(Bloomberg) —
Workers in Singapore who haven’t been inoculated risk losing their jobs while Hong Kong will next week start vaccinating children as young as five as it battles an outbreak of Covid-19.
The Biden administration has assembled a group that will prepare new countermeasures for the emergence of future variants and other threats while medical facilities in 24 states have been given a March 15 deadline to get workers fully vaccinated.
In Australia, tennis star Novak Djokovic is set to be detained by immigration authorities as the government attempts to deport him while the country’s pharmaceutical regulator is reviewing the potential use of Novavax Inc.’s vaccine. The U.K. reported fewer than 100,000 new cases for the first time since late December, raising hopes the omicron wave has peaked.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases reach 323.3 million; deaths pass 5.5 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.64 billion shots administered
- Poor NYC schools see twice the attendance hit from Covid surge
- Omicron surge gives bosses reason to order shots Biden can’t
- Chaos at Hong Kong quarantine camp leaves some detainees trapped
- Canada plays dangerous game demanding U.S. truckers have shots
Dogs Can Detect Long Covid in Humans, Study Says (1:26 p.m. HK)
Dogs are able to detect infection in some long Covid patients, which suggests that a simple and non-invasive test is possible to detect the presence of the virus, according to a study from France.
The study showed that dogs can detect volatile organic compounds up to one-and-a-half years after the initial phase of Covid-19, the researchers said in the preprint posted on medRxiv.org. The study has not been peer reviewed.
Australian Regulator Reviewing Potential use of Novavax (12:47 p.m. HK)
Australia’s pharmaceutical regulator is assessing Novavax Inc.’s vaccine for use in the country, with a decision on its approval likely within the next 10 days, Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters Saturday.
The decision comes as authorities ramp up vaccinations for adolescents and urge those age 16 and older to get booster shots when eligible in a bid to help ease pressure on the nation’s health care system.
New South Wales state, the nation’s most populous, recorded 48,768 new Covid-19 infections and 20 related deaths Saturday. Victoria, which is hosting the Australian Open in its capital city Melbourne, recorded 25,526 new infections and 23 deaths. Authorities expect infections to peak later this month or early February.
Hong Kong to Vaccinate Kids From Next Week (11:06 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong plans to inoculated children age 5 to 11 starting next week using Sinovac Biotech Co.’s vaccine, civil service chief Patrick Nip said in a local radio program, RTHK reported.
The dose for children will be about one third the strength of that used for adults, it said. The city plans to extend the offer to BioNTech SE’s jab in February after Lunar New Year.
Germany Reports Decline on Covid Cases to 78,022 (10:36 a.m. HK)
Germany reported a total of 78,022 new Covid cases, compared with 92,223 the day before, according to the country’s public health authority RKI.
Reported new deaths associated with the virus rose by 235, bringing the total to 115,572, while the 7-day incidence rate rose to 497.1 per 100,000 people.
Biden Team Appeals Texas Block on Health Worker Mandate (9:37 a.m. HK)
The Biden administration is appealing a federal court’s block on the health worker vaccine mandate in Texas, the only state that doesn’t have to comply with the rule after the U.S. Supreme Court said it could move forward in the rest of the country.
The Department of Health and Human Services Friday filed a notice to appeal a preliminary injunction granted Dec. 15 by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The HHS also requested a stay of the injunction pending its appeal to the Fifth Circuit.
Deadline Set for Health-Care Workers in 24 States (8:02 a.m. HK)
Medical facilities in two dozen states affected by the Supreme Court decision on the Biden administration’s Covid vaccination mandate for health workers have until March 15 to get their employees fully vaccinated, according to guidance released Friday.
Injunctions had prevented the mandate from going into effect in those states, prompting many facilities to pause efforts to implement the requirement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The high court Thursday lifted those injunctions.
Friday’s guidance affects more than 10 million workers at hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities that receive reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. That is a later date than allotted for health facilities in 25 states that were not involved in the litigation that reached the Supreme Court. They have until Jan. 27 to get their first doses and Feb. 28 to be fully vaccinated.
Djokovic to Be Detained in Fight to Stop Australia Deportation (7:42 a.m. HK)
Tennis star Novak Djokovic is set to be detained by Australian immigration authorities once again as the government attempts to deport him a second time.
Djokovic will re-enter detention early Saturday after a meeting with his lawyers and immigration officials. The world’s top-ranked tennis player will remain in detention until the outcome of a court hearing to overturn the cancellation of his entry permit a second time.
Djokovic’s lawyers are challenging Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s use of special powers to revoke his visa on grounds of health and good order, and on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so. The decision reversed an earlier court ruling that quashed his first visa cancellation for procedural reasons.
GE Halts, Honeywell Keeps Vaccine Policy (7:02 a.m. HK)
General Electric Co. is suspending implementation of the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers while another industrial heavyweight, Honeywell International Inc., will stick to its policy.
The Boston-based maker of jet engines, wind turbines and medical scanners confirmed its decision Friday via email. GE is the first major company to halt its policy after the Supreme Court blocked the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s push to boost Covid-19 vaccinations.
Yet the court’s ruling has had no effect on a workplace vaccination mandate at Honeywell, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based maker of automation equipment and aircraft parts said by email Friday.
CDC Urges Use of Medical-Grade Masks (5:47 p.m. NY)
U.S. health officials urged wider use of medical-grade face masks in the general public.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised earlier guidelines that had discouraged the use of gold-standard N95 masks in new guidance published Friday. The agency had earlier suggested reserving such masks for medical personnel.
Amtrak Cuts Service (5:42 p.m. NY)
Amtrak is temporarily reducing train service on several routes through March because of Covid-19 related staffing shortages.
About 8% of Northeast Regional weekly departures will be suspended between Jan. 24 and March 27, the railroad told Bloomberg Government on Friday. State-supported trips will be reduced by 6% from Jan. 18 to March 27, and several long-distance routes will also run less frequently.
Unvaccinated in Singapore Face Firing (5:24 p.m. NY)
Workers in Singapore who are not inoculated against Covid-19 may risk losing their jobs as new restrictions on office access take effect.
From Saturday, a prior concession that allowed unvaccinated employees who test negative to go to workplaces will be removed, according to a government advisory. Employers can redeploy those with no shots to suitable jobs that can be done from home, place them on no-pay leave, or as a last resort, fire them if they can’t perform their contracted work outside the office.
Biden Forms Task Force for New Threats (4:55 p.m. NY)
The Biden administration has assembled a group that will prepare new countermeasures for the emergence of future Covid-19 variants and other pandemic threats, after the arrival of the omicron strain led to tumult in the U.S. economy and health-care system.
The Pandemic Innovation Task Force, formed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, or OSTP, will focus on developing vaccines, treatments, diagnostic tests and other tools, said officials familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity as the details aren’t yet public. That will help prepare the country in case new versions of the virus surface, and for future biological threats beyond Covid-19, they said.
Lawmakers Press Biden on Covid Response (4:48 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden is facing calls from Democrats to improve his administration’s pandemic response, including access to at-home Covid tests.
“We write with grave concern regarding the current state of preparedness and response,” five U.S. senators including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema said in a letter to White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients released Friday.
It was the third letter this week from a group of congressional Democrats raising alarm about testing shortages, suggesting growing concern ahead of this year’s mid-term elections.
Utah Recommends Against Testing (4:44 p.m. NY)
Utah urged most residents to skip Covid tests if they have telltale symptoms, citing a critical shortage of home and in-person testing capacity.
“If you’re symptomatic, we encourage you to assume you have Covid,” Leisha Nolen, Utah’s state epidemiologist, said at a press briefing. “Instead, stay home isolate for five days, act as if you are in fact Covid positive.”
Tests should be reserved for the elderly, medically vulnerable, or those working with or visiting those groups, she said.
Orders to Begin for Free U.S. Home Tests (3:37 p.m. NY)
The Biden administration on Wednesday will begin accepting orders for free at-home Covid-19 tests, the latest government response to a record number of infections.
Each U.S. household that asks for tests via CovidTests.gov, or by phone, will receive four kits drawn from a 500 million-test order approved by President Joe Biden in December.
The administration expects the tests to initially be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service in seven to 12 days.
Nebraska’s Largest Hospital Limits Surgeries (2:31 p.m. NY)
The largest hospital in Nebraska is imposing crisis standards of care and suspending non-emergency surgery for 30 days as infections surge across the farm-belt state.
In a statement issued Friday, Governor Pete Ricketts said the state granted Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha permission to curtail surgeries and that the halt will remain in effect until Feb. 13.
The hospital is licensed for 718 beds and Ricketts said it “remains focused on prioritizing care for patients with the most urgent medical needs.”
N.Y. ‘Turning the Corner,” Governor Says (2:11 p.m. NY)
New York State is “turning the corner” on the omicron surge, Governor Kathy Hochul declared on Friday.
The state had 49,027 cases as of Thursday, down from the high of 90,000 cases this time last week, she said at a virus briefing.
Downstate numbers including New York City and Long Island are trending downward, and Upstate numbers are lagging behind those, she said. The state had 12,207 hospitalizations and 177 deaths on Thursday, according to state data.
U.K. Daily Cases Dip Below 100,000 (12:23 p.m. NY)
The U.K. reported fewer than 100,000 new cases for the first time since late December, raising hopes that the country is past the worst of its omicron wave.
The 99,652 infections recorded on Friday compare with almost 200,000 a day at the peak of the outbreak.
Hospitalizations in London, the early center of the U.K. omicron onslaught, are below the recent high reached on Jan. 5., and show signs of decline elsewhere in the country as well. While the average number of fatalities is creeping upward, deaths have stayed relatively low compared with earlier waves.
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