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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
By Jeff Mason
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's plan to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with the emergence of the Omicron variant, during his visit to the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Joe Biden on Thursday laid out his strategy to fight the Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants over the winter, including free and insurer-funded at-home COVID-19 testing and new requirements for international travelers.
The U.S. government will require private health insurers to reimburse their 150 million customers for the cost of over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests, administration officials said, and make 50 million tests available free through rural clinics and health centers for the uninsured.
Reimbursement for tests will not kick in, however, until January, missing the crucial holiday period when many families and groups gather indoors.
"We're going to fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion," Biden said at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, while warning that infections will rise this winter.
"The actions I'm announcing are ones that all Americans can rally behind and should unite us in the fight against COVID-19," he said.
The administration is urging all eligible Americans to get vaccinated or obtain booster shots to fight the virus and protect against Omicron, which is spreading quickly around the world. It plans to increase family vaccination sites and expand availability at pharmacies.
Less than 60% of the U.S. population, or 196 million people, have been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates among wealthy nations. The administration says an additional 100 million are eligible for boosters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said all vaccinated adults should get a booster in light of waning protection over time and the emergence of Omicron. read more
The United States also plans to require inbound international passengers to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of departure, regardless of vaccination status. Mask requirements on airplanes, trains and public transportation vehicles will be extended to March 18. read more
The new plan will also improve care for those who get COVID-19, tripling the number of “surge response teams” that provide extra staff at hospitals that are overrun with patients to 60 from its current level, Biden said.
It will speed more medications "recommended by real doctors not conspiracy theorists," he added.
The efforts to expand testing and shots come as the world faces new threats from the Omicron variant, and the United States confronts a heavily entrenched, politically fueled anti-vaccination culture.
Fears about the variant have pounded financial markets and created doubts about the speed of the global economic recovery as the pandemic rages on.
The White House is considering further restrictions and ways to boost testing and vaccinations that will depend on the severity of the variant, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
INSURERS SEEK CLARITY
Psaki told reporters earlier on Thursday that the Biden administration would clarify whether private health insurance companies would get government money to reimburse customers for over-the-counter tests when it releases guidance on the issue by mid January.
A White House official said later on Thursday, however, that the government will not reimburse private health insurers for the cost of at-home tests. Insurers were required to cover diagnostic testing for COVID-19 "without any cost-sharing requirements during the public health emergency," the official said.
Additional free tests at healthcare clinics should be available as soon as this month, Psaki said.
Biden said free tests would be available for pickup at thousands of convenient locations for those without private insurance.
"The bottom line: This winter, you'll be able to test for free in the comfort of your home and have some peace of mind," he said.
The largest U.S. employer-based health insurers include Cigna Corp (CI.N), UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) and CVS Health Corp (CVS.N). Currently, insurers are reimbursed a set amount by the government for most medically necessary COVID-19 tests performed in labs and medical offices.
Kristine Grow, spokesperson for insurance industry lobby AHIP, said the industry is working with the administration to make sure the impact of any testing plan is fully understood. Areas of concern include price gouging on these tests, higher premiums and clear rules and guidance for implementation, she said.
Morningstar analyst Julie Utterback said she views the government’s plan as a shift in the potential site of testing, rather than a significant increase in costs for health insurers, assuming at-home tests can be accepted as valid.
"To control the spread of the virus from a policy perspective, I see the logic in trying to keep infected people at home instead of forcing them to interact with people outside their household when they are experiencing symptoms," Utterback said.
Evercore ISI analyst Michael Newshel said the strategy could come at a notable cost for health insurers, with the coverage requirement possibly lasting through the first half of the year.
More than 786,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, including 37,000 in November alone.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-require-private-health-insurance-companies-cover-at-home-covid-19-tests-2021-12-02/
By Alistair Smout
A health worker prepares a dose of the COVID-19 booster vaccine, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at Midland House in Derby, Britain, September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Carl Recine
COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) that use mRNA technology provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when given 10-12 weeks after the second dose, a British study published on Thursday has found.
The "COV-Boost" study was cited by British officials when they announced that Pfizer and Moderna were preferred for use in the country's booster campaign, but the data has only been made publicly available now. read more
The study found that six out of the seven boosters examined enhanced immunity after initial vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, while all seven increased immunity when given after two doses of AstraZeneca's (AZN.L)vaccine.
"A third dose will be effective for many of the vaccines we've tested and in many different combinations," Professor Saul Faust, an immunologist at the University of Southampton and the trial's lead, told reporters.
The study found that a full dose or half dose of Pfizer or a full dose of Moderna gave a very effective boost to both antibody and T-cell levels, regardless of whether the person initially received Pfizer or AstraZeneca.
When AstraZeneca, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Curevac were given as boosters, they increased antibody levels for either initial vaccine, albeit to a smaller degree. However, while Valneva boosted antibodies in people initially vaccinated with AstraZeneca, it did not provide a boost for Pfizer.
The study found that booster shots also helped to generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants, which may play a key role in longer-term protection.
"T-cell (response) does seem to be broader against all the variant strains, which gives us hope that a variant strain of the virus might be able to be handled, certainly hospitalisation and death, if not prevention of infection, by the current vaccines," Faust said.
The study pre-dated the spread of the Omicron variant of concern, but Faust said he had shared samples with the UK Health Security Agency to generate data on Omicron as well.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/uk-study-finds-mrna-covid-19-vaccines-provide-biggest-booster-impact-2021-12-02/
By Sangmi Cha
Women wearing masks to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk under a Christmas illumination at a shopping district in central Seoul, South Korea, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/file photo
South Korea announced on Friday that people visiting restaurants and cinemas and other public spaces will have to show vaccine passes, amid a surge in COVID-19 infections and five confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.
The government also re-imposed limits on private gatherings, which had been recently relaxed, as the country posted record numbers of new cases this week.
Desperate to fend off the Omicron variant, authorities halted quarantine exemptions on Thursday for fully vaccinated inbound travellers and made a 10-day quarantine mandatory.
From next Monday, people visiting 14 designated public spaces, including hospitality and entertainment venues, will have to show their vaccines passes, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a coronavirus response meeting, setting out the plan to reduce the risk of community spread. The public will have a grace period of a week to get used to the new rules.
While people have been required to show their vaccine pass at high-risk venues such as gyms, saunas and bars, it is the first time that the requirement has been extended to restaurants and cafes.
From February, anyone aged 12 years or older will have to show a vaccination pass. The government decided to lower the exemption age, currently set at 17 years, to encourage teenagers to get vaccinated as the under-18 age group accounts for 20% of all infections, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing.
The limit on private gatherings was cut to six people in the greater Seoul area, and eight outside, from the current limit of 10 in Seoul and 12 outside, Kwon said.
South Korea has so far confirmed a total of five Omicron cases after a fully vaccinated couple tested positive for the variant after arriving last week from Nigeria. The patients are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms such as headache, low-grade fever, dizziness and sore throat, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
KDCA reported 4,944 COVID-19 cases for Thursday, a slight decline from record high 5,266 cases on Wednesday. It has reported a total of 462,555, with 3,739 deaths overall.
South Korea has fully vaccinated 91.6% of its adult population aged 18 and over, yet the booster dose uptake remains at 8.1%.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorea-makes-vaccine-pass-mandatory-many-more-venues-omicron-fears-rise-2021-12-03/
From CNN's Radina Gigova in Atlanta and Columbus Mavhunga in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's Vice President Constantino Chiwenga officially launched the country's vaccination program on February 18, 2021. (Knowledge Chingwecha/Majority World/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
Zimbabwe is the latest country in southern Africa to detect the Omicron variant within its borders, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Constantino Chiwenga said Thursday.
“We have done genomic sequencing and we now have the virus in the country. Let’s all follow Covid-19 preventative measures and get vaccinated,” Chiwenga said.
Chiwenga did not say how many Omicron cases have been detected in Zimbabwe.
The country has reported a total of 136,379 Covid-19 cases and 4,707 related deaths, according to data from its Health Ministry.
On Tuesday, Zimbabwe's government introduced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers and a national curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.
At least 34 countries and territories have now reported Omicron cases, according to CNN's tally.
From CNN’s Beijing bureau
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang delivers a keynote speech at the welcome event by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Board of Directors in Washington D.C. August 31st, 2021. (Liu Jie/Xinhua/Getty Images)
China has pledged to reduce waiting times for businessmen seeking approval to travel to the country from the United States, its ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, said Thursday.
The Asian nation will fast-track the process to a maximum wait time of 10 days, while making Covid-19 testing more convenient and allowing executives to work during quarantine, Qin said at an annual US-China Business Council gala in Washington, DC.
China is one of the few countries still pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy and has some of the toughest travel restrictions — and longest quarantine measures — in the world.
Qin said China is willing to address concerns US companies may have over market access and the general business environment in the world's second-largest economy.
He also repeated Beijing's appeal to Washington to abolish additional tariffs imposed on Chinese goods, calling on the US to abandon its "Cold War mentality."
“We should regain the confidence in China-US relations,” Qin said. “China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature and should not be politicized.”
Last month, two dozen US business groups called on the Biden administration to work toward removing tariffs on China to help ease historic inflation. In a letter to Biden officials, the groups warned tariffs on China and retaliatory levies are hurting US companies and families by raising costs.
Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/omicron-covid-19-variant-12-03-21/index.html
Here’s a quick rundown of all the key developments that have unfolded over the past few hours.
· California is reporting its second confirmed case of the Omicron variant in as many days.
· Two more US states report the Omicron variant. Hawaii says it detected a case in an unvaccinated Hawaii resident with no recent travel history. New York reported five cases.
· New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland celebrates after emerging from a gruelling 107 days in lockdown.
· South Korea reports another 4,944 cases of Covid-19 and 34 deaths. The figures are a drop on Thursday’s record of more than 5,200 daily infections as concern grows over the sharp rise in patients with severe symptoms.
· South Africa reports another 11,535 new cases and 44 deaths - a significant jump from Wednesday’s 8,561 new cases, up from 4,373 the day before and 2,273 on Monday.
· A continuing outbreak in a Chinese city of Manzhouli on the Russian border has prompted more freight shutdowns as authorities seek to control it. The country reported 96 new Covid cases for 2 December, up from 73 cases a day earlier.
· China will reduce the time needed for approval of travel by US business executives to no more than 10 days.
· Germany is reporting a further 74,352 new daily Covid cases and 390 deaths, according to recently released figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
· Panama and Nepal both join the growing list of countries on Thursday to move to temporarily ban the entry of travellers from eight African countries due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/03/covid-news-live-new-york-state-detects-five-cases-of-omicron-variant-as-new-us-air-travel-rules-loom?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-61a9a58e8f089ba8b9a804f9#block-61a9a58e8f089ba8b9a804f9
Medicine
