(Bloomberg) —
New York state shattered its record for new infections, reporting 85,476 cases on Saturday as the omicron variant continues its lightning spread. Eric Adams declared New York City “open and alive” despite surging cases in his first address as the city’s 110th mayor.
Cases continued to grow in the Chinese city of Xi’an over the weekend despite a harsh lockdown while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is watching for symptoms after a case was detected in his residence.
More than 2,400 flights into and out of the U.S. were canceled on New Year’s Day while the U.K. signaled opposition to further restrictions in response to the omicron outbreak. South Africa said the number of people hospitalized fell slightly on Saturday, more evidence that the omicron outbreak there is peaking.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 289.2 million; deaths pass 5.4 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.19 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
China’s Xi’an Adds More Cases Despite Lockdown (9:27 a.m. HK)
China’s ongoing outbreak driven by the delta strain in the western city of Xi’an showed little signs of easing despite a strict lockdown of 13 million people.
The city reported more than 170 cases on Saturday and over 120 on Sunday with many of the new infections involving people who are not close contacts of previously infected people. That indicates spread in the community is still not yet fully accounted for.
Such hidden chains of transmission has led to the harshest restrictions since the lockdown of Wuhan in early 2020 and indicates the challenge authorities face in stamping out the outbreak, a goal China has arduously sought throughout under the so-called Covid Zero strategy.
Scotland Brings Forward Shots for Teenagers (8:29 a.m. HK)
Scotland is accelerating the second dose for people in the 12-to-15 age bracket to take advantage of additional capacity.
Unbooked shots will be available from Monday while those who have an appointment can bring it forward, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said in a statement.
Australia’s PM Checks for Covid Symptoms (7:31 a.m. HK)
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison is monitoring for Covid-19 symptoms after a positive case was detected in his Sydney residence.
The New South Wales health department advised Morrison to be on alert after a potentially infectious person attended a press conference at Kirribilli House on Wednesday, according to a government spokesman. Under the state’s recently revised guidelines, he doesn’t need to self-isolate.
“Residents and staff members are acting in accordance with the instructions from NSW Health,” the spokesman said in an e-mailed statement. “The Prime Minister was not required to isolate or get tested, and continues to monitor for symptoms.”
England Secondary Schools to Impose Mask Rules: Telegraph (5:40 p.m. NY)
Secondary school students in England will be instructed to wear masks in classrooms as the omicron variant spreads, the Sunday Telegraph reported, citing U.K. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.
The decision will bring England in line with Wales and Scotland, the newspaper said.
N.Y. Shatters Daily Record (4:55 p.m. NY)
New York state shattered its record for new Covid-19 infections, reporting 85,476 cases on Saturday as the omicron variant continues its lightening spread.
That number compares with a daily average of just below 6,700 new cases on Dec. 1, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The tally on Saturday was almost 9,000 higher than the day before.
New York City had by far the state’s highest rates of infection, with a seven-day average of 419 cases per 100,000 people.
Quebec Hospitalizations Rise (2:40 p.m. NY)
Quebec reported a 9% rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations on Jan. 1, as Canada’s second most populous province struggles to contain a rise in infections after posting 17,122 new cases, the fifth straight day of record infections.
Quebec’s health ministry said Saturday there are now 1,168 hospitalized Covid-19 patients in the province, including 153 patients in intensive case. The French-speaking province has attempted to curb transmission of the omicron variant by restricting indoor gatherings and implementing a controversial 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve curfew.
Adams Says NYC Bigger Than Pandemic (1:24 p.m. NY)
Eric Adams declared New York City “open and alive” despite a record-breaking viral surge, in his first address as the city’s 110th mayor.
“I take this important office at a time of great challenges for our city,” Adams said Saturday in an inaugural speech at City Hall. He said he’d been sworn earlier in at Times Square because he “wanted New Yorkers and the world to be reminded of two things.”
“First that despite Covid-19 and its persistence, New York is not closed,” he said. “It’s still open and alive, because New York is more resilient than the pandemic.”
Outbreak Hits Antarctica Outpost (12:30 p.m. NY)
Two thirds of the 25 workers at a scientific outpost in Antarctica have contracted Covid-19, the BBC reported. The cases are so far mild, and the infected have opted not to leave the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station.
“While it has been an inconvenience to have to quarantine certain members of the staff who caught the virus, it hasn’t significantly affected our work,” Joseph Cheek, a project manager for Belgium-led outpost, told the BBC.
More U.S. Flights Canceled (12:13 p.m. NY)
Almost 2,400 flights into and out of the U.S. were canceled Saturday, and more than 1,100 were delayed, according to the tracking firm FlightAware.com, amid bad weather and staff shortages caused by the rapid spread of the omicron variant.
Some 1,627 flights into or out of the U.S. have already been canceled for Sunday, FlightAware said. A heavy snow storm across large parts of the country is expected to cause major travel disruptions, according to the National Weather Service.
With the U.S. hitting record infections, the holiday travel season has been snarled by about 12,000 canceled flights since Christmas Eve, according to the Associated Press.
U.K. Vows to Avoid Lockdown (12:05 p.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.
On Saturday, England reported a record 162,572 new infections, about four times the daily level in early December. Hospital admissions in the U.K., while rising, are far below last winter’s peak.
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 (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 country.
From Jan. 3, unvaccinated employees will not be allowed entry to federal 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.l rose to 34.86 million, according to data from the Health ministry on Saturday.
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