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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
By Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge
The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan added it would be "unwise" to conclude from early evidence that Omicron was a milder variant that previous ones.
"... with the numbers going up, all health systems are going to be under strain," Soumya Swaminathan told Geneva-based journalists.
The variant is successfully evading some immune responses, she said, meaning that the booster programmes being rolled out in many countries ought to be targeted towards people with weaker immune systems.
"There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the briefing.
"And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or re-infected," Tedros said.
Their comments echoed the finding of study by Imperial College London, which said last week the risk of reinfection was more than five times higher and it has shown no sign of being milder than Delta.
WHO officials said however that other forms of immunity vaccinations may prevent infection and disease.
While the antibody defences from some actions have been undermined, there has been hope that T-cells, the second pillar of an immune response, can prevent severe disease by attacking infected human cells.
WHO expert Abdi Mahamud added: "Although we are seeing a reduction in the neutralisation antibodies, almost all preliminary analysis shows T-cell mediated immunity remains intact, that is what we really require."
However, highlighting how little is known about how to handle the new variant that was only detected last month, Swaminathan also said: "Of course there is a challenge, many of the monoclonals will not work with Omicron."
She gave no details as she referred to the treatments that mimic natural antibodies in fighting off infections. Some drug makers have suggested the same.
ENDING THE PANDEMIC
In the short term, Tedros said that holiday festivities would in many places lead to "increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths" and urged people to postpone gatherings.
"An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled," he said.
But the WHO team also offered some hope to a weary world facing the new wave that 2022 would be the year that the pandemic, which already killed more than 5.6 million people worldwide, would end.
It pointed towards the development of second and third generation vaccines, and the further development of antimicrobial treatments and other innovations.
"(We) hope to consign this disease to a relatively mild disease that is easily prevented, that is easily treated," Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, told the briefing.
"If we can keep virus transmission to minimum, then we can bring the pandemic to an end."
However Tedros also said China, where the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was first detected at the end of 2019, must be forthcoming with data and information related to its origin to help the response going forward.
"We need to continue until we know the origins, we need to push harder because we should learn from what happened this time in order to (do) better in the future," Tedros said.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/omicron-spreading-infecting-vaccinated-who-2021-12-20/
Travellers in personal protective equipment load luggage into a taxi outside the international terminal at Sydney Airport, as countries react to the new coronavirus Omicron variant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Sydney, Australia, November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
New Zealand delayed the planned reopening of its international border because of the sweeping spread of Omicron around the world on Tuesday, as several other countries reimposed social distancing measures.
Many nations are on high alert just days ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations, as the latest health crisis also takes a toll on financial markets, which fear the impact on the global economic recovery.
Omicron infections are multiplying rapidly across Europe, the United States and Asia, including in Japan where a single cluster at a military base has grown to at least 180 cases.
New Zealand COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said his country was delaying the start of a planned staggered reopening of its border until the end of February. The government had previously said quarantine-free travel would reopen by mid-January for New Zealand citizens and residents in Australia and by April for foreign tourists.
"There's no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but it's important to set these changes out clearly today so they can have time to consider those plans," Hipkins said at a press conference.
In Singapore, the health ministry was carrying out testing to determine whether Omicron was behind a potential cluster of cases at a gym.
"Given its high transmissibility and spread to many parts of the world, we should expect to find more Omicron cases at our borders and also within our community," Singapore's health ministry said on Tuesday.
The Omicron variant has become dominant in the United States with lightning speed, and claimed the life on Monday of an unvaccinated man in Texas, officials said. Lines for COVID-19 tests wrapped around the block in New York, Washington and other U.S. cities as people clamoured to find out if they were infected before celebrating the holidays with family. read more
South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland were among countries to reimpose partial or full lockdowns, or other social distancing measures, in recent days. read more
read more L4N2T60DY
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said the situation was "extremely difficult" as hospitalisations rose steeply in London.
Asked about speculation the government would ban indoor socialising and limit tourism, Johnson said: "We're looking at all kinds of things ... we will rule nothing out."
In Australia, where Omicron cases have surged but hospitalisations remain relatively low, Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged state and territory leaders to avoid further lockdowns, saying limiting the spread of the virus comes down to personal responsibility. read more
"We have got to get past the heavy hand of government and we have got to treat Australians like adults," he said. "We're not going back to lock downs. We're going forward to live with this virus with common sense and responsibility."
Several leaders and health officials have stressed the importance of booster vaccine shots to fight the variant.
The Omicron variant was first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong and so far has been reported in at least 89 countries.
The severity of illness it causes remains unclear, but the World Health Organization (WHO) warned it is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease. read more
MARKET IMPACT
The rapid spread of the variant has ignited fears that more countries may impose economically disruptive restrictions, impacting markets.
U.S. stocks ended trading on Monday down by more than 1%, pressured lower by surging Omicron cases, while oil investors feared that new restrictions in Europe would weigh on fuel demand, sending crude prices lower.
Asian shares and oil prices rose in early trade on Tuesday, though the Australian and New Zealand dollars fell. L4N2T53RM
The World Economic Forum on Monday postponed its annual meeting in Davos due to the spread of Omicron, putting off the event scheduled for January until mid-2022. read more
More than 274 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally since the pandemic began and more than 5.65 million people have died.
For many around the world, Omicron is expected to crimp traditional year-end celebrations.
Kim Min-song, 39, was among customers at a barbecue restaurant in Seoul on Monday who hurriedly put on jackets and face masks to head home as an evening curfew loomed: "It is the year end when we meet missed ones, but now we can't fully do that."
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/omicrons-global-spread-prompts-renewed-lockdowns-delayed-reopenings-2021-12-21/
People cross a road, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Singapore November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
Singapore's ministry of health said late on Monday preliminary tests had detected two suspected cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 linked to a gym, with results for a third coronavirus case related to the gym pending.
The health ministry said it was conducting contact tracing related to all three cases, which have mild symptoms, had no recent travel history and had been double-vaccinated. The statement did not specify whether any of the cases had received a booster.
Singapore has reported 71 confirmed Omicron cases, with 65 imported infections and six local cases. "Given its high transmissibility and spread to many parts of the world, we should expect to find more Omicron cases at our borders and also within our community," the health ministry said.
With 87% of its 5.5 million population having been fully vaccinated, Singapore has turned to focus to administering boosters. About 34% of the city-state's residents have had a booster.
Cases in Singapore have fallen over the last few weeks from a record daily count of 5,324 in late October. It reported 195 new cases on Monday.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. read more
Research from southern Africa and Britain shows the variant is spreading very quickly, prompting forecasts that it will soon outpace its predecessor, Delta, in several countries. Omicron has become dominant in the United States with lightning speed.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-finds-suspected-omicron-cluster-gym-2021-12-20/
President Joe Biden was exposed to a staff member who recently tested positive for COVID-19, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Monday evening.
Biden was near the staff member for about 30 minutes on Air Force One on Friday, during a trip to Philadelphia from South Carolina, according to Psaki.
The staff member, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tested negative Friday morning, but tested positive Monday, according to the White House.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
President Joe Biden wears a Covid-19 protective mask while attending a meeting at the...Read More
The president received an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday, and both came back negative, Psaki said in a statement. He will receive another test Wednesday, she said.
"As CDC guidance does not require fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an exposure, the president will continue with his daily schedule," Psaki said in a statement.
Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/live-updates/coronavirus/?id=81852482#81866282
Boris Johnson caught between scientific advisers and his sceptical cabinet over action on Omicron
New Covid restrictions are unlikely to be imposed before Christmas amid deep cabinet divisions but Boris Johnson warned further measures remain on the table, with data on the threat of Omicron monitored “hour by hour”.
The prime minister was accused of failing to follow scientists’ advice on the need for immediate restrictions while leaving millions of people and businesses in limbo after a two-hour cabinet meeting ended with no decision on Monday.
During the meeting, scientific advisers briefed ministers on the latest data including a steep rise in hospitalisations in London, with the UK’s highest number of Omicron cases, while 91,743 people tested positive for Covid on Monday across the UK.
Afterwards, the prime minister said the arguments for and against stricter measures were “finely balanced” and the situation was “extremely difficult”.
With some people having already departed on Christmas breaks, government sources told the Guardian that fresh curbs were unlikely to be imposed before 25 December – though an announcement could be made in coming days on rules to be brought in before New Year’s Eve.
Measures under consideration include limits on households mixing indoors, social distancing and curfews for the hospitality sector. Parliamentary authorities are preparing for a possible request for the Commons to be recalled on Tuesday 28 December for a vote on any new measures.
Among cabinet ministers pushing for swift action were Sajid Javid, the health secretary, and Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary. However, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, and the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, were said to be holding out for “incontrovertible evidence” that a plan C for tackling Omicron was needed.
Among the plans considered by cabinet on Monday was a return to “stage two” of England’s roadmap out of lockdown, which came into effect on 12 April. People were only allowed to socialise indoors with members of their own household or support bubble, while outdoor socialising was limited to the rule of six or two households.
Johnson said hospitalisations were rising “quite steeply” in London, where Omicron has hit hardest so far, adding that while he understood the strain on hospitality firms, the current plan B restrictions “can be very helpful to us and the country” at slowing the spread of the variant.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced the cancellation of the capital’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Trafalgar Square “in the interests of public safety” on Monday. The event had been due to be attended by 6,500 people.
The number of UK vaccines administered within 24 hours broke 1m for the first time this weekend, it was confirmed. Just over 50% of over-12s have now also received a booster dose.
Prof Christina Pagel, the director of University College London’s clinical operational research unit, said that waiting for more definitive evidence of Omicron’s spread could cause the NHS to be overwhelmed and may mean it is too late to avert a crisis.
She urged ministers to “follow Sage advice and return to step two of the roadmap immediately to prevent thousands of infections over the coming days and then monitor the situation hour by hour so that measures can be lifted as quickly as possible, hopefully even in time to enable limited household mixing over Christmas weekend”.
A Department of Health source stressed that while Javid believed responding as early as possible to threats like Omicron was still the best way forward, the possibility of new restrictions remained unclear.
They said: “We want to be as open with people as we can, but it’s not easy. There is new data coming in all the time that we have to look at, from several places. We’re basically scouring for a signal within the noise.”
A former minister said Johnson appeared to be hamstrung by some of his top team. They said: “I don’t really see how it is scientifically defensible [not to act immediately] but it also feels about right in political and publicly-possible terms. The data about transmission points inexorably towards an approach that says ‘better safe than sorry for the sake of the NHS’. But it would also be unforgivable to be too cautious.”
A Tory MP resistant to new restrictions vowed to go ahead with their Christmas and New Year plans regardless of any new rules. They said: “If he tries to push ahead with new restrictions without convincing evidence, Boris is a dead man walking.” Another backbencher, Esther McVey, said ministers had “for once pushed back on the scaremongering by the lockdown fanatics”.
After the cabinet meeting ended with no certainty on restrictions, Labour accused Johnson of being “too weak” to stand up to his own MPs. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “While businesses across the country wonder if they can continue to trade, and families make frantic calls about whether they will see each other this Christmas, true to form the prime minister has put his party before the public.
“Rather than set out a clear plan for the country, he has chosen to protect himself from his own MPs by simply not saying anything. Boris Johnson is unfit to lead.”
Kate Nicholls, the head of UKHospitality, said the industry needed notice of any restrictions that were to be placed on it next week, with financial support crucial. She said firms were in limbo, having lost up to 60% of their trade while still having big rent and rate bills as well as staff wages.
Greg Parmley, the chief executive of Live, which represents live music companies, said the government’s stance was “merely an excuse to withhold desperately needed financial support as sectors like live music and entertainment buckle under the weight of the latest Covid wave”.
Dehenna Davison, the Conservative MP for Bishop Auckland, said: “In the last two days, I’ve had pubs and restaurants contact me asking if they should place food and drinks orders. I’ve had emails from people asking if they should postpone their wedding for the fifth time, or if they can see their mum on Christmas. We really need some certainty.”
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/20/boris-johnson-avoids-more-covid-measures-for-now-but-rules-nothing-out
It’s been a busy day with announcements from global health bodies and governments changing course on Covid plans.
Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s news so far.
· The Omicron variant is spreading faster than Delta and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
· Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has rejected a return to Covid lockdowns.
· New Zealand has announced a suite of measures to strengthen its defence against the Omicron variant, including pushing back the start of its quarantine-free border reopening for its citizens returning from Australia to the end of February.
· Singapore has detected a cluster of three Covid-19 cases linked to a gym, its ministry of health said late on Monday.
· The White House says US president Joe Biden had close contact with a staff member who later tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing symptoms of Covid-19.
· Health officials in Texas say the state has recorded the first death related to the Omicron Covid variant. It is believed to be the first known recorded Omicron death in the United States.
· Omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the US, federal health officials said on Monday, racing ahead of Delta and other variants and accounting for 73% of new infections last week.
· Los Angeles has called off its New Year’s Eve celebrations as the Omicron variant sweeps across the US.
· The World Health Organisation declared 2022 to be the year ‘we end the pandemic’ while sounding a new warning about the Omicron variant, arguing some events over the festive period should be postponed.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/21/covid-news-live-who-declares-2022-to-be-the-year-we-end-the-pandemic-as-us-says-omicron-is-now-dominant-strain?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-61c1589c8f083c2aa26e4d13#block-61c1589c8f083c2aa26e4d13
Medicine
