Germany: COVID: Germany confirms first two cases of omicron variant

Two cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected in the southern state of Bavaria, the state health ministry said on Saturday.

Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) said the two infected individuals entered Germany at Munich airport on November 24.

The pair are now isolating, the ministry said.

Read more COVID: Germany confirms first two cases of omicron variant | News | DW | 27.11.2021

EU-Coronavirus: Europe′s fight against the coronavirus

Up until this past weekend, the Dutch soccer club SC Cambuur Leeuwarden was making the kinds of headlines everyone wants. The team got off to an excellent start in the country's first league, and was about to host FC Utrecht for the week's top match. That's when unvaccinated supporters who were prohibited from entering the stadium because of coronavirus restrictions turned violent and stormed the field. The match was almost canceled after they stormed the pitch and launched fireworks.

And Leeuwarden wasn't an isolated case. There were also reports of violence and rioting against COVID-19 restrictions in Enschede, Groningen, The Hague and in Rotterdam for the third night in a row. Rioters threw stones at police, vandalized streets and set cars ablaze. According to local authorities, more than 140 people were arrested.

Read more at: Europe′s fight against the coronavirus | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 24.11.2021

The Netherlands aims to keep its schools open, even as cases soar among young people - by Claire Moses-

The coronavirus’s rapid spread through schools in the Netherlands has prompted some experts to call for extending this winter’s Christmas break. In an article on Thursday, one immunologist, Ger Rijkers, told the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, “Children are little virus factories and infect each other as well as adults.”

Read more at: The Netherlands aims to keep its schools open, even as cases soar among young people. - The New York Times

COVID in Europe: Sweden's new COVID pass as Slovakia targets unvaccinated - by Alice Tidey and Aleksandar Brezar

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in various parts of Europe as the cold weather has affected the spread of the virus.

Countries on the Old Continent are attempting to curb the spike through various means -- from introducing lockdowns for the unvaccinated to limiting access to certain services, or pushing for an increase in vaccination rates.

Read more at: COVID in Europe: Sweden's new COVID pass as Slovakia targets unvaccinated | Euronews

The Netherlands: Face masks are back, more working at home, as Dutch bring back anti-Covid rules

The Netherlands is bringing in new measures to control coronavirus in a bid to reverse the sharp rise in new cases, and tougher rules are also in the pipeline if there is no improvement. The new plans were outlined by ministers at a press conference on Tuesday evening, shortly after officials raised the risk level to ‘severe’ now that the average number of hospital admissions per day is above 100.

Although social distancing will not be compulsory, it is the government’s ‘urgent advice’, prime minister Mark Rutte told a press conference on Tuesday evening .

Read more at: Face masks are back, more working at home, as Dutch bring back anti-Covid rules - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures

The Dutch government is seeking advice from a panel of experts on whether it needs to reintroduce COVID-19 restrictions amid sharply rising infection rates, the health minister said Monday.

The Netherlands has one of the fastest-rising infection rates in Europe. The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases increased over the past two weeks from 13.43 new cases per 100,000 people to 29.27 new cases per 100,000 people on Oct. 24.

Read more at: Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures

USA: 'Still in pandemic mode': COVID-19 nowhere near 'under control' in US, warns Anthony Fauci

COVID-19 is “nowhere near under control” in the United States and the cases have surged more than ten times higher than they need to be in order to end the pandemic, US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday. His remarks follow the warnings about the upcoming coronavirus mutations that he stated could be even more contagious than the delta of the coronavirus lineage. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) told Axios in an interview that the US has a mounting caseload of COVID-19 which is "not even modestly good control". "Until the cases dip to 10,000 a day, we are still in full ‘pandemic mode’," the infectious disease expert said.

Read more at: 'Still in pandemic mode': COVID-19 nowhere near 'under control' in US, warns Anthony Fauci

Coronavirus Cases: U.S. child COVID-19 cases continue to rise as kids return to school

Children represented over 20 percent of weekly COVID-19 cases in the United States by the end of August, according to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

A total of 203,962 child COVID-19 cases were reported in the week from Aug. 19 to Aug. 26, accounting for 22.4 percent of the weekly reported cases in the country, said the report.

Over two weeks from Aug. 12 to Aug. 26, there was a 9 percent increase in the cumulated number of child COVID-19 cases, it said.

Read more at: U.S. child COVID-19 cases continue to rise as kids return to school - Xinhua

USA: 6 States See 400% Increase in COVID-19 Cases

Daily COVID-19 case rates across the country have risen in nearly all states since June as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, according to a new report from USAFacts.

Read more at: 6 States See 400% Increase in COVID-19 Cases | Best States | US News

U.S. surgeon general ‘worried’ with COVID-19 cases sharply on the rise

The U.S. surgeon general said Sunday that he’s concerned about what lies ahead with cases of COVID-19 increasing in every state, millions still unvaccinated and a highly contagious virus variant spreading rapidly.

Noting that nearly all coronavirus deaths now are among the tens of millions of people who haven’t received shots, despite widespread vaccine availability, Dr. Vivek Murthy painted an unsettling picture of what the future could hold.

Read more at: U.S. surgeon general ‘worried’ with COVID-19 cases sharply on the rise

USA-Florida - Coronavirus: 2 Million Covid Cases, Reports 5,140 New Infections and 53 More Deaths Friday

Another 62 virus-related deaths among Florida residents were reported Saturday, bringing the total to 32,713. An additional 624 non-resident deaths have been confirmed in the state to-date. Most of the newly confirmed deaths occurred days or weeks earlier.

The positivity rate for new cases in the state was 5.39% in Saturday's department of health coronavirus report, a slight increase from Friday's 5.02% rate.

In South Florida, Miami-Dade County reached 433,452 cases on Saturday, an increase of 1,275 since Friday, along with a total of 5,724 COVID-related deaths, an increase of eight since Friday.

Read More at: Florida Nears 2 Million Covid Cases, Reports 5,140 New Infections and 53 More Deaths Friday – NBC 6 South Florida

USA: Covid-19 - another Biden inheritance from Donald Trump: : US tops 25 million coronavirus cases

More than 25 million cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed across the United States. Experts say the true number is likely to be higher. More than 417,500 in the US have died with the virus.

The daily number of deaths has exceeded 4,000 in recent weeks - including on Wednesday when Joe Biden was sworn into office.

President Biden signed a raft of new measures last week, including boosting vaccinations and testing.

Read more at: Covid-19: US tops 25 million coronavirus cases - BBC News

EU: Coronavirus: Italy reaches new record high of nearly 41,000 daily cases

Italy recorded a high of nearly 41,000 daily cases as hospitalisations and deaths rise in the country

Officials in many EU countries are warning that it is so far too early to lift restrictions, with many saying that there are still many months ahead of living with the virus.

Read more at: Coronavirus: Italy reaches new record high of nearly 41,000 daily cases | Euronews

The Netherlands: Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial

New coronavirus measures cannot be avoided in the Netherlands if there is no improvement in the number of new infections in the coming 24 to 72 hours, prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters after the weekly cabinet
conference on Friday.

The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands continues to rise, with a further 5,983 cases registered with public health institute RIVM in the 24 hours to Friday morning.

Although the increase on Thursday’s total is 154, well down on the shock 800 increase between Wednesday and Thursday, Rutte said that officials need to see something ‘positive’ in the coming period. ‘I will want to know from experts what the weekend figures say.

The Netherlands now has one of the worst infection rates in Europe, and this has received widespread coverage in the foreign press.

The figures, Rutte said, are ‘very bad.’ ‘People are faced with not having the operation they expected, more people will die, are worried about jobs and loneliness… and that is because we are not taking the basic rules seriously,’ he said.

By Friday a further 69 people had been admitted to hospital, taking the total to 1,139, of whom 239 are in intensive care.

Read more at:
Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial - DutchNews.nl

Coronavirus EU: Netherlands joins neighbours in tightening coronavirus restrictions amid surge in cases

The Netherlands has introduced stricter measures to combat rising coronavirus cases, banning spectators at professional sports matches and ordering bars and restaurants to close at 10pm for the next three weeks.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said “we’re doing our best, but the virus is doing better”, warning that tougher measures could follow if the numbers don’t stop going up.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte also advised people to wear face masks when shopping in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, the three cities with the highest rates of infections.

Read more at: 
Netherlands joins neighbours in tightening coronavirus restrictions amid surge in cases | Euronews

The Netherlands: New coronavirus measures likely in Amsterdam, The Hague, prime minister says

New measures to combat the spread of coronavirus are very likely to be introduced in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague after the weekend, prime minister Mark Rutte said at his weekly press conference on Friday.

The situation in much of the country is worrying, and eight new regions are being added to the list of six areas which are already in special measures, Rutte said. But the situation in the Randstad area is of great concern, he said: ‘We are also in talks with the mayors of the three cities and have asked our Outbreak Management Team to give extra advice on Monday about what is necessary to stop the spread of the virus there.’

 He declined to say if this could include a lockdown in the three big cities. It is not just about the measures, Rutte said. ‘It is about our behaviour; it is about keeping to the rules.’

‘What I would say to the people of my city, The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam is to ask what you can do to reduce the risk,’ Rutte said. ‘The impact on healthcare and hospitals is serious and further measures will also have an impact on our economy.’

Read more: 
New coronavirus measures likely in Amsterdam, The Hague, prime minister says - DutchNews.nl

Europe Coronavirus Outbreak: News and Analysis From Sept. 19 - by Rudy Ruitenberg and Laura Millan Lombrana

France and the U.K. reported the most new coronavirus cases since May for the second day in a row, underscoring Europe’s risk of a return to lockdowns that crippled the economy in the second quarter.

With Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 and infections running at the fastest pace since the start of the outbreak, France’s policy of avoiding another national lockdown in favor of local measures is under strain.

“All indicators for monitoring the Covid-19 epidemic point sharply upward,” including admissions to intensive care at hospitals and cases among people age 75 and older, the French public health agency said in a statement on Saturday.

 Read more at: 
Europe Virus Outbreak: News and Analysis From Sept. 19 - Bloomberg

The Netherlands: Weekly coronavirus update: 76.548 total cases in the Netherlands

The weekly report from the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and Environment) reveals that, since the update last week, another 5.427 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness that is caused by the new coronavirus. This means that the new total of infected people is 76.548.

Of the 76.548 people infected, another 17 people have died since last Tuesday*, September 1, bringing the death toll to 6.244. In total, 12.225 (+43) patients have been admitted to hospital. As not all people are getting tested, the true number of people infected with the new coronavirus is higher than reported.

*There may be a delay between the day of death and the day that it is reported.

Read more at: 
Weekly coronavirus update: 76.548 total cases in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Record number of infections in one week in the Netherlands

The Netherlands recorded 574 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the largest increase since 15 August. Some 3,600 new cases have been reported in the last 7 days.

The Dutch authorities recorded 457 new infections on Sunday and 508 on Saturday. However, the total number of new cases is slowly but surely decreasing: more than 600 cases had been recorded on
15 August.

Read more at: 
Record number of infections in one week in the Netherlands

The Netherlands tightens coronavirus measures as Dutch fail to observe social distancing

The Netherlands has observed recent outbreaks in the number of new coronavirus cases, as many people do not respect social distancing and barrier measures, Prime Minister Mark Rutte explained at a press conference yesterday evening. Here is why he and Health minister Hugo de Jonge announced additional rules, effective immediately, aiming to keep the virus under control.

 Read more at:
The Netherlands tightens coronavirus measures as Dutch fail to observe social distancing | TheMayor EU