France on Wednesday recorded 208,000 new Covid cases, a record addition to the Covid-19 case tally of the country, news agency AFP reported. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says the number of COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide increased by 11% last week compared with the previous week, with the biggest increase in the US. The gradual increase in Covid-19 cases was observed after October.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Wednesday defended a government plan to allow only the fully vaccinated to enjoy continued access to places such as restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums, and sports arenas. The pass will also be required on long-distance trains and domestic flights.
The WHO has also said that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 poses a "very high" risk and could yet overwhelm healthcare systems. The U.N. health agency said in its weekly epidemiological report released late Tuesday that there were nearly 4.99 million newly reported cases around the world from Dec. 20-26.
Europe's Covid cases significantly spike
France's record daily cases come, as Europe accounts for more than half the total, with 2.84 million cases, though that amounted to only a 3% increase over the previous week. Europe also had the highest infection rate of any region, with 304.6 new cases per 100,000 residents, news agency AP reported.
WHO said that new cases in the Americas were up 39% to nearly 1.48 million, and the region had the second-highest infection rate with 144.4 new cases per 100,000 residents. The U.S. alone saw more than 1.18 million cases, a 34% increase.
Risk related to Omicron remains "very high"
WHO has said that “the overall risk related to the new variant … omicron remains very high.” It cited “consistent evidence” that it has a growth advantage over the delta variant, which remains dominant in parts of the world. It noted that a decline in case incidence has been seen in South Africa, and that early data from that country, the U.K. and Denmark suggest a reduced risk of hospitalization with omicron. But it said that more data is needed “to understand the clinical markers of severity including the use of oxygen, mechanical ventilation and death, and how severity may be impacted by vaccination and/or prior … infection.”
Reported new cases in Africa were up 7% to nearly 275,000.
(With Agency inputs)
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