Covid information stay: boosters not viable technique in opposition to new variants, WHO warns; Quebec to impose ‘well being tax’ on unvaccinated

Hey it’s Samantha Lock again with you on the weblog, able to take you thru all of the Covid information this Wednesday.

Let’s dive proper in with the information that World Well being Group consultants have warned that repeating booster doses of the unique Covid vaccines shouldn’t be a viable technique in opposition to rising variants.

“A vaccination technique primarily based on repeated booster doses of the unique vaccine composition is unlikely to be acceptable or sustainable,” the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) mentioned.

The group mentioned there may very well be a have to replace the prevailing vaccines to raised goal rising Covid variants similar to Omicron. In keeping with the WHO, 331 candidate vaccines are at the moment being labored on all over the world.

Over in Quebec, Canada’s second-most populous province, has introduced plans to impose a ‘health tax’ on residents who refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccination for non-medical causes.

Premier François Legault introduced the brand new “contribution” for the unvaccinated on Tuesday, including that it’ll apply “within the subsequent few weeks”.

“A well being contribution will probably be charged to all adults that don’t wish to get vaccinated,” he mentioned. “Those that refuse to get the shot deliver a monetary burden to hospital workers and Quebecers. The ten% of the inhabitants can’t burden the 90%.”

Right here’s a fast abstract of all the newest developments:

• Individuals in NSW, Australia are to report all constructive speedy antigen check (RAT) or face a $1,000 high-quality.
• German police have drawn criticism for utilizing an app to hint Covid contacts from bars and eating places.
• Bolivia’s vice chairman and 6 cupboard ministers are in isolation after testing constructive for the coronavirus, the federal government mentioned Tuesday.
• UK former well being secretary Matt Hancock assessments constructive for Covid after contracting the virus for a second time.
• About three-quarters of academics in France plan to strike on Thursday to protest in opposition to the federal government’s shifting guidelines on Covid forcing the closure of half the nation’s major colleges, a union has warned.
• France’s well being ministry is predicted to announce a document of greater than 350,000 new Covid infections over a 24-hour interval, in response to the well being minister, Olivier Véran.
• Novak Djokovic’s defence of his Australian Open title stays doubtful after stories that he may need given deceptive info to Australian immigration officers. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke remains to be contemplating whether or not to cancel Djokovic’s visa.
• Sweden introduced a document 70,641 new Covid instances since Friday. It additionally mentioned there have been a 54 new deaths from Covid.
• The US recorded a document variety of hospitalisations as a result of Covid-19, because the every day an infection price soared to greater than 1.35m. There have been 145,982 individuals hospitalised with coronavirus on Monday, in response to the US Division of Well being and Human Companies.
• Greater than half of individuals in Europe might contract the Omicron within the subsequent two months if infections proceed at present charges, the World Well being Group has warned.
• The WHO additionally warned that it’s too too quickly to deal with Omicron as a flu-like endemic sickness. Senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, mentioned: “We nonetheless have an enormous quantity of uncertainty and a virus that’s evolving fairly rapidly, imposing new challenges. We’re definitely not on the level the place we’re in a position to name it endemic.
• The central Chinese language metropolis of Anyang has ordered 5 million individuals to start residence confinement in a brand new lockdown to curb the unfold of Omicron variant.