European nations have reimposed tough rules and China has locked down millions, as countries around the world scramble to contain surging coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant:
This Christmas is beginning to look unideal for some countries as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continue to skyrocket worldwide.European nations reimposed tough rules and China locked down millions on Thursday, as countries scrambled to contain surging coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.
France and the United Kingdom on Thursday announced all-time records of COVID-19 daily infections since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.Source:As families across Europe prepare for Christmas, governments announced a raft of new measures to prevent intensified spread of the new strain, putting a dampener on festivities.
In other new measures Thursday, Greece said people must wear face masks both indoors and outside during Christmas and New Year's gatherings. "I think it is necessary to have the lockdown," said a Xi'an resident, who wanted to be identified only as Yuan. Only one person per household can go outside every two days to buy necessities, while non-essential businesses are closed.
But in some positive news, the US Food and Drug Administration authorised Merck's COVID pill for high-risk adults, a day after giving the green light to a similar Pfizer product.Pfizer's antiviral COVID-19 pill for at-risk people aged 12 and above has been authorised in the US.It has been shown to reduce COVID hospitalisations and deaths by 30 percent among at-risk people, whereas Pfizer's pill reduced the same outcomes by almost 90 percent.
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