Covid-19 deaths in Russia soar, hospitalizations of American children increase

Russia has surpassed Brazil to become the country with the most cases.deaths from Covid-19second highest in the world, after the US, data from Russian statistics agency Rosstat and calculations by Reuters news agency on December 30 showed.

According to Rosstat, 87,527 Russians died from Covid-19-related causes in November, making it the country's deadliest month since the pandemic began.

Photo: Guardian

Russia's total Covid-19 death toll is 658,634, while Brazil has recorded 618,800. In the US, the figure is even higher at 825,663.

So far, the deaths in Russia have not been caused by the Omicron variant, which mainly occurred during the wave of infections in October and November. Russian health officials have attributed those deaths to the Delta variant and a slow vaccination campaign.

Russian officials on December 30 asked hospitals to prepare for an increase in new cases.

Number of children hospitalized for Covid-19 in the US skyrockets

The Omicron variant has hospitalized thousands of children in the United States in the past few weeks, Reuters reported, raising new concerns about how unvaccinated Americans under 18 will fare in the new wave of infections.

Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that during the week of December 21-27, an average of 334 children aged 17 and under were hospitalized with coronavirus each day, an increase of 58% compared to the previous week.

Experts warn that the number of cases of the Omicron variant will increase sharply across the US when schools reopen next week after winter break.

Doctors say it is too early to determine whether Omicron makes children sicker than other variants, but its high transmissibility is a major factor in the rise in hospitalizations.

Paris makes wearing masks outdoors mandatory

French police said that from December 31, wearing masks in public and outdoor areas in Paris will be mandatory. According to CNN, the decision was made after the Covid-19 infection rate reached nearly 2,000 cases per 100,000 people - a level that has never happened before, due to the Omicron variant.

The number of new Covid-19 cases in France on December 30 was 206,243, according to the French Ministry of Health. This is the second consecutive day that the number of new cases has exceeded 200,000. Health Minister Olivier Veran has warned of a “tsunami” of infections.

Before Paris, Spain, Greece and Italy had issued regulations requiring the wearing of masks outdoors due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Japan's infections rise again after declining trend

Japan recorded 502 new cases on December 29, the first time the number of new cases has exceeded 500 in two months, according to the Japan Times. The country also narrowed the definition of “close contact” with the Omicron variant amid concerns that Japan is running out of quarantine facilities.

The new rules bring Omicron closer to the definition of other Covid-19 cases, which is that on an airplane, the seats two rows in front and two behind where the infected person sat. The decision was made based on infection data, Japan’s Health Minister Goto Shigeyuki said.

Covid-19 deaths in Eastern Europe hit 1 million

The number of people who have died from Covid-19 in Eastern Europe has topped 1 million, according to a Reuters tally. This comes as Russia overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world. Reuters compiled data for Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.