(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will send 500 million free coronavirus tests to Americans’ homes beginning next month and dispatch the military to shore up overwhelmed hospitals. The new variant accounted for 73% of all Covid-19 infections in the U.S. last week, with almost all of the remaining cases being delta.
The administration of plasma from people who had recovered from the virus shows promise as a vehicle to decrease the need for hospitalization, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University.
In Europe, countries are implementing targeted restrictions and faster boosters. Germany is set to limit gatherings to 10 people starting Dec. 28, including those who are vaccinated or have recovered from the virus. The European Union’s drugs regulator is considering whether a higher booster dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine should be authorized.
Thailand halted its quarantine-free entry program after less than two months, citing concern about the potential spread of omicron by arriving tourists.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 275 million; deaths top 5.36 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.75 billion shots given
- Omicron cancellations starting to pile up: here’s a short list
- New variant set to cut fourth-quarter global growth by half
- All you need to know about rapid test kits
- What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
Plasma Treatment Shows Promise (9:23 a.m. NY)
Newly infected patients saw a 54% decrease in the need for hospitalization after being given plasma from people who had recovered from the virus, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers that may offer hope for a new treatment option as variants threaten to reduce the effectiveness of other drugs.
The plasma needed to be given early and contain a high number of antibodies, the study’s authors cautioned.
EU Considers Larger Moderna Dose (8:44 a.m. NY)
Europe’s drugs regulator is considering whether a higher booster dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine should be authorized for use, after the company published data showing higher levels of antibodies created against omicron.
Marco Cavaleri, head of the European Medicines Agency’s vaccines strategy, said talks with the company will take place over the coming weeks to assess whether “a full dose might be a better choice than the half dose that is currently approved.”
Sweden, Iceland Tighten Restrictions (7:22 a.m. NY)
Sweden will introduce new measures, as hospitalizations increase in the Nordic country. From Dec. 23, large events will have to require proof of vaccination for entry, restaurants may only serve seated patrons and events that take no safety measures will be capped at 20 participants.
After daily infections reached a record, Iceland cut the number of people allowed at gatherings to 20 from the current 50. If rapid tests are used, 200 people will be allowed to gather, down from the current 500. The new rules take effect at midnight.
Germany Bans Fireworks Sale for New Year (7:28 a.m. NY)
Germany has banned the sale of fireworks over the New Year period to try to ease the burden on emergency medical staff already overstretched dealing with Covid-19 cases. The move, which follows a similar ban a year ago, was agreed at talks between former Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders at the start of this month.
Swiss, German Boosters Sped Up (8:06 a.m. NY)
Germany will reduce the recommended minimum gap for an mRNA booster vaccine to three months from the previous six for people over the age of 18. In Switzerland, authorities now recommend boosters for everyone aged 16 years and older as early as four months.
France Pushes for Vaccine Pass (8 a.m. NY)
France will require that people are fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants and cultural venues starting in early January. A negative test will no longer be an alternative to vaccination.
The government will hold a special cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss a draft bill including the vaccine pass, which would enable parliament to consider it between Christmas and the New Year.
Israel Approves Travel Ban on U.S., Canada (7:20 a.m. NY)
Israel’s parliamentary law committee gave its final approval to add the U.S., Canada and eight other countries to a list of banned travel destinations due to the spread of the omicron variant. The decision is to take effect at midnight Tuesday.
Europe’s Undeterred City Traffic (6:21 a.m. NY)
Omicron hasn’t yet curbed road traffic in some of Europe’s biggest cities, with congestion in 15 of the continent’s capitals rising to its highest in almost three months last week, according to TomTom NV data compiled by Bloomberg. Congestion was on average 9% higher than 2019 levels, the strongest reading since early October.
Covid Shaves Nine Months Off Lifespan (6:31 p.m. HK)
The coronavirus pandemic is seen cutting life expectancy in the U.K. by nine months, Royal Bank of Canada analysts said, helping to reverse trends of longevity.
“There may be continued waves of Covid, and poorer health due to long Covid,” they wrote in a note to clients. “There may be second-order effects such as delayed diagnoses and treatment of other conditions, and the impact of the economic slowdown may be detrimental.”
Romanians Protest Covid Passes (6:23 p.m. HK)
About 1,000 people protested in front of Romania’s parliament on Tuesday, with some trying to enter the building forcefully and demanding that lawmakers don’t approve the use of a Covid health pass in the workplace, according to local Digi24 television.
Romania has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the European Union and the new ruling coalition is considering ways to extend the use of the Covid health pass, currently required in shopping malls, restaurants and public events.
U.S. to Give Out Free Tests (6 p.m. HK)
President Joe Biden will send 500 million free coronavirus tests to American homes beginning next month and dispatch the military to shore up overwhelmed hospitals as the U.S. confronts a resurgent pandemic.
Biden will announce new measures to try to curb the virus on Tuesday, the day after the CDC said the omicron variant now accounts for most new U.S. cases. He aims to boost testing, hospital care and vaccinations without any new lockdowns or closings.
Biden will also deliver a warning to the unvaccinated, a senior administration official said, telling them they risk serious disease or death, while assuring Americans who’ve gotten their shots that they can safely gather with their families over the holidays.
Elsewhere, Greece will also distribute free self-tests to all citizens during the holiday season, in an attempt to balance not bringing the economy to a halt with not risking having to pay a later price for holiday festivities, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
Man Dies in U.S. After Omicron Infection (5:55 p.m. HK)
An unvaccinated man in his 50s died in Texas after contracting the omicron strain of Covid-19, local officials said.
The man is one of the first –- if not the first –- person to die from the highly-mutated strain of the pathogen in the U.S. He had underlying health conditions that put him at increased risk, despite surviving an earlier bout of Covid, according to a release from Harris County Public Health.
Anna press conference, county Judge Lina Hidalgo urged residents to get vaccinations and boosters.
Astra Booster Shot Needed for Protection (5:29 p.m. HK)
Protection from severe illness following two shots of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine starts declining about three months after the second dose, according to a study that reinforces the need for boosters. The study didn’t analyze Astra’s shot against the fast-spreading omicron variant, which wasn’t circulating at the time.
“We found waning vaccine protection against Covid-19 hospital admissions and deaths both in Scotland and Brazil,” researchers said in the study, published in The Lancet on Monday.
Thailand Halts Quarantine-Free Entry (5:13 p.m. HK)
Thailand is suspending its quarantine-free entry program until Jan. 4 amid rising imported cases of the new virus strain.
The tourism-dependent country waived the requirement for more than 60 jurisdictions last month provided travelers were fully vaccinated and had negative tests for the virus both before and immediately after arrival in the country.
Hong Kong’s Vaccine Requirements for Staff (3:37 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong will require government employees to present their Covid-19 vaccination record when they enter government buildings and offices for work-related purposes from mid-February.
Those unfit to receive a vaccine due to medical conditions supported by a valid medical certificate can test every three days in lieu of vaccination.
Spain’s Catalonia Adds Restrictions (3:33 p.m. HK)
Spain’s Catalonia regional government on Monday night announced restrictions to stem the spread of omicron, including limiting the size of meetings to 10 people.
The rules, to be in force for an initial 15 days, also include limiting interior restaurant capacity to 50%, and 70% for stores, gyms and cultural spaces. It also plans a curfew from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. The restrictions will take effect from Friday.
France, Germany Push Back on Lockdown (3:32 p.m. HK)
France sees no need for a lockdown or more Covid restrictions at the moment even as countries like the Netherlands preemptively put more curbs in place, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said. He said limits have been announced on gatherings during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, and the government will monitor the situation.
In Germany, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann struck a similar tone. He said the country can currently do without a strict lockdown, and is relying on accelerating booster shots and limiting social contact. “The situation remains serious, I don’t want to pretend otherwise, but the infection numbers are clearly falling,” Buschmann said on Deutschlandfunk radio.
Clusters at Hotels in Taiwan (2:50 p.m. HK)
Local governments aim to complete comprehensive checks on quarantine hotels by Jan. 3 with a focus on air-conditioners, after two cluster infections were found at quarantine hotels recently, according to a statement from Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.
The government will establish detection and response mechanism for suspected cluster infection at quarantine hotels. Seven imported cases of Covid-19 were reclassified as local cases earlier due to infections at quarantine hotels.
Australian Modeling Points to Crisis (2:23 p.m. HK)
Omicron cases are set to overwhelm Australia’s health system unless restrictions like density and visitor limits are reintroduced, according to modeling prepared for a Wednesday meeting of state, territory and federal leaders, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The Doherty Institute modeling also recommends bringing forward booster shots, suggesting that cases could hit 200,000 a day from late January or early February, unless restrictions are brought back, according to the report. Hospitalizations could jump to 4,000 a day, with 8,000-10,000 patients in intensive care.
Minimal public health safety measures and a rapid booster program may enable control of the outbreak by the end of March, the newspaper said.
Mixed Signals in South Africa (11:56 a.m. HK)
South African new Covid-19 infections almost halved to 8,515 from a day earlier, though hospital admissions and deaths over the same period rose significantly, according to a report by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Data suggest the number of tests has influenced the plunging case numbers rather than any improvement in the pandemic. Separately, the institute said South African hospitals have 9,023 Covid patients, of which 6.8% are in intensive-care units.
Singapore’s Omicron Cluster (11:31 a.m. HK)
Singapore reported its first suspected local omicron cluster, a group of three Covid-19 infections traced to a gym, the health ministry said in a statement late Monday.
The potential within the community is likely to prompt further concerns about new reversals in the city-state’s reopening as its worst virus surge yet subsides. Singapore maintains vaccinated travel lanes with several countries where omicron has spread rapidly, including the U.S. and Europe’s largest travel hubs.
The city-state also announced that bookings for vaccination appointments for kids age 11 and under will start tomorrow.
Ice Hockey Shutdown (11:10 a.m. HK)
The NHL will start a league-wide shutdown Wednesday through Saturday after an increase of positive virus cases among players, the AP reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of discussions. Five more games will be postponed because of the move to begin the annual holiday break two days early, according to the report.
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