US records first Omicron death in Texas
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, according to a statement from Harris County health officials.
The victim was reportedly a man in his 50s, who was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
The statement read:
The death reported this afternoon was of a man between the ages of 50-60 years old who was unvaccinated and had been infected with Covid-19 previously. The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from Covid-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions.”
County Judge Lina Hidalgo made the announcement during an afternoon news conference.
“My phone was ringing, I’m sure you guys noticed, and it was our public health director telling me we just had our first Omicron-related death,” she said.
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Omicron is now dominant Covid variant in US, officials say
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.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in Omicron’s share of infections in only one week.
In much of the country, omicron’s prevalence is even higher. It’s responsible for an estimated 90% of new infections in the New York area, the south-east, the industrial midwest and the Pacific north-west.
Since the end of June, the Delta variant has been the main version causing US infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5% of coronaviruses were Delta, according to CDC data.
Read the full story here.
Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you taking over from my colleague Léonie Chao-Fong.
First up, some numbers out of Australia.
New South Wales has recorded 3,057 new Covid cases – another record number. Sadly, there have also been two deaths.
Victoria’s numbers have remained relatively stable, with 1,245 Covid cases today. But there have been six lives lost overnight.
Tasmania recorded four new Covid cases.
According to Seven News prime minister Scott Morrison is supportive of an indoor mask mandate in light of the Omicron variant spreading throughout Australia, but not further lockdowns.
Summary
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, for today. Before I hand over to my colleague Samantha Lock, here’s a quick roundup of what’s been happening so far:
- The UK government held off announcing further Covid restrictions but its prime minister, Boris Johnson, warned further measures remain on the table, with data on the threat of Omicron monitored “hour by hour”. Johnson 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.
- Schools, bars, gyms and cinemas in Quebec will close as of Monday as public health officials race to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. All non-essential workers are being asked to work from home and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity to 50% and limit their hours from 5am to 10pm.
- London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square will not take place because of the surge in cases of the Omicron Covid variant in the capital, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said.
- The European Union’s drugs regulator has given the green light to a fifth Covid vaccine for use, granting conditional marketing authorisation to the two-dose treatment made by the US biotech company Novavax.
- Donald Trump was greeted with boos from a live audience after revealing he has received a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot. The former US president dismissed the crowd’s negative response and claimed his administration was responsible for developing the coronavirus vaccines.
- Moderna said a booster dose of its Covid vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s “first line of defence against Omicron”.
- Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second-highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly. The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.
- Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham over Covid safety fears, according to a palace source. The monarch usually spends the festive holiday at her estate in Norfolk and sources have said the decision was “a personal one after careful consideration and reflects a precautionary approach”.
- The Russian maker of the Covid Sputnik V vaccine is due to submit its latest data by the end of December, with manufacturing site inspections expected to follow in February, a World Health Organization official said.
- Panama has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid, the Central American country’s health ministry said.
Updated
Omicron accounted for 73% of infections in the United States for the week ending 18 December, federal health officials have said.
A week ago, data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Omicron had caused some 3% of recent infections in the US.
In the New York area, the Southeast, industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest, the variant is responsible for an estimated 90% of new infections.
Staff at one UK hospital have been told they may not be able to take any annual leave as the Omicron variant causes soaring hospitalisations, the Independent has learned.
In an email seen by the paper, University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust was forced to tell staff last week they could not make any new holiday requests and that current leave may be cancelled as it is experiencing “significant pressures”.
Doctors at Barts Health Trust, which runs three hospitals in London, have also been warned it may have to cancel “some or much” of its planned operations in January to cope with the coming Covid surge.
The trust suggested it will have to rely on staff volunteering for extra shifts to avoid cancelling leave and redeploying workers.
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Premier League clubs in England have discussed driving up vaccination rates in their squads by creating separate rules for players yet to get a Covid-19 jab. On a day when it emerged that 16% of top-flight players are unvaccinated and a record 90 positive tests had been recorded among players and staff in the week up to last Sunday, a two-tier system was raised at an emergency meeting.
Proposals include unvaccinated players travelling separately to games, facing an additional check to get into stadiums and having meals away from vaccinated teammates. The moves are designed to guard against more fixtures being cancelled as the clubs decided to press on with the season.
A complication for the league is that under government guidelines unvaccinated players must isolate for 10 days if deemed a close contact of anyone who has tested positive, even if they produce negative results. This increases the likelihood of postponements by reducing the pool of players available to a club.
On Monday the league said that 77% of its players were double-jabbed and that 84% had received one, two or three vaccinations. On Friday Serie A said that 98% of its players had received two jabs.
Read the full article by my colleagues Jacob Steinberg, David Hytner and Paul MacInnes here:
London’s New Year’s Eve celebration event in Trafalgar Square will not take place because of the surge in cases of the Omicron Covid variant in the capital, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said.
At least five UK national attractions including the Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle have closed during the Christmas school holidays, usually one of the busiest times of the year.
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The approval of a new protein-based Covid-19 vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has led to hopes that it could play an important role in persuading millions of people in Germany who have refused jabs from existing vaccines to get protection against the disease this winter.
The EMA approved the two-dose Novavax vaccine on Monday afternoon. The German government’s vaccination advisory board is expected to follow suit and allow for its use soon, a move that would be welcomed by health experts who are bracing for a huge and imminent wave of infections caused by the new Omicron variant.
The first doses of Novavax are expected to be administered in Germany in the new year. The EU has secured 100m doses of Novavax and 60m doses of Valneva, with 4m Novavax doses immediately destined for Germany.
Across Europe, but in particular in Germany, experts are hoping that both vaccines will have the effect of persuading those who have so far turned down the offer of a vaccine to change their minds, at a time when raising immunity levels by vaccination is one of the key weapons against halting the virus’s spread.
So far, just over 70% of Germans are fully vaccinated. Unless this figure climbs to between 80 to 90%, the nation’s immunity will not be high enough to dampen the virus.
Read the full article here:
Donald Trump revealed he has received a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot during a live interview show with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly confirmed he also received a booster shot, though neither said which one they received.
The former US president was booed by a portion of the audience but he appeared to dismiss the crowd’s negative reaction. “Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t!” he said. “That’s all right, it’s a very tiny group over there.”
During the same show, Trump said his administration was responsible for developing the coronavirus vaccines. “Look, we did something that was historic,” he said. “We saved tens of millions of lives worldwide when we, together, all of us, we got a vaccine done.”
“This would have been the Spanish Flu of 1917 ... This was going to ravage the country, far beyond what it is right now. Take credit for it,” he added.
His comments come as a relatively large percentage of Republicans have refused to get even initial doses of the vaccines. A recent study by the New York Times showed approximately 60% of Republican adults have received their first shot, compared with 91% of Democrats.
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Good evening from London. I’m Léonie Chao-Fong, I’ll be bringing you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next few hours.
In Quebec, Canada’s second-most populous province, schools, bars, gyms, casinos and cinemas will be closed as of Monday in order to combat the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
All non-essential workers are being asked to work from home and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity to 50% and limit their hours from 5am to 10pm. The new measures will come into effect at 5pm local time on Monday.
The province’s health minister, Christian Dubé, urged Quebecers to cut down their personal contacts after a record 4,571 new cases were recorded.
“The situation is critical. The explosion of cases is overwhelming,” he said in a press briefing today.
Updated
Summary
Here is a round-up of all the top Covid headlines today from the UK and around the world:
- The European Union’s drugs regulator has given the green light to a fifth Covid vaccine for use, granting conditional marketing authorisation to the two-dose treatment made by the US biotech company Novavax.
- 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 disease, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
- Moderna said on Monday that a booster dose of its Covid vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s “first line of defence against Omicron”.
- Bereaved families and friends who lost loved ones to Covid have criticised Boris Johnson over a photo that has emerged showing the prime minister at a gathering in the Downing Street garden with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in an apparent breach of lockdown rules.
- Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly. The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.
- In the UK, at least five national attractions including the Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle have closed because of a surge in Covid cases.
- Belgium’s health ministers have agreed to start vaccinating children aged between five and 11 against coronavirus.
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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham, a palace source said on Monday, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
- Italy reported 137 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday against 97 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 16,213 from 24,259.
- Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ban travel to the US, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant.
- The Russian maker of the Covid Sputnik V vaccine is due to submit its latest data by the end of December, with manufacturing site inspections expected to follow in February, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday.
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Panama has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid, the Central American country’s health ministry said on Monday.
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China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization has said.
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Royal Caribbean Group has said 48 people on its Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for Covid.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. I’ll be back tomorrow morning but for now I shall leave you with my colleague Léonie Chao-Fong, who will keep you across all the Covid news throughout the evening. Goodbye.
Queen Elizabeth won't go to usual Sandringham family Christmas gathering
Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham, a palace source has said, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
“The decision was a personal one after careful consideration and reflects a precautionary approach,” the source said. “There will be family visiting Windsor over the Christmas period and all appropriate guidelines will be followed.”
Chris Ship, ITV News’s royal editor, tweeted that the decision taken by the monarch was a “personal one”.
Palace aides say the Queen’s decision reflects a “personal one”.And is a precautionary measure.
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 20, 2021
It follows the rise in Covid #Omicron cases.
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Panama has detected its first case of Omicron, the Central American country’s health ministry has said.
A 50-year-old who worked in mining and recently travelled to South Africa was found to have contracted the variant, said Luis Sucre, the health minister.
Updated
The Russian maker of the Covid Sputnik V vaccine is due to submit its latest data by the end of December, with manufacturing site inspections expected to follow in February, a World Health Organization has said.
Rogério Gaspar, the WHO’s regulation director, gave the new timelines for the vaccine made by the Gamaleya Institute at a WHO briefing for journalists in Geneva.
Updated
Coronavirus cases surged in New York City and around the United States over the weekend, dashing hopes for a more normal holiday season.
In New York, new Covid cases rose 60% in the week that ended on Sunday as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly around the US northeast. New York has set records for the most new cases reported in a single day since the pandemic started for three consecutive days.
The rise in cases has set off alarm bells for public health officials, who see Omicron fast becoming dominant in the United States and fear an explosion of infections after holiday gatherings., Reuters reported.
With the new variant in circulation, the number of Covid cases is now doubling in one and a half to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.
China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization has said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been “many failures” during the pandemic because of a lack of rules or obligations under the WHO’s current 2005 International Health Regulations.
“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 told a news briefing for Geneva journalists.
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Italy registers 137 new Covid deaths
Italy reported 137 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday against 97 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 16,213 from 24,259.
Italy has registered 135,778 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 5.4 million cases to date, Reuters reports.
Patients in hospital with Covid – not including those in intensive care – stood at 8,101 on Monday, up from 7,726 a day earlier.
There were 73 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 78 on Sunday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 987 from a previous 966.
Some 337,222 tests for Covid were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 566,300, the health ministry said.
Updated
In Australia, the federal government should fund free or subsidised rapid antigen tests, business and union groups say, as pre-Christmas Covid testing queues grow and stores sell out of the at-home tests.
Free, or at least cheaper, tests would not only save businesses from shouldering the cost, it would send a “market signal” to suppliers that Australia was a willing customer and stop shortages.
Since 1 November, Australians have been able to test themselves at home for Covid. The rapid antigen tests are not as accurate as PCR tests but they deliver results much faster and can screen for infections if used regularly.
But many retailers have sold out of the tests and prices have fluctuated as the number of infections increased and people get tested before travel or Christmas gatherings.
At the same time, global supply chain problems are delaying shipments of rapid tests into Australia, while freight prices and border restrictions are delaying transport around the country.
Updated
UK records 91,743 new Covid cases and 44 more deaths
Britain reported 91,743 new Covid cases on Monday, the second highest figure since the start of the pandemic, as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test was 44.
Updated
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 disease, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
“There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing at the WHO’s new headquarters in Geneva.
“And it is more likely people vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 could be infected or re-infected,” Tedros said.
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Kuwait will require anyone who has been vaccinated against Covid for nine months to get a booster shot, the government tweeted on Monday.
Kuwait will also require travellers to quarantine at home for 10 days unless they receive a negative PCR test for coronavirus within 72 hours of their arrival.
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Countries across Europe have moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of Covid infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, with the Netherlands leading the way by imposing a nationwide lockdown.
All non-essential stores, bars and restaurants in the Netherlands will be closed until 14 January.
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South Africa’s president has returned to work after a week of isolation after testing positive for Covid.
Cyril Ramaphosa had mild symptoms and was treated at his official residence in Cape Town by the military health service as the country battled a wave of the virus dominated by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
His office said:
President Ramaphosa repeats his call for everyone in the country to stay safe by being vaccinated, wearing face masks, washing or sanitising hands frequently, maintaining a social distance and avoiding gatherings.
Ramaphosa is to chair the last cabinet meeting of the year on Wednesday.
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What Covid rules are being considered to tackle Omicron in England?
Boris Johnson is understood to be looking at three options to try to curb spread of the new variant.
My colleague Linda Geddes explores what could happen in the coming days.
The failure to vaccinate the world against coronavirus will come back to haunt even fully vaccinated Britons in 2022, Gordon Brown has warned.
The former prime minister said the emergence of Omicron was “not Africa’s fault”, and added that new variants would continue to wreak havoc because richer countries such as the UK had “stockpiled” hundreds of millions of vaccines.
He rubbished suggestions wealthier countries faced a choice between offering boosters to their own citizens or sharing doses with people living in poorer countries. “Ours is not a fraught choice between boosters and vaccinating the world. We are manufacturing enough vaccines … to immunise the whole world.”
Instead, Brown said it was an “inescapable and unacceptable fact” that of the billions of vaccines administered, only 0.6% ended up in low-income countries.
Writing in the Guardian, Brown cautioned that “even the fully vaccinated” in Britain remained at risk as long as the virus was given “free rein to mutate” in countries with poor access to jabs. “The grim truth remains that until no one anywhere lives in fear, then everyone everywhere will have to live in fear.
“The new variant is not Africa’s fault,” he said. “Responsibility starts with the governments of wealthy nations who stockpiled hundreds of millions of vaccines and who, even when warned about the failure to vaccinate more vulnerable parts of the world, did too little as the virus mutated.”
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Cuba has vaccinated more of its citizens against Covid than most of the world’s largest and richest countries.
It is a milestone that will make the poor, communist-run country a test case as the highly contagious Omicron variant begins to spread around the world, Reuters reports.
The Caribbean island has vaccinated more than 90% of its citizens with at least one dose, and 83% of the population is now fully inoculated, placing it second globally behind only the United Arab Emirates among countries of at least 1 million people, according to official statistics compiled by Our World in Data.
While many of its neighbours in Latin America, as well as emerging economies globally, have competed for vaccines produced by wealthier countries, health officials say Cuba vaulted ahead by developing its own.
Infections and deaths from Covid have plunged on the island in recent weeks, falling to less than 1% of their peak on 22 August, when fewer than half its citizens were vaccinated. Nearly all of Cuba’s children aged two to 18 have now been vaccinated with homegrown vaccines.
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Royal Caribbean Group has said 48 people on its Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for Covid.
It said the passengers who tested positive were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, Reuters reported.
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EU drugs regulator approves Novavax jab
The European Union’s drugs regulator has given the green light to a fifth Covid vaccine for use, granting conditional marketing authorisation to the two-dose treatment made by the US biotech company Novavax.
The European Medicines Agency decision to grant conditional marketing authorisation for the vaccine for people aged 18 and over, which must be confirmed by the EU’s executive commission, comes as many European countries are battling surges in infections and amid concerns about the spread of Omicron.
Novavax says it is testing how its shots will hold up against the variant, and like other manufacturers has begun formulating an updated version to better match that variant in case in case it is eventually needed, the Associated Press reports.
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In the UK, at least five national attractions including the Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle have closed because of a surge in Covid cases.
The start of the Christmas school holidays is usually one of the busiest times at the Natural History Museum but it will be closed from Tuesday “due to an unforeseen staff shortage”.
Other London museums closed because of Covid include London’s Wellcome Collection in Euston, the National Army Museum in Chelsea, and the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. The British Museum remains open but warned visitors that some galleries may have to close at short notice.
The Natural History Museum, the second most visited museum in the UK after Tate Modern, said it would remain closed for at least a week.
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Belgium’s health ministers have agreed to start vaccinating children aged between five and 11 against coronavirus.
Ministers said the vaccination is highly recommended for children with conditions that put them at high risk for complications from Covid. Those children will be invited to receive their jabs as a priority before the end of the month.
EU regulators last month approved a reduced-dose vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech for use in the five-to-11 age group.
To counter a new spike in case of the virus, which has already claimed 27,900 lives in Belgium, the government has tightened rules for schools and nurseries, bringing school holidays forward and asking children aged six and over to wear masks. In addition, classes must close when two children from the same class test positive.
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Bereaved families and friends who lost loved ones to Covid have criticised Boris Johnson over a photo that has emerged showing the prime minister at a gathering in the Downing Street garden with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in an apparent breach of lockdown rules.
The photograph was shared with the Guardian following No 10’s denial last week that there was a social event on Friday 15 May 2020, including wine, spirits and pizza, inside and outside the building. Johnson’s spokesperson said Downing Street staff were working in the garden in the afternoon and evening.
However, the picture raises questions over that assertion. Bottles of wine are in evidence, there is a lack of social distancing and 19 people are gathered in groups across the No 10 terrace and lawn.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said funerals at that time were allowed fewer people than there appear to be in the Downing Street garden and it was “exhausting” to see the “constant, flagrant disregard we have all been held in”.
Jo Goodman, the co-founder of the group, said: “It is exhausting for not only those of who us lost loved ones to Covid-19, but for everyone across the country who sacrificed so much to see the constant, flagrant disregard we have all been held in.
“We’re not sure how much more the prime minister expects us to take before he’ll accept that he has to be open with the public about these events.
“This supposed work meeting, with no pen, paper or laptop in sight (instead replaced with vital cheese and wine) shows that he presided over a culture of believing that the rules applied only to other people since early in the pandemic.
“When this photo was taken strangers had to hold dying loved ones hands, funerals were allowed less people than in the Downing Street garden that day and we couldn’t even hug each other for comfort.
“Many of us worry that it may be too late for the prime minister to regain any credibility and authority to implement any future measures to tackle the pandemic. If that proves to be the case it will be time for him to consider what is best for the country.”
Hello. I’m Tom Ambrose and will be bringing you all the latest Covid news from around the world throughout the day.
We start with the news that bookings have opened for children aged 12 to 15 in England to get their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
All those in that age group who are eligible will be able to book their second jab through the NHS’s online national booking service if their first dose was more than 12 weeks ago, in line with updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Second doses will also be offered through existing school immunisation services from 10 January. The push to get young people vaccinated comes as cases of the new Omicron variant are rising rapidly across London and the rest of the UK.
On Saturday and Sunday, nearly 1.7 million jabs were delivered in England in a renewed effort to increase vaccination rates. Rollout of the vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds in schools began in September, and more than 1.3 million young people have had a jab so far. More than 75,000 are eligible for a second dose.
Updated
The Natural History Museum has been forced to close its doors from Tuesday due to “front-of-house shortages” as a result of Covid-19.
The South Kensington museum will remain closed for one week in the hope that “staffing levels will have recovered”.
In a statement, it said: “We have made the difficult decision to close our South Kensington site from Tuesday December 21 due to front-of-house staff shortages which have been impacted by Covid-19 infections and isolation requirements.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly but the safety of staff and visitors must always come first.
“If you have bought tickets for Wildlife Photographer of the Year or Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature for these dates, these will be cancelled and refunded. If you’ve bought tickets to one of our events we will email you with further information.”
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Moderna says booster of its vaccine appears to protect against Omicron
Moderna Inc said on Monday that a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s “first line of defence against Omicron”.
The vaccine maker said the decision to focus on the current vaccine, mRNA-1273, was driven in part by how quickly the recently discovered variant is spreading, Reuters reports. The company still plans to develop a vaccine specifically to protect against Omicron, which it hopes to advance into clinical trials early next year.
“What we have available right now is 1273,” Dr Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said in an interview. “It’s highly effective, and it’s extremely safe. I think it will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months, when we’re going to see the most severe pressure of Omicron.”
The company said a two-dose course of its vaccine generated low neutralising antibodies against the Omicron variant, but a 50 microgram booster dose increased neutralising antibodies against the variant 37 fold. A higher, 100 microgram booster dose of the same vaccine drove antibody levels even higher – more than 80 times pre-boost levels.
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Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ban travel to the US, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant.
Prime minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced the decision following a cabinet vote, AP reports.
The rare move to red-list the US comes amid rising coronavirus infections in Israel and marks a change to pandemic practices between the two nations with close diplomatic relations. The US will join a growing list of European countries and other destinations to which Israelis are barred from traveling, and from which returning travellers must remain in quarantine.
A parliamentary committee is expected to give the measure final approval. Once authorised, the travel ban will take effect at midnight on Wednesday morning.
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The CEO of BioNTech, the German company behind the Pfizer vaccine, has said early data on the shot’s efficacy against the Omicron variant looks “reassuring”, but warned that vaccines alone would not stop the pandemic.
Ugur Sahin tole Le Monde in an interview that preliminary data from Britain and South Africa suggested “an efficacy of around 70% after the third dose, and around 20% to 40% after the second dose”. He said he thought South Africa’s estimate of 70% efficacy against severe forms of the infection after just two doses appeared on the low side.
“The rate of primary infection is high in South Africa,” Sahin said, “so the control group, the one our vaccine is being compared to, is undoubtedly better protected than a conventional population. So I’m waiting for the next real-life UK data on the subject.”
Sahin said he was waiting for real-life data to assess the accuracy of a German study suggesting a rapid drop in efficacy to about 25% after three months, even after three doses. “There will be a loss of effectiveness against Omicron over time, it is very likely, but we still have to measure the speed,” he said.
“I will not base predictions on preliminary laboratory data but on real-life data. It’s obvious we are far from the 95% effectiveness that we had against the initial virus. But after the third injection our vaccine seems to provide 70% or 75% protection against any form of the disease, which is still a good result for a vaccine in general – and I think we will be well beyond that for severe forms.”
However, Sahin warned that the vaccine alone will not stop the pandemic. “Even triple-vaccinated people can transmit the disease, and they will have to be tested, especially around vulnerable people,” he said. “With the Omicron variant becoming dominant, protective measures will remain essential, especially this winter.”
He said BioNTech was on target to deliver an mRNA vaccine tailored to Omicron by March, subject to regulatory approval. He said the virus’s spike protein remained “an essential target” for vaccines. But the company was also evaluating “other targets, located elsewhere on the virus” and carrying out “initial research work on different types of vaccines”, he said.
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South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has returned to work after finishing a week of self-isolation due to testing positive for Covid-19, his office said on Monday, Reuters reports.
Ramaphosa, who was given Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine in February, tested positive on 12 December and received treatment for mild symptoms.
“The president has returned to duty and will chair the final cabinet meeting for 2021 on Wednesday,” the presidency said in a statement.
In the past few days, a nationwide outbreak believed to be linked to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been infecting more than 20,000 people a day, even though the number of new recorded infections dropped below that over the weekend.
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Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the UK government has got to “come out of hiding” and “put in place that pathway to getting on top of the virus and the infection”.
Reeves said people want the “advice and the knowledge” to know that they can spend Christmas with their families but do it in a “safe way”.
She told Good Morning Britain: “If you look at Wales, for example, they have pre-announced a package of measures that will come in just after Christmas to get a control of this virus.
“The Sage minutes, the government got those last Thursday. Four days on now, we haven’t heard from the prime minister, we haven’t heard from the chancellor and they have access to much more data and advice than any of us.
“The Labour party are ready to support the government in whatever measures are needed to protect public health.”
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Twelve people have died with Omicron and 104 in hospital
Deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab has said 12 people have died with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, and 104 are in hospital with it.
Raab did not confirm whether he is one of the 10 cabinet ministers who reportedly questioned modelling on the Omicron surge.
He told Times Radio: “If you look at Omicron, what we actually know is that it spreads very rapidly.
“We have got 104 hospitalisations at the moment which are Omicron-based, we have had 12 deaths. But there’s a time lag in the data and so we don’t know quite how severe it will be.
“The one thing we do know is that those that get the booster jab get over 70% effective protection, which is why the strategy we have got, I believe at the moment subject to being reviewed constantly, is the right one which is encouraging people to get their boosters.
“I think 53% of adults have now had their booster and then proceeding with plan B, which is encouraging people to work from home where they can and masks in particularly crowded places.”
He added: “I think that is the right strategy until we’ve got firmer, harder data.”
Updated
Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower on Monday amid concern about the coronavirus’s latest variant and tighter Federal Reserve policy, AP reports.
Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney retreated at the start of a trading week that ends with many closing early for Christmas.
Wall Street fell on Friday as traders took money off the table after the Fed indicated it would fight inflation by speeding up the withdrawal of economic stimulus.
Meanwhile, the spread of the omicron variant fuelled fears that renewed curbs on business and travel might worsen supply chain disruptions and boost inflation.
Updated
Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison is set to hold an unscheduled national cabinet meeting as Omicron cases rise
Morrison will meet premiers and chief ministers for what he has characterised as an “informal” meeting of the national cabinet after a surge in Omicron cases as Australians travel in preparation for their Christmas break.
The prime minister told reporters in Brisbane the unscheduled leaders meeting, likely on Wednesday, would “give everybody an update on the most recent information we have” and also enable the states and territories to share information.
While the leaders meeting self-evidently reflects the changing circumstances, Morrison played down the significance of the discussion. “We are looking forward to catching up, it’s not unusual we would be meeting more regularly with Omicron being where it is.”
The prime minister said the conversation would be a “good opportunity” to update each other on all the relevant public health information ahead of the Christmas break.
Read the full story here.
Updated
Summary
Hello I’m Samantha Lock with you on the live blog today. Thanks for following along for all the latest coronavirus developments.
If you’ve just joined us, here is a quick snapshot of all the most recent news stories.
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UK health secretary Sajid Javid has made clear that fresh Covid restrictions could be imposed before Christmas to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, with ministers set to make a decision in days.
- A photograph of Boris Johnson pictured with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in the Downing Street garden in May last year has been shared with the Guardian. The leaked photo raises questions over No 10’s insistence a “work meeting” was taking place.
- Thailand is considering whether to reinstate mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant, the nation’s public health minister said on Monday.
- Germany is reporting a daily addition of 16,086 confirmed Covid cases and 119 deaths.
- A 19-year-old Australian man who sparked 7-day lockdown has been fined $35,000.
- The EU’s drug regulator will decide on Monday whether to approve a Covid jab by Novavax, which uses a more conventional technology that the US biotech firm hopes will reduce vaccine hesitancy, AFT reports.
- US senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker confirmed they have tested positive for Covid-19.
- Belgian police intervened to disperse stone-throwing youths on Sunday after the latest protest march in Brussels turned violent against anti-coronavirus measures.
- US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said the Omicron variant is “raging around the world”, in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, adding that “the real problem” for the US hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.”
- The Netherlands has entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
Updated
Thailand is reporting its first locally transmitted case of the Omicron variant found in a Thai woman who tested positive after contracting the virus from her husband, a Colombian who returned to Thailand from Nigeria in late November, a health ministry official told a daily briefing on Monday.
“She is potentially the first in Thailand to get Omicron from an overseas traveller, her husband, and the first locally transmitted case,” said Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, an official from the Disease Control Department.
Both the husband and the wife had been fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, he said.
The couple had one high-risk contact, a taxi driver, who was being quarantined and pending a second coronavirus test due on Wednesday, Chakrarat added.
‘Vaccines are not the only answer’ say experts
Epidemiologist Prof Mary-Louise McLaws has spent the past week dialling in to meetings of the World Health Organization’s [WHO] infection prevention and control group, and said; “I don’t know of any outbreak manager who would not support wearing masks at the very minimum” in cities where Covid-19 cases are rising.
McLaws said:
WHO keeps reminding the world that vaccines are not the only answer because this virus keeps changing.
Vaccines certainly reduce the risk of death and severe infection. But you do need other measures, like physical distancing, and masks.”
Most eminent virology, infectious diseases and epidemiology experts agree that it is clear public health measures beyond vaccines are needed, especially as Omicron spreads rapidly. There is some disagreement, however, as to whether governments should mandate those additional measures, and which measures would be most useful to mandate.
Read the full story here.
Updated
Here is a snapshot of the Covid situation unfolding right now in Australia.
The nation’s most populous state of NSW recorded 2,501 new local Covid-19 cases. The numbers are nearly double that of Victoria, a reversal of a weeks-long trend of more infections below the border.
There were 1,302 new coronavirus cases recorded in Victoria with no deaths.
The national capital of the ACT recorded 13 new infections on Monday, with a large number of cases believed to have stemmed from people who tested positive after arriving in Canberra from interstate.
Three new Covid cases were also reported in Tasmania.
South Australia recorded triple digit Covid cases, officially recording 105 new cases.
he Northern Territory recorded three new Covid cases and lockdown has been extended by 48 hours until 5pm Wednesday.
Queensland recorded 59 new Covid cases as Omicron becomes the dominant strain.
Prime minister Scott Morrison says he will discuss the rising number of Omicron cases and the issue of state borders with the premiers at an unscheduled meeting of national cabinet.
Germany is reporting a daily addition of 16,086 confirmed Covid cases and 119 deaths.
The figures, released by the Robert Koch Institute are a significant drop on recent days.
Thailand to consider ending quarantine-free travel
Thailand’s public health minister said on Monday that his ministry will propose reinstating mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.
The proposal would scrap the current quarantine waiver for vaccinated visitors and revert to hotel quarantine and the “sandbox” programme, which allows free movement within a specific location, Anutin Charnvirakul told the Inside Thailand television show.
He said the proposal will be made to the government’s Covid-19 taskforce “soon”, without elaborating further, Reuters reports.
The minister’s remarks come weeks after Thailand reopened to foreign visitors in November, ending nearly 18 months of strict entry policies that contributed to a collapse in tourism, a key industry and economic driver that drew 40 million visitors in 2019.
Anutin said Thailand had detected 63 people infected with the Omicron variant so far, with one case of local transmission within the same household and the rest imported cases.
Photograph: Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images
Updated
South Korea has just released its daily Covid report with another 5,318 confirmed coronavirus cases reported in the past 24 hours and 54 deaths.
Thailand has also reported 2,525 new coronavirus cases and 31 deaths.
Malaysia recorded another 3,071 local Covid cases and 19 deaths.
Australian teen who sparked 7-day lockdown fined $35,000
A 19-year-old man who travelled to Byron Bay, on the border of NSW and QLD, with his father who had Covid-19, sparking a seven-day lockdown of the area, has been fined $35,000.
Kristian Radovanovic did not appear for his sentence as he has since travelled to Serbia with his father to care for his grandmother, the court was told on Monday.
He pleaded guilty to four charges after the family travelled to NSW’s northern rivers region to buy a farm in late July and failed to abide by public health orders.
For not using a QR code and failing to wear a mask in a general store Kristian Radovanovic was fined $5000 and $7500 respectively, and for not wearing a mask nor using a QR code in a taxi he was fined $12,500 and $10,000 respectively.
The magistrate said all offences involved a disregard for public health and safety.
Read the full story here.
EU set to back Novavax Covid vaccine
The EU’s drug regulator will decide on Monday whether to approve a Covid jab by Novavax, which uses a more conventional technology that the US biotech firm hopes will reduce vaccine hesitancy, AFT reports.
Novavax’s jab, a protein-based vaccine of the kind used around the world to protect against many childhood illnesses, would be the fifth coronavirus shot authorised for the European Union.
Approval would also be a boost for the Maryland company, whose jab has been plagued by delays.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said its human medicines committee would hold an extraordinary meeting to decide on Novavax on Monday, and “will communicate the outcome”.
The EU has already signed a deal to buy up to 200 million doses of the two-shot vaccine pending approval by the watchdog. Novavax says its vaccine showed 90.4% efficacy against Covid-19 in a North American trial.
Chief executive Stanley Erck said the firm “looks forward to providing an additional vaccine option in Europe, built on a proven, well-understood technology platform”. The vaccine “may help address major obstacles to global vaccination, including global distribution challenges and vaccine hesitancy”, Erck added.
Indonesia and the Philippines have already approved the Novavax jab, while Japan has agreed to buy 150 million doses.
Novavax says it has also filed for approval in Britain, India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and with the World Health Organization.
The first death of a child with Covid-19 in New Zealand has prompted calls for Māori children to be prioritised in the next stage of the vaccine rollout, as the country grapples with racial inequalities compounded by the pandemic.
A Māori boy, under the age of 10 and who had tested positive for the virus, died last week, becoming the youngest New Zealander to die with Covid, the Ministry of Health confirmed.
It is unclear whether Covid-19 was the cause of the boy’s death, as New Zealand records all deaths of people considered active Covid cases in its official count. It is the country’s 49th death of a Covid-positive person since the start of the pandemic. Māori make up an estimated 17.1% of the population but they have accounted for 32% of all Covid-19 related deaths.
Our reporter in New Zealand, Eva Corlett, has the full story here.
As things heat up over in Downing Street over alleged lockdown breaches by senior ministers back in May last year, the Guardian can share a photograph of Boris Johnson pictured with wine and cheese alongside his wife and up to 17 staff in the Downing Street garden.
The leaked photo raises questions over No 10’s insistence a “work meeting” was taking place. Johnson’s spokesman has said Downing Street staff were working in the garden in the afternoon and evening.
At the time social mixing between households was limited to two people, who could only meet outdoors and at a distance of at least 2 metres. In workplaces, guidance said in-person meetings should only take place if “absolutely necessary”.
View the controversial snap from our earlier story here.
US senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker test positive for Covid
US senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have confirmed they have tested positive for Covid-19, as the US deals with another surge in cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Warren, 72, a progressive Democrat who ran for the presidential nomination in 2020, tweeted that she was vaccinated, had received her booster shot and was experiencing mild symptoms in a breakthrough case of the virus.
“Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms and am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated and boosted,” the Massachusetts senator wrote, using the occasion to also urge anyone not vaccinated to do so.
Booker, a Democratic senator for New Jersey who also ran for president in 2020, said in a statement on Sunday he had tested positive for Covid after feeling symptoms a day earlier.
“Fortunately, my symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster - I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Belgian protest against Covid measures turns violent
Belgian police intervened to disperse stone-throwing youths on Sunday after the latest protest march in Brussels turned violent against anti-coronavirus measures.
The crowd of around 3,500 mainly young, black-clad and hooded protesters marched from the Gare du Nord railway to a park in the city’s European quarter, AFP reported.
The protesters clashed with riot officers protecting the route to EU headquarters, where officials were meeting African leaders.
The stone- and bottle-throwers were dispersed back into the Jubilee Park by riot police, and plain clothes officers made several arrests, an AFP journalist saw.
Belgium is recording around 10,000 new Covid cases per day as the Omicron variant spreads in Europe, and authorities have again begun to tighten public health rules.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s government will meet on Wednesday to decide on any new measures, and the neighbouring Netherlands has already ordered a Christmas lockdown.
Belgium has run a relatively successful vaccine campaign and has begun issuing booster shots, but a vocal minority is wary of compulsory jabs and certificates or opposes lockdown measures.
Hello and welcome back to our Covid blog this Monday.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments from across the world.
First up, let’s start with some words of caution from the White House’s top medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci.
The infectious disease expert said the Omicron variant is “raging around the world,” in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, adding that “the real problem” for the US hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.”
Fauci repeated such dire predictions on CNN’s State of the Union.
“One thing that’s clear is [Omicron’s] extraordinary capability of spreading, its transmissibility capability,” he said. “It is just raging through the world.
“This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days in certain regions of the country, which means it’s going to take over.”
On Sunday, Belgian police were forced to intervene to disperse stone-throwing youths during a protest march in Brussels.
The crowd of mainly young hooded protesters clashed with riot officers in the latest protest against anti-coronavirus measures.
Here’s a round-up of all the developments you may have missed.
- The Netherlands entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
-
Germany followed France and tightened restrictions from Britain, mandating a 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to avoid an Omicron wave.
- Pressure builds on UK prime minister Boris Johnson after the Guardian published a picture of him with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden, suggesting a social event, during a strict UK lockdown. No 10 insists the meeting was for work.
-
Poland confirmed seven Omicron cases in total as an official warned the variant is spreading at “unprecedented rate”. A further 15,976 Covid cases were recorded.
- Peru, the country with the highest Covid deaths per capita and sixth-highest total death toll, detected its first four Omicron cases.
- The UK recorded above 80,000 new daily cases for only fourth time since pandemic began, and clocked another 12,000 Omicron cases – taking the tally to over 37,000. Health secretary Sajid Javid refused to rule out new restrictions on the Sunday broadcast round. Cases are up 72% in one week.
- Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, said the Omicron variant has “extraordinary spreading capabilities” and is “raging through the world”.
- Ireland said Omicron is now the dominant strain of Covid after an estimated 52% of its cases – 5,124 new cases on Sunday – were from the highly mutated variant.
- The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency warned of political violence from the country’s anti-vaccine movement with its connections to the far-right.
- Iran detected its first case of Omicron.
- Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, said on Sunday the country is in a fifth Covid wave and urged people to step up vaccinations.
- US Senator Elizabeth Warren tested positive for Covid after a routine test. She has mild symptoms.
- 30,000 people in Vienna, Austria commemorated the country’s 13,000 people who have died from the virus with a “sea of lights” march.
- Italy detected 24,259 new Covid infections, a 62% climb on the 15,010 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Sri Lanka will require Covid vaccine certificates for entry to public places from New Year’s Day.
- Russia recorded 27,967 new Covid infections, a 13% slide on the 32,031 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- France reported 48,473 new Covid infections, a 15% climb on the 42,252 new cases detected on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa asked for greater law enforcement protection on Sunday after a flurry of threats following its decision to approve Covid vaccines for children aged five to 11. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the virus’s risks, has publicly pressured the agency over the decision.
Hello and welcome back to our Covid blog this Monday.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments from across the world.
First up, let’s start with some words of caution from the White House’s top medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci.
The infectious disease expert said the Omicron variant is “raging around the world,” in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, adding that “the real problem” for the US hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.”
Fauci repeated such dire predictions on CNN’s State of the Union.
“One thing that’s clear is [Omicron’s] extraordinary capability of spreading, its transmissibility capability,” he said. “It is just raging through the world.
“This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days in certain regions of the country, which means it’s going to take over.”
On Sunday, Belgian police were forced to intervene to disperse stone-throwing youths during a protest march in Brussels.
The crowd of mainly young hooded protesters clashed with riot officers in the latest protest against anti-coronavirus measures.
Here’s a round-up of all the developments you may have missed.
- The Netherlands entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
-
Germany followed France and tightened restrictions from Britain, mandating a 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to avoid an Omicron wave.
- Pressure builds on UK prime minister Boris Johnson after the Guardian published a picture of him with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden, suggesting a social event, during a strict UK lockdown. No 10 insists the meeting was for work.
-
Poland confirmed seven Omicron cases in total as an official warned the variant is spreading at “unprecedented rate”. A further 15,976 Covid cases were recorded.
- Peru, the country with the highest Covid deaths per capita and sixth-highest total death toll, detected its first four Omicron cases.
- The UK recorded above 80,000 new daily cases for only fourth time since pandemic began, and clocked another 12,000 Omicron cases – taking the tally to over 37,000. Health secretary Sajid Javid refused to rule out new restrictions on the Sunday broadcast round. Cases are up 72% in one week.
- Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, said the Omicron variant has “extraordinary spreading capabilities” and is “raging through the world”.
- Ireland said Omicron is now the dominant strain of Covid after an estimated 52% of its cases – 5,124 new cases on Sunday – were from the highly mutated variant.
- The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency warned of political violence from the country’s anti-vaccine movement with its connections to the far-right.
- Iran detected its first case of Omicron.
- Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, said on Sunday the country is in a fifth Covid wave and urged people to step up vaccinations.
- US Senator Elizabeth Warren tested positive for Covid after a routine test. She has mild symptoms.
- 30,000 people in Vienna, Austria commemorated the country’s 13,000 people who have died from the virus with a “sea of lights” march.
- Italy detected 24,259 new Covid infections, a 62% climb on the 15,010 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Sri Lanka will require Covid vaccine certificates for entry to public places from New Year’s Day.
- Russia recorded 27,967 new Covid infections, a 13% slide on the 32,031 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- France reported 48,473 new Covid infections, a 15% climb on the 42,252 new cases detected on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa asked for greater law enforcement protection on Sunday after a flurry of threats following its decision to approve Covid vaccines for children aged five to 11. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the virus’s risks, has publicly pressured the agency over the decision.
Updated
