Israel is launching its fourth Covid vaccination campaign, with over 60 and healthcare workers the first to receive the additional shot. This move is aimed at stemming the rapid rising in infections caused by the Omicron variant. People who took the booster shot more than four months ago are eligible for the second booster of Pfizer jab, such as the elderly, frontline workers and those with compromised immune systems. Health authorities said that preliminary findings of a study found that a fourth dose boosted antibodies fivefold after a week.

A deluge of one million new Covid cases hit the United States last Monday 3rd of January, as reported by Johns Hopkins University. A large number of the new infections were driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Evidence suggests that Omicron is generally milder than Delta, less lethal, nevertheless the sheer volume of new cases follows an increase in hospitalisations, threatening the already overwhelmed health care system. Although this is an astronomical figure, experts say that this could be underestimated as many people test themselves at home and many of those results are not shared with the authorities. In a number of cases the tests are not accurate. But the main point here is that this new variant could be particularly harmful to children since paediatric admissions have reached record highs in recent days. The US government hasn’t inoculated children in force, as with other age groups, making them vulnerable to the disease.

Is there anything we can expect from 2022? From my view the answer is “nothing”. You cannot expect anything from 2022 simply because this new year doesn’t have the ability to bring you anything. It’s not possible. Let’s stop believing in this kind of things. The only one who can do something better, to bring something to you is “yourself”. Most of us usually don’t achieve our goals for two main reasons: overthinking and procrastination, which are led by fear. So when we believe that a new year, will bring us something better it seems we are relying on something or someone to reach our goals for us. Again, we are the only ones who can achieve our goals.

From the 10th of January, the United Arab Emirates will ban citizens who haven’t had three doses of an anti-Covid vaccine from travelling abroad. The UAE is the latest country to announce new curbs amid a rise in infections. More than 90% of the population are fully vaccinated against Covid there, with 34% boosted as of 24 of December, according to Our World in Data. Recent studies have shown that a booster shot offers better protection against the heavily mutated variant Omicron, which has been spreading rapidly round the world in the latest weeks. 

Due to a rapid increase in Covid cases fuelled by the Omicron variant, the French government has slashed isolation times for vaccinated people but increasing isolation for the unvaccinated from public venues. This move is aimed at easing the financial and social burden of the recent outbreak. For the fully vaccinated, the self-isolation times, if tested positive, will drop from 10 days to seven, and can be cut down to five with a negative test result. The French health minister said that unvaccinated people have to isolate themselves for ten days, with a possible exit after seven days under the same conditions.

Evidence indicates that the Omicron variant is more likely to infect the throat than the lungs, which is why scientists believe it appears to be more infectious but less deadly than other strains of the virus. Six different studies have found that this strain doesn’t damage people’s lungs as much as Delta. Apparently, the result of the mutations in Omicron may have altered its ability to affect other sorts of cells. In essence, it looks to be more able to infect the upper respiratory tract – cells in the throat. 

US health authorities have said teens and younger adults are fuelling the record numbers of daily coronavirus caseload, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The uptick in Covid in the under-50s coincides with a surge in cases amongst young children, increasing and troubling paediatric hospitalisations. In America, less than 25% of children are vaccinated. There has been an upsurge in hospitalisations in the United States - for all age groups it was of 19% nationwide.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, has said Americans should avoid cruises regardless of their vaccination status. This is due to concerns over Omicron spread. The CDC stated that the virus can quickly spread in the confined spaces of a ship, and that the likelihood of infections is high.

Even fully vaccinated passengers who have received a booster shot can spread the virus while onboard. The recommendation also includes testing between one and three days prior to the voyage, and three to five days after, irrespective of vaccination status. Equally important, is to self-isolate for a week for those unvaccinated.

Despite rising numbers in the UK, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid said, that further restrictions in England must be an “absolute last resort”. Javid added, the UK must look to live alongside coronavirus in 2022. According to the minister, the number of people in intensive care was not following the same trajectory as this time last year, but also warned that there would be an enormous increase in people needing NHS care in the next month.

A South African statement said that the Omicron variant, while high transmissible, had seen lower hospitalisation rates than previous waves. The African country has lifted overnight curfew rules, with officials saying that they may have passed the peak of the Covid’s fourth wave of infections. Regarding the number of deaths, there had been a marginal increase, the statement added.