(Bloomberg) —
New York state relaxed rules for essential employees who want to return to work after testing positive for Covid-19, and the U.K. announced a new visa program for hospital workers, further signs that governments are scrambling to cope with an expected influx of emergency admissions.
New York, France and the U.K. posted record numbers of coronavirus cases on Friday, as scientists advising Boris Johnson’s government warned a “large wave” is set to hit hospitals there.
U.S. airlines scrapped more than 1,000 flights for the holiday weekend because of personnel shortages linked to a spike in omicron cases as well as some bad weather. The global tally runs at more than 4,000, according to FlightAware.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 278 million; deaths top 5.39 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.9 billion shots given
- Covid pill availability may depend on which state you live in
- The quest for a disposable mask that won’t pollute
- All you need to know about rapid test kits
- What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
New York Positive Rate Tops 12% (4:45 p.m. NY)
New York State set a new record for daily Covid-19 infections — 44,431, almost 5,600 more than a day earlier. That amounted to 12.4% positive rate, Governor Kathy Hochul said at a briefing.
Hospitalizations totaled, 4,744, or 210 more than on Thursday.
Hochul also said essential workers who test positive may — with their employers’ permission — return to work five days after a positive test, cutting in half the current waiting period.
Those wanting to get back on the job must be vaccinated, fever-free for 72 hours and be able to wear a mask. Hochul’s policy came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed a shorter isolation period for some individuals, to seven days instead of 10, for health care workers.
Pope Celebrates Mass for 2,000 (3:30 p.m. NY)
A maskless Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Some 2,000 people were allowed to attended, 10 times more than last year when Italy was in a full Christmas lockdown, but a fraction of the 20,000 capacity of St. Peter’s, AP said.
French Cases Hit Another Record (1:25 p.m. NY)
French infections hit a record for a second straight day, topping 90,000 again, as the omicron variant takes hold in much of Europe. Deaths totaled 169 on Friday, according to data from the public health office.
President Emmanuel Macron will convene his health defense council on Monday to discuss the coronavirus, AFP reported, citing the president’s office.
The government intends to adopt a system requiring people to be fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants and cultural venues starting as soon as early January, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Tuesday.
Christmas Travel Chaos Deepens (12:50 a.m. NY)
Air carriers scrapped more than 1,000 U.S. flights for the holiday weekend, led by United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, as surging Covid infections and the prospects of bad weather disrupted Christmas travel.
The global tally exceeded 3,500 trips for Friday and Saturday, according to data tracker FlightAware.com. China Eastern and Air China ranked one-two, and the most-affected airport was in the Chinese city of Xi’an, where the Beijing government cracked down under its Covid Zero policy after an outbreak.
U.K. Cases at Another Record (11:16 a.m. NY)
U.K. Covid-19 cases hit a record for a third day on Friday, at 122,186, up from 119,789. Another 137 deaths were confirmed.
Earlier, the U.K. Health Services Agency said that another 23,719 cases of the omicron variant had been identified, up 41% from the 16,817 cases of the strain seen on Thursday.
An estimated one in 25 people across England — more than 2 million people — had Covid as of Dec. 19, according to Office for National Statistics modeling.
The nation continues to line up in large numbers for booster shots. More vaccine centers have opened across the country — including in shopping centers, football stadiums and pop-ups such as vaccine buses.
Ireland Hits Daily Case Record (10:50 a.m. NY)
Ireland reported its most daily coronavirus cases on record, with the omicron variant now dominant in the country.
There were 11,182 newly confirmed cases, the health ministry said in a Twitter post. That’s almost 3,000 more than the previous peak in January.
While hospitalizations have eased in the past month and are at their lowest since October, the government has warned they may increase in the days ahead.
Portugal Cases Highest Since January (10:27 a.m. NY)
Portugal on Friday recorded 12,943 new daily coronavirus infections, the highest level since Jan. 29, as authorities prepare to impose new restrictions, including closing bars and nightclubs, to fight the pandemic during the holiday season.
There were 11 fatalities in a day, taking the total to 18,851 deaths, Portugal’s Directorate General of Health said in a statement. Hospitalizations have crept up recently, but remain far below last winter’s levels. Portugal has one of the highest coronavirus vaccine levels in the world.
U.K. Expands Carer Visa Program (10:14 a.m. NY)
The U.K. is expanding its visa scheme for care workers in response to shortages, the government says in an emailed statement.
Care staff will be added to the “Shortage Occupation List,” and will become eligible for 12-month Health and Care visas.
Workers recruited to the U.K. under the plan will be able to bring their dependents, including partner and children, and the visa will offer a “pathway to settlement” should they remain employed and wish to remain in the U.K.
U.S. to Lift African Travel Curbs (9:29 a.m. NY)
The U.S. will lift restrictions on several southern African countries on Dec. 31, White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz said in a tweet.
“The restrictions gave us time to understand omicron, and we know our existing vaccines work against omicron, esp. boosted,” Munoz said.
In South Africa, an omicron-fueled fourth wave of Covid cases is easing, and studies have shown the new strain is far less likely to result in hospitalization.
South Africa to Stop Contact Tracing (7:48 a.m. NY)
South Africa will stop coronavirus contact tracing and won’t ask those who’ve been directly exposed to infected people to quarantine, indicating a shift away from tough restrictions to contain the pandemic.
Zambia Sees Record Number of Cases (7:35 a.m. NY)
Zambia set a daily record of new cases at 3,672, with a positivity rate of 27% for tests conducted in the past 24 hours, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said. The previous record for new cases was reported in June.
Premier League Delays Another Dec. 26 Game (7:06 a.m. NY)
The English Premier League said Everton’s match at Burnley on Boxing Day has been postponed because Everton has insufficient players as a result of Covid cases and injuries. It’s the third Dec. 26 match to be called off, after the league on Thursday delayed Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Watford and Liverpool vs Leeds United.
Merck’s Pill Gets Japan Approval for Emergency (6:56 a.m. NY)
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has granted Special Approval for Emergency for molnupiravir, Merck says in statement.
U.K. Hospitals Face ‘Wave’ of Admissions (6:34 a.m. NY)
“As infections move into older age groups, a large wave of hospital admissions should be expected,” the U.K. government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said in minutes of a Dec. 23 Covid-19 meeting released Friday.
SAGE said hospital admissions for patients with omicron variant are doubling every 4-5 days.
Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics said one in 35 people in England had Covid-19 in the week ended Dec. 19, and one in 10 Londoners were infected.
French May Get Boosters After 3 Months (5:43 p.m. HK)
France’s health authority recommended shortening the length of time between primary vaccination and booster shots to three months from four amid surging cases of the omicron variant. The Haute Autorite de Sante also recommended giving booster jabs to adolescents aged 12-17 with existing health risks.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said in a tweet that an additional 1 million vaccination appointments would be made available next week. “From today, boosters are possible from four months after the last injection/infection,” Veran wrote.
Doubts Over Israel Fourth-Shot Plan (5:19 p.m. HK)
Israel’s plan to administer a fourth vaccine dose to older adults and medical personnel may be delayed or abandoned if the country’s top health official fails to sign off on the program.
The plan, which would have made the country the first in the world to offer a fourth shot on such a widespread basis, was announced on Tuesday by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett following a recommendation from a panel of experts. The decision was based on a forecast showing that fast-paced spread of omicron would leave the population largely unprotected from infection.
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