The Overseas Situation Report Friday 5 November 2021
by Mike Evans
“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.”
― Robert Kennedy
In this report we are looking at the latest Covid 19 news from across the world. With the pandemic showing no sign of going away many countries are now experiencing a third or fourth wave of infections. This edition reports on the Netherlands, the UK and the USA and what is happening in these countries.
With the increase in infections across many countries in Europe, the Netherlands has reimposed the requirement to wear a mask in some situations. The Dutch government on Tuesday decided to re-impose measures, including the wearing of face masks, aimed at slowing the latest spike in COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
The use of a “corona pass”, showing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or recent negative coronavirus test, would be broadened as of Nov. 6 to public places including museums, gyms and outdoor terraces, Rutte said.
Coronavirus infections in the Netherlands have been rising for a month after most social distancing measures were scrapped in late September, and reached their highest level since July in the past week. This has forced many hospitals to cut back on regular care again, to make room for urgent COVID-19 cases.
In a televised news conference, Rutte called on all Dutch, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to stick to basic hygiene rules and to stay at home if they had symptoms of a possible infection. “Our own behaviour is crucial, a very large part of our coronavirus policy depends on it,” the prime minister said.
Face masks will be reintroduced in stores and other public places, while people are advised to work at home for at least half of the time.
The government next week could decide to broaden the use of the corona pass to the workplace, Rutte said.As of Tuesday, new infections were up nearly 40% week-on-week to more than 300 infections per 100,000 people, approaching peaks previously seen in July 2021, and in December and October 2020.
The strain on hospitals is an immediate concern, as the country’s National Institute for Health said on Tuesday admissions are up 31% in the past week, with unvaccinated patients accounting for most hospitalisations.
Among people testing positive in the past month, about 52% say they were unvaccinated, while 45% say they were fully vaccinated, according to RIVM data.
Earlier on Tuesday the country’s Health Council recommended that fully vaccinated adults aged 60 and older should begin receiving a booster shot.
In the UK where they are finally seeing a drop in new cases, new research has shown that unvaccinated people are 32 times more likely to die from coronavirus than those who have been double-jabbed, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics.
It comes as new data shows one in four older adults who test positive for COVID-19 are no longer following the rules for self-isolating, and separate analysis of figures shows which areas have the highest case rates. The ONS figures from between 2 January and 24 September 2021, and adjusted for age, showed the mortality rate for the unvaccinated was 849.7 per 100,000, compared with 26.2 for the fully jabbed.
It also showed deaths involving COVID-19 were consistently lower for people who had received two vaccinations compared with one or no vaccinations. The weekly age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) take into account differences in age structure and population size to allow comparisons between vaccination status groups, the ONS said.
This is because vaccinations are being offered according to priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which means the characteristics of the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations are changing over time. In a separate survey by the ONS, around 75% of respondents aged between 35 and 54 said they were sticking to the isolation requirements for the entire 10-day period after testing positive for coronavirus – down from 86% in the summer.
However the figures, based on responses collected from adults in England between 27 September and 2 October, showed the vast majority of people – 78% – are still adhering to the requirements. This is broadly unchanged from 79% in the previous survey which was carried out in July, but is “significantly lower” than levels seen earlier in the year, such as 84% in April and 86% in May, the ONS said.#
In the USA, There is a lot of resistance against the Vaccine mandate brought in by President Biden in September. In the mandate, it compelled public and private employees to get the coronavirus vaccine, requiring the majority of federal workers and contractors to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8, having completed either a one or two-dose vaccine regiment at least two weeks before the deadline. The requirements also direct the Labor Department to compel private sector companies with more than 100 employees to ensure workers get vaccinated or face weekly testing before going to work, which would affect around 80 million employees.
The requirement for private companies – presumably including potential exemptions – is still in the works, although a government official announced that details would be made available in the coming days. But the requirement for federal workers and contractors will be in full swing in the coming weeks, looming large over million of employees nationwide. Still, the Biden administration has signaled some flexibility after a district court judge last week issued a temporary restraining order barring it from firing federal employees awaiting processing of religious exemption pleas.
It’s unclear how disruptive the mandates could be. In New York, police unions warned that as many as 10,000 police officers could be placed on involuntary leave for failing to meet the city’s Monday vaccine deadline. But officials announced Tuesday after the mandate took effect that so far just 34 uniformed officers had been put on leave.
Employees aren’t the only ones pushing back against Biden’s mandates. Two dozen Republican state attorneys general in a letter urged the president to reconsider his decision to require companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations and frequent coronavirus testing for workers, calling the plan “disastrous and counterproductive.”
“Mr. President, your vaccination mandate represents not only a threat to individual liberty, but a public health disaster that will displace vulnerable workers and exacerbate a nationwide hospital staffing crisis, with severe consequences for all Americans,” the letter reads.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the requirement an “assault on private businesses,” while Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts called it a “stunning violation of personal freedom and abuse of the federal government’s power.” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem tweeted that her state will “stand up to defend freedom,” telling Biden, “see you in court.” And Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the group will sue the Biden administration “to protect Americans and their liberties.” But more employees are in favor of vaccine mandates than opposed. According to a recent Gallup poll, 56% of employees would support their employer imposing a vaccine mandate in the workplace, up from 46% in May.
Indeed, 36% of U.S. workers say their employer has already imposed a vaccine requirement, while an additional 39% of workers say their employer has encouraged employees to get vaccinated.
Despite the majority of workers favouring vaccine mandates, a consistent 30% are strongly opposed, according to Gallup. But of those opposed, just 7% say they are actively looking for a different job, while 3% say they have no plans to get vaccinated and currently work for an employer with a vaccine requirement in place. The vaccine mandate deadline approaches as a record number of people have quit their jobs in recent months for various reasons, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, amid a seismic shift in the labor market. The wave of resignations may continue to pose personnel challenges for companies, especially if more workers choose to leave in light of vaccination requirements.
Whatever the outcome of this issue the virus is not going away anytime soon and the safest way to combat the disease is the vaccination route. Until the next time Stay Safe.
Total Cases Worldwide – 249,039,842
Total Deaths Worldwide – 5,040,968
Total Recovered Worldwide – 225,590,447
Total Active Cases Worldwide – 18,408,427 (7.4 % of the total cases)
Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 230,631,415
https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/
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