(Bloomberg) —
U.S. cases rose to an average of about 120,000 a day this week, the most since September, according to data through Friday. The delta variant continues to drive infections, though the new omicron variant has been reported in more than 25 states.
Omicron has the potential to fuel almost 75,000 deaths in England this winter, according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. More than 700 omicron cases have been detected in Europe, with no deaths or serious illness yet reported, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.
Austria ended a nationwide lockdown for most people, while keeping restrictions for the unvaccinated as it presses ahead with a bold strategy to boost inoculations. South Korea’s critical cases rose to a daily record, a day after the country saw its highest death toll.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 269.7 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.43 billion shots given
- Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
- What we know about omicron: QuickTake
- Pandemic intelligence chief brings data, AI to omicron fight
- Coronavirus Daily: Japan’s disappearing Covid deaths
- Return-to-office plans are turning ‘shybrid’ with ongoing delays
Polarized Austria Ends Lockdown (3:07 p.m. HK)
Austria ended a nationwide lockdown for most people, while keeping restrictions for the unvaccinated as it presses ahead with the boldest incentive in Europe to boost inoculations.
Starting Sunday, vaccine rejectors can only leave their homes to go to work, where they’ll need to provide a negative coronavirus test every two days, and for essential shopping and daily exercise. Entry to other venues will be barred.
Life will slowly return to normal for people who’ve had a vaccine or have recently recovered from the virus, with regions implementing a patchwork of easing schedules. Concerts are set to restart, museums and restaurants will throw open their doors again and Christmas markets will return to life.
Police estimate about 44,000 people turned out in Vienna for the third large protest in the past month against mandatory vaccinations, organized by the far-right Freedom Party and its leader, Herbert Kickl. Several arrests were reported.
Korea Sees Record Number of Critical Cases (9:54 a.m. HK)
South Korea reported a record number of critical patients on Sunday — 894 — as officials struggle with nearly 80% of intensive care hospital beds occupied. The Asian nation added 43 deaths, following a record 80 on the previous day, raising concerns in a country where more than 90% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Daily cases stood at 6,689, falling slightly from the previous day but still the highest level for a weekend, when fewer testings occur. Cases of the omicron variant rose by 15, to a total of 90. Officials have urged people over 60 to get a booster, as about 92% of deaths have come from that group.
Omicron Found in Japan Quarantine Case (9:48 a.m. HK)
In Japan’s Gifu prefecture, a man traveling from Sri Lanka has tested positive for the omicron variant, Japan’s health ministry announced. Though several omicron infections have been detected via screenings at airports, the new case is Japan’s first to be confirmed in a person quarantining at home, according to the Asahi newspaper.
The case highlights the difficulty even a country implementing some of the most stringent border controls faces trying to contain the newly discovered variant. Last month, Japan moved to close its borders to new foreign arrivals and have its own citizens isolate on arrival from countries where the omicron variant has been found.
The foreign national tested negative in initial screenings but came down with symptoms after returning to his home in Gifu last week, according to Japan’s health ministry.
Australia Adds Moderna as Booster (5:58 p.m. NY)
Australia added the Moderna Inc. Covid-19 vaccine to Pfizer Inc.’s as a recommended booster shot and reduced the waiting time, responding to concerns about the increased spread caused by the omicron variant.
Australia is cutting the standard waiting time for a booster shot to five months from six, following the first two doses. The approval came from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, the health department said Sunday in a statement.
New South Wales, the most populous state, reported the pace of new cases declined for the first time in six days. The state said Sunday there were 485 new cases, versus 560 reported Saturday. There are 55 omicron variant cases in the state, after 10 were confirmed overnight, and more are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed, the government said.
Victoria state said it recorded 1,069 additional cases, down from 1,193 cases.
No Omicron Deaths in EU So Far (5:22 p.m. NY)
A total of 732 cases of the omicron variant have been detected in 22 countries in Europe as of Saturday, most of which are locally transmitted, and not related to travel in southern Africa, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a statement.
All cases for which there is available information on severity were either asymptomatic or mild, the ECDC said. There have been no omicron-related deaths reported thus far, according to ECDC. “These figures should be assessed with caution, as the number of confirmed cases is too low to understand if the disease clinical spectrum of omicron differs from that of previously detected variants.”
Nurses Deployed to Western N.Y. (3:17 p.m. NY)
New York state’s largest health-care system will send nurses to hospitals in the western part of the state overwhelmed by the surge in Covid-19 cases, Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Saturday.
Almost 20 nurses from Northwell Health will assist in intensive care, emergency and surgery in Buffalo and Rochester, starting on Saturday, Hochul said. The positive test rate in western New York is about 10%, compared with the U.S. average of about 7.5%.
Pfizer Boosters Provide Omicron Protection (2:51 p.m. NY)
People who received the second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine between five and six months ago have no protection against infection or serious disease caused by the omicron variant, Israel’s Sheba Medical Center reported on Saturday from a study of 20 patients.
However, protection against the variant increased by 100 times in those who received the third booster dose of the Pfizer vaccination a month ago. This proves that the booster offers ‘’significant protection” and reduces the chance of severe disease, Gili Regev-Yochay, the director of Sheba’s infectious disease unit, told journalists.
Separate laboratory experiments in South Africa found that a two-shot course of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine has just 22.5% efficacy against symptomatic infection with the omicron variant, but can thwart severe disease.
Scientists found omicron resulted in about a 41-fold reduction in levels of neutralizing antibodies produced by people who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE shot, compared with the strain detected in China almost two years ago.
Germans Protest Against Vaccinations (1:18 p.m. NY)
An estimated 8,000 protesters demonstrated in downtown Hamburg saying they oppose vaccination mandates and shots for children, German broadcaster NDR reported, citing police.
A similar march last Saturday drew about 5,000. Germany’s parliament on Friday backed a limited mandate, including for health-care and nursing home employees, that requires proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid by March 15.
England Could Face 75,000 Winter Deaths (12:22 p.m. NY)
The omicron variant has the potential to cause a wave of infections in England and fuel almost 75,000 deaths this winter, if the government doesn’t impose additional precautionary control measures, according to a research report by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Under the government’s ‘Plan B’ rules imposed last week in response to omicron, the most optimistic scenario for England indicates about 175,000 hospital admissions and 24,700 deaths for the five-month period from December to April. The worst-case projection is for 74,800 deaths. That is more than half the 127,154 fatalities registered in England since the start of the pandemic.
U.S. Outbreak Worsens (10:30 a.m. NY)
U.S. infections rose to an average of about 120,000 a day this week, the most since September, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg through Friday. The delta variant continues to drive infections and hospitalizations, though the new omicron variant has been reported now in more than 25 states. Most of the omicron cases are among vaccinated people and are so far mild.
In 12 states and the nation’s capital, the seven-day average of hospital 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.
French PM Urges Vaccines Ahead of Christmas (8:00 a.m. NY)
French Prime Minister Jean Castex urged more people to get vaccinated, with a fifth wave of cases sweeping the country. “People can celebrate Christmas normally, but we must respect the rules … and get vaccinated,” Castex, who tested positive for Covid-19 last month, told public radio outlet France Blue late Friday, according to AP. At least 81% of the French population has had at least one shot, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.
Scotland Tightens Isolation Rules (6:15 a.m. NY)
People in Scotland who live with someone who catches Covid must now isolate for 10 days, regardless of whether they test negative or have been vaccinated. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the change on Friday, warning that omicron could bring a surge of new cases.
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