Over the Christmas weekend, commercial airlines around the world cancelled more than 4,300 flights because of the increasing wave of Covid-19 infections driven by Omicron variants, which brought greater uncertainty and pain to holiday travelers.
According to statistics on flight tracking website FlightAware.com, global airlines cancelled at least 2,366 flights on Friday, which occurred on Christmas Eve, which is usually a busy day for air travel. Nearly 9,000 flights were delayed.
According to the website, 1,616 flights worldwide were cancelled on Christmas Day, and 365 flights were cancelled on Sunday.
FlightAware data shows that commercial air traffic within the United States and in and out of the country accounted for more than a quarter of all cancelled flights over the weekend.
The first American airlines to report cancellations over holiday weekends include United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. They cancelled nearly 280 flights on Friday alone, citing a surge in Covid-19 infections and a shortage of personnel.
Due to the highly contagious variant Omicron, Covid-19 infections have surged in the United States in recent days. The variant was first detected in November and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of U.S. cases, and up to 90% in certain areas, such as the East Coast.
According to Reuters statistics, in the past week, the average number of new coronavirus cases per day in the United States increased by 45% to 179,000.
On Friday alone, New York reported more than 44,000 newly confirmed infections, breaking the state’s daily record. At least 10 other states set new single-day case records on Thursday or Friday.
The increase in hospital admissions has dealt a particularly severe blow to the health care system in the Midwest, with intensive care units in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan preparing for the worst, even though they are still under pressure from an early wave of delta variant cases. In the UK, many industries and transportation networks are self-isolating due to sick workers. They are trying to solve the problem of manpower shortage, and hospitals have also warned that this may affect patient safety.
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, one in ten Londoners was infected with Covid-19 last week, and this number may rise to one in ten by the beginning of next week. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/one-10-londoners-likely-infected-with-covid-ons-models-2021-12-24
According to government data, the number of new infections nationwide reached a record of 122,186 on Friday, which is the third day when the number of known cases exceeds 100,000.
Although recent studies have shown that Omicron produces milder illnesses and lower hospitalization rates compared to previous variants of Covid-19, health officials remain cautious about the outlook.
Jenny Harris, the director of the British Health and Security Agency, told the BBC: “There is a glimmer of hope for Christmas…but it is definitely not so serious that we can downgrade this serious threat.”
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
