COVID-19 Update

900,000 dead Americans by Monday

1,000,000 dead Americans by April or May

WaPo: (freebie)

WHO urges caution as countries begin to loosen restrictions

Countries should be cautious about lifting coronavirus restrictions, World Health Organization officials warned Tuesday, noting that many places have not yet reached the peak of the omicron surge.

Denmark relaxed all public health measures the same day, including mask-wearing and isolating after a positive test result. The country has had one of the highest infection rates in the past seven days, according to Our World in Data. But it also has a relatively high vaccination rate: 81 percent. Other countries lifting restrictions include Norway and Australia, once dubbed the “Hermit Kingdom,” where the pandemic strategy recently shifted from tough restrictions such as lockdowns and border closures to one of “personal responsibility.”

“We are urging caution because many countries have not gone through the peak of omicron yet,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical leader on covid-19, said in an online briefing. “Many countries have low levels of vaccination coverage, with very vulnerable individuals within their populations.” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern that omicron’s high transmissibility and lower severity might lead countries to decide that “preventing transmission is no longer possible, and no longer necessary,” adding: “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Here’s what to know

• A study of pandemic preparedness across 177 countries and territories found that better outcomes appear to have gone hand in hand with high levels of trust in government and other citizens.
• Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday that they were seeking emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 5.
• Tonga, once covid-free, has gone into national lockdown after reporting a handful of its first covid-19 cases. The archipelago nation is still recovering from a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.