In the UK, all students must take a covid test after returning from Christmas break. The authorities are introducing a mask regime in schools. And in France, masks in public places are now mandatory even for children from 6 years old. The country’s National Assembly has begun to consider a vaccine pass bill. If the document is approved, unvaccinated citizens will not be able to go to restaurants, museums, theaters. How do they fight covid in other Western European countries?
Antibody test is now the most popular commodity in almost every country in Europe… They are in short supply in medical institutions and pharmacies. In Portugal, due to the influx of Spanish tourists, the load on test centers has increased dramatically. Hours of queues at the airport and even in the city.
– The problem at the airport and in the city is that a lot of Spaniards come here for the New Year, it is impossible to take a COVID test in Lisbon, in a city with 1.5 million people and many tourists. There is no social distance.
– I’m waiting six and a half hours. Everything is sold out in pharmacies, it is impossible to sign up. We had a meeting scheduled, but they are calling now to cancel it. This is absurd!
There are also queues for tests in Spain, and many of them become infected in this crowd. Because of the omicron, the number of those wishing to urgently receive a booster third dose of the vaccine in Spain has increased several times. Getting vaccinated without an appointment is difficult.
Priority is given to at-risk groups. Vaccination of children is in full swing in the country.
Omicron is not going to slow down: there are as many cases as there were none during the entire time of the pandemic. But successful vaccination of almost 80 percent of the population reduces the burden on intensive care – 20 percent of beds are occupied.
At the same time – a colossal increase in the number of visits to primary health care. The hospitals were not ready for this. Doctors are on the front pages again: there are not enough therapists, nurses for testing, doctors are tired.
A similar picture is in neighboring France, which is only a few kilometers from Spanish Catalonia. Many have country houses there, relatives live. The border is open. The Ministry of Health of the country records more than 230 thousand cases of the disease per day. So that the economy does not stop completely, the quarantine is reduced if the test is negative.
“More than 200,000 people are infected every day, which is about a million people a week, with an average of 5 to 10 contacts. In such cases, France will be indirectly locked down very quickly,” says Philippe Amuiel, epidemiologist and professor of public health at the University Hospital of Lille.
Meanwhile, a hard lockdown is still in the Netherlands. After the past protests, doctors are preparing for an increase in the number of infections. Stores are closed until January 14, except for grocery stores. Schools are closed, and adults are advised to work remotely whenever possible.
The number of new cases is likely to increase in Germany, where protesters against restrictions and covid passports have also taken to the streets.
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