Virus fear spreads as U.S. variant of Omigron dominates

BOSTON – The country’s second-largest city stopped celebrating New Year’s Eve on Monday, and its smaller state re-imposed an indoor mask when alternative Omegran became the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States.

Relocations in Los Angeles and Rhode Island reflected widespread fears of disastrous coronavirus riots in the winter. The main concern is Omigran, which is a federal the health Officials announced last week that there were 73% new infections, nearly six times as many in seven days.

Federal officials said the infection rate for Omegran is higher in some parts of the United States, causing 90% of new infections in New York, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.

This declaration underscores the remarkable potential for diversity in species across oceans and continents. It was first reported in South Africa within a month.

Scientists say Omegran is more easily transmitted than other coronavirus strains, including Delta, although many details are unknown, including whether it causes more or less serious disease. But even if it is light, the new variant can be more the health Because of the number of injuries.

New Year’s Eve party organizers planned to create a large park in downtown Los Angeles, broke plans for single attendees, and said the event would be broadcast live instead, as it did last year. Rhode Island has seen an increase in new infections among individuals over the past two weeks, with most indoor facilities requiring proof of masks or vaccinations for at least 30 days.

In Boston, the city’s new Democratic mayor announced to opponents that starting next month, anyone entering a restaurant, bar or other indoor business will be required to show a vaccination card. Community workers should also be vaccinated.

“There’s nothing better for Americans than coming together to make sure we take care of each other,” Mayor Michael Wu said at City Hall as protesters whistled and yelled “Wash on Woo.”

Erica Rosley, 44, of Providence, Rhode Island, says recent events have prompted her family to hit the brakes every day.

An elementary school teacher and her doctor husband took their two daughters from a swimming lesson this week, cut back their play dates and canceled doctor’s appointments even though the entire family was fully vaccinated.

“We’ve really shut things down for the past week. We’re back before the summer, before the vaccination. It’s almost square,” Rosley said.

In New York City, increased epidemics have already prevented Broadway shows and caused long queues at checkpoints. Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to decide this week whether the city’s famous New Year’s Eve party in Times Square will “come back in full force.” I promised that in November.

North of the border, the Canadian province of Quebec has imposed restaurant closures at 10 p.m., banned spectators from sporting events, closed gyms and schools, and forced remote work.

Across the Atlantic, the World Economic Forum announced Monday that it has postponed the annual meeting of world leaders, businessmen and other elites in Davos, Switzerland.

But in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the authorities decided on Monday not to impose further restrictions.

The Conservative government brought back masks in stores and earlier this month ordered that evidence of vaccinations be shown in nightclubs and other crowded places. It overburdens the curfew law and strict requirements for social exclusion.

“We need to seize the opportunity to take more measures to protect the public,” he said. Either way, the arguments are very well balanced.

Johnson’s warning is a complete relief from the uncomfortable decision that heads of government face: to disrupt plans to leave millions for the second year in a row, or face a barrage of lawsuits and harassment.

In the United States, President Joe Biden is set to speak about the latest change in the country on Tuesday, within a year of proposing that the country return to normal by Christmas.

White House spokeswoman Jane Zaki said the president would issue a “stern warning” and that those who had not been vaccinated would “continue to be hospitalized and die.”

The American vaccine manufacturer, Moderna, announced, Monday, that laboratory tests have recommended a booster dose that protects against infection with Omegran. In a similar test, Pfizer caused a significant improvement in the booster anti-Omigron antibody in its vaccine.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the country has an average of 130,500 new cases of Covid-19 per day, up from about 122,000 per day two weeks ago.

In Texas, a Houston-based hospital organization, Omegran has already reported that 82% of the new symptoms were due to COVID-19 cases, a significant increase since Friday, when tests showed it caused only 45% of the illnesses.

But in Missouri, the epicenter of the Delta uprising, the state Department of Health and Senior Services reports that this variant still contains 98% to 99% of COVID-19 samples.

Meanwhile, Ohio hospitals have postponed select surgeries while the governors of Maine and New Hampshire have sent National Guard reinforcements in recent days to aid the affected hospital staff.

In Kansas, rural hospitals are struggling to transport patients. Some stay in the emergency room for a week while waiting in bed. Hospitals as far away as Minnesota and Michigan are looking for beds in major Kansas hospitals. Often there is no space.

Dr. said. Richard Watson, founder of Motient, which has a contract with Kansas to manage transfers, on Friday.

However, many politicians are reluctant to take drastic measures against epidemics.

France is trying hard to avoid a new lockdown that would affect the economy and blanket President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election campaign. However, the Paris government has banned public concerts and fireworks during New Year’s celebrations.

Ireland has imposed an 8pm curfew on pubs and bars, limited participation in indoor and outdoor events, while 10,000 police officers will be on duty during the holidays to implement COVID-19 passport controls in Greece.

For the Russell family in Rhode Island, the news is troubling.

They travel after Christmas, but have decided to spend longer periods indoors with only a vaccination, which they might not have thought a few months ago.

“We’ve been here before and we know how to do it,” Rosley said. We will not hide in our house but at the same time we will not take undue risks.”

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Outlaw Report from London. Associated Press writer Colin Long in Washington; John Antsok of Los Angeles; Mark Broad from Boston. Juan Lozano in Houston; The Mission, Heather Hollingsworth in KS; Keith Riddler in Boise, Idaho; Rob Gillis in Toronto; Khair Molson in Berlin; Aritz Barra in Madrid; Barry Hatton in Lisbon and Derek Gadopoulos in Athens contributed to the story.

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Follow all the AP news about the infection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.