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By The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California wellness officials accidental the omicron variant is evident successful 50% to 70% of caller coronavirus cases successful parts of the astir populous authorities heading into the holidays, with the authorities nearing a full of 5 cardinal microorganism infections for the pandemic.
The U.S. recorded its archetypal confirmed omicron corruption conscionable 3 weeks agone successful a San Francisco nonmigratory who had precocious traveled to South Africa.
On Friday, the authorities had 4,990,016 confirmed coronavirus cases to day and much than 75,000 deaths from COVID-19, the illness that tin beryllium caused by the virus.
Case reporting is expected to lag due to the fact that of the holidays.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:
— Hospitals, constabulary departments conflict to enactment staffed arsenic omicron infects workforces
— Fear of corruption takes backmost spot to nutrient insecurity arsenic pandemic pummels African economies
— Coronavirus dampens Christmas joyousness successful biblical Bethlehem
Go to https://APNews.com/coronavirus-pandemic for updates passim the day.
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Health officials successful Missouri accidental the omicron variant of the coronavirus has dispersed crossed overmuch of Missouri, according to wastewater investigating data.
The variant has present been detected astatine debased levels successful 15 of the 63 trial locations, including successful St Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia, Branson, St. Joseph, Union, Clinton, Warrensburg and Fulton.
Jeff Wenzel astatine the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the information released Friday is based connected samples collected past week. He says that tests a week earlier detected the omicron variant successful conscionable St. Joseph and successful the Kansas City area.
Wenzel says that for now, though, the delta variant remains the ascendant strain successful Missouri.
Federal wellness officials said Monday that nationally, omicron accounts for 73% of caller infections.
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MADRID — Spain’s King Felipe VI has warned citizens to stay cautious arsenic the coronavirus tin inactive inflict wide damage. His yearly Christmas Eve code came amid a grounds fig of infections successful the state Friday.
Spanish wellness authorities person reported 3 days successful a enactment of record-breaking caseloads and person reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing successful unfastened spaces with fewer exceptions.
“We each person to bash everything imaginable not to instrumentality steps backwards successful this wellness situation that has caused truthful overmuch suffering,” Felipe said.
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ROME — Pope Francis has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass earlier an estimated 2,000 radical successful St. Peter’s Basilica, going up with the work contempt the resurgence successful COVID-19 cases that has prompted a caller vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.
A maskless Francis processed down the cardinal aisle of the basilica Friday arsenic the Sistine Chapel choir sang “Noel,” kicking disconnected the Vatican’s Christmas holiday.
For the 2nd time successful a row, Italy connected Friday acceptable a caller pandemic regular grounds with 50,599 caller cases. Another 141 radical died, bringing the authoritative decease toll to 136,386.
The Vatican caput of authorities connected Thursday imposed a caller vaccine mandate connected each Vatican staff, but those who person recovered from the coronavirus. The faithful attending Mass are required to deterioration masks.
Francis, who is missing portion of 1 lung and had intestinal country successful July, has mostly eschewed masks. He is believed to person received the 3rd booster shot.
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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has defended her effect to the coronavirus, insisting that the authorities acted aboriginal and did each it could against the omicron variant’s accelerated spread.
Hochul besides told a quality league Friday that the authorities is shortening the magnitude of clip indispensable workers indispensable enactment location aft investigating positive.
Fully vaccinated radical successful wellness attraction and different frontline fields tin instrumentality to enactment aft 5 days alternatively of 10 if they’re not showing symptoms oregon if their symptoms are resolving. They indispensable besides deterioration masks connected the job. Some Republican officials person called the disguise mandate an overreach.
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HARTFORD, Conn. — A spokesperson for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says a tiny fig of attendees astatine a caller vacation enactment hosted by the Democrat and his woman astatine their Greenwich location person tested affirmative for COVID-19.
Both Lamont and woman Annie person regularly tested antagonistic for the coronavirus since the Dec. 11 backstage event. Lamont spokesperson Max Reiss says guests were required to supply impervious of being afloat vaccinated and contiguous a antagonistic test.
Hearst Connecticut Media reported Thursday that Reiss says the mates get tested regularly and person tested antagonistic successful each lawsuit since the party. He did not accidental however galore guests were astatine the event.
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MIAMI — A COVID-19 outbreak has been recorded connected a South Florida-based cruise ship, arsenic the fig of coronavirus cases successful Florida has deed its second-highest level since the commencement of the pandemic.
An undisclosed fig of passengers and unit aboard the Carnival Freedom caught the microorganism and the vessel was denied introduction to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said successful a statement.
The vessel has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 unit members and was scheduled to instrumentality to Miami connected Sunday pursuing an 8-day cruise. Passengers were required to beryllium vaccinated and they were tested earlier leaving past Saturday, according to Carnival.
“Carnival Freedom is pursuing each protocols and has a tiny fig connected committee who are successful isolation owed to a affirmative COVID test,” the connection said. “Our protocols expect this anticipation and we instrumentality them arsenic necessary.”
It was the 3rd outbreak this week affecting cruise ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean departing Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports.
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ISTANBUL — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual person of the world’s Orthodox Christians, has tested affirmative for COVID-19 and is displaying mild symptoms.
The Istanbul-based Patriarchate said Friday that Bartholomew, who is 81 and precocious had bosom surgery, is afloat vaccinated. It added that “his wide information is good.”
The Patriarch has urged radical to get their shots and travel the recommendations of doctors.
Bartholomew was hospitalized overnight successful the United States successful precocious October and aboriginal had a stent installed to unfastened up a clogged coronary artery.
He is considered archetypal among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the powerfulness of a Catholic pope.
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NEW DELHI — India’s Health Ministry says an investigation of 183 omicron variant infections showed that 87 were successful afloat vaccinated radical and 3 progressive individuals who had booster doses.
India has confirmed a full of 358 cases of the omicron variant and 114 of the infected individuals already person recovered, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told reporters Friday.
He said Asian countries are seeing COVID-19 cases diminution overall, dissimilar successful North America and Europe.
India was overwhelmed by 2 monolithic outbreaks successful September 2020 and successful May of this year. It recorded much than 400,000 caller cases successful 24 hours astatine the highest of its 2nd surge successful May. In the past 2 weeks, the state has averaged astir 7,000 caller cases a day.
Bhushan said 61% of India’s over-18 colonisation has received 2 vaccine doses. Despite being location to immoderate of the world’s largest vaccine makers, India has relied mostly connected 2 jabs: the Astra Zeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech’s domestically developed vaccine.
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BERLIN — Germany’s wellness curate says the country’s proportionality of coronavirus infections with the caller omicron variant volition summation sharply successful the days ahead.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach acknowledged determination would beryllium delays successful section wellness offices reporting figures implicit the holidays, but helium appealed connected Twitter for radical to instrumentality steps to debar corruption during Christmas festivities.
According to the nationalist illness power center, Germany had 3,198 COVID-19 cases attributed to omicron arsenic of Wednesday, a 25% summation from the erstwhile day. The illness power halfway said Thursday that of those cases, 48 radical were hospitalized and 1 idiosyncratic had died.
So far, the delta variant remains the ascendant signifier of the coronavirus successful Germany.
Authorities are introducing caller interaction restrictions, portion astir regions are shutting nightclubs and putting different measures successful place. In astir cases, the curbs are acceptable to instrumentality effect conscionable aft Christmas, though a fewer volition spell into unit starting Friday.
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TOKYO — Japan has approved the COVID-19 pill developed by U.S. pharmaceutical institution Merck & Co. for usage opening adjacent week, the Japanese wellness curate said Friday.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that a ministry cause sheet authorized Merck’s molnupiravir nether a fast-track process and the cause volition beryllium shipped to hospitals and pharmacies opening adjacent week.
It’s 1 of 2 medications for treating COVID-19 that Japan has secured. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the state is procuring 1.6 cardinal doses from Merck.
Japan has besides arranged for a shipment of 2 cardinal doses of a COVID-19 pill made by Pfizer that hasn’t yet received support for usage successful the country.
Until recently, Japan mostly kept retired coronavirus infections involving the caller omicron variant by enforcing stringent borderline controls. The archetypal known locally transmitted cases were reported successful Osaka connected Wednesday.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The biblical municipality of Bethlehem is marking its 2nd consecutive Christmas Eve nether the shadiness of the coronavirus.
Small crowds and gray, gloomy upwind dampened celebrations connected Friday successful the accepted birthplace of Jesus. A prohibition connected astir each incoming aerial postulation by Israel — the main introduction constituent for overseas visitors heading to the occupied West Bank — kept planetary tourists distant for a 2nd consecutive year.
Instead, section authorities are counting connected the Holy Land’s tiny Christian assemblage to assistance spirits. It is simply a taxable seen astir the satellite arsenic revelers, weary from astir 2 years of lockdowns and information restrictions, hunt for ways to observe safely.
Before the pandemic, Bethlehem would big thousands of Christian pilgrims from astir the world, bringing a beardown dose of vacation tone to the municipality and a immense jolt to the section economy.
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PARIS — Protesters aggravated implicit microorganism and vaccine rules person occupied Guadeloupe’s determination legislature due to the fact that of stalled negotiations implicit their grievances astir absorption of the French Caribbean island.
Officials successful Guadeloupe and Paris denounced Thursday’s incursion arsenic unacceptable and a menace to the democratically elected Regional Council.
Officials posted images online that showed a Christmas histrion knocked implicit and a banner speechmaking “No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass.”
Vaccinations are mandatory for each French wellness workers and a “health pass” is required to participate galore venues. The measures person met the stiffest absorption successful Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations implicit inequality betwixt the islands and the French mainland.
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SYDNEY — Australia’s New South Wales authorities is reporting much than 5,000 caller coronavirus cases successful 24 hours for the 2nd consecutive time arsenic the authorities and national governments rotation retired measures meant to curb the dispersed of the virus.
The Federal wellness curate besides said experts person recommended the spread betwixt 2nd vaccine doses and boosters beryllium shortened from 5 months to 4 starting Jan. 4 and down to 3 opening Jan. 31.
State Premier Dominic Perrottet had resisted mandating mask-wearing indoors until Thursday’s grounds caseload led him to reconsider.
Testing centers person been swamped by radical seeking tests earlier traveling for household Christmas gatherings. People are present being advised to question tests lone if they are symptomatic oregon are adjacent contacts of existing cases.
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QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador is making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory.
The authorities said Thursday that lone Ecuadorians with a aesculapian information that could beryllium analyzable by vaccination volition beryllium exempt. Those radical indispensable supply documentation.
Officials accidental the bid comes due to the fact that of an summation successful coronavirus infections and the circulation of caller variants specified arsenic omicron.
Ecuador says it has capable vaccine to immunize the full population. As of Tuesday, astir 77% of Ecuador’s 17.3 cardinal radical had been vaccinated. About 33,600 radical successful Ecuador person died from COVID-19.
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SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile plans to connection a 4th dose of the coronavirus vaccine to its citizens.
President Sebastián Piñera said Thursday that the 4th dose is expected to commencement successful February.
Health Secretary Enrique París says the changeable volition beryllium antithetic than the 1 radical got previously.
Chile has reported astir 86% of its colonisation afloat vaccinated. It has the highest level of immunization against the coronavirus successful Latin America, and among the champion levels successful the world, according to online probe website Our World successful Data.
Piñera says 10,2 cardinal retired of Chile’s 19 cardinal radical person received a 3rd dose.
Chile has recorded astir 39,000 COVID-19 deaths.
English (US) ·