The new mutant of the Corona virus, "Omicron", continues to spread rapidly around the world, after it reached about 40 countries in Europe, Asia and the American continents. On the other hand, American health experts underestimated the severity of the symptoms of the new mutant, which first appeared in South Africa.

Johns Hopkins University estimates that the emerging Corona virus pandemic has killed about 5.26 million people, squandered an estimated trillions of dollars in economic output, and turned the lives of billions of people upside down.

In Europe, Denmark announced that the number of confirmed cases of Omicron had risen to 183.

"We note an alarming rise in the number of Omicron infections in the country," said Henrik Olom, director of the Danish health institute, SSI, according to the European Euronews website.

In Britain, the Ministry of Health announced that the number of cases of the new mutant has reached 246.

While the Russian health authorities announced the registration of the first two cases of the mutant Omicron of two Russians, who came from South Africa.

In light of the continuing spread of the Corona virus, several countries continue to impose more restrictions to limit its spread.

But thousands of Belgians demonstrated in the capital, Brussels, against these measures.

The demonstration is the second in two weeks, in which the protesters expressed their rejection of the mandatory vaccination certificates and the early closure of restaurants and shops.

The demonstrations witnessed violence and friction with the police forces, who used water cannons and tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstrators.


Omicron hits a third of the US

As for the United States, health officials confirm that the Omicron mutant has been detected in about a third of the US states.

According to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Willensee, infections with the new mutation have been recorded in at least 15 US states.

We currently have about 100,000 daily infections with the Corona virus, about 99% of which are delta mutated cases.

In turn, Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the US President, called for the demand to receive booster doses in order to confront the mutant Omicron.

Fauci said Omicron has not yet caused severe illness, but he thought it was too early to give a definitive answer about its properties and effects.


South Africa prepares its hospitals

For his part, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said today, Monday, that his country is preparing its hospitals to receive more patients, at a time when the Omicron strain of the Corona virus is pushing the country into a fourth wave of the spread of the Corona virus.

The new mutation was first detected in South Africa last month and has caused global concern, as governments fear a new wave of high cases.

And injuries in South Africa rose last week, reaching more than 16,000 cases on Friday, up from about 2,300 on Monday.

Ramaphosa said in a weekly media bulletin that Omicron appeared to dominate the new cases in most of the country's 9 provinces, and urged the people to receive vaccines against Corona.

Scientists in South Africa and other countries are racing to see if Omicron spreads faster, causes more severe infections, or is more resistant to existing vaccines than previous strains.

But the accounts of doctors and experts in South Africa were reassuring, and indicated that most cases so far have moderate injuries.


Dozens of injuries in Asia

In Asia, Indian Health Ministry officials said today, Monday, that cases of the Omicron strain rose to 21 at the weekend and that citizens should speed up their vaccination.

The western state of Rajasthan recorded the highest number of Omicron cases with 9 infections, followed by 8 in Maharashtra, 2 in Karnataka and one each in Gujarat and the capital, New Delhi.

In South Korea, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stressed that his country will focus on containing the new omicron until the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention announced that twenty-four people had been infected with the Omicron strain, in parallel with the start of imposing strict social distancing measures.

Meanwhile, the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 24 people had been infected with the Omicron strain, in parallel with the start of imposing strict social distancing measures.

And in Thailand, a senior health official announced the detection of the first possible infection with the Omicron strain.


Vaccine expert warns of the worst

In the context, one of the experts who created the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said that the upcoming pandemics may claim greater numbers of lives than the Corona pandemic, and demanded that the lessons learned from the current pandemic not be squandered.

And the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted Sarah Gilbert as saying in a memorial television lecture, "This time will not be the last that the virus threatens our lives and livelihoods. The truth is that the next time may


be worse. both."

Gilbert, professor of vaccines at Oxford University, said the world must make sure it is better prepared for the next time.

Health experts say that efforts to end the Corona pandemic have been uneven and sporadic, and have been characterized by limited access to vaccines in low-income countries, while healthy, wealthy people in rich countries receive additional booster doses.