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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
By James Macharia and Josephine Mason
Omicron advanced across the world on Thursday, with health experts warning the battle against the COVID-19 variant was far from over despite two drugmakers saying their vaccines protected against it and signs it carries a lower risk of hospitalisation.
Coronavirus infections have soared wherever the highly infectious Omicron variant has spread, triggering new restrictions in many countries and record new cases.
But in another glimmer of hope two days before Christmas, a U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) official said data indicated that both Merck & Co Inc's (MRK.N) and Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) COVID-19 anti-virals are effective against the variant.
There were encouraging signs too about hospitalisation rates from Britain and South Africa, although the head of a leading African health agency joined the World Health Organization in cautioning that it was too soon to draw broader conclusions.
"Let's be careful not to extrapolate what we are seeing in South Africa across the continent, or across the world," Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) chief John Nkengasong said.
Nevertheless, U.S. stock indexes and yields on U.S. Treasuries both climbed on Thursday, partly on new optimism after Omicron helped ratchet up market volatility for much of the last month of 2021.
"Today is a very calm day. It’s the relief over Omicron apparently not being as bad as we feared," Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at LPL Financial, said. read more
Even as Omicron has begun leaving an imprint on parts of the U.S. economy, economists say it so far seems unlikely to prevent a second straight year of above-trend growth.
First identified last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, Omicron is becoming dominant in much of Europe including Britain, where daily new infections have soared beyond 100,000.
France had its worst-ever day in terms of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with more than 91,000 recorded, while Germany reported its first Omicron death. read more
In Italy, the first Western country to be hit by the pandemic last year, all public New Year's Eve celebrations were banned, while Greece banned public Christmas festivities. Both countries also made outdoor mask-wearing mandatory.
In the United States, millions of Americans pushed ahead with holidays including cross-country flights. Authorities said 2,081,297 passengers were screened through the nation's airports on Wednesday, 144,000 more than on the same date in 2019 before the pandemic.
Increases in hospitalisations and deaths in South Africa and Britain since Omicron took hold appear to have been only gradual, and AstraZeneca(AZN.L)and Novavax(NVAX.O) joined other manufacturers in saying their shots protect against it.
University of Edinburgh researchers who tracked 22,205 Omicron patients said on Wednesday the number who needed to be hospitalised was 68% lower than they would have expected, based on the rate in patients with Delta.
Imperial College London researchers reported evidence of a comparable 40%-45% reduction in hospitalisation risk.
Britain recorded a record number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, with the daily tally reaching 119,789. But analysis of preliminary data by the UK Health Security Agency showed an individual with Omicron was estimated to be between 31% and 45% less likely to attend hospital compared to someone with Delta, and 50% to 70% less likely to be admitted.
A woman carries her luggage amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at the central station in Berlin, Germany, December 22, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
UKHSA boss Jenny Harries said this was "an encouraging early signal", but added: "this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings".
In Washington, the FDA authorised Merck's anti-viral pill for certain high-risk adult patients, a day after giving the go-ahead to a similar treatment from Pfizer.
Both pills worked, said Patrizia Cavazzoni, a top FDA official, adding that both interfere with how the virus replicates, a process that is not altered across variants.
'DON'T OVER-INTERPRET'
Scientists have warned that, with the surge in cases in Britain, even a small proportion of hospitalisations could overwhelm the healthcare system.
In the U.S. Midwest, Omicron's rapid spread has hospitals "preparing for the worst," with their personnel already severely strained from a wave of the Delta variant.
The British data supported findings from South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
A separate South African government-backed study, yet to be peer-reviewed, on health workers given the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine identified "clear and early de-coupling" of hospitalisation from Omicron cases compared with Delta.
AstraZeneca said a three-course dose of its vaccine offered protection against the variant, citing data from an Oxford University lab study.
Findings from the study, yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, matched those from rivals Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O).
Novavax (NVAX.O) also said early data showed its vaccine - authorised for use by the European Union and WHO but yet to be approved by the United States - generated an immune response against Omicron.
But the older Delta variant lurks.
The coronavirus death toll in Russia, where officials had detected only 41 Omicron cases, passed 600,000 on Thursday, Reuters calculations based on official data showed, after a surge of Delta-linked infections.
Only the United States and Brazil have recorded more coronavirus deaths.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/case-data-vaccine-news-mark-small-victories-omicron-battle-2021-12-23/
By Paul Sandle
Shoppers walk along Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, December 23, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
There is a lower risk of hospitalisation for people with the Omicron coronavirus variant compared to Delta, but the higher transmissibility of Omicron could still lead to significant numbers needing hospital treatment, the UK government said.
Analysis of preliminary data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed an individual with Omicron was estimated to be between 31% and 45% less likely to attend hospital compared to someone with Delta, and 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted.
UKHSA Chief Executive Jenny Harries said on Thursday it was "an encouraging early signal that people who contract the Omicron variant may be at a relatively lower risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants."
"However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings," she said.
The numbers came as Britain reported a record 119,789 new daily COVID-19 cases on Thursday as the new variant swept the country.
The UKHSA's analysis is highly uncertain because of the small numbers of Omicron cases currently in hospital, inability to effectively measure all previous infections and the limited spread of Omicron into older age groups, it said.
Still, the findings add to early evidence about the severity of disease that the new variant, first identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong, can cause and are consistent with encouraging signs from studies from Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Transmissiblity, severity of disease and whether Omicron evades vaccines are the three big questions public health authorities and virologists are trying to answer as governments assess whether they need to take unpopular, economically damaging steps to tame the latest wave of infections.
Omicron may appear milder because people are vaccinated, or have some natural protection from prior infection. It is also possible that the virus has changed in a way that produces milder symptoms. Younger people - a large share of Omicron cases - are also less likely to suffer severe illness.
The agency said evidence showed protection against symptomatic disease waned after the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and then improved after the booster.
But the data suggested the extra protection started to wane more rapidly against Omicron than Delta, being about 15-25% lower from 10 weeks after the booster dose, it said.
LONDON CALLING
As of Monday, 132 people confirmed with Omicron had been treated in hospital. Over 40% of hospital admissions were in London.
Of those patients admitted to hospital, 17 had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had two doses and 27 people were not vaccinated.
The vaccination status was unknown for six people, while eight had received a single dose and 14 people were reported to have died within 28 days of an Omicron diagnosis, ranging in age from 52-96 years old.
The number of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted COVID-19 has increased sharply.
Some 9.5% of people with Omicron have had COVID-19 before, which the UKHSA said was likely to be a substantial underestimate, as many prior infections will have been asymptomatic and not picked up by the analysis.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/lower-risk-hospital-admission-omicron-uk-says-2021-12-23/
By Crispian Balmer
People wearing protective face masks walk at Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini), on the day before coronavirus disease (COVID-19) health passes, known as Green Passes, become mandatory on public transport, in Rome, Italy December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Italy has tightened restrictions to curb surging COVID-19 infections, including banning all public New Year's Eve celebrations, as daily infections hit a record high, the government said on Thursday.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza said mask wearing would be compulsory outdoors again and ordered people to use the more protective Ffp2 face masks on public transport and in public places, such as theatres, cinemas and at sports events.
In addition, concerts and open-air events will be banned until Jan. 31, and discos and dance clubs will have to shut their doors until that date, in an effort to prevent mass socialising during the holiday period.
The announcement came on the day Italy registered a record 44,595 new coronavirus cases - an increase of more than 70% in just a week, with the infectious Omicron variant starting to flare across the country.
Deaths are also starting to creep up, rising to 168 on Thursday, the largest number since May, but they remain well below rates seen during previous infection surges thanks mainly to the large number of people vaccinated in Italy.
Speranza said almost 89% of Italians had been vaccinated, but the government wanted to speed up delivery of third booster shots, seen as the most effective shield against the Omicron variant which is sweeping Europe and the United States.
The government will cut the waiting time for a booster following second vaccinations to four months from five.
In addition, ministers agreed to reduce the validity of COVID-19 health certificates, which are needed to access an array of places and services, in recognition of the fact that vaccine effectiveness fades over time.
As a result, from Feb. 1, the certificates, which register if someone has been vaccinated or has recently recovered from coronavirus, will only be valid for six months rather than nine at present.
Italy was the first Western country to be hit by the pandemic last year and has so far registered 136,245 deaths - the second highest tally in Europe after Britain.
However its vaccination campaign has proved one of the most effective in the world and the government has said it is determined to avoid a return to generalised lockdowns.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-set-tighten-covid-curbs-rein-infections-statement-2021-12-23/
Civilians queue to receive the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a makeshift tent as the government orders for proof of vaccination to access public places and transport, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya December 23, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
Kenya's sudden decision to demand proof of vaccination to access public places and transport was met by a combination of bemusement, dismissal and the occasional spot of enforcement on Thursday as people headed home for Christmas.
Bus crews in the capital did not ask for vaccine certificates, but insisted passengers wore masks and sanitised their hands.
"We haven't reached the stage of asking passengers to prove they are vaccinated. Maybe we may start next year," said bus driver Peter Wangari.
The announcement late on Wednesday caught many by surprise but comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Test positivity rates on Thursday were 32.5%, compared to 0.7% on Nov. 21 when the edict was announced, the health ministry said.
The ministry had earlier said proof of vaccination would be required by Dec. 21 to access schools, transport, state offices, hotels, bars, restaurants, national parks and wildlife reserves.
But a court then halted the rule amid uncertainty over who would police it or what to do about people unable to access vaccines. The order remains in force despite the latest government announcement.
At the upscale Westgate mall, customers entered freely and only one of its half a dozen restaurants enforced the edict.
Eight people stood outside Artcaffe as a woman in a black uniform and a sky blue facemask requested vaccine certificates. Six would-be customers left in frustration. The woman said around half their customers had been turned away.
"We started because the government expects us to do this although we get backlash from our customers who don't want to show their certificates," manager Joyce Imbaya told Reuters. "It's ok, we will lose some customers but in the long term we want our customers to be safe."
Around 9.2 million Kenyans are vaccinated, of whom 3.7 million are fully vaccinated.
On Thursday around 20 people stood outside a tented vaccination site downtown on Thursday. Many said they already planned to be vaccinated, but a few said they did it to avoid any travel problems.
"Tomorrow, I am travelling home. I was told if I was not going to take the jab, then I'm not going to be allowed to travel," businessman Peter Juma Amboka told Reuters.
On Thursday the chief of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed concern that holiday travel could fuel the spike.
"The fourth wave, and potentially the fifth wave, is starting just before we go into the holiday season, and that is very concerning," director John Nkengasong told a briefing.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/new-covid-19-vaccine-rule-catches-many-kenyans-by-surprise-2021-12-23/
The Chinese mainland recorded 87 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with 55 linked to local transmissions and 32 from overseas, data from the National Health Commission showed on Friday.
A total of 26 new asymptomatic cases were also recorded, and 497 asymptomatic patients remain under medical observation.
Confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland now total 100,731, with the death toll remaining unchanged at 4,636 since January.
The latest tally of confirmed cases in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan region is as follows:
Hong Kong: 12,550 (12,186 recoveries, 213 deaths)
Macao: 77 (77 recoveries)
Taiwan: 16,853 (13,742 recoveries, 850 deaths)
Retrieved from: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-12-24/Chinese-mainland-records-87-confirmed-COVID-19-cases-16fiMvC3WQo/index.html
The decision is expected shortly after new year. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
Some people may need a fourth dose of Covid vaccine to remain protected, a government scientific adviser has said, with a decision expected shortly after the Christmas and new year holidays.
Prof Adam Finn said: “I think there may well be people who received their boosters early who are in the older more vulnerable age groups who may need a further jab. That has not been decided yet. It is still under review and discussion, and we will be providing recommendations on that at some point in the new year.”
Finn, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol and a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told LBC Radio on Thursday: “I think there will be people probably who will receive a fourth jab. Whether that will be everyone, I think, is still very much in doubt … We do need to see how things go through this wave and beyond.”
On Tuesday, Israel became the first country to announce it would offer a fourth dose of vaccine to people over 60 and healthcare workers, in an effort to increase protection against the Omicron variant.
The country’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, urged those eligible to “go and get vaccinated” in a rollout expected over the next few days.
Finn also raised the possibility of vaccinations for all children aged five to 11. He said the move was still under “very active consideration”, but that there were “very, very few severe cases” in the age group. The government had originally introduced vaccination for older children to prevent disruption to education and reduce transmission rates.
With the Omicron variant, however, “the ability of the vaccines to do that will be reduced”, he said.
A government-backed study published on Wednesday found that Covid infections among five to 11-year-olds were three times more prevalent than in the general population.
React-1, a joint study by Imperial College London and Ipsos Mori, found an estimated 4.47% of primary school-aged children had the virus, compared with 1.41% across the population as a whole.
The JCVI recommended vaccinations for about 330,000 five to 11-year-oldson Wednesday. It updated its advice after the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the move after a robust review of safety data.
A low-dose version of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be offered to those in the age group who are clinically vulnerable, or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed. They will be offered a primary course of vaccination, which is typically two doses.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/some-people-in-uk-may-need-four-covid-jabs-to-stay-protected-expert-says
Medicine
