(Bloomberg) — The World Health Organization is concerned omicron is being dismissed as mild, even as it spreads faster than any previous Covid-19 strain. The variant makes up 3% of sequenced cases in the U.S., up from less than 0.1% in early December. U.S. deaths from coronavirus surpassed 800,000.
In Europe, the U.K. is scrapping travel bans and hotel quarantines for arrivals from southern Africa because omicron is already so prevalent in London. Italy, Scotland and the Netherlands are tightening restrictions. South Korea is strengthening social-distancing measures amid a virus resurgence.
Pfizer Inc.’s experimental Covid pill was highly effective at keeping patients out of the hospital but less adept at erasing milder symptoms often associated with breakthrough infections, according to a study.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 271.3 million; deaths top 5.3 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.53 billion shots given
- The high-stakes effort to prevent the next pandemic (Podcast)
- Omicron divides Europe over plan to simplify travel rules
- Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
- What we know about Omicron, the new virus cariant: QuickTake
Former Covid-Zero Haven Eases (8:24 a.m. HK)
Australia’s most-populous state, New South Wales, is eliminating a raft of restrictions as its vaccination rate climbs beyond 90%, in one of the starkest reversals from the Covid-Zero strategy yet.
From Dec. 15, only unvaccinated people need to enter hotel quarantine after entering from overseas, the state government said. Fully vaccinated arrivals must still self-isolate for 72 hours.
Proof of vaccination is not required at many venues in the state, check-ins are only needed for certain high-contact premises, and face masks aren’t mandatory at many indoor areas. The easing comes as new daily infections in New South Wales surged to 1,360.
Korea to Tighten Virus Measures (7:48 a.m. HK)
South Korea will tighten social-distancing measures in the wake of the country’s worst infection resurgence, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced during a Covid meeting Wednesday.
Details will be announced later, but Kim said the government will likely restrict restaurant and cafe operating hours and limit private gatherings. Despite a fully vaccinated rate of more than 80%, new cases surged to records after government eased restrictions in November. The daily virus tally is expected to hit fresh highs Wednesday, surpassing the prior record of nearly 7,200 cases.
Canada Explores Tighter Curbs (6:45 a.m. HK)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to speak with premiers Tuesday night to discuss the possibility of stricter public health measures in response to the omicron coronavirus variant, CBC News reported.
N.J. Hospitalizations Double (1:20 p.m. NY)
New Jersey’s hospitalizations for Covid-19 have doubled since Thanksgiving. The state reported 1,698 patients on Dec. 13, up from 842 on Nov. 25.
While most of the new Covid-19 cases are among the unvaccinated, an increasing number in recent weeks have been among those who have completed their primary vaccine course and are dealing with waning immunity, Governor Phil Murphy said at a Dec. 13 virus briefing.
Dutch Evening Lockdown Extended (1:20 p.m. NY)
The evening lockdown in the Netherlands will be extended to Jan. 14, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. That means all shops except supermarkets, restaurants and bars will continue to close after 5 p.m. Also, people are advised to have a maximum of four people visiting them at home during Christmas. School will be closed from Dec. 20, one week before the Christmas break.
Apple to Again Require Masks at Stores (1 p.m. NY)
Apple Inc., coping with a resurgence in Covid-19 cases and the new omicron variant, is reinstating its mask mandate at U.S. retail locations and will proactively limit store occupancy.
The technology giant said it’s requiring masks for shoppers — a rule that had been dropped at about half of its U.S. stores — to “support the wellbeing of customers and employees.”
JPMorgan to Require Shots at 9 NYC Offices (11:50 a.m. NY)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. will require vaccines to enter nine Manhattan office buildings, including its headquarters at 383 Madison Ave.
The mandate goes into place Tuesday, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. Unvaccinated employees have been asked to work from home temporarily until “alternative solutions are considered,” according to the memo, sent to staff Monday. The decision comes after New York state instituted a mask mandate for businesses that don’t require proof of vaccination.
Omicron Now 3% of Sequenced U.S. Cases (11:20 a.m. NY)
The omicron variant now makes up 3% of all sequenced Covid-19 cases in the U.S., rising from less than 0.1% in early December, health officials said, a sign of the rapid spread of the new coronavirus version.
The highly mutated variant has now been detected in 33 U.S. states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an email. While the delta variant remains the dominant strain in the country, accounting for 96% of sequenced cases, omicron’s proportion is expected to increase, agency spokesperson Jasmine Reed said.
Countries around the world are working to respond to the spread of omicron, a variant that appears to have mutations that may allow it to evade the effects
N.Y. Hospital Use Surges 70% (11:15 a.m. NY)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that Covid-19 hospitalizations across the state have surged by 70% since Thanksgiving, prompting her to institute a statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses without vaccine requirements.
“If I sound a little frustrated, perhaps I am,” Hochul said at a virus briefing on Tuesday in New York City. “Despite our desires to have this behind us, we aren’t quite there yet.”
She said cases per 100,000 people has gone up 58% during that time, while vaccinations have increased by only 2%. She said the state will re-assess Covid metrics on Jan. 15 and urged businesses to comply.
Denmark Has 1,000 Daily Cases for First Time (11:05 a.m. NY)
Denmark confirmed more than 1,000 omicron cases for the first time as the variant is set to become the dominant type of the virus in the Nordic country.
Health authorities had as of Tuesday registered a total of 4,535 infections caused by the variant, up from 3,437 a day earlier, according to a statement. Denmark has Europe’s most rigorous screening program, with a high level of testing, and variant-screening of all positive PCR tests.
Read more: Denmark’s Omicron Surge Is a Warning to the Rest of World
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier on Tuesday said the variant is spreading “at a fierce pace,” calling it “a serious situation.” By the middle of last week, more than 10% of Covid-19 cases were caused by omicron, according to the latest report from Statens Serum Institut. Health authorities said Monday they expect the variant to become dominant in the coming days and that Denmark, which has a population of 5.8 million, is heading for 10,000 daily infections.
Kenya’s Infection Rate Jumps (10:30 a.m. NY)
Kenya’s Covid-19 infection rate jumped to double digits on Tuesday, the highest since the government eased virus-control measures two months ago.
The test-positivity rate climbed to 11.5% on Tuesday from 1.6% on Dec. 1, according to the Ministry of Health. While Kenya hasn’t announced a confirmation of the omicron variant that’s believed to be driving a new surge in cases in South Africa, the East African nation’s government said it’s monitoring the situation closely as the end-year holiday season approaches.
Africa CDC Cites Poor Surveillance (10 a.m. NY)
Many African countries are failing to identify almost all of their Covid-19 infections, making it difficult to tackle the pandemic, said John Nkengasong, director at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
His institute conducted a survey of about 31,000 people in five countries and found that Uganda was catching 1 in 80 cases and Togo 1 in 106, he said on an online conference on Tuesday. That meant that in Uganda 20% of the population has had Covid-19, while 15% of Togo’s inhabitants have been infected with the pathogen.
Scotland to Tighten Restrictions (9:45 a.m. NY)
The Scottish government is tightening Covid-19 restrictions as the omicron variant takes over as the dominant strain across the U.K.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new guidelines will urge no more than three households to mix during the Christmas period. There will be a legal requirement for businesses to take more steps to stop transmission, such as screens and social distancing in retail outlets. It will also be a legal duty for employers to allow staff to work from home where possible.
Italy to Require Testing of EU Travelers (9:45 a.m. NY)
Italy will require travelers from other European Union countries to provide a negative Covid-19 test, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The requirement will come into force on Dec. 15, the people said, asking not to be named discussing confidential decisions. Prime Minister Mario Draghi is set to introduce the new restrictions at a cabinet meeting later in the day.
Italy is set to extend its government’s emergency powers until March 31 as the country faces a new rise in Covid-19 cases ahead of the Christmas holiday season.
Pfizer Covid Pill Stops Hospitalizations (6:45 a.m. NY)
New study data showed Pfizer Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 pill was highly effective at keeping patients out of the hospital, but less adept at erasing milder symptoms often associated with breakthrough infections.
In one study, its treatment, Paxlovid, failed to meet the primary goal of reducing self-reported symptoms in 673 adults at standard risk of developing Covid-19 complications. The drug showed a trend toward reducing hospitalizations in the group by 70%, however.
In a second study, the treatment remained 89% effective in preventing hospitalizations in high-risk unvaccinated people when used within 3 days of the appearance of symptoms.
The complicated results suggest that the pill remains likely to become a standard treatment for Covid patients at risk of developing severe disease.
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