What we know today, December 20 – virus latest at a glance
Omicron is multiplying rapidly, making COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots more crucial than ever, chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Sunday. Currently 27 per cent of US residents have not received even a single dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It is just, you know, raging through the world,” Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Britain’s health minister has declined to rule out the chance of further Covid-19 restrictions before Christmas, saying the spread of the Omicron variant is a very fast-moving situation. The nation has reported a surge in Omicron cases, which government advisers said could be just the tip of the iceberg. On Saturday, London’s mayor declared a “major incident” to help the city’s hospitals cope. “We are assessing the situation, it is very fast moving,” Health Minister Sajid Javid told BBC Television when asked whether he could rule out new restrictions before Christmas.
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Asian share markets have fallen and oil prices dropped as surging Omicron cases triggered tighter restrictions in Europe and threatened to drag on the global economy into the new year.
