(Bloomberg) —
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. told its London staff to work from home if they can, and Fidelity Investments paused its voluntary return-to-office pilot program in New England. U.S. cases topped 50 million.
One person has died from the omicron variant in the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed, as demand for booster shots and rapid at-home Covid-19 tests surged in the face of the fast-spreading mutation.
A paper by University of Oxford researchers found that two doses of Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccines induced lower levels of antibodies against omicron.
China reported its first case of omicron, while Australia recorded its first hospitalization linked to the strain. New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, will ease Covid restrictions at the end of the month, reflecting a declining trend in case numbers and rising vaccination levels.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 270.4 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.48 billion shots given
- U.S. states in Northeast deploy soliders and home tests
- Drugmakers race to create omicron booster in 100 days
- Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
- Billionaire’s bet on Pfizer vaccine for China fails to pay off
California Reimposes Mask Mandate (5:06 p.m NY)
California will reimpose indoor mask mandates in public settings for all residents, regardless of vaccination status, starting Wednesday until Jan. 15, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing a state health official.
Brazil Wants Proof of Vaccination (5:00 p.m NY)
Brazil is now requiring travelers to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 when entering the country, adding to the list of nations adopting new measures amid renewed concerns about new variants of the virus.
Moderna Shot Will Be Made in Australia (4:15 p.m. NY)
Australia’s Victoria state will become the first place in the southern hemisphere to manufacture mRNA vaccines after reaching an in-principle agreement with Moderna. The new manufacturing and finishing facilities and Australian research center will be capable of producing up to 25 million vaccine doses per year from 2024, with the capacity to scale up to 100 million doses per year to combat future pandemics, according to the state government.
Ireland Cuts Gap for Booster as Omicron Spreads (4 p.m. NY)
Omicron now accounts for about 11% of all cases in Ireland and is likely to increase “very rapidly over the coming days,” the Irish health ministry said. The variant accounted for about 1% of confirmed cases a week ago but is now growing exponentially with widespread community transmission, it added.
“We are hoping for the best while preparing for the worst,” chief medical officer Tony Holohan said. The government is cutting the gap between second vaccine doses and booster jabs to three months from five months previously, and will offer a fourth dose to people with compromised immune systems. Ireland reported 4,688 newly confirmed cases on Monday, largely in-line with recent days.
N.Y. Mandate Left Intact by Supreme Court (3:52 p.m. NY)
A divided U.S. Supreme Court left in force New York’s requirement that health-care workers be vaccinated against Covid-19, refusing to order exemptions for 20 providers who say they object to the shot on religious grounds.
The rebuff, which came with no explanation, follows a similar rejection in a Maine case in October. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Gorsuch criticizing New York Governor Kathy Hochul for comments she made defending the lack of a religious exemption.
The orders come amid a cultural and political firestorm over Covid vaccine requirements. Republican-led states including Florida are moving to fine companies unless they let workers opt out, pushing back against President Joe Biden’s plan to require private employers to ensure workers are vaccinated or face federal occupational safety penalties.
A federal appeals court has put the Biden rules on hold, and that issue is likely to reach the Supreme Court soon as well.
U.S. Cases Top 50 Million (3:10 p.m. NY)
U.S. coronavirus cases topped 50 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed almost 800,000 Americans since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
NBA’s Chicago Bulls Have Two Games Postponed (3 p.m. NY)
The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association won’t be playing any basketball games this week. The team has 10 players in the league’s health and safety protocols plus additional staff members, prompting the NBA to postpone their next two games.
Chicago’s Tuesday match-up against the Pistons and Thursday’s contest versus the Raptors will be rescheduled for later dates.
The Chicago Department of Public Health had concerns about the Bulls continuing to play this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Covid-19 cases in Chicago have been on the rise in recent weeks.
Italy to Extend State of Emergency (2:27 p.m. NY)
Italy is set to extend the government’s emergency powers until March 31 as the country faces a rise in Covid cases, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The decision to extend the previous deadline, which was Dec. 31, may come as soon as Tuesday, the person said. The government has used emergency powers, which streamline decision making, since the start of the pandemic.
In the week ending Dec. 12 Italy reported 15,186 new Covid cases and 115 more deaths than the week before. According to government data, 88.2% of Italians over 12 have received at least one dose of a vaccine against the disease.
Fidelity Halts Return to Office in New England (12:45 p.m. NY)
Fidelity Investments paused its voluntary return-to-office pilot program in New England amid rising Covid-19 risks.
The firm stopped non-essential workers from coming into offices in Boston; Smithfield, Rhode Island; and Merrimack, New Hampshire, spokesman Stephen Austin said Monday in an emailed statement. Voluntary return-to-office programs for thousands of employees in other locations around the U.S. remain in effect.
Denmark Expects Omicron to Dominate (11:10 a.m. NY)
Denmark expects omicron to become the dominant variant of the virus this week and that daily infections will reach 10,000, SSI, the country’s institute for infectious diseases, said in a statement on Monday. The total number of confirmed cases has now reached 2,471 or double the number from Friday.
“We expect that the second and especially the third shot will protect against serious illness from the omicron variant,” Henrik Ullum, the head of SSI, said in the statement.
The Nordic country, which has a population of 5.8 million, plans to deliver 650,000 vaccinations this week as it is now inviting people to take the third booster shot as early as four and a half months after the second jab.
Goldman Asks London Staff to Work From Home (9:39 a.m. NY)
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has told its London staff to work from home if they can, as the City of London’s biggest firms adjust to the latest government guidance.
“Those of you who are able to work from home effectively should do so from Monday,” the lender said last week in an internal memo. The bank’s offices will remain open for those who still need to come in. Safety protocols including an on-site testing program and the wearing of masks away from desks remain in place.
South Africa Admissions Rise, Stay Below Peak (9:34 a.m. NY)
South African hospitals have 6,198 Covid-19 patients, of which 6.8% are in intensive-care units, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a report on Monday.
Of the 420 people in ICU, 167 are on ventilators, the institute said. Of the admissions 2,685 are in Gauteng, the province that includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The numbers compare with the 5,563 who were in the hospital a day earlier, with 7.3% of those in ICU. Covid-19 hospitalizations reached nearly 20,000 in January and July, the peaks of the country’s second and third waves, respectively.
U.K. to Scrap Hotel Quarantine (9:19 a.m. NY)
The U.K. is poised to announce as soon as Tuesday the removal of all 11 countries from its Covid-19 red list, ending mandatory hotel quarantine for travelers arriving from the riskiest countries.
Ministers believe the move is logical now that omicron cases in the U.K. are doubling every two to three days, a person familiar with the matter said. Johnson said omicron would account for the majority of cases in London by Tuesday.
Norway Warns of Omicron Dangers (8:18 a.m. NY)
Norway’s health system will come under strain if tighter measures aren’t implemented soon to counter omicron, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health warned.
In one scenario, there could be as many as 90,000 to 300,000 cases a day, with 50 to 200 hospital admissions in three weeks, if the contagion isn’t slowed significantly, officials said.
There are now 958 proven cases of the more infectious type of the virus to date in the country, up from 33 cases on Dec. 7. Almost 90% of Norwegian adults have received two shots of vaccine.
China Reports 1st Omicron Case: Global Times (8:06 a.m. NY)
The city of Tianjin reported the first case of omicron in mainland China Monday, the Global Times reported, citing the city.
The infection came from an overseas arrival and the patient is receiving treatment at a designated hospital, the Chinese news outlet reported.
Johnson Won’t Rule Out Christmas Curbs (7:23 a.m. NY)
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly declined to rule out imposing further coronavirus restrictions before Christmas to tackle the spread of omicron, as he confirmed the first U.K. death linked to the new strain. Johnson also said omicron would account for the majority of cases in London by Tuesday.
The U.K. is aiming to counter omicron by accelerating its vaccine booster program, offering an extra shot to every adult before the end of December.
A plan to replace self-isolation for contacts of positive Covid-19 cases was hampered when the government website ran out of free at-home rapid lateral flow tests
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