Australia records first death from omicron strain COVID-19 when authorities loosen quarantine
On Monday, Australia announced the first confirmed death from the new version of COVID-19 “Omicron” amid another surge in daily infections, but authorities refrained from imposing new restrictions, saying hospitalization remained low.
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 27 , December , 2021 | International News
Details
“The death of an 80-year-old man with a serious illness marked a grim milestone for the country, which had to suspend some parts of the phased resumption of work after a nearly two-year hiatus due to a new outbreak,” the newspaper said.
Omicron, which health experts say is more contagious but less virulent than previous strains, began to spread in the country just as restrictions were lifted on most internal borders and Australians were allowed to return from – abroad without quarantine, which led to an increase in the number of cases to the highest level throughout the pandemic.
Authorities did not provide any further details about the death from the Omicron strain, except that the man picked up the virus at a nursing home and died at a Sydney hospital.
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“This is the first known death in New South Wales (NPU, state) associated with the dangerous version of Omicron,” NPU epidemiologist Christine Selvy said in a video released by the government.
The man was among six COVID-19 deaths recorded in Australia the day before, all in the most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria, home to more than half of the country’s 25 million people.
Let’s add
On Monday, 9,107 new cases were reported in the NPU, Victoria and Queensland, meaning the country is on track for another peak of new infections. Five other states and territories have not yet reported daily cases.
“Although we are seeing an increase in the number of cases … we do not see any consequences for our hospital system,” said Queensland Prime Minister Annastasia Palashchuk, who reported 784 new cases and four hospitalizations.
The Australian government has so far opposed the introduction of an isolation regime due to the growing number of cases, but has restored some restrictions. On Monday, the NPU reintroduced mandatory registration in public places using QR codes, and in many states returned the mandatory wearing of masks in closed public places.
Omicron strain
The discovery of the omicron strain in South Africa and Botswana was announced in late November by British scientists. On December 24, the WHO announced the discovery of a new strain in 110 countries, including Ukraine.
Source: Ukrgate
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