Omicron lockdown: Lockdown in Norway amid worldwide tension, first death in UK [TKB Health]

The first death occurred on Monday from Omicron, a new variant of the rapidly spreading corona in Britain. Meanwhile, the Norwegian government has imposed a partial lockdown in its country. At the same time, cases of Omicron have also been reported in China and Pakistan.

According to the agency, the first Omicron case was detected in the United Kingdom on 27 November. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed strict restrictions. On Sunday (December 12), he said that there is a possibility of a third wave in the country. Britain says that by the end of the month, if action is not taken, Omicron could infect one million people.

Norway partial lockdown

According to the agency, a partial lockdown has been imposed in Norway due to Omicron’s infection. The Norwegian Prime Minister said that due to the Omicron infection, strictness is needed. Bars, restaurants, gyms have been closed there. Strict COVID-19 rules have been implemented. It is feared that new cases may reach 300,000 per day in January.

Prime Minister Jonas Gehr Stoere said Norway would further tighten sanctions. Vaccination will be intensified to overcome the Omicron variant of the corona virus. It has announced the closure of gyms and swimming pools and banning other things besides strict rules in schools. The Prime Minister said in a press conference that for many people it would look like a lockdown. Strictness is very important for people’s life and their livelihood.

Vaccine does not have the same effect as before on Omicron

A new study has shown that the vaccine is much less effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Billy Gardner and Marm Kilpatrick of the University of California, Santa Cruz, created computer models that incorporated data on COVID-19 vaccines against earlier variants.

Preliminary data on the Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech vaccine against Omicron was included. Their models show that after two doses of the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna (mRNA.o), the protection against Omicron is about 30 percent. Kilpatrick said, the boosters provide about 48% protection.