CDC US hints at better times ahead

Customers eat at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on Wednesday when Public health officials announced that the vaccine mandate was lifted immediately. Pic/AP

The USA's leading health officials said Wednesday that the U.S. is moving closer to the point that Covid-19 is no longer a "constant crisis" as more cities, businesses and sports venues began lifting pandemic restrictions.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing that the government is contemplating a change to its mask guidance in the coming weeks. Noting recent declines in Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths, she acknowledged "people are so eager" for health officials to ease masking rules and other measures designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"We all share the same goal - to get to a point where Covid-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives, a time when it won't be a constant crisis - rather something we can prevent, protect against, and treat," Walensky said.

With the omicron variant waning and Americans eager to move beyond the virus, government and business leaders have been out ahead of the CDC in ending virus measures in the last week, including ordering workers back to offices, eliminating mask mandates and no longer requiring proof of vaccine to get into restaurants, bars and sports and entertainment arenas.

Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations have fallen sharply in the U.S., with the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases dropping from about 4,53,000 two weeks ago to about 1,36,000 as of Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Hospitalizations are at levels similar to September, when the U.S. was emerging from the delta variant surge. Almost 65% of Americans are fully vaccinated.

Israel to scrap Covid passport system

Israel's prime minister says the country's coronavirus vaccination green pass system will be suspended as new daily cases of Covid-19 continue to decline. Naftali Bennett said Thursday after meeting with health officials that Israel's omicron wave "has been broken" and that additional reductions in coronavirus restrictions were forthcoming. The Green Pass, Israel's digital vaccination passport, limited entry to indoor venues and large gatherings to people who had recovered from coronavirus or received at least three doses of the vaccine.

Hong Kong hospitals hit 90 per cent capacity

Hong Kong's hospitals reached 90 per cent capacity on Thursday and quarantine facilities were at their limit, authorities said, as the city struggles to snuff out a record number of new Covid-19 cases by adhering to China's ‘zero tolerance' strategy. To ease the strain on the city's healthcare system, officials said they will take a different approach to hospitalisation and isolation policies and allow some patients to be discharged sooner. The move comes amid reports of patients being treated on beds outside a hospital in the city's working-class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po.

20,70,069
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

41,45,25,183
Total no. of cases worldwide

58,32,333
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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