(Bloomberg) — China’s southern Guangdong province is tightening Covid restrictions after a new cluster of infections emerged in the country’s manufacturing hub. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden warned that unvaccinated Americans face “a winter of severe illness and death” as he urged initial doses and booster shots amid a surge of cases and the emergence of the omicron variant.
Wales will bring back social distancing rules in offices and close nightclubs after Christmas, adding pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to introduce tougher measures in England. Almost half the workers in the City of London didn’t go to the office on Monday, the fewest since September, as U.K. cases rose to a record for a second consecutive day.
Three vaccine doses are roughly as effective at preventing transmission and severe disease from omicron as two are for the delta variant, according to the chief health officer in Australia. The nation, where more than 90% of the population over 16 has now received double doses, is dealing with a surge in cases as restrictions are eased.
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- Here we go again: NYC shows canceled, cases rise, offices empty
- ‘I was wrong’: Omicron wrecks CEOs’ plans for U.S. office return
- Half of U.S. states have big racial vaccine gaps one year in
- What quarantine is like inside Hong Kong’s bleak, high-security camp
Wales to Bring Back Social Distancing, Close Nightclubs (2:50 p.m. HK)
Wales will bring back social distancing rules in offices and close nightclubs after Christmas as it tries to contain a growing wave of Covid-19.
Office workers will be required to keep two meters apart, and extra measures including one-way systems and barriers will be needed in businesses and shops from Dec. 27, the Welsh government said in a statement.
South Africa Hospitalization Rate Falls 91% In Omicron Wave (2:45 p.m. HK)
South Africa’s hospital admission rate as a percentage of new Covid-19 cases identified fell 91% in the second week of the current infection wave driven by the omicron variant, compared with the same week of the third wave.
Only 1.7% of identified Covid-19 infections in the second week of the fourth wave of infections were admitted to the hospital, compared with 19% in the same week of the third wave, which was driven by delta, South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla said.
Vaccines Stop Serious Omicron Cases, Australia Says (12:30 p.m. HK)
Existing Covid-19 vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness from the omicron variant, but they’re not as good as with other strains in preventing transmission and mild illness, Australia’s Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said at a briefing Friday.
Three vaccine doses are roughly as effective at preventing transmission and severe disease from omicron as two are for the delta variant, Kelly said, highlighting the importance of booster shots in stemming a surge of cases in Australia.
NBA, Players Agree to New Covid Protocols (11:50 a.m. HK)
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to new Covid-19 protocols for the Christmas holidays amid a jump in cases among players, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, citing a memo shared with teams.
China’s Manufacturing Hub Tightens Curbs (11:45 a.m HK)
China’s southern Guangdong province is tightening Covid restrictions after a new cluster of infections emerged in the country’s manufacturing hub, and amid signs that the omicron variant may be spreading in the community.
The Dalang township in Dongguan city, one of the province’s most important factory belts, has been locked down after the detection of eight infections, with people not allowed to enter or exit and bus services suspended. A local hospital has closed all but its fever clinic and no patients are allowed to leave.
Japan’s Kishida Presses Pfizer CEO for Vaccines (9 a.m. HK)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc. to seek faster delivery of coronavirus vaccines, TV Asahi reported Friday, as the country braces for the spread of the omicron variant.
In a conversation with Albert Bourla, the premier also sought cooperation on the supply of the company’s Covid-19 pill, which Pfizer says is highly effective against severe virus symptoms, the broadcaster said. The government plans to procure 120 million vaccine doses from the company during 2022, the Nikkei newspaper said earlier.
Biden Asks Supreme Court to Allow Vaccine Mandate (8:40 a.m. HK)
President Joe Biden’s administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let a federal vaccine mandate for health-care workers take effect nationwide, saying it could save thousands of lives during an anticipated Covid surge this winter.
In a pair of filings late Thursday, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogarasked the justices to put a hold on lower court decisions that are blocking the rule in 24 states. The Republican-led states sued to block the law, saying the administration was exceeding its authority and infringing on state prerogatives.
France, Germany Say No Plans to Require PCR Tests (8:20 a.m. HK)
France and Germany said they have no plans to introduce requirements that vaccinated visitors from other European Union countries take PCR tests, even as Italy and Greece have imposed such a rule.
New Zealand Sticks to Border Reopening Plans (8 a.m. HK)
New Zealand policy makers are alert to a potential economic hit from the omicron variant of coronavirus, while sticking for now to their plans to progressively relax border restrictions from early 2022.
Singapore to Set Up Pediatric Covid-19 Vaccination Centers (7:50 a.m. HK)
Pediatric vaccination centers are being set up as Singapore prepares to administer Covid-19 vaccinations to children aged five to 11 later in December, according to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
Australia Surge Sees Queensland Impose Masks (7:30 a.m. HK)
Australia’s Queensland has made masks mandatory in several settings, after it this week opened its domestic borders to states which are experiencing fresh waves of Covid-19 cases.
From 1am on Saturday, masks will be required in shops, public transport, taxis and ride share services, as there’s been a “dramatic escalation” in cases in neighboring New South Wales, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Friday.
In NSW, Australia’s most-populous state, daily cases surged to a record 2,213 on Friday, from 158 a week earlier, as end-of-year gatherings have sparked super spreader events in venues including nightclubs and pubs. Hospitalizations are rising but remain low at 215, with 24 in intensive care.
In the country’s second-most populous state, Victoria, cases remained steady Friday at 1,510, with 386 hospitalized and 82 active ICU cases.
Pfizer Seeks Full Approval for Young Teens (5:52 p.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE asked U.S. regulators to grant full approval for their vaccine in children ages 12 to 15, a move that could open the door to vaccine mandates in schools next year.
The vaccine is currently approved in the U.S. for people 16 and older, and has emergency authorization for children from 5 to 15.
Biden Warns of Winter of ‘Death’ (5:39 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden warned that unvaccinated Americans face “a winter of severe illness and death” as he urged initial doses and booster shots amid a surge of coronavirus cases and the emergence of the omicron variant.
“It’s past time” to get shots, the president said Thursday following a briefing with his coronavirus team at the White House. “We’re going to protect our economic recovery if we do this. We’re going to keep our school and businesses open if we do this.”
Infections have surged 40% over the past two weeks across the country, and deaths have increased by more than a third during that same period, with more than 1,300 Americans dying of coronavirus daily.
U.S. Experts Back Moderna, Pfizer Over J&J (3:47 p.m. NY)
Messenger RNA vaccines made by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. are preferable for use in adults over Johnson & Johnson’s, U.S. public health advisers said.
All 15 members of an outside panel of experts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to make the recommendation on J&J’s vaccine. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met Thursday after U.S. regulators announced revisions to the J&J fact sheet to warn of a rare clotting syndrome linked to the shot.
Citadel, Blackstone Allow Work From Home (3:18 p.m. NY)
Citadel, Blackstone Inc. and Millennium Management are among asset managers telling staff this week that they may once again work remotely, at least for the next several weeks, in response to the latest spike in cases.
Ken Griffin’s Citadel, among the earliest hedge funds to require staff to return to the office during the pandemic, isn’t mandating that they stay away, a spokesman for the Chicago-based firm said Thursday in an email. The guidance also applies to Griffin’s market-making operation, Citadel Securities.
Blackstone, the world’s biggest alternative asset manager, told its U.S. employees they can work from home for the rest of the year, as did rival Carlyle Group Inc., according to spokespeople for both private equity firms.
N.J. Hospitalizations Rise 41% in a Week (3 p.m. NY)
Rhode Island and New Jersey led the list of U.S. states with the biggest increases in hospital admissions for Covid-19 during the week through Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New Jersey showed a 41% rise, second only to Rhode Island with 55%, according to CDC data.
Next at the top of the list were the District of Columbia, Connecticut and Georgia. Montana, Alaska, North Dakota and Colorado showed the biggest decreases.
Fauci Says Omicron Will Be Dominant Strain (2:38 p.m. NY)
The omicron variant will assume a dominant role in the U.S. “very soon,” possibly within a few weeks, Anthony S. Fauci said Thursday.
“We’re looking over our shoulder at omicron,” Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser for Covid-19, said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation event. The latest variant of concern will start to dominate in the U.S. “I would imagine within a period of a few weeks as we go into January,” he said.
NYC Health Chief Cites ‘Alarming’ Case Trend (1:35 p.m. NY)
New York City’s virus data show an “alarming trend,” with the rolling average of new cases tripling in the last month, Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said Thursday.
A further increase is expected in the days ahead, he told reporters. He acknowledged that there’s fatigue among New Yorkers about almost two years of pandemic-linked restrictions, but “unfortunately this virus is not yet tired of us.”
The city will send out 500,000 at-home rapid tests as part of an effort to stem the spread of the omicron variant, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
U.K. Hits Record Cases Again (11:19 a.m. NY)
The U.K. reported 88,376 more Covid-19 cases, a record for the pandemic, according to government data. It was the second consecutive day of record-breaking infections, underlining the high transmissibility of the omicron variant.
EU Backs Pfizer Pill for Adults (11:04 a.m. NY)
A European Union advisory committee said Pfizer Inc.’s experimental antiviral pill against Covid-19 can be used to treat adults, opening up another potential tool as the region prepares for the possibility of a wave of infections from the omicron variant.
The drug, Paxlovid, is still under review and hasn’t been formally authorized for sale.
City of London Workers Stay Home (10:36 a.m. NY)
The City of London has transformed from a raucous district with thousands of workers celebrating Christmas into a no-party zone in the space of a week.
Almost half of staff didn’t go to the office on Monday, the lowest since September, according to data compiled by Google, which tracks the location of its users. That came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people to work from home where possible.
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