five days, attending meetings virtually when possible.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2

18:30 This Sunday more than 4,000 flights were canceled worldwide, more than half of them in the United States, due to adverse weather and an increase in cases of coronavirus due to the Omicron variant.

The canceled flights included more than 2,400 entering, departing or operating within the United States, according to the FlightAware.com website. Worldwide, more than 11,200 flights were delayed.

Among the airlines with the most cancellations were SkyWest and SouthWest, with 510 and 419 suspensions respectively, according to FlightAware.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are usually a time of high air traffic, but the rapid spread of omicron has caused a sharp increase in Covid-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights due to quarantines of their pilots and their cabin staff.

15:30 The Israeli Ministry of Health today approved the use of the antiviral pill against covid-19 from the American pharmaceutical company Merck and announced the signing of a contract to receive the first consignment.

Israel has also begun to administer the drug Paxlovid, the Pfizer pill, in order to include the treatments in the strategy to combat the pandemic, in addition to vaccination.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized in December the emergency use of this pill, also known as molnupiravir or lagevrio, which reduces hospitalizations and deaths from covid by almost 30%.

Treatment is authorized for at-risk adults who should begin capsule therapy within the first five days of mild to moderate symptoms.

13:00 In an interview with Mesa Central, the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, announced that as of January "we are going to start with the fourth dose." The booster will initially be administered to people "with immunodeficiency, the elderly and health care workers," he said.

The head of the portfolio also spoke about his concern about the new variant of Covid-19, Ómicron, and explained that we could reach 6,000 cases a day with this strain.

"I think we are going to have an increase in cases due to the Omicron variant, which is very contagious, more than Delta," said Paris.

The Minister also clarified that in our country there are three community cases of the new variant of the coronavirus and that "more than 95% of the Ómicron cases in Chile are travelers."

12:00 Israel detected its first case of simultaneous contagion of Covid-19 and flu virus, known as "flurona", in an unvaccinated pregnant woman, the Israeli Ministry of Health confirmed today to EFE.

The woman was discharged on December 30 after being treated for mild symptoms derived from this double infection, added the digital Times of Israel.

The "flurona" cases were first detected in the United States during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts from the Ministry of Health believe that there are similar cases, still unidentified, when the country registers almost two thousand people hospitalized for the flu, while positives for coronaviruses due to the omicron variant increase.

11:00 In a new assessment of the Covid-19 situation in our country, the Ministry of Health reported 1,921 new cases, with a positivity rate of 3.15% nationwide and 3% in the Metropolitan Region.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus in the country reaches 1,810,302 as of this Sunday.

Regarding the deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 22 fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths to 39,162 in total.

10:27 The Argentine Leo Messi is one of the four players in the squad who have tested positive for covid after returning from vacation, as confirmed by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this Sunday.

"The four players positive for covid-19 are Leo Messi, Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico and Nathan Bitumazala. All of them are currently respecting isolation and the adapted health protocol," said PSG.

Paris Saint Germain returned to training this weekend and this Monday to competition, in the round of 32 of the French Cup, against Vannes, in the fourth category

09:40 The German Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, hopes that Pfizer's anti-covid pill will be authorized as an emergency this month, for the treatment of severe coronavirus cases and of which the country has already secured one million units.

"I am confident that by the end of this month we will have closed the necessary package for this, that is, that we have received supplies of the drug and we have obtained an emergency authorization," he said in statements to the Sunday edition of "Welt".

According to the minister, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is currently preparing a national emergency authorization, so that Germany can use Paxlovid even before the European Medicines Authority (EMA) authorizes the pill.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1

08:00 As the omicron variant sweeps across the United States, daily Covid cases are reaching unprecedented levels in the country, crossing the half million mark and only expected to rise much higher. In Boston, coronavirus levels measured in sewage are rising at more than four times the rise last winter, Bloomberg reported. In Miami, more than a quarter of people test positive for Covid. And a San Francisco medical leader estimates that, based on tests from his hospital, one in 12 people in the city without Covid symptoms actually have the virus.

Some projections point to a peak of more than a million cases per day in mid-January. "That seems entirely plausible to me, given that we're already at almost 600,000," said Sam Scarpino, managing director of pathogen surveillance at the Rockefeller Foundation's Institute for Pandemic Prevention.

On the bright side, hospitalizations and deaths have risen more slowly, and it remains to be seen if the number of omicron victims will reach levels of previous increases. So far, the variant seems to naturally cause less severe disease, and widespread immunity, either from vaccinations or previous infections, has also been vital.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31

15:30 UK regulator has approved Pfizer Inc.'s antiviral pill, just weeks after approving rival Merck & Co. Pfizer's drug, Paxlovid, has been authorized for use in people over the age of 18 with mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe disease, the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, cited by Bloomberg.

11:20 This Friday, the Ministry of Health reported 1,831 new cases of Covid-19, with a national positivity of 2.85%, while in the Metropolitan Region it was 2%.

The total number of people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the country reaches 1,806,494.

As for the people who died from the virus, in the last 24 hours there were 19 fatalities. The total number of deaths amounts to 39,115.

07:00 The number of new cases reported globally on Thursday topped 2 million for the first time since the pandemic began, Bloomberg reported. It was the fourth straight day of more than a million cases, a new record reached earlier in the week.

As the year ends, airline flight cancellations are already piling up in the United States, with 1,125 flights canceled as rising coronavirus cases hampered staffing. Winter storms threatened to further disrupt travel over New Year's weekend.

Hong Kong reported its first cases of community spread in nearly seven months, and China called for even tighter restrictions to control an outbreak in Xi'an, pointing to the challenges of holding the Covid Zero line against the spread of omicron.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30

16:40 Argentina says goodbye to 2021 without major restrictions due to Covid-19, although neither are massive celebrations planned for the end of the year and the president himself, Alberto Fernández, clarified that the objective is to deepen vaccination.

"To the extent that we get vaccinated, everything will be easier to bear," said the Argentine president during a year-end toast with journalists at Casa Rosada (headquarters of the Executive Branch).

Fernández is aware that the number of coronavirus infections continues to grow in the territory due to the expansion of the second wave and the beginning of the third, with the exception of the extension due to the health emergency until December 31, 2022. there will be new limitations.

14:00 Italy announced this Thursday that in the last 24 hours it registered 126,888 new coronavius ​​infections and 156 deaths, and the positivity rate (percentage of positives among all the tests carried out) has risen to 11%, from 9, 5% on Wednesday.

The Italian Ministry of Health communicated these data and said that the country is already close to 6 million total infected since February 2020 and has exceeded 137,200 deaths.

This Thursday, 1.1 million coronavirus tests have been carried out and the region that has reported the most new cases has been Lombardy (north), with 39,152, followed by Tuscany (centre), which has reported 15,830.

15:00 Spain once again registered a new record of coronavirus infections this Thursday with 161,688 more positives in 24 hours, which raises the incidence to 1,775 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, according to the latest official data.

This is the tenth consecutive day that the Spanish Ministry of Health has reported the highest number of infections of the entire pandemic, confirming that the curve of the sixth wave continues to expand.

With these data, the country is preparing to face the end-of-year celebrations, with limited hours and capacity in most regions.

11:30 In the recent balance of the Ministry of Health regarding the advance of the coronavirus in the country, it registered 1,813 new cases, reaching 1,804,682 infections since the pandemic began. It also regretted 33 deaths, so the number of fatalities reaches a total of 39,096 people.

The highest health authority indicated that 60,999 PCR tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, which implied a positivity of 2.5% throughout the country and 2% in the Metropolitan Region.

Regarding the Step-by-Step Plan, the agency announced the following changes, which will become effective as of Saturday, January 1, 2022, at 5:00 a.m.: the communes of Santa Bárbara, Coyhaique and Teodoro Schmidt advance to opening initial; San Pablo and Llanquihue advance to preparation; Máfil and Los Lagos go back to preparation; and Cañete go back to transition.

07:00 The number of Covid-19 cases soared 32% to a record 1.73 million on Wednesday, marking the third straight day with more than a million new infections worldwide. Cathay Pacific Airways plans to eliminate flights to Hong Kong as the city tightens quarantine rules for air crews, Bloomberg reported.

Countries like Italy and Australia are easing their Covid restrictions even as omicron pushes forward in an effort to keep essential services running, support their economies and allow people to connect. More evidence is emerging that omicron may be less dangerous, particularly in vaccinated people, as deaths from the virus in the United States declined and a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson significantly reduced hospitalizations in a key study.

Australia's most populous state has recorded a record number of daily infections, while severe cases have peaked in South Korea. India's cases were up 40% from the previous day's tally.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29

18:00 Argentina reached a daily record for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, totaling 42,032 people with the disease, surpassing the previous maximum of 41,080 cases registered in May, at a time when the health service is once again pressured by the pandemic, according to data compiled by Reuters.

The Ministry of Health indicated that in the last 24 hours, 26 deaths were registered. "We are at a very high level of infections... in the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires the situation is serious," said the doctor Rodrigo Salemi in television statements. The nation of 45 million inhabitants has registered 5,556,239 cases and 117,111 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to official data indicating that 5,283,910 recovered cases were registered.

16:00 The UK reported 183,037 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, a record and more than 53,000 more than the previous highest number recorded just a day earlier, according to government statistics. The increase, caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus, also coincides with an increase in the number of hospitalized patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Despite the rising number of cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not introduce new restrictions in England this year to limit the spread of omicron, which now accounts for 90% of all community infections, according to health authorities. .

Johnson said the high number of people who have received booster shots against Covid-19, which now stands at more than 33 million or about 58% of the population aged 12 and over, meant there was no need for new rules before the New Year celebrations. "Enjoy the New Year sensibly and cautiously," he said. "We do have cases certainly increasing, we have a lot of omicron cases, but on the other hand we can see the data on the relative mildness of omicron."

12:00 The presence of children infected with omicron in hospitals in the United States increases. The spread of the new variant throughout the US is generating a greater number of children in hospital facilities, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, its acronym in English), told MSNBC. .

"Most of these children have not yet been vaccinated," observed the scientist, calling for children to be effectively vaccinated.

Walensky adds that most of the affected children appear in hospitals seeking medical attention for reasons other than Covid-19 and score positive in the protocol tests to detect the virus, although few need to be referred to critical beds.

11:00 This Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported the new numbers of infections by Covid-19 in the country, which highlights a total of 1,295 cases, during the last 24 hours. In this sense, the total number of infected amounts to 1,802,891, since the pandemic began.

Regarding the number of deaths, the agency reported 4 fatalities related to the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 38,900.

Positivity is 2.21% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 43,354 tests, PCR and antigen test; while in the Metropolitan Region it is 2%.

07:00 Two years after reports of a mystery pneumonia first appeared in Wuhan, the pandemic shows no signs of abating, with the omicron variant pushing global Covid-19 cases above 1 million for the second day in a row.

The Netherlands will require travelers arriving from the United States to self-quarantine for up to ten days. Rapid tests that are widely used to detect infections may miss some cases of omicron, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Covid hospitalizations are rising from New South Wales to New York state, putting pressure on healthcare systems. However, overall, omicron appears to be leading to a lower rate of hospitalizations. In Xi'an, China, an outbreak subsided after residents were told to stay indoors and driving was banned.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28

17:00 France on Tuesday reported a record 179,807 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in a 24-hour period, one of the highest daily figures worldwide since the start of the pandemic.

This is the highest number of new daily infections in Europe, according to data from Covidtracker.fr.

Since the start of the pandemic, only the United States and India have reported new average daily cases greater than 200,000. On Monday, the United States reported more than 505,000 infections.

15:00 The omicron variant is causing an increasing proportion of coronavirus infections in the US, though its rise to dominance has been shallower than previous estimates indicated, according to an updated federal model.

Omicron accounted for approximately 58.6% of the virus cases sequenced in the US. For the week ending Dec. 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Nowcast model showed Tuesday, up from an estimate of 22.5% the week before. The once dominant delta variant accounted for 41.1% of cases in the most recent period, according to the CDC.

The previous week's figure marks a substantial revision from an earlier estimate, which said the omicron variant was responsible for 73% of sequenced infections.

13:00 An Oxford scientist maintains that the symptomatology of the omicron variant "is not the same disease that we saw a year ago" and is indeed less severe than the previous strains.

John Bell, an immunologist at the University of Oxford, defended on BBC Radio 4's Today program the position that the effects of omicron turn out to be less severe, adding that current hospitalized patients recover in less time, reinforcing previous reports pointing towards the same thesis.

"The horrific scenes we saw a year ago are history, in my opinion, and I think we should be sure that this is likely to continue," Bell said, citing the overcrowding of critical beds and mass deaths caused by previous strains.

The expert made his comments after the British government said it would not impose stricter virus restrictions in England during the remaining week of 2021.

12:00 This Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported a total of 770 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the country to 1,801,795.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 3 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19. The total number of fatalities amounts to 39,059.

Positivity is 2.78% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 24,302 tests, PCR and antigen test; while the daily positivity in the Metropolitan Region is 2%.

09:00 China's local coronavirus cases rose for a fourth day, with most infections in Xi'an, a northwestern city that has locked down its 13 million people. Xi'an reported 175 symptomatic cases on Monday, up from 150 the day before. No omicron infection has yet been announced among the more than 800 confirmed cases in Xi'an since December 9.

The number of cases in Xi'an is small compared to many clusters in other countries, but Chinese authorities have imposed tough restrictions on travel within the city and out, in line with national guidelines to contain the immediately any outbreak of Covid-19.

Some Xi'an residents were anxious to know when they will be able to stock up on staples like vegetables again, as authorities barred people from going out to shop during a new round of mass testing that began on Monday.

07:00 Virus cases around the world hit a daily record of 1.44 million infections on Monday, two years after the onset of the virus that many expected to be fleeting.

US health authorities have reduced the recommended isolation time for Americans with Covid-19 from 10 days to five days, a major change in guidance as the omicron variant spreads across the country. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser, indicated his support for making vaccines a requirement for domestic flights.

The Hong Kong government, meanwhile. is considering making vaccinations mandatory at school and other places, according to media reports. The city can start the trial of gradually reopening its borders with the rest of the world and significantly reduce quarantine time once the overall vaccination rate approaches 90%, experts from the University of Hong Kong wrote.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27

19:00 The Prime Minister of France, Jean Castex, announced a battery of new measures approved by the Government with a view to dealing with the worsening of the epidemiological situation due to the coronavirus, which will force employees to telework between three and four days over the next three weeks.

At the end of the extraordinary Council of Ministers held this Monday, Castex has also indicated that there will be no curfew, so the celebrations will continue, and that the return to school will continue on January 3. Castex, however, has called for "limiting large parties and dinners" on the last night of the year.

On the other hand, the Executive has approved that the vaccination booster time be reduced to three months after the last dose starting tomorrow, at the same time that they have warned of the possibility of applying a fourth dose of the vaccine to cope with the disease.

Regarding the masks, it has finally been decided that their use will be mandatory "in all urban centers" where the local authorities consider it, while the capacity of outdoor meetings has been limited, where they can participate up to 5,000 people.

15:00 More than 1.6 million people who have not yet received their booster dose against Covid-19 will suffer mobility restrictions if they do not receive it before January 1.

"Today there are 1,627,165 people who would be staying with their Mobility Pass disabled since January 1, since they have not received their booster dose for more than 6 months since the second dose," he warned in a conference press the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris.

In one of the most successful inoculation campaigns in the world, Chile has so far distributed more than 10.1 million booster doses and 91.9% of the target population (close to 15 million people) has a complete vaccination schedule with two doses or a single dose.

The authorities announced last week that from the second half of February they will begin to apply the fourth dose of the vaccine.

13:00 Greece reintroduced measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic amid concerns that rising cases will heap pressure on the nation's healthcare system.

Up to 50% of all public and private sector employees will have to work from home between January 3 and 16, Health Minister Athanasios Plevris said on Monday. The government also ordered restaurants, bars, cafes, and nightclubs to close at midnight.

The omicron variant now appears to be largely in Greece "and especially in the Attica region," which encompasses the capital city of Athens, Plevris said. Authorities expect the highly transmissible variant to become dominant over the next 15 days.

11:00 This Monday, the Ministry of Health reported 760 new cases of coronavirus infection. Thus, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country reaches 1,801,033.

Regarding deaths, in the last 24 hours there were 22 deaths from causes associated with COVID-19. Therefore, the total number of fatalities amounts to 39,056 in the country.

The national positivity of 2.61% and in the Metropolitan Region is 2%.

Regarding the changes to the Step by Step Plan, the Minsal detailed that the communes of Coronel, Lota, Puyehue, Puerto Octay and Aysén are advancing towards preparation; and Freirina, Huasco, Chillán, Chillán Viejo and Perquenco advance to initial opening.

As for setbacks, the commune of Chile Chico goes back to transition; and Caldera, Chañaral, Arauco, Tirúa, Cochrane and Natales go back to preparation.

07:00 Almost 2,000 flights have been canceled and another 2,700 accumulate delays this Monday, hundreds of them with origin or destination in airports in China, whose authorities have not indicated whether it is due to the application of new sanitary control measures or revealed other reasons for the time being. The specialized FlightAware portal indicates that cancellations rise to 1,954 (almost a third of them in the United States) and delays to 2,693.

By airlines, the two most affected are China Eastern, with 400 operations canceled and 62 delays, and Air China, which has canceled 193 flights and has another 23 delayed, followed by Skywest, Lion Air and United. The also Chinese Shenzhen Airlines has suspended 72 operations and accumulates delays in 17.

By origin, the airport that accumulates the most cancellations is Jakarta International (72), with the Chinese ones in Beijing Capital (71), Shenzhen Bao'an (46) and Shanghai Pudong (45), although there are also On the list are, among others, those of Kunming (40), Nanjing (40), Guangzhou (38), Beijing Daxing (32) and the city of Xi'an (29), the epicenter of the latest outbreak of the coronavirus in China.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26

18:20 This Sunday, Argentina reported 7,623 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of positives to 5,460,042, while deaths rose to 117,035, after 15 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Argentina is going through an increase in the number of cases, which intensified in December and has escalated in the last week, and although reported infections are usually lower on weekends, the figures mark an increase compared to the 7,183 positives reported last Saturday and more than double the 3,254 infections reported the previous Sunday.

According to the daily report from the Ministry of Health, there are 5.2 million people who have been infected and have already been discharged, while the number of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19 who remain admitted to intensive care was this Saturday at 820.

After months of favorable epidemiological situation, in October the Argentine government eased most of the sanitary restrictions in force until then, including the total opening of the borders.

15:00 When the symbolic threshold of 100,000 daily cases has just been exceeded, France entered its fifth wave of Covid-19 with the fear of a paralysis of the country due to an expected increase in sick leave due to contagiousness of omicron.

On the eve of the Council of Ministers that will propose new rules to stop the spread of the virus and thus avoid "the disorganization" of the country projected this week by the Scientific Council that advises the Government, a group of toilets made public this Sunday a letter in which they ask that the return to school be postponed, scheduled for January 3, 2022, until the incidence has dropped to levels considered safe.

The 50 health professionals from different specialties explained that this will prevent the new wave of covid from aggravating "the unprecedented increase" in multisystem inflammatory syndrome among the youngest, considered the leading cause of admission of minors to intensive care .

According to this group, hospitalizations of children already exceed those of previous waves, with more than 800 under 10 years of age, while those of adolescents stand at 300, "figures that do not stop growing."

The letter is intended to put pressure on the Executive of Emmanuel Macron, who has been very reluctant since the start of the pandemic to close schools due to the negative impact it has on the development of minors and on the organization of families.

12:00 This Sunday, the Ministry of Health (Minsal) announced 1,232 new cases of Covid-19, in the last 24 hours. In this way, the total number of coronavirus infections amounts to 1,800,280.

Regarding the number of fatalities linked to the coronavirus, the agency registered 21 deaths, bringing the total number to 39,034.

National positivity is 2.13% and in the Metropolitan Region it is 2%, with a total of 4,432 PCR tests performed in the last day.

10:00 According to a study on the risks of the strain carried out by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKSHA), the booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine loses efficacy in protection against the omicron variant after ten weeks of its application.

The Agency, which publishes a weekly report with the main data on the evolution of the variant, warned that those related to the effectiveness of the vaccine against symptomatic disease and the rate of reinfection confirm "substantial immune evasion properties".

While noting that there are "insufficient" data to make an assessment of efficacy in severe disease for omicron compared to the delta variable, the UKSHA noted that preliminary evidence suggests that "decreased efficacy of the vaccine against symptomatic infection is produced more quickly" with the new variant.

"This is visible, as expected, over time after the second dose, and may also be the case after the booster dose starting at 10 weeks," the agency said.

On the other hand, the UKSHA determined that in cases of infection of the omicron variant the relative risk of hospitalization decreases, compared to delta, according to three analyzes carried out by the United Kingdom and whose results coincide with data from South Africa.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25

21:00 The omicron variant of Covid-19 has hit staff at major airlines and led to the cancellation of almost 5,000 flights worldwide on Christmas Eve and Christmas days, when millions of people travel to meet with your families.

At 11:00 local time on the east coast of the US (16:00 GMT), 4,900 flights had already been suspended on Christmas Eve and Christmas, while 15,837 had suffered last-minute delays, according to the US company Flight Aware, specialized in providing real-time data on air traffic.

More than a quarter of the flights canceled on Christmas Eve and Christmas had the United States as their destination or departure point, where cases have grown by 50% in the last week after the overwhelming advance of omicron.

Christmas Eve, one of the busiest days of the year, began with the suspension of hundreds of itineraries; But the situation worsened as the day progressed, and by Christmas, major US airlines such as Delta and United announced more cancellations.

In a statement, collected by the Efe news agency, Delta said that it was "exhausting all options and all resources", including route changes, aircraft substitution and crew change, to cover the operations it had scheduled .

However, on Christmas Eve, Delta had to suspend 173 or 8% of its routes, and by 11 local time on Christmas Day, travelers on 290 flights (14%) were already grounded.

For its part, United canceled 201 (10%) of the routes it had scheduled for Christmas Eve and this Christmas Saturday the figure already reaches 238 (12%).

12:00 The Ministry of Health reported this Saturday 1,511 new cases of Covid-19 and 29 deaths.

Thus, the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus reaches 1,799,125, while the number of fatalities stands at 39,013, since the pandemic began in Chile.

Meanwhile, the positivity of the last 24 hours was 2.45%, after taking 50,811 PCR tests.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24

13:00 In a new balance from the Ministry of Health regarding the advance of the coronavirus in the country, it reported 1,426 new cases, totaling 1,797,631 since the start of the pandemic. It also regretted 30 new deaths, totaling 38,984.

Regarding the PCR, 52,318 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, obtaining a positivity rate of 2.19% in the country and 2% in the Metropolitan Region.

11:00 Boris Johnson has urged Britons to be careful at Christmas as he considers whether to tighten pandemic regulations next week amid a record rise in cases fueled by the fast-spreading omicron variant.

A total of 119,789 new cases were recorded on Thursday, more than double the rate seen earlier in the month, and an increase of more than 10,000 on the number of cases on Wednesday, which had also been a daily record.

10:00 The UK reported a further 23,719 cases of Covid with the omicron variant, 41% more than the 16,817 cases of the strain it identified on Thursday.

Separately, the nation's vaccination pace (first, second, and booster doses) remains rapid. The latest figures, from Wednesday, showed a total of 932,501 hits in the UK. Of these, 840,038 were drivers, 12.7% more than the previous week.

More vaccine centers have opened across the country, including in malls, soccer stadiums, and pop-ups like vaccine buses.

07:00 United Airlines and Delta AirLines said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights as the rapidly spreading omicron variant affects their flight crews and other workers.

Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it canceled about 90. Both said they were working to contact passengers so they wouldn't be stranded on the planes. airports.

"The nationwide increase in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation. We have unfortunately had to cancel some flights as a result and are notifying customers affected before they arrive at the airport," United said.

Delta said it has "exhausted all options and remedies, including rerouting and replacing aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flights, before canceling about 90 flights for Friday."

Travellers push their luggage past baggage claim inside the United Airlines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport during the holiday season, as the omicron variant of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threatens to increase the number of cases in Los Angeles, California, USA on December 22, 2021.

Travellers push their luggage past baggage claim inside the United Airlines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport during the holiday season, as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threatens to increase the number of cases in Los Angeles, California, USA on December 22, 2021.

Delta cited possible inclement weather and the impact of the omicron variant for the cancellations.

On Tuesday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian asked the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ease quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated people who experience breakthrough Covid-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier workforce. Bastian asked that the isolation period be reduced to five days from the current 10.

That request was shared by both Airlines for America, a trade group representing major cargo and passenger carriers, which wrote to the CDC on Thursday, and JetBlue on Wednesday.

The CDC released updated quarantine guidance for healthcare workers on Thursday, reducing isolation time to seven days for workers who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic, as long as they test negative.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23

17:00 The United Kingdom set a new record for coronavirus infections this Thursday, with almost 120,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, a figure that becomes the highest since the pandemic broke out and confirms the high level of transmissibility of the omicron variant.

The health authorities have confirmed 119,789 more cases of Covid-19. The previous record had been broken this Wednesday by detecting 106,122 infections in a single day. On the other hand, 147 people have died as a result of the disease in the last 24 hours.

The omicron variant continues to cause concern in the country, since in the last day 16,817 new cases of this variant have been detected, for a total of 90,906 since it was first detected.

Despite these data, Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied that he plans to announce new restrictions before Christmas, although he does not rule out that there will be more measures later. The Government has agreed to reduce the isolation period for those infected in England from ten to seven, as long as they are vaccinated and test negative.

16:00 Italy recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. The first country in Europe to go into lockdown last year reported 44,595 cases on Thursday, up from 36,293 the day before. Patients in intensive care units increased by 13 to 1,023, still well below the peak of more than 4,000 last year.

To counter the fast-spreading omicron variant, which now accounts for about a third of new cases, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government is set to marginally tighten restrictions at a meeting on Thursday, reimposing mask-wearing outdoors free and cutting the time between the second and third booster strokes at four months.

14:00 Omicron appears to be less severe but more contagious than any other strain of Covid-19 to date, the UK government said, as daily infections soared to another new record close to 120,000.

An individual with omicron is 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital, compared with the delta strain, the UK Health Insurance Agency said on Thursday. They are also 31% to 45% less likely to go to the emergency department with omicron than with delta.

However, the HSA data also showed that while a booster improves protection, it begins to decline more quickly than delta and is 15% to 25% less starting 10 weeks after a booster. the third dose.

12:00 The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday the latest figures associated with Covid-19 in the country. With 1,504 new infections during the last 24 hours, currently active cases now total 7,871, while the total number of infected amounts to 1,796,232.

For its part, the report records 54 new fatalities linked to the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 38,954.

Positivity rose to 2% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 68,117 tests, including PCR and antigen tests. Positivity in the Metropolitan Region remained at 1%.

10:00 The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the pill for Covid-19 from the pharmaceutical company Merck, which provides an option for the treatment of high-risk patients in their residences.

Molnupiravir is developed by Merck in association with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and is intended for non-hospitalized individuals 18 years of age and older at risk of developing serious illness from infection.

While treatment for potentially serious cases is carried out in health facilities, the rest of the patients can opt for a five-day treatment at home.

The drug works as an agent that disrupts virus replication by inducing errors in the genetic material. Given warnings that this could affect developing human cells, the FDA advises pregnant people to first seek specialist advice.

The US has already closed a contract with Merck for US$ 1.2 billion to obtain 1.7 million treatments.

08:20 Three doses of the Chinese firm Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine do not produce adequate levels of antibodies to fight the omicron variant of the coronavirus, Hong Kong researchers said in a statement.

Their analysis revealed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is more effective, as a third dose inoculated after two injections of it or of CoronaVac provided "protective levels" of antibodies against omicron. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have said their three-dose regimen was able to neutralize omicron in a laboratory test.

The latest study was conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund and the Hong Kong government. The statement did not specify how many samples were used in the analysis. Sinovac did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine and Sinopharm's BBIBP-CorV are the two most widely used vaccines in China and the main COVID-19 vaccines exported by the country. Sinopharm also has a second vaccine in use in China. Hong Kong has been using the shots from Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech, although people aged 12 to 17 can only get the second.

08:00 Greece tightened the restrictions against the pandemic on Christmas Eve this Thursday, with the cancellation of all celebrations and the mandatory imposition of the use of a mask also in open spaces due to the concern generated by the omicron variant.

The measures will come into force this Friday at six in the morning and come just a few days after the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accepted the measures in force up to now, asking only the population carry out more tests for Christmas dinners.

"Society is tired and right, but there is no other way to counter the pandemic," said government spokesman Yannis Ikonomu, adding that the spread of the omicron variant in Greece is inevitable.

The Minister of Health, Thanos Plevris, for his part, affirmed that the measures are being taken because in recent days there has been an increase in new infections and he asserted that there will be no new general confinement.

O7:00 The Chinese city of Xi'an has imposed strict restrictions on travel and movement within the city, putting its 13 million residents in a state of lockdown as a new outbreak of Covid-19 increases cases in community. The daily count of internally transmitted Covid-19 infections with confirmed symptoms in Xi'an has risen for six consecutive days since Dec. 17.

This brings the total number of local cases to more than 200 for the period December 9-22, a number lower than many outbreaks outside of China. No infection caused by the omicron variant has been detected in Xi'an. In line with Beijing's stance of not allowing any outbreak to spread, Xi'an has put up barriers to residents' exit. Those who want to travel outside the city have to test negative for Covid-19 before leaving and obtain authorization from their companies or community authorities.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22

17:00 The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the go-ahead on Wednesday for the emergency use of the pill from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer against the coronavirus.

The drug, Paxlovid, will be prescribed for adults and minors aged 12 and over who have contracted the disease and have mild to moderate symptoms. The FDA has indicated that although it is not a substitute for the coronavirus vaccine, it will help prevent serious cases and hospitalizations.

The director of the FDA's Center for Evaluation and Research, Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, has indicated that the endorsement of this drug represents a "new tool" with which to combat the disease at a "crucial moment" while variants appear more aggressive.

On this occasion, the FDA has approved the use of this drug without having the prior endorsement of the agency's committee of independent advisors, unlike the consultation carried out last November on the antiviral pill of the pharmaceutical Merck, approved although by a narrow margin of difference and waiting for the agency to make a decision on the matter.

According to Pfizer, its drug, which will begin to be distributed on a limited basis at the end of January, is 89% effective against the disease in people at risk of severe symptoms or being hospitalized.

14:00 Infection with the omicron variant of Covid-19 is much less likely to land patients in hospital than cases involving the delta strain, according to early data from a study in Scotland.

The study suggests that omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of hospitalization compared to the previous variant, although it is also more contagious.

While booster doses offer greater protection against delta, a third injection also offers substantial additional protection against the risk of symptomatic omicron infection, the researchers found.

11:00 This Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported the most recent numbers of Covid-19 infections in the country, which highlights a total of 981 new cases, during the last 24 hours. Therefore, the total number of infected amounts to 1,794,750, since the pandemic began.

Regarding the number of deaths, the agency reported 6 fatalities related to the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 38,900.

Positivity is 1.68% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 35,232 tests, PCR and antigen test; while in the Metropolitan Region it is 1%.

07:00 The University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZ) are working on adapting their vaccine against the coronavirus so that it is effective against the omicron variant, according to what the newspaper "Financial Times" (FT) learned.

In this way, Oxford/AZ joins other laboratories that are studying the possibility of adapting their preparations to this new variant, after experts warned that the current vaccines would not be as effective against omicron.

"Together with our partners at AstraZeneca, we have taken preliminary steps to produce an updated vaccine should it be needed," Oxford research group leader Sandy Douglas told the FT. The researchers, according to the newspaper, estimate that the development of this vaccine may take about a hundred days.

These studies come as many European countries have re-imposed strong restrictions over the rapid spread of the omicron variant, which scientists say is far more contagious than the delta variant.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21

18:00 The director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on countries to redouble their efforts to end the pandemic and also called for canceling New Year's celebrations because it is better to "celebrate late celebrate now and lament later.

"2022 must be the year in which we end the pandemic," said the director of the WHO.

"A canceled event is better than a canceled life. It's better to cancel now and celebrate later, than to celebrate now and mourn later [...]. This is very serious and we are very concerned about omicron", he claimed.

The top leader of the United Nations international health organization urged governments to exercise maximum caution in the coming weeks and avoid events with the presence of many people and that could become super-spreaders of the virus.

Although he was sympathetic to the weariness of citizens, he insisted that the quickest way to "return to normality" is to "make the difficult decisions that have to be made."

"There is no doubt that increased social mixing during the holiday period in many countries will lead to an increase in cases, saturation of health systems and more deaths," Tedros predicted.

14:30 New Yorkers who get a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine starting this Tuesday will receive a bonus of US$ 100, at a time when infections have skyrocketed.

"New York City is leading the way in vaccinations. Starting today, anyone who gets a booster (of the vaccine), will receive one hundred dollars. The booster will help keep you and others safe" New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said today at a press conference.

The councilor specified that this offer will be maintained until December 31 and added that the city is willing to spend whatever money is necessary, since vaccination "is a priority."

He also indicated that the money dedicated to promoting the booster dose will not affect other programs.

"We're just going to make it a priority to spend what it takes. We need people to put on these braces that will make a difference," de Blasio said.

11:00 This Tuesday, the Ministry of Health registered a total of 887 new cases of COVID-19 in its daily report, the lowest figure since October 13, when 766 cases were registered.

So far, the total number of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country reaches 1,793,786.

Regarding the number of deaths linked to the coronavirus, in the last 24 hours there were 9 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 38,894 in the country.

Positivity is 2.13% in the last 24 hours nationwide, with 35,232 tests, PCR and antigen test, while in the Metropolitan Region it is 1%.

06:30 Ómicron is already the most contagious variant of the coronavirus in the United States, where between December 12 and 18 it accounted for 73.2% of new cases.

According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), behind Omicron were new Delta infections, so far the most active variant in the US, which in that week was the cause of 26.6% of new Covid-19 infections.

Data from the CDC show that the variant is spreading across the country faster than epidemiological authorities had expected, who just a few days ago had estimated this possibility in a matter of weeks, not days.

The agency has not commented on these figures, which they calculate from representative samples of genomic sequencing in positive tests throughout the country.

These data prompted an institutional statement from the Federal Government last night, in which US President Joe Biden wanted to "put into perspective" the situation in which the country finds itself at a time when the Omicron cases are registering an unprecedented rising incidence, adding: "If you are an adult who chooses not to get vaccinated, you will have to face an extremely difficult winter for your family and your community."

"We know that the vaccines are working. If you are vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna, you have a high degree of protection against serious diseases caused by Omicron. Omicron cases will increase in the coming days, even among fully vaccinated people. If you are If you have been vaccinated and have had a booster dose, you may still be able to get it, but it is very likely that you will have no or mild symptoms (...) We must take precautions and remain vigilant Listen to the advice of doctors: even if you are fully vaccinated, you should wear a mask indoors.It will help protect yourself and others, especially children under five who cannot yet be vaccinated, the US president continues.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20

16:30 The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta and is infecting people already vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

"There is now strong evidence that omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"And people vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 are more likely to be able to get infected or reinfected," Tedros told a briefing for journalists in Geneva.

16:00 Daily coronavirus cases in South Africa nearly halved amid a fourth wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant. The country registered 8,515 new infections in the past 24 hours, data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases showed on Monday. That's a 44% drop from the previous day and the lowest number of daily infections since December 6.

Cases were registered and 29.9% of Covid-19 tests analyzed came back positive, up from 30.7% the day before, the institute said.

Covid-19 hospital admissions rose to 8,515 from 7,915 the previous day, the NICD said in a separate report. The number of patients needing intensive care remained unchanged at 6.7%.

14:00 Bank of America told New York-based employees scheduled to be in their offices they can work from home during vacation weeks if they prefer, as Wall Street navigates a new wave of virus outbreaks .

The bank is also providing free Covid-19 tests to staff and continues to encourage employees to take precautions that will keep them safe, according to a person familiar with the matter.

12:20 Novavax Inc.'s covid 19 vaccine has been approved by European regulators and will become the first protein-based vaccine against the disease in Europe.

The vaccine, known as Nuvaxovid, was recommended by the European Medicines Agency, according to a statement published Monday. A decision from the European Commission authorizing the vaccine is imminently expected.

That follows a decision last week from the World Health Organization granting emergency use status. This is a boost for Novavax's vaccine, which has suffered months of delay after manufacturing issues despite garnering some of the largest funding from the Trump administration in the early stages of the pandemic. The delay in the commercial development of a vaccine compared to rivals such as Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., hit its shares hard since reaching highs in February.

The Maryland-based company's vaccine mimics the spike protein of the coronavirus, triggering an immune response that prepares the body for an actual infection. It requires two doses three weeks apart and can be stored at refrigerator temperature, making it easier to transport than some mRNA vaccines.

Results from two main clinical trials found the vaccine effective in preventing covid and involved more than 45,000 people in total. The first study in Mexico and the United States found a 90.4% reduction in the number of symptomatic cases of covid-19 from 7 days after the second dose, compared to people who received a placebo. The second study in the United Kingdom showed that the efficacy of the vaccine was similar reaching 89.7%.

11:00 This Monday, the Ministry of Health published the new figures related to the number of cases by Covid-19, in the last hours. During the day, a total of 1,157 new patients were reported, bringing the number of infections to 1,792,902.

In relation to the number of deaths, the agency registered 21 new fatalities, which add up to 38,885 since the pandemic began.

The report detailed the performance of 50,694 PCR tests in the last 24 hours, which reflected a positivity rate of 1.79% nationwide and 1% in the Metropolitan Region.

Regarding the Step by Step Plan, the Minsal announced that no commune will go back in phase, while 26 will advance as follows, starting on Wednesday, December 22, at 5am:

ADVANCE TO PREPARATION

BÍOBIO REGION: Mulchén, Santa Bárbara.

REGION OF THE RIVERS: Río Bueno.

AYSEN REGION: Coyhaique.

ADVANCED TO INITIAL OPENING

ATACAMA REGION: Alto del Carmen.

COQUIMBO REGION: Coquimbo, La Serena, Los Vilos.

VALPARAÍSO REGION: Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, El Quisco.

O´HIGGINS REGION: Christmas, Pichilemu.

REGION OF MAULE: Curicó, Rauco.

BIOBIO REGION: Cabrero, Laja, Negrete.

REGION OF THE RIVERS: La Unión, Máfil.

REGION OF ARAUCANÍA: Renaico, Collipulli, Cunco.

REGION OF LOS LAGOS: Hualaihué, Dalcahué, Chonchi.

07:20 Moderna Inc said Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to be protective against the fast-spreading omicron variant in laboratory tests and that the current version of the drug will remain the " Moderna's first line of defense against omicron".

The vaccine maker said the decision to focus on the current vaccine - mRNA-1273 - was partly due to the speed with which the newly discovered variant is spreading. The company still plans to develop a specific vaccine to protect against omicron, which it hopes to put into clinical trials early next year.

"What we have right now is 1273," Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna's chief medical officer, said in an interview. "It's very effective and extremely safe. I think it will protect people during the upcoming holiday period and these winter months, when we're going to see the most severe omicron pressure."

06:00 The chief scientific officer of the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Mikael Dolsten, predicted that the coronavirus pandemic could last until the year 2024.

In a presentation to company investors, Dolsten announced that Covid-19 is projected by Pfizer to be an endemic disease worldwide by 2024.

"Exactly when and how this happens will depend on the evolution of the disease, how effectively society deploys vaccines and treatments, and equitable distribution in places where vaccination rates are low," he said. the scientist.

"The appearance of new variants could also have an impact on the development of the pandemic," Dolste warned.

This forecast of the end of the coronavirus pandemic by 2024 comes after the contagious omicron variant of the virus spread worldwide, and after the firm announced that the double-dose coronavirus vaccine it was developing to immunize children between 6 months and 5 years has not reached the levels of effectiveness expected in children between 2 and 5 years.

Pfizar announced that it will change the strategy and try a three-dose vaccine.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19

16:00 The UK authorities have reported more than 82,000 new coronavirus infections this Sunday, more than 12,000 of which have been attributed to the new Omicron variant, a record since its appearance in the country and another 45 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The 82,886 new infections bring the total affected to 11.3 million, while the number of deaths is 147,218, reports the British Ministry of Health on its website.

More than 900,000 Britons have already received their booster dose, for a total of 28 additional injections since the start of the campaign, according to the balance sheet.

13:00 The main epidemiologist of the US government, Anthony Fauci, warned this Sunday that the country's hospitals will again be filled with patients in the next two weeks due to the rapid expansion of the omicron variant of Covid-19.

"If things continue the way that is being set now, in one or two weeks we will have our hospitals very full of people because there are many people in this country who can receive the vaccine and have not done so," said the doctor in an interview on NBC channel.

12:00 Virus cases in Germany are just weeks past their peak, but Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the country is already heading towards a fifth wave after recording a "critical number" of Omicron infections.

The nation is administering booster shots faster than most of Europe and will not enact a lockdown comparable to the Netherlands before Christmas, Lauterbach told ARD on Sunday.

He said the restrictions on travel from the UK were an important step, but he is also pushing for travelers to be required to take an additional PCR test on arrival. Germany could better handle the pandemic by making vaccinations mandatory, Lauterbach said.

11:00 In a new balance from the Ministry of Health regarding the advance of the coronavirus in the country, it reported 1,275 new cases, totaling 1,791,776. It also regretted 24 deaths, reaching a total of 38,864 since the start of the pandemic.

It indicated that 52,176 PCR tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, obtaining a positivity of 1.91% throughout the country and 1% in the Metropolitan Region.

10:00 A student at an art studio in Beijing's Tongzhou district tested positive for Covid on Sunday, according to the local health commission. He did not provide the number of people they are isolating or specify the variant.

The infection occurs 47 days before the Winter Olympic Games begin in the Chinese capital.

09:00 In a televised address on Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the leaders will discuss the evolution of the pandemic in an extraordinary online meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

The 14-day average infection rate in Spain rose to more than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and hospitalizations tripled to 6,667 patients over the past month, according to Health Ministry data released Friday.

08:00 Health Secretary Sajid Javid has refused to rule out tougher Covid-19 rules in the UK ahead of Christmas. Asked if he could rule out a so-called switch lockout in a few days, he said there are no guarantees in this pandemic and everything needs to be kept under review.

"It's time to be more cautious. We know this is spreading faster," Javid told BBC News on Sunday. Newspapers in the UK have been abuzz with speculation about the possibility of stricter rules being introduced just after Christmas.

07:30 Very early and from La Moneda, the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, referred to the epidemiological situation of Covid-19, who cataloged it positive, and gave recommendations to go out and vote.

The health authority announced that "today 1,275 and a positivity rate of 1.9% are registered at the national level, later, as usual, the complete figures will be delivered", noting that later the balance will be made with the remaining figures.

Regarding the recommendations to attend the polling stations, he pointed out, "we can go to vote safely, we are in a positive epidemiological situation, but we are still in a pandemic and we must maintain sanitary measures."

The head of the portfolio emphasized sanitary measures throughout the electoral process and for the celebrations after the results, with this he made a call to bring a spare mask, identity card, a paste pencil so as not to lend and alcohol gel .

Read the blog of the announcements and measures in Chile and the world after the beginning of the stage of greatest contagion of Covid-19, here.

How are the vaccines that Chile needs distributed?