(Bloomberg) — The omicron variant will likely be the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Europe by mid-January, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The new variant was detected for the first time in the Philippines and in Lithuania, as it continues to spread across the globe.
In Germany, the new health minister said he’s in direct contact with vaccine makers to increase deliveries after discovering the country is short of supplies for early next year.
European Union health regulators recommended giving a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine in adults after two months. Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline Plc said their experimental vaccine works as a booster, but suffered yet another delay with the main clinical trial results.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 271.5 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.53 billion shots given
- Unvaccinated patients push hospitals past the brink
- Will omicron oust delta is a question facing virus scientists
- Omicron divides Europe over plan to simplify travel rules
- What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
EU Recommends J&J Booster (6:08 a.m. NY)
European Union health regulators recommended giving a booster dose of J&J’s vaccine to people 18 and above at least two months after the initial dose. The shot can also be used as a follow-up to two doses of the Moderna Inc. or Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccines. The decision could allow European countries to speed up their booster drives.
Singapore Air Passenger Count Jumps (6:57 p.m. HK)
Singapore Airlines carried 272,700 passengers in November, up from 165,500 the month before, as the city-state added more destinations to its list of quarantine-free vaccinated travel lanes.
Moderna to Begin Africa Vaccine Trial (6:18 p.m. HK)
Moderna will start a trial of its Covid vaccine across eight African countries to determine its efficacy in people who are HIV positive. The study, which will include about 14,000 volunteers, will also evaluate its effectiveness against the omicron variant.
Person Traveling With Blinken Tests Positive (5:52 p.m. HK)
A person traveling alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his tour of Southeast Asia tested positive for Covid, the U.S. embassy in Malaysia said. The person didn’t participate in Blinken’s events today in Kuala Lumpur. All others in the traveling party tested negative when they arrived in Malaysia from Indonesia.
Israel to Start Fourth-Jab Trial (5:50 p.m. HK)
Israel’s Sheba Medical Center will begin to vaccinate 100 volunteers from its medical staff with a fourth jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine early next week. Data from the study will be shared with Israel’s Health Ministry to help the government decide on approving a fourth dose for wider use.
Omicron Seen Dominant in EU by Mid-January (5:17 p.m. HK)
The omicron variant will likely be dominant in Europe by mid-January, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, adding that the case numbers appear to be doubling every two or three days.
Von der Leyen said that the current wave in Europe is still being driven by the delta variant, but it’s important to roll out more vaccinations and boosters to fight the new strain. She noted that Europe can now produce 300 million vaccine doses per month.
“We’re going to do everything possible to ensure that vaccination skepticism is overcome because the price that we’ll pay if people are not vaccinated continues to increase,” she told the European Parliament.
H.K.-China No-Quarantine Travel (4:05 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong will announce a quarantine-free travel plan with China as soon as Friday, local media outlet HK01 reported, citing politician Michael Tien. The daily quota will be around 3,000 people a day, more than the previously expected 1,000 people, the report added, citing Tien.
Poland Deaths at Highest Since April (3:57 p.m. HK)
Poland registered more than 660 Covid-19 deaths in last 24 hours, 17% more than a week ago and the highest daily toll in the current wave of the pandemic. The ruling party is avoiding strict restrictions, and the government is uncertain whether a plan to allow employers to ask workers for Covid tests will get backing in parliament.
Sinovac Shot Gives Little Omicron Shield (3:50 p.m. HK)
The vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd., one of the most widely used in the world, doesn’t provide sufficient antibodies in two doses to neutralize the omicron variant and boosters will likely be needed to improve protection, initial lab findings showed.
While the first two studies to be released on the Chinese shot and omicron diverged on how much the vaccine’s immune response is degraded, they both indicated the standard two-dose course would not be enough.
Germany Reveals Vaccine Shortage (2:47 p.m. HK)
Germany’s new health minister, Karl Lauterbach, said he’s in direct contact with manufacturers of vaccines to increase deliveries after an inventory revealed a shortage in supplies. The country may be lacking as many as 60 million doses, Business Insider reported, citing health ministry calculations.
The pace of vaccinations has picked up in recent weeks, with the focus shifting to boosters. Germany’s vaccine campaign has been less successful than in other developed nations, with just 69.8% of the population fully inoculated.
Sanofi, Glaxo Results Delayed (2:43 p.m. HK)
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, the pharma giants that stumbled in the race to develop a vaccine, said their experimental shot works as a booster but suffered yet another delay with the main clinical trial results.
The candidate raised the antibody levels of people who’d already received other Covid shots such as Pfizer Inc.’s and AstraZeneca Plc’s, the drugmakers said in a statement Wednesday. Yet crucial study results for the underlying vaccine were delayed to the first quarter.
Philippines Finds First Omicron Cases (1:40 p.m. HK)
The Philippines detected its first cases of the omicron variant, though the country is retaining its lenient restrictions on movement during the Christmas holidays.
The Department of Health detected omicron in a returning Filipino from Japan and a Nigerian national. They are isolating and their close contacts are being tracked. The entire nation will be placed under Alert Level 2 from Dec. 16 to Dec. 31, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a televised briefing.
BofA’s Quarantine Compensation (11:25 a.m. HK)
Bank of America Corp. followed U.S. rivals by rolling out compensation plans for Hong Kong staff burdened by mandatory hotel quarantine costs, helping its employees navigate the city’s strict zero-Covid policy.
The U.S. bank joins JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley in rolling out compensation plans for Hong Kong staff. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is reimbursing employees across Asia-Pacific. A stay at Hong Kong’s designated quarantine hotel can cost between HK$500 ($64) to HK$3,630 a night for a non-suite room.
Google’s Reported Vaccine Threat (10:49 a.m. HK)
Google has threatened to reduce pay or even fire staff who fail to comply with internal policies on vaccinations, CNBC reported, citing internal documents.
The Alphabet Inc. unit warned employees they had till Dec. 3 to declare and prove their vaccination status, or apply for exemptions. Those who hadn’t complied by Jan. 18 will be placed on “paid administrative leave” for 30 days, CNBC said. They could then be put on unpaid leave for up to six months, before finally getting dismissed, it added.
China Cases Grow (9:45 a.m. HK)
China reported 50 local infections Wednesday as the outbreak swells in the eastern coastal region. Zhejiang, one of China’s biggest manufacturing hubs, detected 45 cases, with total infections standing at more than 200.
More than 576,000 people are in some degree of isolation, including more than 58,000 under centralized quarantine. With China sticking to its Covid-Zero strategy, Zhejiang province has carried out more than 10 million Covid tests among its 58 million inhabitants.
Australian State’s Infection Warning (9:33 a.m. HK)
Cases in Australia’s most-populous state, New South Wales, could reach 25,000 a day by the end of January, the state’s health minister, Brad Hazzard, said. The state recorded 1,360 cases on Wednesday and numbers are doubling every two to three days, Hazzard told reporters.
Even so, New South Wales is eliminating a raft of restrictions as its vaccination rate climbs beyond 90%, the government said, in a reversal of its Covid-Zero strategy.
Korea to Tighten Virus Measures (7:48 a.m. HK)
South Korea will tighten social-distancing measures in the wake of the country’s worst infection resurgence, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced Wednesday.
Details will be announced later, but Kim said the government will likely restrict restaurants and cafes’ operating hours and limit private gatherings. Despite a fully vaccinated rate of more than 80%, new cases surged to records after government eased restrictions in November.
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