Coronavirus: What’s Happening in Canada and Around the World Thursday

The United Nations health agency, after a meeting of its expert group on vaccination, reiterated its advice to governments against the widespread use of boosters in their populations so that well-supplied countries can instead send doses to low-income countries that largely do not have access to them.

“What will stop the disease is that all those who are particularly at risk of contracting the disease get vaccinated,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, head of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologics of the WHO. “We seem to be looking away from this bullet in countries.”

The months of COVID-19 vaccine shortages have started to ease over the past two months or so, and doses are finally reaching the countries most in need – such as through donations and the UN-backed COVAX program – and WHO wants this to continue. He has long denounced the “inequity of vaccines” by which most doses have gone to people in rich countries, whose leaders have blocked large stocks as a precaution.

“As we move towards whatever the omicron situation is, there is a risk that the global supply will again flow back to high-income countries hoarding vaccines to protect – in a sense, in excess – their possibility of. vaccination, and a kind of ‘no regrets’ approach, ”O’Brien said.

“It won’t work. It won’t work from an epidemiological standpoint, and it won’t work from a transmission standpoint unless we actually have a vaccine in all countries, because where transmission continues. , that’s where the variants are going to come from. “

It is the governments of countries, not individuals, who make decisions that can influence the equitable distribution of vaccines in other countries.– Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO

Some wealthy governments want to do everything they can to bring their populations as close as possible to full vaccination. Many questions remain about the severity, transmissibility and vaccine resistance of the new omicron variant, which emerged last month in southern Africa and has shown the first signs of faster spreading than the widespread and deadly delta variant in South Africa. origin of the pandemic.

O’Brien advocated a “rational, global perspective” on “what will actually stop this pandemic”.

“We have the tools at our fingertips, we have the choices we can make, and the next few days and weeks are really going to determine which direction the world decides it’s going to go, on omicron,” she said. .

Nonetheless, the WHO says that individuals in wealthy countries should follow their governments’ policies, some of which urge people to get boosters, which are extra doses aimed at boosting immunity from previous injections that wane with increasing frequency. time.

“An individual in one country, their dose will not be shipped to another country because they don’t take the dose,” O’Brien said. “It is the governments of countries, not individuals, who make decisions that could influence the equitable distribution of vaccines in other countries.”

-From The Associated Press, last updated 7:50 am ET

What’s happening across Canada

WATCH | What do we know about the omicron? Infectious disease specialists Dr. Susy Hota and Dr. Lisa Barrett on the new variant and what it could mean for Canadians:

COVID-19: When could omicron become dominant in Canada?

Andrew Chang speaks with infectious disease specialists Drs Susy Hota and Lisa Barrett to find out when the omicron variant might become dominant in Canada, if it looks milder than delta, and if people should change their vacation plans. 6:56

What is happening in the world

WATCH | UK Prime Minister steps up restrictions as government faces massive cutback in gatherings suspected to be against the rules:

Boris Johnson charged with double standard after video shows staff joking about alleged holiday party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is accused of adopting a double standard after a video leaked showing staff members joking about an alleged holiday party last December, when the country was under lockdown. 2:17

As of Thursday morning, more than 267.9 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker. The death toll worldwide stood at over 5.2 million.

In Europe, the UK government confirmed on Thursday that an investigation into an alleged Christmas party violating the lockdown at the offices of Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson nearly a year ago will also examine two previous rallies involving government officials.

Johnson on Wednesday urged the English to once again work from home where possible and wear face masks in more indoor environments. He also supported the introduction of vaccine passes for crowded venues, such as nightclubs, and large gatherings, including major sporting events.

The Danish government has ordered nightclubs, bars and restaurants to close at midnight in an attempt to counter an increase in COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that pupils up to grade 10 must study remotely during the last days before the Christmas holidays and has banned concerts where the audience is more than 50 people standing.

The measures apply from Friday and are expected to last four weeks. Frederiksen said on Wednesday that the omicron variant of the coronavirus “is expected to mean more infected, sicker and therefore potentially more hospitalized patients.”

In Africa, South Africa, where the omicron coronavirus variant is causing a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, has seen a 255% increase in infections in the past seven days, but only 6% of Intensive care beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, Thierno Balde, WHO Africa official said on Thursday.

In the Asia Pacific region, Indian COVID-19 vaccine makers are lobbying the government to allow recalls as supplies have exceeded demand.

In the Americas, Cuba detected its first case of omicron in a person who had traveled from Mozambique, Cuban public news agency ACN reported.

In the Middle East, Iranian health authorities on Thursday reported 3,228 new cases of COVID-19 and 78 additional deaths.

-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated 7:55 a.m. ET