China and various European countries have reintroduced restrictions to stem new COVID-19 infections, as the United States halved the isolation period for asymptomatic cases.
The World Health Organization has warned the Omicron coronavirus variant could overwhelm healthcare systems despite early studies suggesting it causes milder disease, as China and Germany on Tuesday reintroduced tough restrictions to stem new infections.
Contact restrictions were in place in Germany for the second year in a row heading into the New Year, as Europe's biggest economy shuttered nightclubs and forced sports competitions behind closed doors. This lockdown is the most sweeping in China since the similar-sized city of Wuhan was cut off from the world in the early days of the pandemic.The highly transmissible Omicron variant has propelled the surges in many countries, with the Netherlands and Switzerland both saying Tuesday that it has become the dominant strain in their countries.
Despite the studies, Omicron's rapid growth "will still result in large numbers of hospitalisations, particularly amongst unvaccinated groups, and cause widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services", warned WHO Europe's COVID Incident Manager Catherine Smallwood. In Germany, private gatherings are now limited to 10 vaccinated people - or two households where any unvaccinated people are present - and nightclubs have been closed. All sports competitions will now be held behind closed doors.
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