Covid news live: Omicron likely to become dominant variant, Harvard researcher says; France to close nightclubs | World news

All worldwide arrivals to the UK at the moment are required to take a pre-departure Covid-19 check to deal with the brand new Omicron variant.

The tightened necessities have simply come into pressure from 4am (GMT) on Tuesday 7 December.

Travellers will now want to submit proof of a unfavourable lateral stream or PCR check to enter, which should have been taken a most of 48 hours earlier than the departure time. Individuals at the moment solely want to self-isolate till they check unfavourable inside two days of arrival.

Los Angeles county is reporting a 3rd case of the Omicron variant.

The person is believed to have not too long ago travelled from West Africa and is absolutely vaccinated, in accordance to a statement from Los Angeles County Well being.

The person had delicate signs and is self-isolating. Recognized close contacts are absolutely vaccinated and have examined unfavourable.

“This newest case of the Omicron variant in Los Angeles County underscores how important security measures are whereas touring,” mentioned Dr Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Well being. “These necessities embody a unfavourable check earlier than boarding your flight, sporting a masks, and never touring if you are sick. Residents must also contemplate delaying journey till their and all of their touring companions are absolutely vaccinated.”

India has simply launched a Covid replace with the most recent numbers from the previous 24 hours.

One other 6,822 new coronavirus circumstances have been recorded, the bottom figures in 558 days.

India’s lively caseload at the moment stands at 95,014 and is the bottom in 554 days, in accordance to a statement from the ministry of well being.

Thailand is hoping to make its idyllic Phi Phi islands a extra sustainable mannequin of tourism because the nation reopens to guests, Agence France-Presse experiences.

Earlier than the pandemic, Phi Phi Nationwide Marine Park attracted greater than two million guests a 12 months and Maya Bay drew up to 6,000 individuals a day.

Vacationers and noisy, polluting motorboats have had a huge effect on the realm’s delicate ecology.

“The coral cowl has decreased by greater than 60% in simply over 10 years,” says Thon Thamrongnawasawat of Kasetsart College in Bangkok.

Because the pandemic hit and customer numbers dwindled to just about nil, your entire archipelago was compelled into convalescence and dozens of blacktip sharks, inexperienced turtles and hawksbill turtles have returned.

The federal government now says it desires to transfer on from Thailand’s historical past of hedonistic mass tourism, with Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn saying the main focus could be on “high-end travellers, quite than numerous guests”.

Phi Phi nationwide park chief Pramote Kaewnam says boats will not be allowed to moor close to the seaside and can as an alternative drop vacationers off at a jetty away from the cove. Excursions can be restricted to one hour, with a most of 300 individuals per tour.

“Maya Bay used to herald up to $60,000 a day, however this enormous earnings can’t be in contrast to the pure assets we have now misplaced,” Pramote mentioned.

New York Metropolis has expanded its array of Covid-19 mandates on Monday, setting vaccine necessities for youngsters as younger as 5 years previous. That is on high of the mandates required for all personal workers we beforehand reported.

Probably the most-populous US metropolis set a 27 December because the deadline for all 184,000 companies inside its limits to make their workers present proof they’ve been vaccinated, Mayor Invoice de Blasio mentioned.

As well as, kids 5 to 11 years previous should get at the very least one dose by 14 December and people 12 and older want to be absolutely vaccinated by 27 December to enter eating places and take part in extracurricular faculty actions, akin to sports activities, band and dances, Reuters experiences.

“Vaccination is the best way out of this pandemic, and these are daring, first-in-the-nation measures to encourage New Yorkers to preserve themselves and their communities protected,” de Blasio, who leaves workplace subsequent month, mentioned in an announcement.

China has reported 94 new confirmed coronavirus circumstances for six December, up from 61 a day earlier, its well being authority confirmed on Tuesday.

Of the brand new infections, 60 had been domestically transmitted, in accordance to an announcement by the Nationwide Well being Fee as seen by Reuters, in contrast with 38 a day earlier.

The brand new native circumstances had been reported by native authorities in Interior Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang.

China reported 14 new asymptomatic circumstances, which it classifies individually from confirmed circumstances, in contrast with 44 a day earlier.

There have been no new deaths, leaving the dying toll at 4,636. Mainland China has had 99,297 confirmed circumstances.

Now we have some extra info on the brand new Covid restrictions taking impact in France.

A mix of vaccination booster photographs and extra rigorous social distancing is hoped to keep away from renewed lockdowns or curfews, prime minister Jean Castex mentioned on Monday.

From Friday, nightclubs can be shut for 4 weeks and residents can be requested to voluntarily restrict personal {and professional} gatherings.

Necessities for mask-wearing in colleges may even be tightened.

From 15 December, kids aged 5 to 11 who’re chubby or who’ve a severe well being situation can be supplied entry to vaccination. Kids over the age of 12 can already be inoculated.

“Vaccination can be open to 5-11 12 months olds chubby or affected by a threat pathology from December 15,” a statement from the ministry of well being reads.

Well being minister Olivier Veran reiterated vaccination for “probably the most fragile kids” will start subsequent week and vaccination to all kids on 20 December 20.

The Netherlands is drafting in troopers to help hospitals as Covid circumstances surge, Agence France-Presse experiences.

The UMC Utrecht hospital has opened a second care unit which might take sufferers with Covid-19 from throughout the area and is being helped by 50 members of the navy with medical backgrounds.

“What we’re strive to do right here is to enhance the quantity of nursing beds that we have now for Covid sufferers,” Martin van Dijk, a Dutch navy assist coordinator, instructed AFP.

“By that, the navy tries to help the Dutch hospitals to be sure that no hospital has to say no to a affected person, principally.”

That is the second time that the navy has been despatched in to assist on the hospital within the metropolis within the central Netherlands, with the primary time being from October 2020 to June this 12 months.

Covid circumstances within the nation have soared to file ranges of greater than 20,000 a day within the nation of 17 million individuals.

The Dutch authorities has warned that hospitals are overstretched, with 2,143 Covid sufferers in hospital, together with 611 in intensive care, accounting for 59% of all ICU beds, in accordance to the most recent figures.

Nightclubs in France can be ordered to close for 4 weeks from Friday to counter a Covid surge that has put hospitals beneath pressure, the prime minister mentioned on Monday.

“We are going to close the nightclubs for the subsequent 4 weeks. This measure will apply from subsequent Friday till the start of January,” Jean Castex, who emerged from quarantine final week after contracting the virus, mentioned.

“Now we have all had an inclination to decrease our guard” in latest weeks, he added.

“The state of affairs calls for a person in addition to a collective effort,” Castex mentioned in a televised handle.

A raft of latest measures can be coming into pressure in accordance to a statement from the ministry of well being.

France has confirmed solely 25 circumstances of the brand new Omicron variant however officers say the quantity may leap considerably within the coming weeks.

On Sunday, the well being ministry reported greater than 42,000 circumstances within the earlier 24 hours, and greater than 11,000 sufferers in hospital – the very best quantity since August – with 2,000 in intensive care.

Good day and welcome again to our coronavirus reside weblog.

I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be taking you thru all the most recent Covid developments as they occur.

A number one infectious illnesses specialist who displays variants for a analysis collaboration led by Harvard Medical College believes the world is seeing “what seems to be a sign of exponential enhance of Omicron over Delta.”

“It’s nonetheless early days, however more and more, information is beginning to trickle in, suggesting that Omicron is likely to outcompete Delta in lots of, if not all, locations,” Dr Jacob Lemieux mentioned in an interview with the Related Press.

Others say it’s too quickly to know the way likely it’s that Omicron will unfold extra effectively than Delta, or, if it does, how briskly it’d take over.

“There’s nonetheless lots of uncertainty … however while you put the early information collectively, you begin to see a constant image emerge: that Omicron is already right here, and based mostly on what we’ve noticed in South Africa, it’s likely to become the dominant pressure within the coming weeks and months and can likely trigger a surge in case numbers,” Lemieux added.

In the meantime, nightclubs in France can be ordered to close for 4 weeks from Friday to counter a Covid surge that has put hospitals beneath pressure.

Right here’s every thing you might need missed over the previous few hours:

• New Covid restrictions are to be launched in Norway after a latest enhance in infections.
• Britain’s well being minister mentioned there’s now neighborhood transmission of the Omicron variant throughout areas of England.
• The Czech authorities will order Covid-19 vaccinations for individuals working in hospitals and nursing houses in addition to cops, troopers and another professions and all residents aged 60 and older.
• A brand new vary of pandemic restrictions can be imposed in Poland this week.
• Italy tightened restrictions on individuals nonetheless not vaccinated, limiting their entry to an array of locations and providers.
• Kids within the Philippines’ capital Manila returned to faculty after a close to two-year suspension.
• India’s circumstances of the Omicron variant rose to 21 over the weekend, officers mentioned, whereas Nepal and Thailand detected their first circumstances.
• South Africa is making ready hospitals for extra admissions, because the Omicron variant pushes the nation right into a fourth wave of infections.
• Austria’s normal lockdown will finish on 11 December for individuals who have been vaccinated.
• All personal employers in New York Metropolis can have to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for his or her staff.