Covid-19 pandemic: Hospitalisation among children hits record high in US

New pediatric Covid hospitalizations have hit a record-high in the United States, as children are increasingly  swept up in Omicron's lightning spread.While experts are concerned, and stress the need to step up vaccination among kids, early indications suggest that the new variant's rate of severe disease could in fact be lower, and its extreme contagiousness is behind the rapid rise.

 

The raw data might also be muddied by coincidental infections that aren't the main cause of a hospital admission. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, almost 199,000 children were reported infected with Covid-19 in the week ending December 23, the last week for which data is currently available, and a 50 percent rise on figures earlier in the month.  

 

SA lifts restrictions as Omicron wave peaks

 

South Africans cheered the government's decision to lift its midnight curfew after nearly two years of Covid curbs, a relief for businesses and citizens just ahead of New Year celebrations. "(The past two years) have been hard, if you look at our neighbours most guys have closed down, that's how bad it was," said Michael Mchende, a manager at Hard Rock Cafe in Cape Town.        (Reuters)