Thread by @fredwalton216

1) Covid live news: air travel disruption worldwide; China records most cases in four months theguardian.com/world/live/202…

2) Germany reports 22,214 new cases & 157 covid-linked deaths.

Latest data comes as health authorities admit struggling
to trace the contacts of people infected w/covid.

In some states (like Baden-Württemberg, Berlin & Hamburg), contact tracing has been completely suspended;

3) 1000s of people across England will receive a Xmas Day booster jab as 💉effort continues in the face of record case rates;

4) Malaysia has detected its first local case of the Omicron variant, officials have said. In a briefing today, 🇲🇾 Health Min Khairy Jamaluddin said the case was reported in the Borneo state of Sarawak on Christmas Eve;

5) Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal, one of countries with highest Covid💉rates worldwide, officials said;

6) New Covid measures in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 could be in place until late March under measures examined by UK Gov’t scientific advisers, PA reports.

7) Record Covid cases reported across Australia on Xmas Day, as swamped testing clinics forced to close & 10s of 1000s of people spent holiday in iso.

NSW reported 6,288 cases, Victoria 2,108, Queensland 765, South Australia 634, ACT 142, Tasmania 33 new & Northern Territory 19;

8) Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture has confirmed its first infection with the Omicron variant, officials said. The case was a result of possible community transmission as the infection route was unclear, its governor Seitaro Hattori said;

9) China officials rush to contain outbreaks in several regions, including the NW city of Xi’an where 13M residents have been under lockdown since Thursday.

Of 140 new cases reported today, 87 are local transmissions, according to officials, compared with 55 a day earlier;

10) Passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline companies cancelled more than 4,500 flights, according to a flight tracking website;

11) India to see a surge in cases driven by O strain, but cases may be mild in most people, as in South Africa.

Times of India quotes Dr. Angelique Coetzee saying existing
💉 will definitely control the contagion but un💉people “will potentially spread the virus 100%;

12) USS Milwaukee delays deployment to South America,
due to a covid outbreak among its crew, officials said.

US naval warship (deployed from Mayport, Florida Dec 15) will remain in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where it had stopped for a scheduled visit, AP reports;

13) UK Ministers could meet as soon as Monday, to determine whether new restrictions are needed in England over the new year amid growing concerns that soaring Covid cases could hit public services;

14) France reported record 94,124 new daily covid-19 cases on Friday, while covid H admissions hit 7 month high at ~16,200, as per official data. 7 DMA of new cases also reached a new record of 66,417, a total that has tripled in just one month;

15) People in South Africa w/o covid symptoms will no longer have to test or self-isolate, if a contact tests (+), the gov’t announced Friday. Further, 🇿🇦s will be offered a booster dose of J&J💉from Friday after the health regulator approved its use for the general public;

16) The US will next week lift travel ban imposed on several southern African nations when the Omicron variant of Covid was first detected, AFP reports. The ban applied to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi;

17) ASEAN nations COVID updates posted last Dec 24.

https://twitter.com/thenationth/status/1474535764553732096

18) Thailand COVID-19 update for December 25.

https://twitter.com/thenationth/status/1474565326247321602

19) Simpson's paradox (which also goes by several other names), is a phenomenon in probability and statistics in
which a trend appears in several groups of data but
disappears or reverses when the groups are combined.

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1474091037861761026

20) 98 Omicron variant infections also confirmed, comprising 73 imported cases and 25 local cases, according to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health's (MOH) website.

https://twitter.com/channelnewsasia/status/1474713563079970816

21) Dec. 25: What you need to know today :
*Russia on Saturday confirmed 24,946 Covid-19 infections and 981 death;
*Russia has detected 41 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 so far, health authorities said Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/Crof/status/1474758121344024579

22) New record daily covid cases reported by Finland, with public health authority THL registering 3,223 lab-confirmed covid cases Xmas Eve.

THL also registered three further deaths linked to the virus on Friday. Finland's overall toll now stands at 1,507.

https://twitter.com/crof/status/1474755725834350595

23) 14,567.43 new confirmed cases on December 24.

https://twitter.com/crof/status/1474754282716995584

24) South Africa COVID-19 update for December 25.

https://twitter.com/nicd_sa/status/1474777443537936391

25) John Lichfield’s weekly French COVID-19 thread.

For tweeps seeking an informed set observations, on the week
that was - for COVID-19 news & views in France, you will find this 🧵 very useful.

https://twitter.com/john_lichfield/status/1474396106457063439

Fyi @Gab_H_R , @c_mcandrews , @HCandler , @BregmanPs

Fwiw, I suggest over the next few weeks, rather than look at South Africa/southern Africa nations/Germany/UK cases & H admissions data…I suggest we (US & Canada), keep our eyes on developments in France.

26) Omicron travel turmoil continues.

Airlines canceled >2K flights Fri, w/600 w/i or into/out
of US. Passengers stranded, as short staffed ✈️ hit by
pilots & FAs report cases.

100s of cancellations anticipated for Sat.

Global tally of cancelled flights >5.4K trips
for W.E;

27) Two more members of the K-Pop Group BTS have tested
(+), after the group returned to 🇰🇷 from their performances
in the 🇺🇸.

Rapper RM and singer Jin joined group member Suga, who tested positive on Friday;

28) Italy reported a 3rd straight record tally of cases on Xmas Day, Reuters reports.

New cases hit 54,762 vs 50,599 Xmas Eve, Health Ministry said.

The number of covid-related deaths rose to 144 from 141 on Friday;

29) Ireland recorded 13,765 new cases Sat, 2.5K more than its previous record of 11,182 cases Friday.

~83% of reported cases believed to be the Omicron variant.

As of 8am Xmas morn, 378 people in H w/covid. 87 patients
in ICUs with Covid;

30) The BNO report is something to consider regarding
US cases data, from Friday.

Also and for same rationale, those cases previously reported
for Dec 30, probably would be 20-30K higher, if all US states
were reporting TH.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1474596324121231361

31) Israel orders 100K units (courses) of the new Pfizer’s
anti-viral Covid-19 pill PAXLOVID, for people 12 &⬆️, at risk of severe illness, an official said.

Channel 12 TV said Israel PM Naftali Bennett agreed to the deal in a phone conversation with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla;

32) Keys :
A) A “S” FL-based cruise ship hit by covid outbreak, for 3rd time this week;
B) Covid cases in FL ⬆️ to a PANDEMIC HIGH 31,758 new COVID-19 cases on Friday;
C) Carnival Freedom cruise ship denied entry to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/flutrackers/status/1474779971289817089

33) Article keys :
A) 3rd straight day of record cases in 🇫🇷;
B) 104,611 new daily cases, 84 new deaths Xmas Day;
C) Ps in ICUs ⬆️ by 28 to 3,282 today.
D) Latest official data precedes Mon meeting, President Macron & key members of gov’t are set to discuss new covid measures.

https://twitter.com/jm3107/status/1474819746453458954

34) The only thing I can recall that’s close to Jillian Buriak’s “sick burn” of Bonnie Henry, came in the original “The Hangover”.

https://twitter.com/JBuriak/status/1474784982526689282

35) FT - “Fyi “not be as severe” wish there was an editing function.”
Edit insert at line 4 👇🏾

https://twitter.com/peterhotez/status/1474838708167880706

36) Follow up on point 34.

https://twitter.com/realreporter/status/1474922830500270083

37) ML China update for December 26.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1474950868189523977