(Bloomberg) — South Africa said the number of people hospitalized fell slightly on Saturday, more evidence that the major outbreak there driven by the omicron variant is peaking. Hospitalizations remained above 9,000 for a fourth straight day, though with capacity to spare.
In the U.K., Health Secretary Sajid Javid signaled opposition to further restrictions in response to the omicron outbreak and pledged to make more tests available as the country reported a record 190,000 new cases on Friday. Hospital admissions are rising and are expected to increase.
In Germany, just coming off a wave that peaked a month ago, the virus is spreading quickly again, with the incidence rate rising for a third consecutive day.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 288.3 million; deaths pass 5.4 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.17 billion shots given
- JPMorgan, Citi, BofA employees start 2022 working from home
- Hong Kong is increasingly shut off as inbound flights drop
- New NYC mayor vows post-virus renewal. Job No. 1: Tame Omicron
- What we know about the omicron variant now: QuickTake
South Africa Hospitalizations Fall (9:58 a.m. NY)
Patient admissions in South Africa fell to 9,378 on Saturday, from a recent peak of 9,401 the day before, and 729 of those were in intensive-care units, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a report.
Earlier this week, the government said a fourth wave of omicron-driven infections may have peaked, and hospitals still have spare capacity.
UAE Restricts Unvaccinated Workers as Cases Rise (9:30 a.m. NY)
Unvaccinated government employees in the United Arab Emirates will not be allowed into their workplaces as cases continues to rise in the Gulf nation.
Unvaccinated employees will not be allowed entry to federal government entities starting Jan. 3 to facilitate the work of government entities, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said in a circular.
The Gulf nation, which has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, reported 2,556 cases on Saturday, along with 908 recoveries and one death. So far, the UAE has managed to avoid restrictions, unlike most major cities around the world.
U.K. Vows to Avoid Lockdown (5:37 a.m. NY)
U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid reiterated his view that the country must try to live with Covid-19. New curbs must be an “absolutely last resort”, he wrote in the Daily Mail, citing the “enormous health, social and economic costs of lockdowns.”
It’s inevitable there will be a big increase in the number of people in the hospital with the virus over the next month given the lag between infection and hospitalization, Javid said. The country reported almost 190,000 new cases on Friday, a record. Hospital admissions, while rising, are far below last winter’s peak.
Germany’s Incidence Rate and Deaths Rise (5:00 a.m. NY)
Germany’s seven-day incidence rate rose for the third day in a row to 220.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Robert Koch Institute data on Saturday. That compares with the nation’s pandemic’s record high of 452.4 reached on Nov. 29.
Daily Covid-19 related deaths in Europe’s biggest economy were 184, taking the nation’s total to 112,109.
Record Cases at U.S. Military Base in Japan (5:33 p.m. HK)
The U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, found a daily record of 235 new virus cases, the Kyodo news agency reported Saturday, citing a local government official. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the cases are related to the omicron variant. In a separate tally, Okinawa found a total of 65 new virus cases for the prefecture, it said.
Hong Kong Urges Booster Shots (5:10 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong is in a race against time with the omicron variant, according to Patrick Nip, the city’s Secretary for the Civil Service, as quoted by Radio Television Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s defense against Covid might not be as robust as imagined and might be insufficient to ward off a collapse of its health care system, Nip added, urging residents to take the booster shot. About 1.5 million Hong Kongers received their second vaccine dose more than six months ago. Among those, 25% have had a booster.
Hong Kong added 17 newly confirmed Covid cases on Saturday, government statement said. Starting today, it will report cases in three categories: confirmed, asymptomatic, and repositive. Eight previously confirmed cases have been found to carry the omicron variant.
Kenya to Roll Out Boosters (4:46 p.m. HK)
Kenya will begin to give boosters from Jan. 1 to raise its population’s immunity against the virus.
The government will prioritize “health-care workers, security personnel, teachers, those with co-existing medical conditions and those above 50 years of age,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said late Friday.
The East African nation has fully vaccinated 15% of its adult population.
Singapore to Allow Work Events for as Many as 1,000 (3:48 p.m. HK)
Singapore is boosting the number of people allowed to attend work events such as annual shareholder meetings as the city-state continues steps toward normality.
The capacity for such events, which include employee town halls and training, will rise to 1,000 from 50 as long as participants meet certain criteria. That includes wearing masks, not consuming meals and largely standing or sitting in a fixed position, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement.
India Cases Jump Most in Almost 2 Months (2:20 p.m. HK)
India added 22,775 new covid infections, the country’s biggest single-day jump since Nov. 5, as the nation’s case total rose to 34.86 million, according to data from the Health ministry on Saturday.
While the latest numbers show a recent uptick in Covid-19 infections, the daily change remains well below the brutal second wave in the summer of 2021 when they topped 400,000 cases at the peak.
There were 406 Covid-related deaths as the India’s toll rose to 481,486 deaths.
Malaysia to Suspend Umrah Pilgrimage Travel (10:03 a.m. HK)
Malaysia will suspend travel to Saudi Arabia for the umrah pilgrimage from Jan. 8 in an effort to curb the spread of omicron and slow any potential new wave of Covid-19 infections caused by the new variant.
“There’s no Muslim minister that wants to suspend umrah pilgrimage. But this is serious,” Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said at a briefing on Saturday.
Cathay Cargo Halt to Hit Hong Kong Prices, SCMP Says (9:49 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong consumers face higher prices for fresh produce, daily necessities and electrical goods over the coming weeks as a result of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s long-haul cargo flight halt, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday.
Consumers will experience food and product shortages in the next two to three weeks, especially seafood and vegetables, the report cited Gary Lau Ho-yin, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics, as saying. Lau said shipping costs are set to surge as much as 30% during the period and will be passed on to consumers, according the report.
Cathay said on Thursday that it was suspending long-haul cargo and cargo-only passenger flights for a week, after the government increased quarantine time for aircrew to seven days from three.
Hong Kong Adviser Urges Tighter Social-Distancing Measures (9:44 a.m.)
Ivan Hung, an adviser to the Hong Kong government, urged it to immediately tighten social-distancing measures should more omicron cases be found in the community in the next two or three days, Radio Television Hong Kong reported on its website on Saturday.
That could include reinstating the maximum four-person limit on restaurant table size and restricting visitors to karaoke establishments or shutting them altogether, as well as suspending large-scale events, Hung, who works at the University of Hong Kong, was quoted as saying on a RTHK program.
Hung said the financial hub could tighten vaccine bubble rules after the Lunar New Year to require two doses and include street markets and parks, a move that would target improving vaccination rates for the elderly. Ventilation requirements for schools, restaurants, convention and entertainment venues should be revised or put in place to reduce the chances of air transmission, RTHK also quoted professor Yuen Kwok-yung of HKU as saying.
Australian State Brings Back Indoor Mask Rules (9:17 a.m. HK)
Australia’s Queensland state will mandate the wearing of masks in most indoor settings from Sunday to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Face coverings must be worn indoors everywhere except the family home and workplaces where it is unsafe, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement. The government is considering further measures, including requiring a negative test to access vulnerable setting such as hospitals and aged care facilities.
New Zealand Reduces Booster Interval (8:04 a.m. HK)
New Zealand will reduce the interval between the second vaccine dose and a booster shot to four months from six as part of its response to the omicron variant.
People aged 18 or older who have had second shots of the vaccine at least four months ago will be eligible for a booster from Jan. 5, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The shorter interval means that more than 82% of vaccinated people in the country will be eligible for a booster by the end of February, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health, said in the statement.
U.S. Cases Rise ‘Through the Roof’ (4:09 p.m. NY)
In Boston, coronavirus levels measured in wastewater are spiking to more than quadruple last winter’s surge. In Miami, more than a quarter of people are testing positive for Covid. And San Francisco medical leader estimates that, based on his hospital’s tests, one of every 12 people in the city with no Covid symptoms actually has the virus.
As the omicron variant sweeps the country, daily cases are reaching unheard-of levels, crossing the half-million mark, and are only expected to go much higher. Some projections are for a peak of more than one million cases a day by as early as mid-January.
Macron Sees ‘Difficult’ Days in New Year (3:44 p.m. NY)
President Emmanuel Macron warned the French people of tough days ahead because of a spike in coronavirus infections and pledged to continue helping businesses affected by the pandemic.
“The coming weeks will be difficult, we all know that,” Macron said in his New Year’s national address from the Elysee Palace in Paris, predicting that the virus will continue to spread. The coronavirus surge, with a daily record of 232,200 new infections reported Friday, has become a painful challenge for Macron four months before the presidential election.
N.Y. Mandates Boosters at State Universities (2:01 p.m. NY)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new mandate for students at state-run universities, requiring booster doses before they return to campus in January.
The new mandate covers more than half a million students at the State University of New York and the City University of New York systems. They are already required to be fully vaccinated.
Hochul also imposed a new vaccine requirement for faculty at the two school systems, until now exempt from any mandate.
Novavax Files Final Data in U.S. (1:59 p.m. NY)
Novavax Inc. submitted the final data package for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate to U.S. regulators, bringing it one step closer to clearance.
The submission to the Food and Drug Administration included details on chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the shot known as NVX-CoV2373, Novavax said in a statement. The company expects to file a request for emergency use authorization in one month, in line with the FDA’s guidance around such filings.
If authorized, the shot would become the fourth Covid vaccine cleared in the U.S.
Child Hospitalizations in U.S. Hit Record (1:55 p.m. NY)
Pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations have risen to record levels as omicron races across the U.S., amplifying the urgency to get boosters and vaccines cleared for children.
While the variant so far doesn’t appear more severe than other versions in youngsters, the growing number of cases means more children are susceptible to serious illness. New hospital admissions of kids with Covid-19 have increased 66% to 378 a day on average for the week ending Tuesday, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last peak occurred in early September at a daily count of 342.
Texas Pleas for Federal Help (12:23 p.m. NY)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked the federal government to send medical staff, therapeutic drugs and testing equipment to aid the second-largest US state’s fight to contain the latest wave.
Abbott, a Republican who has been highly critical of President Joe Biden’s approach to everything from pandemic response to Mexican border security, issued a public plea on Friday as hospitals in Houston and elsewhere strain under growing virus caseloads.
The request targets six counties that include the Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin areas, all of which are experiencing alarming growth in positivity rates and hospitalizations, Abbott said in an emailed statement.
BofA Staff Encouraged to Work From Home (12:05 p.m. NY)
Bank of America Corp. is encouraging its employees to work remotely the week of Jan. 3, according to a person with knowledge of the plans, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases following the rise of the highly contagious omicron variant.
The move follows plans by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to let employees work from home in the opening weeks of 2022, and encouragement by Citigroup Inc. that staff should log on remotely.
U.S. Airlines Cancel More Flights (11:13 a.m. NY)
New Year’s Eve air travel got off to a bumpy start Friday morning, with more than 1,000 flights canceled in the U.S. and nearly as many scrubbed for Saturday.
JetBlue Airways Corp. had scratched 145 flights, or 14% of its schedule, by 9:01 a.m. in New York, according to FlightAware.com, while Allegiant Travel Co.canceled 82 flights, or 17%. United Airlines Holdings Inc. had scrubbed the most flights among U.S. carriers, 207, representing 11% of its service.
Total cancellations came to 1,198, and 955 were already off the boards for Saturday. Airlines scratched 1,439 flights Thursday, with most of those logged by midmorning.
U.K. Regulator Approves Pfizer’s Pill (6:38 a.m. NY)
Britain’s regulator approved Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral pill, just weeks after clearing rival Merck & Co.’s oral treatment.
The Pfizer drug, Paxlovid, was authorized for use in people over 18 with mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Friday.
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