Thousands of flights canceled worldwide in the midst of Omicron’s surge – latest updates

Friday, December 24, 2021

Global airlines discard more than 2,000 flights

According to the FlightAware website, airlines around the world have canceled more than 2,000 flights so far, showing how Covid-19 is affecting vacation travel.

The website has shown that as of 1320 GMT (8:20 EST), 2,028 flights worldwide have been scrapped.

According to FlightAware, there have been 448 cancellations in, within, or outside the United States.

Lufthansa, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have said they have canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights each because the spreading coronavirus Omicron variant has damaged crew and other workers.

Germany-based Lufthansa said it canceled 12 long-haul transatlantic flights during the Christmas holidays due to a “significant increase” in pilot sick leave.

US-based Delta and United Airlines said they had to cancel dozens of flights on Christmas Eve due to a lack of staff related to Omicron.

The United States lifts travel bans in eight southern African countries

The White House has announced that the United States will lift a travel ban on eight southern African countries on New Year’s Eve.

The restrictions imposed last month were intended to slow the spread of Omicron variants.

The November 29 ban banned almost all non-US citizens who had recently stayed in Southern Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

The UK reports new records for over 122,000 cases per day

The UK reported 122,186 new records from 119,789 on Thursday.

According to government data, 137 new deaths occurred within 28 days of the positive test, down from 147 on Thursday to a total of 147,857 during the pandemic.

About one in ten people in London could have been infected on Sunday, according to new official estimates by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Turkiye has been vaccinated about 128 million times so far

Turkey has been receiving about 128 million doses of vaccine since it launched its immunization drive in January this year, according to official figures released.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 56.77 million people have received the first jab and more than 51.36 million have been fully vaccinated.

The ministry also confirmed 18,910 new infections, 133 deaths and 20,351 recovery over the past day.

Irish infections are documented, slowing serious cases

Ireland reports the highest number of daily cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, but requires critical care amid the rapid deployment of booster vaccines to combat the proliferation of major Omicron variants. The number of patients has decreased further.

The Ministry of Health reported 11,182 positive cases, surpassing 8,248 on January 8 during the most deadly wave in the country. The number of inpatients peaked at 2,020 in mid-January, 221 in need of critical care center and difficult to manage.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew shows positive

According to the Patriarch’s press, Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of about 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world, gave a positive result.

In a statement, the press said the 81-year-old Patriarch Bartholomew had been completely vaccinated against the disease and experienced only mild symptoms.

Japanese Health Commission Approves Merck’s Oral Covid-19 Treatment

A Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare committee has recommended approval of the Covid-19 antiviral drug developed by Merck. This is part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s plans to roll out new therapies by the end of the year amid growing concerns about Omicron variants.

Based on the preparations announced earlier by Kishida, the panel’s decision is preparing for 200,000 shipments nationwide from this weekend.

Japan is making a big bet on oral treatment to prevent serious infections and deaths in the event of a feared sixth wave of pandemics.

Bhutan begins to give booster immunity

Bhutan has begun offering booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine to the elderly and priority groups as the Himalayas counter the epidemic of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

According to health ministry officials, international travelers aged 65 and over, health care workers, people suffering from chronic medical distress, and all adults living in “high-risk” areas are eligible.

“Bhutan will be the first country to administer a booster effect in South Asia,” the public broadcaster BBS said in a report.

According to the Kuensel newspaper, Bhutan has been vaccinated more than 250,000 times and will be vaccinated to more than 228,000 people a week.

France recommends booster jabs 3 months after the first vaccination

France recommends that adults receive Covid-19 booster vaccination 3 months after the first jab, reducing the 5-month guideline to better fight the Omicron variant.

This recommendation was issued by the country’s HAS health authorities, who advise the government in the fight in a surge in France during Christmas.

HAS also said that a few days after France began deploying vaccinations for children over the age of 5, booster deployments would be expanded to include teenagers who are considered at risk. Recommended.

South Africa will soon deploy boosters

South Africa will begin offering booster shots of Johnson & Johnson’s (J & J) Covid-19 vaccine starting Friday.

The Health Department’s announcement came the day after it was approved for use as a booster by health regulators.

Both J & J and Pfizer Covid’s 19 shots have been approved as boosters by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), but the move will make the boosters public for the first time.

So far, only J & J booster shots are available to healthcare professionals.

Italy reports the best daily Covid cases since the pandemic

Italy reported 44,595 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday. This is the highest number per day since the start of the pandemic.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the previous record on November 13, 2020 was 40,902.

According to the Ministry of Health, the latest daily figures show that the country’s overall number of infections exceeds 5.51 million.

In the last 24 hours, 168 people in Italy have died from Covid-19, bringing the national death toll to 136,245.

US sets shorter Covid quarantine rules for healthcare professionals

Concerned that the new Covid-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed U.S. hospitals, federal officials have ruled that healthcare workers should be closed for 10 days if the test is positive. It was relaxed.

These workers can return to work after 7 days if the test is negative and they are asymptomatic. According to the guidance of the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quarantine times can be as short as 5 days or less if there is a serious staff shortage.

When calculating the 10-day quarantine period, CDC officials advise that the first day should be the first full day after the first onset of symptoms or after a positive test.

Australia shortening booster intervals

Australia is working on a record-breaking infection caused by a variant of Omicron, further reducing the waiting time for people to receive Covid-19 booster shots, said Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Booster shots will be offered to everyone over the age of 18 who had a second shot four months ago from January 4th, and the interval will be reduced to three months again by the end of January.

Australia will become one of the most vaccinated countries in the world for Covid-19, expanding booster deployment after more than 90% of people over the age of 16 have been vaccinated twice. I am aiming.

New Year limits the scale of New Year celebrations

Mayor Bill de Blasio significantly limits the number of people New York can enter Times Square for New Year’s Eve celebrations in response to the surge in cases of new coronavirus caused by a highly contagious variant of Omicron. Said.

For the second year in a row, the virus that causes Covid-19 has cast a shadow over a crowd-attracting festival at a famous crossroads in Midtown, Manhattan.

After hours of live entertainment, the night drops a giant crystal ball at midnight to mark the beginning of the new year.

Last year, when the Covid-19 vaccine was in its infancy, the celebration was held for a handful of invited guests, including key workers and their families.

Source: TRT World and distributors