Omicron? In Italy too, the variant that already is advancing rapidly, but patchy dominates in London. In some areas of the country it has reached 80%, in others it is absent. All given to the attention of today’s control room: they range from situations in which the new mutant has already reached 80% to areas where it is almost absent. The diffusion of Omicron in Italy is 28.2 per cent, according to sources present at the control room at Palazzo Chigi, in the light of the first data of the flash survey carried out by the ISS. New measures are being studied to counter the advance of the new coronavirus in view of the holidays.
Lopalco: «Omicron expands, risky not to get vaccinated
“With the expansion of the Omicron variant, there is the certainty that the possibility of becoming infected is frighteningly increasing”, underlines professor Pierluigi Lopalco on Facebook, to invite the undecided to get vaccinated against Covid. «He calls himself a ‘fence sitter’. Who sits on the fence and waits to decide which way to go. Being eternally indecisive – writes Lopalco – and waiting to make a decision, to see what others are doing, is a typical attitude of many who are not yet vaccinated. With the excuse that the vaccine is new, that it is not known how much it protects against variants, wave after wave these people run higher and higher risks ». To the undecided he says: «there is a certainty that is approaching with the expansion of the Omicron variant and it is the certainty that the probability of getting infected increases fearfully. Really dangerous to remain seated on the fence ».
Omicron dominant in Amsterdam: 4 to 60% in 9 days
The Argos consortium – made up of the Amsterdam health service and the city’s university center – has announced that the Omicron variant has become dominant in Amsterdam, where it represents about 60% of the new infections registered. According to Argos, Omicron infections have risen from 4 to 60% of new infections in just nine days. Local experts expect the Omicron variant to become dominant across the country by the end of the year.
The variant affects air traffic
And omicron also affects air traffic. In the three weeks following the first report from South Africa to the WHO of the variant (November 24, 2021), passenger traffic at European airports is estimated to have decreased by 20 percent. And in the same period, notes the Aci Europe association, it is estimated that the load factors on flights to / from European airports decreased from 66% (week 46) to 54% (week 49). However, last week (week 50), which represents the start of the year-end holiday season, passenger traffic increased by 9% compared to the previous (week 49), with load factors regaining 2 points to 56 percent.