The Omicron variant is rampant around the world. And the alert is also raised in Europe, especially considering the upcoming holidays, with all the traditional occasions for family meetings.
"A new storm is coming" in Europe and "within a few weeks it will dominate more countries in the region, pushing health systems already under pressure to the brink", said WHO Europe director Hans Kluge urging everyone to do the third dose of vaccine. "Boost, boost, boost", he urged, stressing that "the booster is the most important defense against Omicron".
IN ITALY - Tomorrow a new control room and a council of ministers will be held at Palazzo Chigi to take stock of the numbers and establish new restrictions. On the table there is also the obligation to swab vaccinated people who want to go to stadiums, concerts, discos or participate in major events. But also the mask outdoors everywhere, the extension to other categories of workers or sectors of the obligation to vaccinate and the reduction of the validity of the Green pass to six months.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi, today at a press conference at 10.30 am, meanwhile stands on the line of caution: "The arrival of the winter season and the spread of the Omicron variant - he explains - oblige us to be extremely cautious in managing the coming months".
Also possible "recommendations" to limit the number of people in the house and indications to prevent celebrations with gatherings for the last of the year.
Meanwhile, the departures for parties, dinners, family reunions, convivial outings are pushing Italians to "dabble" at a pace never reached before. In the last 24 hours, the tests reached a record figure of 852 thousand. And it is primacy also for the Green passes from swabs and not from vaccines: yesterday they were 1,034,214. Therefore, queues in front of pharmacies are frequent in the cities. "The increase - notes the national secretary of Federfarma, Roberto Tobia - is almost everywhere but the situation is under control. We have hired additional staff and set up gazebos. So the surplus of work for Christmas does not scare us".
