Nations across Europe moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, including a new nationwide lockdown introduced by the Dutch government. 9News
infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, including a new nationwide lockdown introduced by the Dutch government.
Before the Dutch announcement, alarmed ministers in France, Cyprus and Austria tightened travel restrictions. The World Health Organization reported Saturday that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to three days in places with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad.Major questions about Omicron remain unanswered, including how effective existing COVID-19 vaccines are against it and whether the variant produces severe illness in many infected individuals, WHO noted.
Rotterdam municipality tweeted that it was "too busy in the center" of the port city and told people: "Don't come to the city." Amsterdam also warned that the city's main shopping street was busy and urged people to stick to coronavirus rules.
Britain and other nations are also accelerating the pace of booster shots after early data showed that two doses of vaccine were less effective against the omicron variant. Shopping centers, cathedrals and soccer stadiums in Britain have been converted into mass vaccination centers. Omicron is now the dominant coronavirus variant in London and efforts were stepped up to reach people who haven't yet been vaccinated or boosted.
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