Winter is coming and it’s not so pleasant. US president Joe Biden issues warning for unvaccinated as Omicron cases rise. He calls it, ‘Winter of Death’. The brutal utterances came as Britain saw more than 88,000 COVID-19 infections. A second straight daily record, spurring France to impose “dramatic” new travel restrictions to the UK.
Scientists are skeptical of how hazardous the highly mutated Omicron variant is. But preliminary information implies it may be more resistant to vaccines and more transmissible than the Delta variant. The World Health Organization reported earlier this week that the strain has been reported in 77 countries and has “likely” spread undetected to the majority of countries at a faster rate than any previous variant of the virus.
The tools that we have, we know are working
Countries around the world have begun to advise against international travel. While tightening domestic restrictions and increasing vaccination efforts to combat Omicron. The G7 declared the variant the “biggest current threat to global public health” on Thursday. Saying its emergence made it “more important than ever” for countries to work closely together and share data. Biden’s winter warning comes as he urges Americans to take the vaccination. Especially to those who have already received two doses to get boosters, and vaccine skeptics to get the vaccination.
“The only actual safety is to get your vaccination,” Joe Biden says. “The tools that we have, we know are working,” deputy White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says. Adding: “We’re just going to continue pushing forward to get Americans vaccinated and boosted.” The White House stated that the administration did not intend to impose specific restrictions. But would instead focus on vaccination. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States, the worst-affected country in the world is currently averaging 1,150 COVID-19 deaths per day. In the first two weeks of December, the average daily cases of infection increased by 35% in the United States.
