US warned of Omicron ‘blizzard’ in coming weeks: Live | Coronavirus pandemic News

December 31, 2021 admin

Seven-day average shows more than 290,000 new infections reported daily in the US as new variant threatens another surge.

United States health experts have urged Americans to prepare for severe disruptions in the coming weeks as the rising wave of COVID-19 cases led by the Omicron variant threatened hospitals, schools and other sectors impacting their daily lives.

“The next month is going to be a viral blizzard,” Dr Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told MSNBC news channel. “All of society is going to be pressured by this.”

The warning came as the US reached a record high in COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row based on the seven-day average, with more than 290,000 new infections reported each day, a Reuters news tally showed.

The state of Hawaii set an all-time record for new coronavirus cases on Thursday of nearly 3,500.

Here are the latest updates:

42 mins ago (01:45 GMT)

Health expert warns of increasing COVID pediatric hospitalisation in New York

?1 YEAR HIGH—Pediatric #COVID19 hospitalizations in New York are now at 1 year high. NY #Omicron ⬆️ was earliest— expecting many states will follow the same trajectory—behind by ~3 weeks. Parents need to send kids to school ? with premium KN95/KF94 masks & vax!

HT @DrWilliamKu pic.twitter.com/SWBfEr4Zek

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) December 30, 2021

4 hours ago (22:31 GMT)

Canada’s Quebec announces curfew

Canada’s second-most populous province has announced a nighttime curfew will be implemented as coronavirus infections continue to surge.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said the 10pm-5am EST curfew would begin on New Year’s Eve on Friday.

In addition, restaurants will no longer be allowed to offer in-person dining, most private gatherings will be prohibited, and all indoor sports activities will be suspended, among other measures.

“Our experts tell us that there’s a risk that we won’t be able to treat all those who need it in the coming weeks. I know we’re all tired, but it’s my responsibility to protect [us] from this,” Legault told reporters during a news conference.

4 hours ago (22:18 GMT)

New York’s Times Square show will go on, mayor says

New York City will ring in 2022 in Times Square as planned despite record numbers of COVID-19 infections in the city, the state and around the nation, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday.

“We want to show that we’re moving forward, and we want to show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this,” de Blasio, whose last day in office is on Friday, said on NBC’s “Today” show.

After banning revellers from Times Square a year ago due to the pandemic, city officials previously announced plans for a scaled-back New Year’s bash with smaller crowds and vaccinations required.

5 hours ago (21:49 GMT)

Premier League postpones 17th game this season

The Premier League has postponed an upcoming match between Leicester City and Norwich City – the 17th game of the season to be called off because of COVID-19.

The league said on Thursday that it accepted a request from the visiting team, Norwich, to postpone the match because the club did not have enough available players due to COVID-19 cases and injuries.

The game was set for January 1; the Premier League did not announce a new date for the fixture.

“The League is aware that the recent decisions to postpone matches will disappoint supporters, and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games,” the league said in a statement.

Following a request from Norwich, the Premier League Board met today and regrettably agreed to postpone the club’s away fixture against Leicester, due to be played at 3pm on 1 January

Full statement: https://t.co/CYwd42fCIl #LEINOR pic.twitter.com/BkTh9fyKoT

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 30, 2021