In the face of Omicron, Biden calls for "no panic" and Europe tightens restrictions

US President Joe Biden affirmed his country's readiness to confront the new mutated Omicron, calling on citizens "not to panic", at a time 

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden affirmed his country's readiness to confront the new mutated Omicron, calling on citizens to "not panic", at a time when Europe decided to tighten restrictions to contain the virus.

The United States is counting on increasing testing and speeding up vaccination.

Biden says that the situation is worrying because of the spread of Omicron, but he stresses "not to panic," stressing that the conditions are currently different from what they were in March 2020.

He added, "200 million people have received their full vaccinations. We are ready, more informed. We just have to stay focused."

The US president pointed to the current "three major differences" compared to the beginning of the pandemic: the availability of vaccines, the abundance of personal protective equipment for caregivers who have to deal with the influx of unvaccinated people into hospitals, as well as the accumulated knowledge about this virus.

Despite this, 4 Biden was careful to warn those who did not receive their full vaccination, saying that they have "good cause for concern", stressing that vaccination is their "national duty."

The White House had earlier clarified the US President's strategy on the virus, which is to conduct tests, enhance vaccination capabilities, and provide additional facilities for hospitals, without new restrictions before Christmas.

A senior White House official also stressed that "it is not necessary to close our schools and our economy."

The US authorities will provide 500 million examinations for free, and will mobilize 1,000 doctors and nurses, as well as members of the military's medical staff.

The United States will also provide more than half a billion dollars in additional assistance to international organizations to counter the Omicron outbreak.

Fourth dose of vaccine

For his part, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that a fourth dose of the vaccine will be available to residents over the age of 60 and to medical staff, based on the recommendation of an expert committee.

This comes at a time when the occupation authorities are struggling to contain the spread of Omicron, and have imposed travel restrictions without going so far as to impose a closure.

"I have given the order to immediately prepare for the fourth vaccine," Bennett wrote on Twitter, adding: "The world will follow in our footsteps."

Restrictions in Germany

In Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that against Omicron, Germany will limit contact even between people who have been vaccinated, by limiting the number of guests in New Year's celebrations to ten.

"It is no longer time for celebrations and evenings with many guests," he said after a meeting with leaders of the 16 counties, stressing that "the fifth wave is at the door."

Clubs and discos will also close all over the country.

From December 28, with the exception of children under the age of 14, vaccinated persons or those who have contracted the virus and recovered from it, will not be allowed to receive more than 10 guests in their homes, provided that they are all vaccinated. As for the unvaccinated, they can host a maximum of two people only from one family.

Unlike neighboring Holland, Germany does not plan to close shops, cinemas or restaurants, as it considers that it is sufficient to only allow vaccinated or formerly infected people to enter.

In France, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced, on Tuesday, that a third of the cases of Covid-19 recorded in Paris are the mutant Omicron.

At the same time, Spain recorded, on Tuesday, a record number of Covid-19 infections nationwide, reaching nearly 50,000 within 24 hours, at a time when the mutant Omicron represents nearly half of the new cases, according to the Ministry of Health.

The previous record was about 40,000 injuries within 24 hours, and it was recorded in mid-January in Spain, the country most affected by the first wave of the Corona pandemic.

2022 is the year of eradicating the pandemic?

In London, the mayor of the British capital, Sadiq Khan, announced on Monday evening the cancellation of the celebrations that were scheduled in the capital on the occasion of the New Year.

And Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Tuesday that traditional New Year's celebrations, which usually last three days, were cancelled, due to the Omicron outbreak.

Morocco also imposed a curfew on New Year's Eve, between midnight and six in the morning.

Amid these developments, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "If we want to end the pandemic next year, we must end inequality (in vaccines), by ensuring that 70 percent of the population in every country is vaccinated by the middle of next year."

He added, "Next year, the World Health Organization is committed to doing everything in its power to eradicate the pandemic."

The organization, through its regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, urged European governments to prepare for a significant increase in cases of the Omicron mutant of the Corona virus, in a press conference held on Tuesday in Vienna.

"We can see another storm coming," Kluge said. "In a matter of weeks, Omicron will dominate more countries in the region, pushing already stressed health systems to the brink."

He declared that "Omicron was detected in at least 38 of the 53 members of the World Health Organization in the European Region."

He stressed that "the mutated mutator has become prevalent in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Portugal", and that "in the past week, 27 thousand people died of the Corona virus in the region, and an additional 2.6 million infections were recorded."

"Although these cases include all mutant, not just omicrons, this number is 40% higher than it was during the same period last year," Kluge noted.

He also explained that "the mutated mutator is most prevalent among the region's youth in their twenties and thirties."

As of Wednesday dawn, the toll of Corona injuries around the world reached 276 million and 553 thousand and 270, including 5 million and 384 thousand and 418 deaths, and 247 million and 998 thousand and 37 cases of recovery, according to the “Worldometers” website for statistics.