Rajeev Choudhury

Australia has reported the highest number of hospitalisations since the beginning of the pandemic on January 17, 2022, driven by the surge in infections by the Omicron variant in the country, data released by the government suggest.

However, the infections across the country eased up slightly with 59,891 new cases reported on January 16, 2022. The country had reported 1,75, 271 new cases on January 12, 2022, the highest fresh cases recorded in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic, data show.

Official data released by the government show that on Tuesday the country witnessed 77 deaths surpassing 57 deaths reported on January 13, 2022.

Meanwhile, the cases of new infections across Europe showed signs of easing up, though the number of death showing upward trend data from the data aggregating site worldometers showed.

The European Region recorded 768,694 fresh cases on January 17, 2022, compared to 951,477 cases two days earlier.

However the number of fresh death in the region increased during the corresponding period, the data show. On January 17, 2022, the region recorded 2,564 new death against 1,813 deaths recorded two days earlier.

The numerous steps taken by the European nations to arrest the massive spread in the number of infections fuelled by the Omicron variant are facing protests from the citizens.

The Dutch capital Amsterdam saw thousands of protesters packing the streets over the weekend in opposition to the government-imposed COVID19 restrictions and vaccination campaign.

The lower house of the French Parliament had passed a law that entails stricter COVID19 norms that will require the public to possess a vaccination certificate in order to enter public spaces and undertake long-distance train travel in the country, measures described ‘too strict’ by the opposition members.

Meanwhile, Greece has imposed a vaccination mandate for people over age 60, where elderly unvaccinated people now have to pay a fine of 50 euro in January followed by 100 euros, thereafter on a monthly basis in a bid to increase vaccination coverage among the elderly population as coverage remains below the European Union average while a recent spike in infections pressures hospitals.

Now the elderly population in the country have to get booster jabs seven months after the completion of the primary vaccination, failing which they would be penalised and the penalty collected would be used to fund the healthcare facilities in the country, the Greek health minister said.

Greece has the seventh oldest population in the world in terms of share of the population aged over 65; data from the US-based Population Reference Bureau show.