Netherlands Announces Plan To Give People Up to Six Doses of COVID Vaccine

Hugo de Jonge, health minister of The Netherlands, has indicated the country could be preparing another three coronavirus booster vaccines.

De Jonge wrote a letter to his country's parliament Wednesday suggesting the Netherlands should consider additional rounds of booster vaccines to fight new variants, with two of these in 2022 and another shot in 2023.

Read more at: Netherlands Announces Plan To Give People Up to Six Doses of COVID Vaccine

Covid Cases: U.S. Shatters Prior Record Of New Covid Cases Over Past 7 Days - by Lisa Kim

As of Wednesday morning, the seven-day average of new infections totaled 282,117, eclipsing the previous record of around 250,000 on January 11, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Covid data tracker.

Comparing the U.S. seven-day average with other countries most affected by new Covid cases, the U.K. and France set new records this week, peaking at around 115,000 and some 88,000, respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Read more at: U.S. Shatters Prior Record Of New Covid Cases Over Past 7 Days

The Netherlands: Omicron now dominant in NL, new coronavirus cases fall 11% in a week

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is now dominant in the Netherlands, public health institute RIVM said on Tuesday. The variant now accounts for over than 50% of new cases, the RIVM said in its latest weekly update. The number of positive coronavirus cases reported to the RIVM fell 11% to 84,400 in the past week, but experts say this is likely to rise as Omicron spreads.

Read more at: Omicron now dominant in NL, new coronavirus cases fall 11% in a week - DutchNews.nl

Coronavirus - isolation period: US cuts recommended isolation period

US health authorities on Monday announced that quarantine periods for asymptomatic coronavirus patients would be shortened from 10 to five days.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited evidence that those infected with the virus were most infectious during the two days before and then three days after symptoms developed.

Read more at: Coronavirus: US cuts recommended isolation period | News | DW | 27.12.2021

Aliens: The Alien Invasion is Finally Here. And It’s Invisible. - by Jean Pierre Isbouts, Dutt

Is it posible that we are today reliving past horror moves such as Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds” (2005) in reality?

Read more at: The Alien Invasion is Finally Here. And It’s Invisible. - Fielding Graduate University

USA: Florida - COVID update: State breaks single-day case record - by Devoun Cetoute and Carli Teproff

Florida on Friday saw it’s largest single-day increase of newly reported COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began — and that was even before people gathered for Nochebuena and Christmas brunch.

“After the holidays I suspect we will have a very busy week,” said Randy Katz, associate district medical director of emergency services for Memorial Healthcare System. “I do think we have another week or two before we really peak and then see the numbers come down.”

There were 31,758 cases on Thursday, according to Miami Herald calculations of state data reported Friday to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The previous record was during the height of the delta wave in Florida with 27,584 cases reported on Aug. 27, according to Herald calculations.

Read more at: Florida COVID update: State breaks single-day case record | Miami Herald

A Blessed Christmas Story: Church agency describes how missionaries escaped their captors after 2-month ordeal in Haiti

Captive missionaries in Haiti found freedom last week by making a daring overnight escape, eluding their kidnappers and walking for kilometres over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow, officials with the agency they work for said Monday.

The group of 12 navigated by stars to reach safety after a two-month kidnapping ordeal, officials with the Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), the Ohio-based agency that the captive missionaries work for, said Monday at a news conference.

The detailed accounting of their journey to safety comes after news Thursday that the missionaries were free.

Read more at: Church agency describes how missionaries escaped their captors after 2-month ordeal in Haiti | CBC News

USA: Army Has Over 3,800 Refuse to Get COVID Vaccine, Could Be Removed From Military Next Month - by Zoe Strozewski

More than 3,800 members of the Army have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine by this week's deadline, setting them up for a potential ouster from the military beginning in January.

Six soldiers resisting the mandate were fired from leadership roles and more than 2,700 others have already been issued written reprimands, according to Army data.

Read more at: Army Has Over 3,800 Refuse to Get COVID Vaccine, Could Be Removed From Military Next Month

Eye care: Declining Eyesight Could Be Given a Boost by Short Morning Doses of Seeing Red - By DAVID NIELD

A short burst of red light in the morning has been shown to improve declining eyesight, researchers report, potentially providing a simple, safe, and easy-to-use treatment for keeping our eyes sharper as we head into old age.

In tests on 20 participants exposed to three minutes of 670 nanometer deep red light in the morning between 8 am and 9 am eyesight improved by 17 percent and lasted (at a lower level) a week on average. In some of the volunteers, the improvement was as much as 20 percent.

This link between long wavelength red light and improving vision matches up with what scientists have seen in previous studies on animals, and the study follows on from a similar one carried out last year – but in this case, the red light was limited to a single, daily exposure that required less red light energy than previously.

Read more at: Declining Eyesight Could Be Given a Boost by Short Morning Doses of Seeing Red

France: Macron cancels visit to Mali after new Covid-19 measures announced

French President Emmanuel Macron Friday cancelled a trip to Mali to meet transitional leader Colonel Assimi Goita after France announced new measures to battle the pandemic. Advertising

Macron was to meet Goita on Monday, for the first time since the Malian colonel was sworn into office in June after leading the country's second coup in less than a year.

Macron was also supposed to pay a Christmas visit to French troops stationed there to fight a jihadist insurgency in the country.

Read more at: Macron cancels visit to Mali after new Covid-19 measures announced

Alien organisms could hitch a ride on our spacecraft and contaminate Earth, scientists warn

The growing demand for space exploration is increasing the chances of alien organisms invading Earth and of Earth-based organisms invading other planets, scientists have argued in a new paper.

The researchers point to humanity's record of moving species to new environments on Earth, where those organisms can become invasive and harm the native species; they say such behavior suggests the same could happen with alien life from another planet contaminating Earth and vice versa, according to the paper, published Nov. 17 in the journal BioScience.

"The search of life beyond our world is an exciting endeavour that could yield an enormous discovery in the not-too-distant future," lead author Anthony Ricciardi, a professor of invasion biology at McGill University in Montreal, told Live Science in an email. "However, in the face of increasing space missions (including those intended to return samples to Earth), it is crucial to reduce the risks of biological contamination in both directions."

Read more at: Alien organisms could hitch a ride on our spacecraft and contaminate Earth, scientists warn | Live Science

WHO warns of 700,000 more COVID deaths in Europe by March 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Europe remains “in the firm grip” of the coronavirus pandemic and the continent’s death toll could top 2.2 million this winter if current trends continue.

Another 700,000 Europeans could die by March 1, the WHO said on Tuesday, in addition to the 1.5 million who have already succumbed to the virus.

Read more at WHO warns of 700,000 more COVID deaths in Europe by March | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera

USA: Kentucky tornadoes: up to 100 feared dead in historic US storms

Dozens remained unaccounted for on Sunday as rescuers worked overnight searching for survivors after what could be the longest tornado in US history left a trail of destruction from Arkansas to Kentucky, part of a vast storm front that it is feared may have killed at least 100 people.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said the path of devastation was about 227 miles (365km) long, which, if confirmed, would surpass the 218-mile Tri-State tornado in 1925, which killed at least 695 people and destroyed 15,000 homes across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Read more at: Kentucky tornadoes: up to 100 feared dead in historic US storms | Tornadoes | The Guardian

UK: Omicron could cause tens of thousands of deaths in England, study says

The Omicron variant could cause tens of thousands of deaths in England by the end of April if additional virus restrictions are not imposed, new modelling suggests.

Researchers said the new variant, which is expected to be more transmissible, could cause 24,000 deaths by 30 April 2022 in the most optimistic scenario and nearly 75,000 deaths in the most pessimistic scenario.

Read more at: Omicron could cause tens of thousands of deaths in England, study says | Euronews

The Netherlands,Polder Model,Covid,Ranking,Very low,

THE DUTCH are not used to being ranked among the worst in Europe. But that is where they stand in covid booster vaccinations: 4.1% of the population have had an extra jab, just behind Romania at 5%. They started on November 18th, months after other countries. “It is impossible to explain,” says Roel Coutinho, a former head of the national outbreak-management team. He blames the Dutch culture of governing via exhaustive negotiations and consensus—a system known as the “polder model”.

READ MORE AT: The Dutch style of government: good for dykes, bad for covid | The Economist

: EU: The Netherlands and Australia find the omicron variant as curbs spread

The Netherlands confirmed 13 cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday and Australia found two as the countries half a world apart became the latest to detect it in travelers arriving from southern Africa.

A raft of curbs being imposed by nations around the world as they scramble to slow the variant's spread also grew, with Israel deciding Sunday to bar entry to foreign nationals in the toughest move so far.

Confirmed or suspected cases of the new variant have already emerged in several European countries, in Israel and in Hong Kong, just days after it was identified by researchers in South Africa. The "act first, ask questions later" approach reflected growing alarm about the emergence of a potentially more contagious variant nearly two years into a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people, upended lives and disrupted economies across the globe.

Read more at: The Netherlands and Australia find the omicron variant as curbs spread : NPR

USA: CEOs across economy agree on one 2022 prediction: No Covid end - USA: CEOs across economy agree on one 2022 prediction: No Covid end -

Chief executive officers of companies from sectors including healthcare, restaurants, packaged food, manufacturing, logistics and chip sector tell CNBC that any hope of a “return to normal” in 2022 is misguided and volatility will remain a primary business challenge. CEOs see opportunity in the changes already made during Covid to become permanent competitive advantages, and for global economic growth to remain strong, but it won’t be without a high level of uncertainty and volatility.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/02/ceos-across-economy-agree-on-one-big-2022-prediction-more-volatility.html

COVID in Europe: Denmark reports jump in Omicron cases as Belgium protest ends in clashes

COVID-19 cases are sweeping Europe once again — here is a breakdown of how each country has reacted to the surge.

Measures vary across the continent — from a national lockdown in Austria and moves towards mandatory vaccination in Germany, to the United Kingdom where only light restrictions are in place.

Read more at: COVID in Europe: Denmark reports jump in Omicron cases as Belgium protest ends in clashes | Euronews

Covid-19: First data points to Omicron re-infection risk - James Gallagher

The first real world data showing the coronavirus variant Omicron may evade some of our immunity has been reported by scientists in South Africa.

Scientists have detected a surge in the number of people catching Covid multiple times.

It is a rapid analysis and not definitive, but fits with concern about the mutations the variant possesses.

Coronavirus: Omicron was in Netherlands before South Africa raised alarm about new coronavirus variant - Perry Stein

The omicron variant had a foothold in multiple countries in Europe before travel restrictions were imposed, new genetic sequencing data has revealed.

Dutch officials said Tuesday that they had detected the variant, with its unusually high number of mutations, in a sample collected on Nov. 19 and another on Nov. 23 — well before Dutch authorities panicked over two flights from South Africa carrying infected passengers.

The earliest known cases are still from southern Africa. The first identified samples were collected Nov. 9, from a 34-year-old man and a 23-year-old man in Johannesburg, according to the GISAID global database. On Nov. 11, five

Read more at: Omicron was in Netherlands before South Africa raised alarm about new coronavirus variant - The Washington Post