Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 297 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.46 million and vaccinations to over 9.27 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 297,504,250 and 5,464,532, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 9,279,347,173.
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 57,649,131 and 832,061, according to the CSSE.
US sees record rise in kids getting hospitalised
Increasing number of children in the US are getting hospitalised with Covid-19 than ever before, even as the country shattered a single-day record with over 1 million Covid-19 cases this week.
According to data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 672 children were admitted to hospitals every day with Covid-19 during the week ending Sunday - the highest such number of the pandemic, CNN reported.
It follows a record-high number of new Covid-19 cases among children, reveals the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP). In just four weeks, Omicron jumped from an estimated eight per cent of new Covid-19 infections to an estimated 95 per cent of new infections, the CDC said.
In terms of overall Covid impact, the second worst hit country in terms of cases is India (35,018,358 infections and 482,551 deaths), followed by Brazil (22,328,252 infections and 619,654 deaths).
UK reports more than 190,000 daily Covid cases
Britain reported 194,747 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 13,835,334, according to official figures released on Wednesday.
The country also reported a further 334 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 149,284, with 17,276 Covid-19 patients still in hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, an estimated one in 15 people in England had Covid in the week up to December 31 last year, the equivalent to 3,270,800 people, the British Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.
Germany reports continuing surge in Covid infections
Daily Covid-19 infections in Germany surged to 58,912 cases on Wednesday, around 18,870 more than a week ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said.
Since late December, Germany's national seven-day rate per 100,000 inhabitants has been rising steadily, reaching 258.6 on Wednesday. This was up from 239.9 the previous day, and 205.5 a week ago, according to the RKI, Xinhua news agency reported.
Covid-19 infections with the Omicron variant increased by 7,027 within one day, or 20 per cent, to a total of 42,556, RKI said. More than 19,000 of these cases were found in the 15-34 age group.
"Booster vaccination is the best protection against the Omicron variant," Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland on Wednesday, stressing that booster shots provide between 70 and 80 per cent protection.
Covid infections surge in European countries as Omicron spreads
Following a break over the holiday season, European countries are witnessing skyrocketing new Covid-19 infections as the Omicron variant continues its onslaught across the continent.
France, Greece and Croatia have broken new Covid-19 case records while the two neighbouring countries of the Netherlands and Belgium have seen infection rates hiking significantly by 35 per cent and 79 per cent respectively, Xinhua news agency reported.
In Greece, despite a tightening of measures during the holiday season, cases have skyrocketed. The National Public Health Organization (EODY) confirmed on Tuesday 50,126 infections within 24 hours, an all-time high.
Greek experts expect the number to continue rising this month, with daily cases possibly reaching 80,000 in the coming days.
In Hungary, official data on Wednesday showed 5,270 new infections in a 24-hour span, more than doubling the figures recorded in the previous few weeks.
Reportedly in a "community spreading" phase, Finland reported 38,700 new Covid-19 cases in the past seven days, compared to 19,600 new cases in the previous week.
The Spanish Ministry of Health said the Omicron variant is now responsible for 43 per cent of all Covid-19 cases in Spain.
Croatian Minister of Health Vili Beros said Omicron is the reason for the increased number of infections while other factors include the gatherings for New Year's Eve, as well as non-compliance with measures.
Polish Minister of Health Adam described the increase in the country as a temporary situation caused by the holiday season and the increasing number of tests performed.
Russia registered 15,772 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 10,585,984, the official coronavirus monitoring and response centre said on Wednesday.
Other countries
The other countries with over 5 million cases are the UK (13,918,510), France (11,027,112), Russia (10,405,684), Turkey (9,720,831), Germany (7,342,353), Spain (6,922,466), Italy (6,756,035), Iran (6,201,467), Argentina (5,915,695) and Colombia (5,219,633), the CSSE figures showed.
The nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Russia (306,710), Mexico (299,711), Peru (202,867), the UK (149,761), Indonesia (144,109), Italy (138,276), Iran (131,778), Colombia (130,140), France (125,797), Argentina (117,346), Germany (113,155) and Ukraine (103,014).
