Texas Asks U.S. for Aid; Kid Hospitalizations Rise: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- Pediatric hospitalizations have risen to record levels as omicron races across the U.S., amplifying the urgency to get boosters and vaccines cleared for children. Daily infections in the U.S. are reaching unheard-of levels, crossing the half-million mark, and are only expected to go much higher. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked the federal government to send medical staff, therapeutic drugs and testing equipment to aid the second-largest US state’s fight to contain the latest wave. 

New Year’s Eve air travel got off to a bumpy start Friday morning, with more than 1,000 flights canceled in the U.S. and nearly as many scrubbed for Saturday as omicron infections disrupted airline staffing.

Novavax Inc. submitted the final data package for its vaccine candidate to U.S. regulators, bringing it one step closer to clearance.

Key Developments: 

• Virus Tracker: Cases pass 287.6 million; deaths pass 5.4 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.16 billion shots given
• Omicron undercuts hopes of travel revival for Canadian airlines
• Hong Kong is increasingly shut off as inbound flights drop
• Russia faces lost decade after deadliest Covid month
• What we know about the omicron variant now: QuickTake

U.S. Cases Rise ‘Through the Roof’ (4:09 p.m. NY)

In Boston, coronavirus levels measured in wastewater are spiking to more than quadruple last winter’s surge. In Miami, more than a quarter of people are testing positive for Covid. And San Francisco medical leader estimates that, based on his hospital’s tests, one of every 12 people in the city with no Covid symptoms actually has the virus.

As the omicron variant sweeps the country, daily cases are reaching unheard-of levels, crossing the half-million mark, and are only expected to go much higher. Some projections are for a peak of more than one million cases a day by as early as mid-January.

Macron Sees ‘Difficult’ Days in New Year (3:44 p.m. NY)

President Emmanuel Macron warned the French people of tough days ahead because of a spike in coronavirus infections and pledged to continue helping businesses affected by the pandemic.

“The coming weeks will be difficult, we all know that,” Macron said in his New Year’s national address from the Elysee Palace in Paris, predicting that the virus will continue to spread.

Nevada Fires Hundreds for Refusing Vaccine (3:19 p.m. NY)

Nevada fired 379 unvaccinated employees at state institutions of higher learning, after education officials kept in place a vaccine mandate. More than 200 others left their jobs after quitting or their contracts ended. 

“The pandemic has underscored the importance of delivering a safe and effective in-person educational experience for our students and the vaccine will help our institutions achieve that goal,” State Board of Regents Vice Chair Pro Tempore Amy Carvalho said in a news release on Thursday after the mandate was upheld. 

Ontario ICU Cases Rise (2:32 p.m. NY)

Ontario, home to nearly 40% of Canada’s population, reported a record 16,713 new cases on the final day before moving to new, stricter testing rules. Going forward, the province will limit public PCR testing to select groups, including higher-risk patients who are symptomatic. 

There are 205 people in intensive care with Covid-19, Health Minister Christine Elliott said, an increase of 24% in 10 days. Neighboring Quebec, also battling a rise in cases, is imposing a 10 p.m. curfew starting Friday. 

N.Y. Mandates Boosters at State Universities (2:01 p.m. NY)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new mandate for students at state-run universities, requiring booster doses before they return to campus in January. 

The new mandate covers more than half a million students at the State University of New York and the City University of New York systems. They are already required to be fully vaccinated. 

Hochul also imposed a new vaccine requirement for faculty at the two school systems, until now exempt from any mandate.   

Novavax Files Final Data in U.S. (1:59 p.m. NY)

Novavax Inc. submitted the final data package for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate to U.S. regulators, bringing it one step closer to clearance.

The submission to the Food and Drug Administration included details on chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the shot known as NVX-CoV2373, Novavax said in a statement. The company expects to file a request for emergency use authorization in one month, in line with the FDA’s guidance around such filings.

If authorized, the shot would become the fourth Covid vaccine cleared in the U.S. 

Child Hospitalizations in U.S. Hit Record (1:55 p.m. NY)

Pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations have risen to record levels as omicron races across the U.S., amplifying the urgency to get boosters and vaccines cleared for children. 

While the variant so far doesn’t appear more severe than other versions in youngsters, the growing number of cases means more children are susceptible to serious illness. New hospital admissions of kids with Covid-19 have increased 66%  to 378 a day on average for the week ending Tuesday, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last peak occurred in early September at a daily count of 342. 

Testing Required for Students Across U.S. (1:52 p.m. NY)

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. students and staff will face a new ritual as they return to school after the holiday spike in Covid-19 infections: ramped up testing.

In Washington, D.C., all students and staff must provide proof they are Covid-negative before re-entering schools on Jan. 5. In Chicago, the public schools are hustling to process more than 37,000 tests before the return to classes on Monday -- the flood is so great that delivery boxes in some areas were overflowing. 

Many other districts are sending free rapid tests and encouraging -- but not mandating -- their use. Massachusetts plans to distribute 200,000 kits to school employees, although like many institutions across the country it’s facing supply constraints.

Texas Pleas for Federal Help (12:23 p.m. NY)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked the federal government to send medical staff, therapeutic drugs and testing equipment to aid the second-largest US state’s fight to contain the latest wave.

Abbott, a Republican who has been highly critical of President Joe Biden’s approach to everything from pandemic response to Mexican border security, issued a public plea on Friday as hospitals in Houston and elsewhere strain under growing virus caseloads.

The request targets six counties that include the Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin areas, all of which are experiencing alarming growth in positivity rates and hospitalizations, Abbott said in an emailed statement.

BofA Staff Encouraged to Work From Home (12:05 p.m. NY)

Bank of America Corp. is encouraging its employees to work remotely the week of Jan. 3, according to a person with knowledge of the plans, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases following the rise of the highly contagious omicron variant.

The move follows plans by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to let employees work from home in the opening weeks of 2022, and encouragement by Citigroup Inc. that staff should log on remotely.

Ivory Coast Requires Testing for Gatherings (11:29 a.m. NY)

A negative antigen test will be mandatory at large gatherings, such as concerts, following a sharp rise in cases, the health ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page Friday.

Ivory Coast recorded 1,578 new cases on Dec. 30, with a positivity rate of 35%.

U.S. Airlines Cancel More Flights (11:13 a.m. NY)

New Year’s Eve air travel got off to a bumpy start Friday morning, with more than 1,000 flights canceled in the U.S. and nearly as many scrubbed for Saturday.

JetBlue Airways Corp. had scratched 145 flights, or 14% of its schedule, by 9:01 a.m. in New York, according to FlightAware.com, while Allegiant Travel Co.canceled 82 flights, or 17%. United Airlines Holdings Inc. had scrubbed the most flights among U.S. carriers, 207, representing 11% of its service. 

Total cancellations came to 1,198, and 955 were already off the boards for Saturday. Airlines scratched 1,439 flights Thursday, with most of those logged by midmorning.

Zimbabwe Extends Lockdown by Two Weeks (7:36 a.m. NY)

Zimbabwe extended its so-called Level 2 lockdown to mid-January. The government will review lockdown measures again after two weeks, guided by a scientific appreciation of the coronavirus situation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said.

U.K. Regulator Approves Pfizer’s Pill (6:38 a.m. NY)

Britain’s regulator approved Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral pill, just weeks after clearing rival Merck & Co.’s oral treatment.

The Pfizer drug, Paxlovid, was authorized for use in people over 18 with mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Friday. 

Johnson Urges U.K. Holdouts to Get Boosted (5:27 p.m. HK)

Boris Johnson used his New Year message to urge holdouts to get vaccine boosters, as growing pressure on the U.K. National Health Service threatens to undermine his strategy to get through the omicron wave.

Close to one-third of eligible adults in England have yet to receive a top-up dose, according to a statement from the government Friday, even as it said it met its target to offer all adults a booster by the end of the year. The U.K.’s other devolved nations make their own health policy.

South Africa Sees Fewer Preconditions (4:23 p.m. HK)

Netcare Ltd., which operates South Africa’s biggest private health-care network, is seeing “significantly fewer patients” with pre-existing medical and respiratory conditions hospitalized during the omicron-driven fourth wave.

Earlier, South Africa eased restrictions meant to stop the spread of the virus even as the percentage of people testing positive for the disease exceeded 20% for the 19th straight day. 

The government lifted a curfew that was in place from midnight to 4 a.m. with immediate effect and allowed establishments selling alcohol to operate beyond 11 p.m. This is the first time in almost two years that liquor sales won’t be restricted by any Covid-19 related measures. Wearing of masks in public will remain mandatory.

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With assistance from Bloomberg