Omicron: Record surge in daily COVID-19 infections across Europe
Several European nations are witnessing a record surge in COVID-19 cases as the new variant of coronavirus rips through the continent. France reported a record high of 1,79,807 new confirmed COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours on Tuesday. Similarly, the United Kingdom also reported a record 1,29,471 new cases during the same period.
Why does it matter?
Europe has become one of the hotspots of the pandemic once again with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, France, Britain, Greece, and Portugal reported record-high daily cases on Tuesday. Many countries are also imposing fresh restrictions despite heavy economic and social consequences to curb the surge in cases. Notably, Omicron cases have shot up 11% globally in the last week.
COVID-19 situation in UK, France
With 1,79,807 COVID-19 cases reported in a single day, France reported Europe's highest coronavirus cases. France could see as many as 2,50,000 cases a day by the start of January, French Health Minister Olivier Véran warned. The UK, the second worst-hit nation after France, reported 129,471 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. However, this figure only included England and Wales.
Portugal, Greece reporting record-high daily infections
Portugal—which has one of the world's highest COVID-19 vaccination rate—reported a record-high number of daily infections on Tuesday. The country added 17,172 new cases, which is higher than the previous record of 16,432 cases at the end of January. Greece also reported a new daily record of 21,657 single-day coronavirus cases, more than double the number the day before.
Denmark records world's highest infection rate
Italy on Tuesday reported a record-high number of COVID-19 cases at over 78,300. This is more than twice Monday's figure. Denmark and Iceland also reported record daily COVID-19 cases on Monday. Notably, Denmark now has the world's highest infection rate, with 1,612 cases/1,00,000 people.
Fresh restrictions back in many countries
Many European countries are imposing fresh restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. These include France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Restrictions are also imposed in Latvia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Norway, Cyprus, and Austria. Notably, most of these countries have imposed prohibitory measures such as night curfews, mandatory masking, limiting gatherings, etc.
Netherlands, Slovakia imposed nationwide lockdown
The Netherlands has imposed a nationwide lockdown since Sunday (December 19) to curb the Omicron variant. The Netherlands said Omicron had become the dominant strain in their countries. Slovakia has also declared a 90-day state of emergency and a two-week lockdown.
Britain resists imposition of fresh curbs
Meanwhile, the Britain government has resisted the imposition of fresh restrictions even as it continues to battle a rapid surge in cases. This comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Monday said he would not introduce a new restriction this year. However, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have introduced further restrictions on leisure activities and going out to pubs and cafes.
