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Retrieved from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
A vaccinator draws a Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pediatric vaccine in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah Beier
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine caused mostly mild side effects in children aged 5 to 11 years, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.
The data showed that after the second dose of the vaccine some children reported injection-site pain and other systemic reactions such as fatigue and headache.
The CDC said it also received reports of 11 cases of myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, in children aged 5-11 years who had received the vaccine. Of them, seven had recovered, and four were recovering at the time of the report.
Myocarditis is a rare side effect after mRNA vaccines.
U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) received 4,249 reports of adverse events, of which 97.6% of the cases were not serious, the CDC report said.
The cases were reported in VAERS and v-safe, a voluntary smartphone-based safety surveillance system for adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination, between Nov. 3 and Dec. 19.
The agency said about 8.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been administered to children in the age group.
The vaccine was authorized in the United States for 5 to 15-year-olds in late October and is the only shot authorized for the age group.
A separate study by the CDC showed that Pfizer's two-dose vaccine was 92% effective against coronavirus infections in adolescents aged 12 to 17.
The observation period for the analysis coincided with the period of Delta variant predominance in the United States, CDC said.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizers-covid-19-shot-causes-mostly-mild-side-effects-young-kids-us-cdc-2021-12-30/
By Hyonhee Shin
Couples leave a pub during the curfew hours starting at 9:00 p.m., as part of tightened social distancing rules to contain a surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, in Seoul, South Korea, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
South Korea said on Friday it will extend stricter social distancing rules for two weeks amid a persistent surge in serious coronavirus infections and concerns over the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
The government reinstated the curbs on Dec. 18, six weeks after easing them under a "living with COVID-19" scheme, as record-breaking numbers of new infections and serious cases put a huge strain on the country's medical system.
Daily tallies have since decreased, with 4,875 new cases on Thursday, after spiralling near 8,000 two weeks ago, but the number of critically ill patients still hovers around their highest level of 1,000, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The extension is also aimed at bracing for a further spread of Omicron cases by using the time to secure more hospital beds and encourage a booster vaccine shot campaign, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said.
"We should reserve sufficient beds that can cover some 10,000 cases a day, and we should also speed up booster shots and children's vaccinations," he told an intra-agency meeting.
The curbs, which will be effective until Jan. 16, ban gatherings of over four fully vaccinated people, and require restaurants, cafes and bars to close by 9 p.m. (1400 GMT) and movie theatres and internet cafes by 10 p.m.
Unvaccinated people can only dine out alone, or use takeout or delivery services.
Nearly 91% of South Koreans aged 12 or older are fully vaccinated.
Total infections stand at 630,838, including 894 Omicron cases, with 5,563 deaths, the KDCA said.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing the Omicron variant is likely to be dominant in the near future, as seen in the United States and much of Europe.
South Korea has cancelled its traditional midnight bell-ringing ceremony for the second straight year, as the coronavirus stifles New Year celebrations and scaled back other festivities around the globe amid efforts to contain rampant transmission.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorea-extend-curbs-amid-omicron-surge-serious-covid-19-cases-2021-12-31/
By Lasya Priya M and Aparupa Mazumder
Medical specialists place the body of a person who died at the ICU unit for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in a bag at a local hospital in the town of Kalach-on-Don in Volgograd Region, Russia November 14, 2021. REUTERS/Kirill Braga
Coronavirus deaths in Eastern Europe topped 1 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Omicron variant threatened to batter the region.
Three out of the five countries reporting the highest number of daily deaths in Europe are from the East, including Russia, Poland and Ukraine, Reuters data through Thursday showed.
“I am scared because it is a huge number of daily deaths – huge, unimaginable,” said Bozena Adamowicz, a pensioner from Warsaw.
Eastern Europe makes up 39% of the region’s population and has reported more than half the total COVID-related deaths in Europe, according to the Reuters tally.
The death toll in Eastern Europe reached 1,045,454 on Thursday, compared with 1,873,253 in all of Europe.
The region includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Relatively few cases of Omicron have been detected in Eastern Europe, in contrast with Western Europe where daily cases have broken records.
Poland reported 794 COVID-related deaths on Wednesday. It was a record high for the fourth wave of the pandemic, although the figure may have been inflated by delayed reporting due to Christmas.
Dr. Michal Sutkowski, spokesperson for the College of Family Physicians in Poland, blamed the rising toll in Poland on an overloaded healthcare system, a lack of knowledge and the relative reluctance to get vaccinated compared to the West, including for the most vulnerable groups.
"Unfortunately, the Omicron is approaching. It will come sooner or later … and then the number of deaths might increase dramatically, because, unfortunately, there will be an effect of scale," he said, adding that he had noticed a growing interest in vaccinations in recent weeks.
RUSSIAN TOLL
Russia has overtaken Brazil to have the world's second-highest death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic, behind the United States, data from Russia's state statistics service and Reuters calculations showed on Thursday.
The statistics service, Rosstat, said 87,527 people had died from coronavirus-related causes in November, making it the deadliest month in Russia since the start of the pandemic. read more
Globally the pandemic has killed more than 5.7 million people. (Graphics on global cases and deaths)
Russia has vaccinated almost 55% of its population with at least one shot, according to health minister Mikhail Murashko.
Anna Popova, head of Russia's state consumer watchdog, voiced concern over the potential impact of 10 days of New Year holidays.
“Considering the upcoming New Year holidays, when the number of contacts between people is already increasing, the risks of the spread of the new Omicron strain will certainly increase,” she said on Tuesday.
The Czech Republic and Hungary top the region’s vaccination rates with nearly 64% of both countries' total population having received at least one shot. Ukraine has the lowest rate with nearly 33% of its residents receiving a single dose, according to Our World in Data.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/covid-19-deaths-eastern-europe-surpass-1-million-2021-12-30/
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The move delivers another blow to the cruise industry that had just started returning to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of voyages caused by the pandemic.
The CDC on Thursday raised its COVID-19 travel health notice level for cruise ships to its highest warning level, citing reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on cruises.
The health agency has investigated and still probing into COVID-19 cases on more than 90 ships. It starts scrutiny if 0.10% or more passengers on guest voyages test positive for COVID-19.
Shares in Carnival Corp (CCL.N), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH.N)and Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.N) reversed course to fall about 1% after the travel advisory from the CDC.
"The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard," the Cruise Lines International Association said.
Norwegian Cruise, meanwhile, said it believed guests on its ships were better protected from contracting COVID-19 than in any other general population setting.
The company and Carnival said the CDC's decision had not impacted scheduled itineraries.
The CDC said passengers already on cruise ships should get tested three to five days after their trip ends, and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days.
The Omicron variant also continued to impact air travel. Total flight cancellations within, into, or out of the United States stood at more than 1,180, with over 10,300 flights delayed as of 14:37 ET, data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com showed.
Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-says-avoid-cruise-travel-covid-19-cases-surge-2021-12-30/
From CNN’s Taylor Romine
New York reported more than 74,000 new positive Covid-19 cases across the state, once again breaking its single-day record.
Cases rose by 82% since Monday when the state reported a total of 40,780 new Covid-19 cases, according to a statement from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
The daily percent positivity is 22.05% with the 7-day average at 16.21%.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise with a reported 7,373 total hospitalizations, up by almost 20% since Monday, state data showed.
From CNN’s Paula Newton
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, will now offer a fourth shot of an mRNA vaccine to its most vulnerable residents, just three months after their third dose.
This will apply to residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges and other congregate care settings, health officials said.
In another significant move, Ontario announced it would no longer offer free, public Covid-19 testing to all residents, instead reserving tests for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and are at risk of severe illness from Covid-19, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings, as well as vulnerable populations.
Some context: About two in every five Canadians live in Ontario which means beginning Friday, daily case counts alone will no longer be a reliable indicator of the progression of the virus in Canada as even those who are symptomatic will not be tested for the virus.
"We have to pivot. We know there's ongoing community activity. We know we'll have transmission risk, that data has to focus to screen those who need treatment and to protect those in high-risk settings," said Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, adding that more than 90% of the cases in Ontario are now caused by the Omicron variant.
Moore said those who are symptomatic and do not qualify for testing should assume they are infected with Covid-19 and isolate according to provincial health guidelines.
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/omicron-variant-coronavirus-news-12-30-21/index.html
If you’ve just joined us here’s a quick rundown of the latest developments:
· UK prime minister Boris Johnson claims Britain is in an“incomparably better” position in the fight against Covid than it was at the end of 2020, in his new year’s message.
· South Africa, the first country to report the Omicron variant, says a dip in infections in the past week indicates the peak of the current wave has passed.
· Daily Covid cases in New South Wales, Australia, almost doubled overnight, raising pressure on the state’s health system.
· Israel has approved a fourth vaccine shot for vulnerable and immunocompromised people, becoming one of the first countries to do so.
· China is set to impose new import restrictions over virus contamination fears in a move that has worried foreign businesses providing goods to the world’s largest market for food and drink.
· South Korea said on Friday it will extend stricter social distancing rules for two weeks until 16 January. The curbs ban gatherings of over four fully vaccinated people, and require restaurants, cafes and bars to close by 9pm and movie theatres and internet cafes by 10pm.
· A US woman has told how she confined herself to an aeroplane toilet cubicle after testing positive for Covid halfway through a flight from Chicago to Iceland.
· New Zealand has eased rules on public gatherings in time for New Year’s Eve after a scare over community cases of the new Omicron variant.
· New York City will go ahead with New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square as planned despite record numbers of Covid-19 infections.
· Foreign revellers on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali have been warned they could be deported if they are caught violating Covid-19 health rules during New Year celebrations.
· US health experts are urging Americans to prepare for severe disruptions in coming weeks due to the rising wave of Covid cases led by the Omicron variant.
Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/31/covid-news-live-south-africa-says-fourth-wave-has-peaked-us-will-soon-see-viral-blizzard-expert-warns
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