(Bloomberg) —
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the U.K. is facing a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and set an end-of-year deadline for the country’s booster vaccination program. Infections in the U.K. from the new variant doubled in the last day and now make up a third of new cases in London.
Anthony Fauci, U.S. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said omicron appears able to evade vaccines and some Covid-19 treatments but that a booster shot can increase protection. At least 30 U.S. states are reporting cases of the variant.
Australia recorded its first hospitalization from the omicron variant. New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, will ease Covid restrictions at the end of the month, reflecting a declining trend in case numbers and rising vaccination levels.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 270.1 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.45 billion shots given
- Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
- Billionaire’s bet on Pfizer vaccine for China fails to pay off
- Pandemic intelligence chief brings data, AI to omicron fight
- Return-to-office plans are turning ‘shybrid’ with ongoing delays
Australia’s Covid-Zero Holdout to Reopen (2:50 p.m. HKT)
One of the world’s final Covid-zero strongholds is set to reopen — almost two years after slamming its borders shut — with Western Australia announcing it will welcome fully-vaccinated international and domestic travelers from Feb. 5. Overseas arrivals without protection will still have to quarantine.
While other Australian states have gradually reopened as vaccination rates have risen, Western Australia held strong, and the state’s residents were able to live almost restriction-free lives within its borders. Western Australia only had 12 days of lockdown in total during the pandemic and recorded one death due to community transmission, according to Premier Mark McGowan.
Auckland Curbs to Ease at Year-End (12:45 p.m. HKT)
Auckland will ease some coronavirus restrictions in time for New Year’s Eve. From 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 30, capacity limits on hospitality venues will be lifted and more close-contact activities such as dancing will be allowed. People still require vaccine passes to enter most venues and events and must wear masks in most public facilities and shops.
Auckland was plunged into a strict lockdown in mid-August to combat an outbreak of the delta variant. The 107-day lockdown ended Dec. 3, and a border around the city is due to lift on Dec. 15, allowing residents to visit other parts of the country as the summer vacation period approaches.
China Cases Tick Up (9:30 a.m. HK)
China reported 80 locally transmitted cases Monday as the latest outbreak continues to grow in the eastern coastal region. Zhejiang province, the new epicenter of the current wave, found 74 infections, according to the National Health Commission, with 55 detected in the city of Shaoxing. More than 1.16 billion people in China, or 82.5% of the total population, have been fully vaccinated, a health commission spokesperson said at a press conference on Saturday.
Australia’s First Omicron Hospitalization (9:30 a.m. HK)
Australia has recorded its first hospitalization from the omicron variant, according to New South Wales state health officials.
The state has found at least 64 cases of the omicron variant stemming from outbreaks in western Sydney, nightclubs and a party cruise on Sydney Harbor. It’s also facing rising overall case numbers, which hit 536 on Sunday, the highest since early October.
Nevertheless, Australia will reopen its borders to skilled migrant workers and foreign students from Wednesday, after initially delaying the move for two weeks as omicron started to spread.
U.K Airlines Ask for Help as Travel Hit (8:50 a.m. HK)
The U.K.’s biggest airlines have asked the government for economic support as new travel restrictions threaten to upend the peak Christmas season for a second year.
The government’s latest moves, which include reintroducing expensive hotel quarantines and travel bans for passengers arriving from southern Africa, are putting more pressure on airlines that were counting on Christmas travel to start to offset huge losses accumulated during the pandemic.
“As leaders of U.K. airlines, we are deeply concerned about the haphazard and disproportionate approach by government to travel restrictions following the emergence of the omicron variant,” the chief executives of carriers including British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Omicron Cases Remain Mild: ECDC (5:31 p.m. NY)
A total of 766 cases of the omicron variant had been confirmed in 23 European countries as of Sunday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a statement. Most of the cases are now local transmissions not related to travel to or from the original epicenter of the new strain in southern Africa, the ECDC said.
All cases for which there is available information on severity were either asymptomatic or mild and 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.”
Ramaphosa Tests Positive (3:26 p.m. NY)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms.
“The president, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week,” the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.
Ramaphosa, 69, was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot in February.
Johnson Warns of Omicron ‘Tidal Wave’ (3:10 p.m. NY)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the U.K. is facing a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and set an end-of-year deadline for the country’s booster vaccination program.
“Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year,”Johnson told the nation in a hastily-arranged address on Sunday night.
Johnson, who has been the subject of scathing headlines over his handling of the pandemic, tried to change the narrative in a somber address. While he is accelerating a plan to deliver booster jabs, in practice he’s bringing the deadline forward by a month.
Fauci Says Boosters Best Protection for Omicron (11:05 a.m. NY)
President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser said that the omicron variant appears able to evade vaccines and some Covid-19 treatments, but that a booster shot can increase protection.
“It appears to be able to evade some of the immune protection of things like monoclonal antibodies, convalescent plasma and the antibodies that are induced by vaccines,” Anthony Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.” “That’s the sobering news.”
“The somewhat encouraging news is that preliminary data show that when you get a booster, for example, a third shot of an mRNA, it raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against” omicron.
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.
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