Doubt it, Germany is notoriously poor at testing:

As for Ukraine, who knows, but cases were starting to come down just before the war, consistent with Russia and Moldova.

Ukraine is reporting again, but who knows who is getting tested. It's a big drop right as the invasion started
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/ukraine/
Reported cases in Europe are slowly increasing again, while having much higher vaccination rates than Ukraine and no war.

Getting a critical case of covid in a war zone, can't even imagine :(

Most of Europe is likely BA.2 now though, so I guess it'll depend on how quickly it spread in Ukraine too.

That being said, in most places, I expect a 'thick tail' instead of another smaller wave unless BA.2 is drastically more immune-evasive than BA.1 to the triple vaccinated (unlikely according to UK data).

Weekly update.

In total 11.4 million new cases were reported last week (up from 10.4 million) to a total of 455,057,451
Also another 47,963 deaths were reported last week (down from 52,849) to a total of 6,057,320

Europe is veering back up a bit again.

The continents

Asia reported 5.04 million new cases (up from 4.48 million) and 12,844 more deaths (down from 13,380)
Europe reported 4.97 million new cases (up from 4.46 million) and 16,581 more deaths (down from 17,801)
South America reported 532K new cases (slightly down from 566K) and 5,451 more deaths (down from 6,192)
North America reported 396K new cases (down from 531K) and 11,139 more deaths (down from 13,954)
Oceania reported 361K new cases (up from 310K) and 238 deaths (292 last week)
Africa reported 56.4K new cases (55.7K last week) and 1,710 more deaths (up from 1,050)

Corners of the world

South Korea reported 1.86 million new cases (up from 1.29 million) and 1,295 more deaths (up from 797)
Japan reported 399K new cases (down from 460K) and 1,348 more deaths (down from 1,594)
Brazil reported 331K new cases (down from 303K) and 3,269 more deaths (up from 3,076)
USA reported 259K new cases (down from 363K) and 9,558 more deaths (down from 11,286)
Australia reported 214K new cases (up from 170K) and 194 deaths (258 last week)
Canada reported 39.7K new cases (slightly down from 40.2K) and 370 deaths (431 last week)
Iran reported 37.3K new cases (down from 56.3K) and 1,099 more deaths (down from 1,427)
India reported 30.4K new cases (down from 51.6K) and 925 deaths (down from 1,396)
South Africa reported 10.5K new cases (down from 11.8K) and 192 deaths (372 last week)

It's clear which countries are not counting cases very well anymore. Reported cases fatality ratios are all over the place.

Europe in detail

A bit of resurgence here and there. Reported deaths were still trending down a least

More delays and shortages incoming. Omicron is taking hold in China now

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/china-shuts-business-centre-of-shenzhen-to-fight-covid-19-surge-1.5817377

China's government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business centre of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.

Shenzhen is home to some of China's most prominent companies, including telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Ltd., electric car brand BYD Auto, Ping An Insurance Co. and Tencent Holding, operator of the popular WeChat message service.


1,931 cases reported today, up from 588 yesterday. It's been creeping up since the Olympics and now starting to accelerate.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/apple-supplier-foxconn-halts-operations-in-shenzhen-as-china-locks-down-tech-hub-1.5818039

We're facing very difficult choices again. The mental health of our kids, or the physical health of their mother.
Face mask and other restrictions will all be lifted end of March break. They'll be going back to school without masks and likely with less cohorting rules. No more masks on the bus either so they would mingle there anyway.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/can-t-we-have-lives-too-high-risk-canadians-feel-forgotten-as-covid-19-rules-lift-1.5820173

My wife is one of those high risk Canadians, the booster shot already had severe effects on her.

Many provinces have cited high vaccination rates and lower levels of viral circulation in announcements overrecent weeks to drop or relax COVID-19 rules,including mask requirements, vaccine passports, capacity limits and mandatory immunization policies.

In response to inquiries about how this shift will affect high-risk individuals, officials in several provinces emphasized that people can still take personal precautions, such as wearing a mask.

Brown, an epidemiologist who researches disability and reproductive health, calls this approach "problematic." "It places the burden of responsibility for protection on the individual rather than making it a structural and systemic responsibility," she says. "That disproportionately negatively impacts people with disabilities."

Nearly one in four Canadians aged 15 and older have a health condition that puts them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, Statistics Canada reported in July 2020. Fourteen per cent of adults have a condition that compromises their immune system, the agency said. Several studies suggest that the immune response triggered by vaccines is "substantially decreased" in some immunocompromised individuals compared to healthy vaccine recipients, according to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

...

Everyone wants to see a return to "normal," Pettinicchio says, but that can't happen if recovery for some comes at the expense of the safety and inclusion of others.

"We're entering this period of freedom ... (but) that doesn't mean freedom for everyone," he says. "I don't think there's an expectation that these countermeasures will forever be in place. But I do think there's an expectation that the circumstances of (people with disabilities) be taken into account."

Alyssa Denis, an advocate for Canadians with chronic illnesses in Calgary, doesn't think it's so much to ask able-bodied people to take modest precautions that would allow vulnerable members of the population some semblance of normalcy every now and then.

"I strongly feel that society and the government have forgotten about people like myself," says Denis, who has lupus and is a cervical cancer survivor. "It's like we don't exist and we don't matter."

My wife feels the same. The pressure is already coming directly from family. Can we take the kids to an indoor trampoline park during March break, will be good for them. Yes they would love that, but Covid-19 is not gone, it's still here and plenty active in a much more contagious form.

Meanwhile the tools to track the pandemic have mostly been taken away. Hospitalizations have leveled out, not going down anymore and will likely go up again with the removal of restrictions and people going all over the place for March break.

Maybe we need to keep the kids home from school again for a week after March break to see how things go. It worked in Januari where our youngest's teacher caught Covid first week back. Don't know if the school will let us, they were already mentioning the high absenteeism but for some reason forgot to count the online schooling they did instead. No idea if there will be any work put up for online schooling anymore, it was already pretty much neglected in Januari. And when our youngest had to stay home (they send him home for Covid because of a stomach ache) there was nothing...

Why is this still getting worse...

I don't know what to do anymore. Meanwhile, Ford, who cancelled the mask rules for school
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-will-keep-his-mask-on-in-the-legislature-for-first-few-days-post-mandate-1.5820130

Several school boards have asked to be able to keep their mask mandates in place for a few weeks after schools return following March break, but Ford has said no.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-says-school-boards-aren-t-experts-on-masks-expects-them-to-follow-ontario-plan-to-drop-mandate-1.5815819

Asshole.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/parents-with-kids-under-age-five-feel-left-behind-with-ending-of-mask-mandates-1.5816905


I guess I should buy a truck and start blocking bridges...

Two years after the start of the pandemic, the US is on the doorstep of 1 million deaths, and will surpass it by the end of the weekend, making it the first country to do so. This is in addition to the 1.4 million deaths in Europe (1.75 million if you count Russia-Belarus). All of this because governments installed too many ineffective half-measures which did more harm than good, and didn’t crack down on all the willful carelessness and/or anti-vaccination stupidity - what’s worse is those anti-vaccination types are also the same people who willfully go out and infect other people.

Now millions are dead and/or suffering permanent neurological disease because this anti-vaccination/Pro-spread of Coronavirus movement movements were not effectively dealt with.

India has had 4 million excess deaths though, and both Russia and China around 1 million. It's easier to seem like you emerged unscathed from a pandemic when you don't test/control the media.

Not to mention the lockdowns themselves have accelerated the onset of dementia for millions, just like severe illness would do, so I'm not sure there was anything we could have done about that, unfortunately.

Weekly update, new wave starting in Europe

Deaths are still heading down at least, the reported ones...

World wide cases are up 14% compared to last week, reported deaths are down by 25%.


The continents

Asia getting back on top, Oceania passing South America, the pandemic has been moving East.

Cases in Asia are up 26%, Oceania 14%, Europe 6.7% increase.
Cases are down in NA by 11%, South America 17%, Africa 35% decrease.

Corners of the world

South Korea is still heading up, 2.83 million new cases last week an 1,907 more deaths.
China is also heading up, still below the original outbreak in Wuhan, at least by the numbers they're releasing.

Europe in detail

Germany heading further up with other countries following.

It's still far from over, yet by Monday we'll be pretending it's all in the past :/

In addition to no more masks in schools:

• All requirements around cohorting and distancing will be removed
• There will be no more restrictions on athletic activities, music or singing
• No capacity limits for indoor activities (other than fire code regulations)
• No immunization requirements for indoor sports spectators
• Visitors to schools will not be required to provide proof of immunization or wear a mask
• Staff immunization disclosure requirements are lifted, as well as the regular testing requirements for non-immunized staff

As mentioned by Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, these changes represent a move to “learning to live with and manage COVID-19.” We look forward to your continued support and cooperation as we continue to move in this direction together.


Meanwhile https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/no-moving-on-from-covid-19-for-canada-s-exhausted-health-care-workers-1.5824541

COVID-19 cases continue to roll into the two Toronto-area hospitals where Eram Chhogala works as a trauma nurse. The numbers have dwindled to a stream instead of a wave, but each is a reminder of what the disease has done and could possibly still do.

"Previously, we had high numbers and waves where people came in heavy bottlenecks, and I'm just wondering if it's going to be the same thing again," Chhogala said in a phone interview this week. "You know, it's the wonder of, 'Is this going to happen again?'"

With mask mandates and other COVID-19 health restrictions lifting, many Canadians are finally able to envision a return to normal life. But, as they face burnout, staff shortages and daunting procedural backlogs, some health workers say it isn't so easy to move on.

Chhogala says she understands people's desire to return to a more normal life. But she also worries that health measures such as mask mandates are lifting too quickly, while there's still so much to do to ensure the health system is ready for another wave.

"A lot of people are probably really excited that they can go back to normal again, but I just don't think that we're at that normal yet," she says.


I agree, it's too soon. Canada usually follows the trends in the UK and they're going up again. Right after March break is the worst time to drop most of the counter measures. We're still at 37K cases a week and 300 deaths. It's not over. Schools remained closed with lower numbers last year (both in cases and deaths, while cases are now also counted much less) and with a less infectious strain going around.

I got sick again. After 2 years of not getting sick, I got sick twice in 3 months.

I do have to wonder if it is Covid, but I am too lazy to get tested. Quarantining myself is what I do instead.

I will probably get a booster soon since it will alleviate travel concerns.

At this point in time in Japan, everyone is still wearing masks. In some ways I would like to go maskless sometimes, but the majority of the time, I am glad that we still wear masks. I kind of think Japan will recommend less mask usage during the hot humid summer, but most people will keep with it.