After being asked whether she would encourage businesses to shut down to stop the spread of the variant, Hochul told MSNBC on Friday that the data shows Omicron “spreads quickly” but is “not as dangerous.” “So while primarily my number one goal is to protect the health of all New …
Read More »Ivy League campus shuts down over suspected Omicron cases
Cornell President Martha E. Pollack said on Tuesday the school is moving to “alert level red” after their “surveillance” testing found “rapid spread” of Covid-19 among students. The school said it suspects that “a significant number” of detected infections have been caused by the Omicron variant, noting that the assumption …
Read More »13 Omicron cases confirmed in Netherlands
All the cases have been found in passengers that came to the Netherlands on flights from South Africa earlier this week, the Dutch National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a statement, adding that the investigation has not been completed yet and “the new variant may be found in more …
Read More »Germany confirms two cases of Omicron
Bavaria’s health ministry announced late on Saturday that the new strain had been detected in Germany. Two travelers who arrived at Munich airport on Wednesday tested positive for Omicron and are now self-isolating. The ministry did not specify the country from which their flight had originated. Italy said on Saturday …
Read More »UK detects first 2 cases of Covid strain it called ‘worst ever’
Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced on Saturday that the two cases had been discovered on Friday – one in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham. The cases were “linked”, he said, adding that both patients were currently isolating at home. “This pandemic is far from over,” Javid said. “If there’s one …
Read More »First cases of ‘worst-ever’ Covid-19 variant reported in Europe
“We are currently analyzing two suspicious samples,” Marc Van Ranst, a leading virologist whose laboratory works closely with Belgium’s public health body Sciensano, said on Twitter. The virologist elaborated on his remark to Reuters, explaining the samples were described as “suspicious” since they were not the Delta variant, which has …
Read More »Netherlands re-introduces facemasks & other restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge
The new tightening of anti-Covid measures was announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte late on Tuesday. Rutte urged all citizens, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to stick to basic hygiene rules and to self-isolate if they are feeling unwell. “Our own behavior is crucial, a very large part of our coronavirus policy …
Read More »Rape, murder, and ‘restoring virginity’: Honour-based abuse cases soar in Britain, reports say
The number of honour-based abuse cases rose from 884 in 2016 to 1,599 last year, according to data from 28 constabularies retrieved by the Guardian via Freedom of Information requests and compiled in a report on Sunday. Honour-based abuse (HBA) describes “a collection of practices used to control behaviour within …
Read More »New Zealand reports highest daily number of Covid-19 cases despite ramping up vaccination effort
The nation’s remaining hopes of achieving ‘zero Covid’ have shown no signs of coming any closer to reality, as Tuesday saw 94 new coronavirus infections. The latest figure announced by New Zealand health officials is an all-time record after a previous high of 89 cases in a single day, which …
Read More »‘Havana syndrome’ cases reported at US embassy in Colombia ahead of Blinken visit
At least five US families have come down with symptoms of the mysterious condition, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, based on “people familiar with the matter” in Bogota. The State Department declined to comment, citing privacy concerns. The ‘Havana Syndrome’ was named after the first cases of it …
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