This is the most important corona news of Tuesday 8 February.
6:22 a.m. – New Zealanders follow lead Canadian protesters
A convoy of cars and campervans has blocked streets around New Zealand’s parliament in the capital Wellington. Some 2,000 demonstrators from across the country gathered in the capital to protest against corona measures, like the protesters in the Canadian capital Ottawa.
The protesters block streets around the parliament building and make speeches. The main criticism seems to be the obligation to vaccinate in certain professions. The protest was organized to coincide with the opening of the parliamentary year. A similar campaign was held in the Australian capital Canberra on Monday.
5:49 a.m. – Several US states withdraw mouth mask requirements
Several US states will drop the mask requirement in the coming weeks, now that the omikron wave has passed its peak. In California, New Jersey, Oregon, Delaware and Connecticut, the number of new infections is declining so quickly that face masks will no longer be needed in many places.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday that the number of new cases in the state is now 65 percent lower than during the peak of the omikron wave. That is why the mouth mask obligation will expire in a week. Unvaccinated Californians are still required to wear a face mask when indoors. The city of San Francisco in California had previously lifted the mask requirement, because the new infections decreased so quickly.
5:42 a.m. – Canada truck drivers block key border crossing
Canadian truck drivers who have been protesting in the capital Ottawa for more than a week have blocked the main border crossing between the US and Canada on Monday evening (local time). It concerns the Ambassador bridge that connects Windsor in Canada with the American city of Detroit.
Last year 1.4 million trucks entered Canada from Detroit. The border crossing is the main import route of goods overland, which is essential for manufacturers and suppliers of car parts, among other things. “The pandemic has been bad for everyone. Everyone is done with Covid-19, but these protests are not the way to get through it,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
03:40 am – Large backlog in figures obscures view of corona epidemic
The number of new corona cases remains higher than it has ever been. But exactly how high is a mystery. There are still more positive tests than the computer systems can handle. The backlog is growing by the day, and with it the difference between the figures and reality.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) will publish its weekly overview of the number of positive tests on Tuesday. This is happening for the 84th time, in the 103rd week of the corona crisis in the Netherlands. About half a million confirmed infections have probably been passed on in the past seven days. But over the same period, more than 100,000 new cases are believed to have yet to be registered. The backlog rose from less than 100,000 to about 200,000 in a week.
03:35 am – More than 5 million corona infections detected in the Netherlands
The official number of positive corona tests in the Netherlands will rise to above 5 million on Tuesday. In reality, however, that limit will already have been crossed. About 200,000 infections from the past three weeks have already been confirmed, but those reports have not yet arrived at the central registry of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
The counter stood at 4,969,660 registered positive tests on Monday. The limit of 5 million cases will be passed if more than 30,340 confirmed infections are added between Monday morning and Tuesday morning. The last time there were such ‘few’ cases in a day was almost a month ago.
03:30 am – Corona ticket is valid for a limited time without a booster shot
From this Tuesday, approximately half a million people will have their corona admission ticket (ctb) expired, because their full vaccination was more than nine months ago and they have not yet taken a booster shot. Even people who have been cured of an infection no longer receive a green check if their proof of recovery is older than six months.
In these cases, people can have themselves tested before they want to go to a restaurant or cinema, for example. Or get a booster. Those whose validity expires will receive information about this in the CoronaCheck app. The Ministry of Health advises people to regularly open their app to see if their CTB will expire soon and not only to do so if they are already somewhere or going.