(Bloomberg) —
Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, posted a record number of cases over the Christmas holiday, while Singapore found a new omicron cluster and warned it expects to see the highly-transmissible strain spread in the community.
New daily omicron cases in the U.S. have surpassed those in the delta wave, CNN reported. Meanwhile, U.S. airlines scrapped almost 1,900 flights for the holiday weekend because of personnel shortages linked to a spike in cases of the new variant.
France reported a daily record of more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases as the government considers measures including requiring people to be fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants and cultural venues. Italy also reported record cases, while the pace of new infections in Germany eased further from a peak almost a month ago.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 279 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
Ireland Tells People to Avoid Shops, Crowds (8:11 a.m. HK)
Ireland’s chief medical officer warned people to avoid shops and not to mix with people from other households indoors, as coronavirus cases soar. People should “avoid crowded places including retail environments” and shop online “where possible,” chief medical officer Tony Holohan said in an emailed statement.
The warning comes the day after Christmas, traditionally the biggest day of the year for household mixing in Ireland. The nation saw its highest number of daily confirmed cases on Dec. 24, with even higher case numbers expected. The government has already curbed opening hours for bars and restaurants and ordered nightclubs closed, but has not imposed official restrictions on shops beyond making masks mandatory.
Singapore Finds New Omicron Cluster (7:25 a.m.)
Singapore reported a new cluster linked to the omicron variant, warning that it expects to see further spread in the community.
The primary case in the cluster at The Vinyl Bar near the city’s downtown was a passenger who flew in from the U.S. using Singapore’s quarantine-free vaccinated travel lane on Dec. 14. He tested negative upon arrival but received a positive result in a further government-mandated test four days later.
The city-state has 448 Omicron cases so far, with 369 coming from those arriving from overseas. “Given its high transmissibility, it is a matter of time before the omicron variant spreads in our community,” the Health Ministry said.
Australia Cases Rise in New South Wales (6:45 a.m. HK)
More than 180,000 tests were conducted for Covid-19 in Australia’s two most populous states over the Christmas Day holiday.
In New South Wales, case numbers continue to exceed previous daily records, with 6,394 new infections reported. Further south in Victoria, numbers declined 27% compared to a day prior with 1,608 new cases.
Six more people in Victoria and one in New South Wales entered intensive care units, with 129 people in the ICU across both states.
Christmas Travel Chaos Deepens (3 p.m. NY)
Airlines’ U.S. flight cancellations approached 1,900 for the Christmas weekend, disrupting travel on one of the busiest periods of the year as the omicron-fueled wave of Covid cases triggered air-crew shortages.
Saturday’s pullbacks erased at least 12% of the schedule at Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp., according to data tracker FlightAware.com. The U.S. cuts on Christmas Day alone totaled more than 900.
U.S. Omicron Daily Cases Surpassing Delta (1:55 p.m.)
New daily U.S. cases from the omicron variant have now surpassed delta’s peak, CNN reported.
Hospitalizations remain lower than the peaks earlier this year, it said. More than 69,000 people were hospitalized on Friday, CNN said, citing Department of Health and Human Services data.
France Cases Top 100,000 (1:45 p.m.)
France reported a daily record of more than 100,000 new cases as President Emmanuel Macron weighs measures to contain the fast-spreading omicron variant.
New cases totaled 104,611 on Saturday, according to data from the public health office, topping the 94,124 infections recorded the previous day. The country reported 84 deaths.
Macron, who is widely expected to seek a second term in April’s presidential election, will convene his health defense council on Monday to discuss the coronavirus.
BTS Members Diagnosed With Covid (1:15 p.m.)
Three of the seven members of K-pop group BTS have been diagnosed with Covid-19 after returning from overseas, the Associated Press reported, citing the band’s management agency.
RM and Jin were diagnosed Saturday evening, the Big Hit Music agency said, a day after it said another member, Suga, tested positive. All three had their second vaccination dose in August and had mild or no symptoms, AP said, citing the agency.
Italy Posts Daily Case Record (1 p.m. NY)
Italy recorded its most daily cases for a third straight day, as the government tightens coronavirus measures to slow the spread of the omicron variant.
The first country in Europe to move into lockdown last year reported 54,762 cases on Saturday, up from 50,599 a day earlier.
Queen Says U.K. Can Still Enjoy Festive Season (12:45 p.m. NY)
Queen Elizabeth II gave a personal message in her first televised Christmas Day address since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, saying the U.K. can still enjoy the festive season even as a raging pandemic means not celebrating quite as freely.
An estimated one in 10 Londoners is currently infected with Covid.
Turkey Says Omicron Makes Up 10% of Cases (12:15 p.m. NY)
The omicron variant accounts for 10% of all cases found in Turkey’s major cities, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Saturday.
He announced no additional measures, citing the lack of a significant increase in hospitalizations. The minister also renewed calls to get booster shots as the country stepped up its vaccination efforts. Turkey started the mass production of its locally made Covid-19 jab Turkovac this week.
India to Start Vaccinating Teenagers (12 p.m. NY)
India will begin vaccinating teenagers aged from 15 to 18 starting Jan. 3 and will administer booster doses for health-care workers a week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Citizens who are older than 60 and suffer from co-morbidities can also get booster shots in January, Modi said in a televised national address.
“India needs to be vigilant about the spread of the coronavirus,” Modi said, adding that people shouldn’t pay attention to rumors nor panic about rising infection numbers.
German Minister Urges Family Testing (7:08 a.m. NY)
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he was planning to test everyone at his family Christmas gathering and urged others to do the same.
“It can save lives,” Lauterbach, a professor of epidemiology who’s warned of an imminent “massive wave” of the omicron strain, said in a tweet. He also thanked everyone who is getting a Covid jab on Christmas Day and said it’s a “gift for the whole of society.”
Dutch Health Minister Faces Threats (7:15 p.m. HK)
Security around the home of Dutch caretaker Health Minister Hugo de Jonge was increased due to threats following a strict lockdown in the country, according to local media reports. Authorities set up a mobile police post with several cameras outside his house.
In attempt to stem the spread of the omicron variant, the Netherlands announced a so-called full lockdown last week that allows only supermarkets and essential shops to stay open until at least Jan. 14.
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