(Bloomberg) — The omicron strain may be spreading faster in England than in South Africa, according to John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The Scottish government said it expects omicron to become the prevalent variant in the country within days. HSBC Holdings Plc and Deutsche Bank AG are among banks telling London staff to work from home.
France is planning to administer 20 million booster shots by Dec. 25 as it fights a fresh wave of infections.
Hong Kong announced plans to tighten quarantine and testing requirements for inbound travelers from the U.S. London’s Heathrow Airport offered a bleak outlook on passenger numbers as omicron stalls a rebound in long-haul travel.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases near 269 million; deaths approach 5.3 million
- Omicron propels U.S. booster drive where it’s needed least
- What we know about omicron: QuickTake
- World rushes to boost against omicron, but questions remain
- BI’s Sam Fazeli on the effectiveness of vaccine boosters against omicron
Swiss Mull Further Pandemic Steps (9:07 a.m. NY)
Switzerland is considering new measures, including closing indoor restaurants and fitness centers as well as mandating people to work from home, as it seeks to counter a surge in new infections.
The government will be discussing two options. One would limit entry to restaurants and museums and other public indoor venues to those who’ve been inoculated or have recovered from the virus.
The other option would effectively be a partial lockdown, closing restaurants for indoor dining, gyms and discos. The next decision will be made Dec. 14.
Scotland Sees Omicron Overtaking Delta (7:49 a.m. NY)
The Scottish government expects omicron to overtake delta as the prevalent variant within days after a jump in infections that’s prompted health officials to tighten the rules on self-isolation.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the country will require more case contacts to stay home regardless of vaccination status and recommended workplace Christmas parties should be postponed. U.K. leaders will discuss the latest stage of the pandemic at a so-called Cobra meeting later on Friday, she said.
Europe Surge May Be Leveling Off (6:42 a.m. NY)
Europe’s infection surge appears to be leveling off after governments across the continent clamped down with another round of tough measures, including lockdowns and restrictions on the unvaccinated.
While the trend varies across countries, overall European Union numbers look to have hit a plateau. Austria and Germany have seen a dramatic shift, with the former’s seven-day case rate plunging by more than half since late last month.
ECB’s Next Meeting to Be Held Virtually (5:57 p.m. HK)
The European Central Bank will hold next week’s Governing Council meeting in a fully virtual format after infections in Germany surged to record levels, according to a person familiar with the decision.
H.K. to Tighten Quarantine for U.S. Travelers (5:47 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong residents returning from the U.S. will be required to spend their first seven days of quarantine at the government’s Penny’s Bay center.
They would then be transferred to serve their remaining 14 days of compulsory quarantine at designated hotels the travelers had already reserved, according to a statement. U.S. arrivals were already subject to three weeks of quarantine, all of it served in hotels.
HSBC, JPMorgan London Staff to Stay Home (5:30 p.m. HK)
HSBC told U.K. employees on Thursday afternoon they should return to home-working where possible, according to a spokesperson.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. told staff in an internal memo Thursday that it is reassessing “who needs to be coming into the office and who should revert to working from home on a more regular basis.”
Deutsche Bank is significantly reducing the number of staff working in the office from Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
France Targets 20 Million Boosters by Dec. 25 (5 p.m. HK)
France is aiming to administer 20 million booster shots by Dec. 25 as it bets on vaccines to help the country get through a holiday period in which coronavirus cases are expected to remain high.
Some 12.5 million people have already had boosters in France, including almost 90% of the population age 65 and over, Health Minister Olivier Veran told reporters on Friday. France aims to administer 500,000-700,000 booster jabs a day in order to achieve its goal, Veran said.
Ghana Requires Vaccination Proof for Air Travel (4:58 p.m. HK)
All adults traveling to or from Ghana by air will be required to show they’ve been fully vaccinated to guard against a fourth wave in the West African nation.
“Globally, several countries are experiencing a fourth wave,” Ghana’s Health Service said in a statement posted on Twitter late Thursday. “A number of travelers from these countries come to Ghana and this is expected to increase during the festive season.”
U.K. Omicron Spread Warning (4:29 p.m. HK)
The omicron strain may be spreading faster in England than in South Africa, with U.K. cases of the variant possibly topping 60,000 a day by Christmas, according to epidemiologist John Edmunds.
It’s likely there are more omicron cases than confirmed by tests, the Guardian newspaper reported, citing Edmunds, who works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, speaking at a webinar organized by the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday.
Heathrow Offers Bleak Passenger Outlook (4:29 p.m. HK)
London’s Heathrow airport said passenger numbers are likely to recover to barely half of pre-Covid levels next year as the pandemic continues to ravage long-haul travel markets.
The number of travelers in 2022 is likely to reach 45 million, Heathrow said in a statement Friday. That compares with a record 81 million in 2019.
Germany Eyes Potential Covid Curbs (3:47 p.m. HK)
Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed rapid action to stem Germany’s surge of infections but stopped short of announcing new restrictions after a meeting with state leaders.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Thursday, his first full day as chancellor after succeeding Angela Merkel, Scholz instead leaned on his plan for an aggressive year-end vaccination drive, including booster shots. He plans another meeting next week with Germany’s 16 states and hasn’t ruled out greater contact restrictions over Christmas.
S. Africa Sees Hospitalization ‘Disconnect’ (2:40 p.m. HK)
South Africa is seeing a “disconnect” between the number of infections and hospital admissions in the current infection wave, according to Michelle Groome, the head of health surveillance for the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
As the omicron variant has taken hold there has been a slight increase in deaths, she said on an online press conference on Friday. This differs from earlier waves when the number of infections and hospital admissions rose in tandem, she said.
Meanwhile, the country will offer booster shots as it races to control a surge in infections caused by the omicron variant.
Danske Staff to Work From Home (2:17 pm. HK)
Danske Bank staff will be working from home through Jan 4. after the government announced new Covid-19 restrictions and urged businesses to work virtually if possible, Danske tells newspaper Borsen.
Clients will “to the greatest extent possible be met with digital meetings, while physical locations will remain open to a limited capacity,” the lender said in a written response to Borsen.
Directors Prioritized in HK-China Reopening (12:02 p.m. HK)
Directors of listed companies are among three groups that will be prioritized when quarantine-free travel resumes between Hong Kong and China, Wen Wei Po reported, citing unidentified people.
Longer Wait Better for Sinovac Booster (12 p.m. HK)
A longer gap between second and third doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine provides more protection against the virus than a shorter wait, according to a study published in medical journal the Lancet.
Antibody levels in people who received a third dose eight months after their second dose rose more than twice as much as people who got a booster shot within two months of their second dose, according to researchers from Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Fudan University and several regional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Africa Neighbors Brace for Spike (12 p.m. HK)
While many countries banned travelers from southern Africa after the new strain was first identified there two weeks ago, its governments have denounced the restrictions and have largely kept borders open. Lines of vehicles can stretch for several miles as workers at South African mines and construction sites journey home, adding to the already heavy stream of travelers.
South Africa’s neighbors are bracing for a flood of returning workers over the December holidays, threatening to accelerate the spread of the omicron variant that’s already ignited a fourth wave of infections in the region.
Mouse With Covid Sparks Lab Leak Alert (11:17 a.m. HK)
A mouse bite is at the center of an investigation into a possible new outbreak in Taiwan, after a worker at a high-security laboratory was confirmed as the island’s first local case in more than a month.
The lab worker, a woman in her 20s, tested positive this week after coming into contact with the virus during her work at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research institute, in mid-November, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said at a quickly organized briefing Thursday evening. She had not traveled abroad recently and had received two doses of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine.
China’s Latest Outbreak Persists (9:47 a.m. HK)
China reported 37 locally transmitted cases on Friday as the country’s latest outbreak persists. Northwestern province Shaanxi, which detected one new case, is the latest region affected by the flareup, according to the National Health Commission.
Local authorities in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou — the capital of the Zhejiang province south of Shanghai — have initiated rounds of testing while suspending operations of some indoor entertainment venues including bars and chess rooms, officials said in a press conference on Thursday.
Omicron Found in Two People With Boosters (9:25 a.m. HK)
Two Singapore residents may have caught the omicron variant even after receiving their booster shots, in cases which may shed light on the protection offered by a third dose of vaccine.
A 24-year-old female airport passenger-service worker has returned a preliminary positive test to omicron, in what would be the city-state’s first case of local transmission of the variant, the health ministry said in a statement late Thursday. The second person is considered an imported case after returning from Germany via the vaccinated travel lane on Dec. 6.
U.S. Holiday Crisis Looms (7:33 a.m. HK)
Cases and hospital admissions in the U.S. are rising amid a season of family gatherings. Most victims have shunned inoculations, with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy saying the “overwhelming majority” of infections, hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated.
In 12 states and the nation’s capital, the seven-day average of admissions with confirmed Covid-19 has climbed at least 50% from two weeks earlier, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. The areas with the largest percentage upticks were Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Vermont and Rhode Island.
“We’re in desperate shape,” said Brian Weis, chief medical officer at Northwest Texas Healthcare System in Amarillo, the state’s worst hot spot.
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