(Bloomberg) — Singapore will freeze new sales for its vaccinated travel lanes program as the city-state looks to stem the import of omicron. Meanwhile, Japan found its first community transmission of the variant.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled out introducing stricter Covid rules before Christmas, but urged caution and said officials may announce further curbs after Dec. 25.
Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by the most in more than 75 years in 2020, according to CDC data. Covid was the third-leading cause of death, behind only heart disease and cancer.
Meta Platforms Inc. and Twitter Inc. have canceled plans to attend the CES tech conference in Las Vegas in response to the Covid surge. Sponsor T-Mobile US Inc. will also “significantly limit” its in-person presence at the show, while CEO Mike Sievert won’t give a keynote speech.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 276 million; deaths near 5.37 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.8 billion shots given
- Omicron at least doubles risk of getting Covid on a plane
- Data failures keep the U.S. from seeing the whole picture
- All you need to know about rapid test kits
- What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
World Economic Forum Set for Davos in Summer (2:10 p.m. HK)
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, which was set to take place in January before being postponed to summer, will happen in Davos, founder Klaus Schwab said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick.
The WEF had attempted to host this year’s annual meeting in the Swiss town of Lucerne and then in Singapore, though the virus meant neither happened.
25% of Unvaccinated S. Africans Says Shots Unsafe (1:30 p.m. HK)
A quarter of South Africans who haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19 say they refuse to get a shot because they believe it will harm or kill them, according to a study by the University of Cape Town.
Africa’s most developed economy has fully inoculated just over 44% of its adult population over a seven-month period even as the omicron variant has fueled record case numbers across the country since November.
U.S. Life Expectancy Drops by Most in 75 Years (1 p.m. HK)
Life expectancy in the US dropped by the most in more than 75 years in 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the country.
The disease caused by the coronavirus was the third-leading cause of death in 2020, behind only heart disease and cancer, the CDC said in a report released Wednesday examining annual mortality numbers in the U.S.
Japan Finds Omicron Community Transmission (1 p.m. HK)
Japan identified community transmission of the omicron variant for the first time, in a family of three in Osaka who had no prior record of traveling abroad. Cases in the country to date have been limited to those who traveled abroad or had interaction with travelers. Local stocks erased gains after the news.
Singapore Halts Ticket Sales for Quarantine-Free Travel (11:30 a.m. HK)
Singapore will freeze new ticket sales for flights and bus trips under its vaccinated travel lanes for entry from Dec. 23 to Jan. 20 as the city-state looks to stem the importation of the omicron variant from countries where it is spreading rapidly. Those with existing tickets will still be able to travel.
The move applies to all 24 countries with which Singapore has agreements for quarantine-free air travel, as well as overland bus services with Malaysia, the government said Wednesday.
Singapore will also temporarily reduce vaccinated travel lane quotas and ticket sales for travel after Jan. 20, the Ministry of Health said.
China’s Xi’an Reports 52 Cases (10:30 a.m. HK)
The city of Xi’an, the latest epicenter in China’s outbreak, reported 52 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to the National Health Commission. The local government in the city in central Shaanxi province has halted operations of seven long-distance bus stations, with authorities raising one area in the city to ‘high-risk’ level and 40 to ‘medium-risk’.
Australia PM Urges Pushing On With Reopening (9:30 a.m. HK)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging Australia’s state and territory leaders to move ahead with reopening plans as omicron outbreaks push daily coronavirus infections to record levels, causing havoc ahead of the nation’s summer vacation period.
“The idea that you’re going to suppress it at any extreme level or you’re going to eliminate it, that’s nonsense,” Morrison said of the omicron variant in a television interview on Wednesday. “We have to live with it and we have to just stay calm.”
Omicron is putting pressure on Australia’s push to fully reopen, after New South Wales and Victoria recently removed months-long lockdowns and other restrictions which the prime minister says are now unnecessary due to the vaccination rate.
Meta, Twitter Scrap CES Plans (9:20 a.m. HK)
Meta Platforms Inc., Pinterest Inc., Twitter Inc. and several news outlets have canceled plans to attend the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas, a response to surging Covid-19 cases around the world.
T-Mobile US Inc., a CES sponsor, said Tuesday it will “significantly limit” its in-person presence at the show. And Chief Executive Officer Mike Sievert will no longer be giving a keynote speech at the event, either in-person or online.
The show, put on by the Consumer Technology Association, is still scheduled to get underway in early January. But efforts to return to normal after an online-only event last January have been hindered by omicron.
Philippines Shortens Booster Interval to 3 Months (9 a.m. HK)
The Philippines has shortened the interval for administering Covid-19 vaccine boosters. Effective Wednesday, boosters may be given to adults at least three months after the second dose of a primary two-dose vaccine, or two months after a single dose, the Department of Health said. The agency revised its initial recommendation for a six-month wait time.
England Cuts Isolation Time; U.S. Also Mulling (8 a.m. HK)
People in England who test positive for Covid-19 will have to self-isolate for only seven days starting Wednesday as the U.K. government seeks to reduce rising staff shortages amid a surge in omicron infections.
U.S. health officials are weighing whether to change isolation recommendations for some vaccinated people, Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, told CNN on Tuesday.
Japan to Keep Strict Border Controls (7:45 a.m. HK)
Japan will maintain its border controls, the strictest among G-7 countries, for the time being, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a press conference Tuesday. He cited the lack of clarity around the infectiousness of the variant and the risk of severe illness.
The country will also request all close contacts of a confirmed omicron case to quarantine for 14 days at a dedicated facility, with Kishida also pledging to bring forward booster shots for the elderly.
NHL to Skip Beijing Olympics Amid Covid Surge (7:25 a.m. HK)
National Hockey League players won’t participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, reversing plans announced in September amid the surge in Covid cases, according to ESPN.
The virus has already caused the NHL to postpone games and pause the regular season. Dozens of games have been rescheduled so far this year, with several teams deciding to shut down through the holiday break.
Israel Approves Fourth Shot for People Over 60 (5:05 p.m. NY)
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said people over age 60 and medical teams will be eligible for a fourth Covid vaccination, following the recommendation of an expert panel, Agence France-Presse reported.
“I gave an order to prepare immediately for a fourth vaccination,” Bennett said on Twitter, with a spokesperson saying Israel would be the world’s first country to administer the fourth shot, AFP reported.
Biden May Lift Southern Africa Travel Ban (3:19 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden said he’s considering lifting travel restrictions on southern African countries where the omicron variant of coronavirus was first identified, after it became the dominant strain in the U.S.
“I’m considering reversing, I’m going to talk with my team in the next couple days,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. He said his health advisers had suggested he reconsider the ban.
U.K. Sees No New Limits Before Christmas (12:13 p.m. NY)
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled out stricter Covid-19 rules before Christmas, responding to speculation that Britons might have to quash festivities for a second year.
He urged caution, however, saying that “the situation remains finely balanced” and that ministers may announce further curbs after Dec. 25.
U.S. Cases Highest Since September (11:07 a.m. NY)
Daily coronavirus infections in the U.S. jumped to the highest level since September, a sign the omicron variant is spreading rapidly. Almost 254,000 cases were reported Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. That’s up from 73,208 on Sunday, when numbers typically dip because of the weekend. The seven-day average of cases has climbed 17% in the past week to about 140,000.
FDA Set to Clear Merck, Pfizer Pills (10:45 a.m. NY)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize a pair of pills from Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. to treat Covid-19 as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter — a milestone in the fight against the pandemic that will soon expand therapies for the ill.
An announcement may come as early as Wednesday, according to three of the people. They asked not to be identified ahead of the authorization and cautioned that the plan could change.
Pfizer’s pill, Paxlovid, and Merck’s molnupiravir are intended for higher-risk people who test positive for Covid. The treatments, in which patients take a series of pills at home over several days, could ease the burden on stretched hospitals with infections poised to soar through the winter in the U.S.
EU Considers Larger Moderna Dose (8:44 a.m. NY)
Europe’s drugs regulator is considering whether a higher booster dose of Moderna Inc.’s vaccine should be authorized for use, after the company published data showing higher levels of antibodies created against omicron.
Marco Cavaleri, head of the European Medicines Agency’s vaccines strategy, said talks with the company will take place over the coming weeks to assess whether “a full dose might be a better choice than the half dose that is currently approved.”
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