The Overseas Situation Report Friday 7 January 2022
by Mike Evans
“A pandemic will lead to permanent economic, social and cultural changes. The key is to create good from a bad situation.”
– Wayne Gerard Trotman, author
With new cases surging across the world with the Omicron variant this report is looking at the latest information coming out on what is happening around the world.
This week, The United States reported nearly 1 million new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous US peak set a week ago as the spread of the Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in the past week and now exceeds 100,000, according to data collected by Reuters, marking the first time that threshold has been reached in a year.
The latest surge, which forced waves of cancellations – from commercial airlines flights to Broadway shows – in recent weeks, was disrupting plans for public schools to welcome students back from winter vacation.
The 978,856 new infections documented on Monday included some cases tallied on Saturday and Sunday, when many states do not report.
The new variant was estimated to account for 95.4% of cases identified in the United States as of 1 January, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure the public that the federal government is prepared to address the growing COVID-19 health crisis amid a staggering increase in infections driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Addressing the country before a meeting with the White House COVID-19 response team, Biden once again exhorted Americans to get vaccinated and boosted and to wear masks in public to avoid spreading and catching the coronavirus. “We have the tools to protect people from severe illness due to omicron – if people choose to use the tools,’’ Biden said. “There’s a lot of reason to be hopeful in (2022), but for God’s sake, please take advantage of what’s available.’’
Biden pointed out the U.S. has enough vaccines and booster shots for everybody in the nation, but 35 million adults have yet to get the shots. He also emphasized the importance of keeping schools open and said the government has doubled its purchasing order of a COVID treatment pill from Pfizer from 10 million to 20 million.
To help combat this, The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the company and the White House said on Tuesday, providing the government a total of 20 million courses as it fights a record surge in COVID-19 cases.
The White House now expects some 4 million treatment courses of the pills to be available by the end of January and 10 million by June, three months sooner than previously planned, according to an administration official. “These pills will be delivered in the coming months and have been shown to dramatically decrease hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” the White House said.
Vaccinations, however, remain the strongest line of defense against the virus, even with omicron’s increased ability to cause breakthrough infections. “You can still get COVID, but it’s highly unlikely that you’ll become seriously ill,’’ Biden said. “If you’re vaccinated and boosted, you are highly protected. Be concerned about omicron, but don’t be alarmed. And if you’re unvaccinated, you have some reasons to be alarmed. You’ll experience severe illness in many cases.’’ The U.S. has recorded more than 57 million confirmed COVID-19 cases – or one for every six people in the country – and more than 829,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Over in Europe the surge has seen previously low numbers in some countries leap to record levels.
France announced a staggering 332,252 daily virus cases Wednesday, smashing a string of recent records, as hospitals prepared drastic measures to brace for patient surges and the government strained to avoid a new lockdown.
With Europe’s highest-ever single-day confirmed infection count, France is facing an omicron-driven surge that is dominating the race for April’s presidential election and increasingly disrupting workplaces, schools, and public life.
But the country also has one of the world’s most-vaccinated populations, so the government is hoping the sweeping infections won’t hit hospitals as badly as at the start of the pandemic and is pushing the small minority of unvaccinated people to get inoculated fast.
France’s weekly average of virus cases has doubled in the past 10 days, with more than 1,800 people out of 100,000 testing positive over the past week, according to the government health agency.
The number of virus patients in hospitals has been on an upward trajectory for two months, and more than 72% of French ICU beds are now occupied by people with COVID-19.
The surge has prompted authorities to allow health care workers who are infected with the coronavirus to keep treating patients rather than self-isolate, to ease staff shortages at medical facilities.
Meanwhile parliament is debating a bill that would deny unvaccinated people access to restaurants, regional trains and planes and many other public places. Health officials say it’s needed to save lives and protect hospitals. French President Emmanuel Macron heightened tensions with an explosive remark that prompted widespread criticism and was seen as a campaign ploy.
in the UK, data from the Office for National Statistics shows infection rates continuing to rise.
In the week up to December 31, one in 15 people in England were positive to COVID-19, up from one in 25 the week before.
In Wales and Scotland, one in 20 people had the virus, while in London, one in 10 people were positive during the week-long reporting period.
Italy on Wednesday made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people from the age of 50, one of very few European countries to take similar steps, to ease pressure on its health service and reduce fatalities.
The measure is immediately effective and will run until June 15.
Italy has registered more than 138,000 coronavirus deaths since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government had already made vaccination mandatory for teachers and health workers, and since October last year all employees have had to be vaccinated or show a negative test before entering the workplace.
Refusal results in suspension from work without pay, but not dismissal.
Wednesday’s decree toughens this up for workers over the age of 50 by removing the option of taking a test rather than vaccination. It was not immediately clear what the sanction would be for those flouting the rule, effective from Feb 15.
The decree was approved after a two-and-a-half-hour cabinet meeting which saw frictions within Draghi’s multi-party coalition.
“Today’s measures aim to keep our hospitals functioning well and at the same time keep open schools and business activities,” Draghi told the cabinet, according to his spokesperson. It has seen an average of more than 150 deaths per day over the last two weeks, with 231 fatalities on Wednesday and 259 on Tuesday. The tally of 189,109 new infections on Wednesday was its highest since the start of the pandemic.
Elsewhere in Europe, Austria has announced plans to make vaccination mandatory for those over 14 years old from next month, while in Greece it will be compulsory for over-60s from Jan 16. Austria’s conservative-led government on Thursday gave details of its plan to make coronavirus vaccines compulsory, saying it will apply to people 14 and over and holdouts face fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,071) every three months.
Schools across Greece will reopen on Jan. 10 as planned under strict health protocols, the government said on Tuesday, as the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country hit a record high.
The National Public Health Organization (EODY) confirmed 50,126 infections within 24 hours. The previous record was registered on New Year’s Eve (40,560 cases), while a week ago there were fewer than 10,000 cases per day.
Greek officials said that the returning students and teachers will be required to take more COVID-19 tests regardless of their vaccination status.
More than 70 percent of the new cases in Greece. Greece’s daily COVID-19 cases hit a new record. Its five big regions are linked to the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, EODY’s President Theoklis Zaoutis told a press briefing on Monday.
The Omicron variant surge is expected to peak quickly and then decline by February, Gkikas Magiorkinis, a professor of epidemiology and a member of the committee of experts advising the Greek Health Ministry on the management of the COVID-19 crisis, told the Greek national news agency AMNA.
To end this report, new coronavirus cases in the Netherlands jumped to a record high of around 24,500 on Wednesday as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has become dominant in the country, official data showed infections were up almost 60% from last week despite a strict lockdown that has closed all but essential stores as well as restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums, and other public places since Dec 19. The previous record of just under 24,000 cases in 24 hours was set during the wave of infections caused by the Delta variant of the virus that swamped hospitals throughout the country in late November.
The lockdown has driven down the number of COVID-19 patients in Dutch hospitals to their lowest levels in two months, but experts expect admissions to increase again soon due to the rapid rise in infections.
Despite the looming wave of new cases, the Dutch government on Monday decided that primary and secondary schools can reopen as planned after the Christmas break on Jan 10. More than 85% of Dutch adults are vaccinated but the country’s booster campaign has been slow to ramp up. As of Wednesday 32%, of adults have had a booster, according to government data.
Until the next time, Stay Safe.
Total Cases Worldwide – 298,475,078
Total Deaths Worldwide – 5,484,453
Total Recovered Worldwide – 256,960,969
Total Active Cases Worldwide 36,029,656 (12% of the total cases)
Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 262,445,422
Information and Resources:
https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/
As for Covid-19 rapid antigen tests, a total of 854,829 tests had been carried out by December 12th, 780,618 of which as part of mass testing campaigns. 
If a rapid antigen test or a RT-PCR test comes back positive, the infected patient must isolate immediately, regardless of his/her vaccination status. Isolation must be last for 5 days if the patient does not show symptoms or if the symptoms only last up to 5 days. However, a face mask, with the minimum filtration of a surgical face mask, must be worn (it must fit tightly). If symptoms remain, isolation must continue symptoms disappear.
During the maintenance period, all journeys to Porto Santo will take place through a Binter flight. There will be 50 seats available everyday. These tickets will only be available for Porto Santo residents. They may be purchased at the Funchal store (at Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, number 20) and at the Porto Santo store (at Rua D. Estevão de Alencastre, store 6-7).
Good morning – First a Happy and Safe New Year to you and our first weekly report of the New Year. Public health specialists and politicians will meet again at 10.00 hrs this Wednesday to assess the evolution of the covid-19 pandemic, at a time when Portugal registers a significant increase in infections due to the greater transmission capacity of the Omicron variant. Experts will make various presentations and we will as usual publish these as the meeting progresses. We recommend everyone follows this, as it does provide an up to date and comprehensive factual overview from the experts themselves. Keep informed through Informed!
How can you make sure that the new toys you want to buy for your children will bring them joy without being hazardous? In case you missed the article and the advice provided can be downloaded here: 
According to data from the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS), more than 100,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 are scheduled to receive the vaccine against covid-19 between Thursday and Sunday.
“With the increased circulation of the flu virus and the continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2, co-infections may be detected,” said Raquel Guiomar, responsible for the national reference laboratory for flu and other respiratory viruses from the INSA Department of Infectious Diseases.
In an interview with CNN Portugal on Monday night, Lacerda Sales said this vaccination booster takes place on the same days as children’s vaccination scheduled for the morning, and professionals only need to resort to digital passwords and show a document that prove your job.
Infarmed warned of the identification in Germany of a counterfeit pulse oximeter Fingertip Pulse Oximeter, recommending distributors in Portugal not to purchase or use.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) is already investigating the computer attack on the websites of the newspaper Expresso and SIC, as confirmed by PÚBLICO.
On the island of São Miguel, 114 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, 35 in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, 22 in the municipality of Lagoa, 22 in the municipality of Povoação, 21 in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo and seven in the municipality of Nordeste.
According to the price index of the idealista portal, at the end of December 2021, renting a house in the region had a cost of 9.8 euros per square meter (m2). In relation to the quarterly variation, leasing increased by 1.6 percent.
The course, promoted by the Association of Salvadoran Swimmers of Albufeira (ANSA), comprises 31 sessions in a total of 150 hours, from Monday to Saturday (minimum daily load 5 hours). The final exam “will be carried out during working hours”, on a date to be determined by the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos.
A very happy new year to all our followers both on our Facebook page and on our website. We hope, despite the ongoing pandemic, that you were all able to enjoy the festivities with family and friends wherever you may be living.
Finally, in Africa, where many have suggested the new variant first appeared, the increase in new cases was just 2% over the previous week with a total of 304.346 new cases. The interesting statistic from Africa is that new cases in South Africa dropped by 48% in the past week. Across the world we are also seeing a drop in deaths with a 7% drop worldwide in the past week compared to the previous 7 days.
Other notable increases in new cases are Greece with a massive hike in cases in the past week with 170,029 compared to 39594 the previous week, Portugal saw a 148% increase in cases in the past week compared to the previous 7 days with 136,883 new cases. Whilst deaths in Portugal remain relatively low there is evidence to suggest that more people are dying from Covid now than they were previously. In the past week there has been a 6% increase in deaths compared to the previous week. Whether this is due to the cold spell or the fact that the elderly are also prone to other infections like pneumonia could also be a factor.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Health Minister John Haggie said he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was isolating with cold-like symptoms. The province’s surge in cases will affect health-care services in St. John’s. Eastern Health says non-urgent services will be temporarily scaled back as of Tuesday to allow for a greater focus on booster vaccine clinics and testing for COVID-19. The health authority says it plans to focus on urgent or emergent acute care services within the city. However, prenatal appointments will continue, as will those for cancer treatment. The medical imaging program will be performing exams on a priority basis, and those patients will be contacted only if their appointment has been cancelled, Eastern Health said in a statement issued Friday. All non-urgent appointments have been cancelled, it said.
Also on the same day, there were 44,700 travellers under monitoring by the health authorities. Monitoring is being carried out through the ‘MadeiraSafe’ app. There were also 389
When visiting family and friends (especially those who may be vulnerable) who do not live with you, we ask urge people to follow DGS advice by taking a Covid-19 test, can be a self-test. This will help in reducing the risk of passing on the disease should you be infected.
The data indicate that the Ómicron variant is dominant in Portugal (more than 50% of cases) and that, according to the INSA, this “sudden increase in community circulation is parallel to the scenario observed in other countries, such as Denmark and the United Kingdom”.
As of December 27, 2021 nearly 8.7 million people have been vaccinated and more than 2.5 million have received the booster dose.
“However, and with a view to ensuring the need for passenger testing, and a further increase in demand being expected next weekend, Synlab’s laboratory at Lisbon Airport will be exclusive to ticket holders, between the 30th. December and January 2nd”, guaranteed the company.
According to the same data, the number of requests for testing to covid-19 issued by the SNS24 Line on Sunday surpassed the previous record of January 21st of this year (16,672).
The Infarmed authorized the company Crioestaminal to develop an experimental therapy to umbilical cord cells as the basis for the treatment of severe cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2, advanced Tuesday the Public newspaper.
TAP cancelled “some flights” due to “peak casualties” as a result of covid-19, not revealing how many. In response to a request for information from the DN, the company’s advisory reports: “TAP has been adjusting the operation to face a peak in crew casualties (mostly due to covid), which has already led to the cancellation of some flights, with passengers being accommodated on other flights of the company or partner companies”.
In Terceira, 16 new positive cases were registered, five in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and 11 in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
Clélio Meneses has said that the vaccination process on the island of São Miguel “will go principally to Portas do Mar”, where the Pavilhão do Mar is located, as of January 10th, both for vaccination by scheduling as for the “open house”, this does not require prior appointments.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the traditional New Year’s party in Albufeira, at Praia dos Pescadores, was cancelled, however, the Municipality will not fail to mark the entry in 2022.
Hotels in the Algarve are receiving last-minute cancellations due to the entry into force of new restrictions to combat the covid-19 pandemic and the worsening epidemiological situation.
For the municipality, the initiative created a few years ago, with the aim of contributing to a “more comfortable and happier” Christmas, is of greater importance at a time when the pandemic has increased the number of vulnerable families economic.