U.S. Omicron Surge Eases; French Cases Slow: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The omicron variant is starting to loosen its grip on the U.S. Northeast, but experts warn that it will take more time for the latest wave of Covid-19 to recede nationwide. Deaths in the U.S. rose to almost 14,300 in the week through Friday, the most since September, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. 

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told junior lawmakers in his party that he is considering relaxing mandatory vaccination rules for health service staff, according to The Times newspaper. Infections in Russia hit a daily record.

Daily cases in Tokyo broke above 10,000 for the first time Saturday, while Hong Kong reported 25 infections, the most since at least March. 

Key Developments: 

• Virus Tracker: Cases top 347.9 million; deaths pass 5.5 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.9 billion shots administered
• Fresh produce risks getting more scarce with U.S. shot mandate
• Hybrid work-fun trips help fill airline seats as business lags
• A vaccine to prevent all Covid is within reach: Lisa Jarvis
• Is Covid becoming endemic? What would that mean?: QuickTake

Omicron Spreads to Rural Alabama (3:07 p.m. NY)

New infections are climbing steeply in rural Alabama, even though the omicron surge appears to have leveled off in urban areas like Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery, al.com reported. 

Alabama is the second-least vaccinated state in the U.S., with less than 48% of people fully vaccinated, compared with the U.S. average of almost 63%. Hardest hit in the omicron wave are counties with the lowest vaccination rates, al.com reported. The state hit a record on Thursday of 46% of tests positive for Covid-19.

France Cases Slow Ahead of Vaccine Pass (2:09 p.m. NY)

French daily infections fell below 400,000 as the country braces for the implementation of a vaccine pass on Monday.

The country recorded 389,320 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, according to data from the country’s public health office. That’s 16% less than the 464,769 cases reported on Tuesday.

The French government is set to relax some health restrictions, betting the current wave of infections is peaking. The implementation of the vaccine pass will effectively shut people out of most social activities if they’re unvaccinated. 

India Extends Campaign Restrictions (12:41 p.m. NY)

Restrictions on election campaigns across five poll-bound Indian states will stay in place till the end of this month as daily infections have crossed the 300,000 mark, the federal election commission said.

No road show, rallies and procession shall be allowed till Jan. 31, according to a statement issued by the commission on Saturday. The commission has also raised the limit on door-to-door campaign to 10 people from 5, excluding security personnel.

U.S. Omicron Surge Eases (10:38 a.m. NY) 

The omicron variant is starting to loosen its grip on the U.S. Northeast, but experts warn that it will take more time for the latest wave of Covid-19 to recede nationwide.

The strain’s fast surge and swift descent in one of the most populous parts of the U.S. echoes its trajectory in areas of Europe and South Africa, where infections skyrocketed only to come back down nearly as quickly. That’s raised hopes that while omicron has at times seemed like a replay of the worst days of the early pandemic, it will soon ebb.

However, the shape of the omicron wave may look different in various parts of the U.S., depending on vaccination rates and hospital capacity.  Nationally, the omicron wave could peak as early as this week, according to projections from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. 

Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. rose to almost 14,300 in the week through Friday, the most since September, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. That compares with record weekly death of more than 20,000 last January and early February. 

China Downplays Overseas Mail Link (8:11 a.m. NY)

Chinese officials say experts have seen little to suggest that Covid-19 is spreading via non-frozen goods after a recent infection of the omicron variant in Beijing was said to be traced to overseas mail.

Experts have insufficient evidence so far on non-frozen imported goods transmitting Covid-19 to people in China, according to He Qinghua, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference on Saturday. 

Fewer German Covid Patients in ICU (7:05 a.m. NY)

Germany reported 2,398 Covid-19 patients in ICU, 20 fewer than the day before. The number of patients on ventilators was 1,422, 26 fewer than the previous day. A further 44 Covid-19 patients died while in ICU.

Indonesia Cases Rise to Four-Month High (6:53 p.m. HK)

Indonesia reported 3,205 new cases on Saturday, its biggest addition since Sept. 21 last year, led by the omicron variant, according to the health ministry. The capital Jakarta recorded more than half the additional infections.

U.K. Weighs Scrapping NHS Staff Vaccine Mandate (6:38 p.m. HK)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told junior lawmakers in his party that he is considering relaxing mandatory vaccination rules for health service staff, according to The Times newspaper.

Johnson told skeptical backbenchers that “we’ve got to do something” about a policy that could see the health service losing tens of thousands of staff within weeks, the newspaper reported.

Hong Kong Cases Rise (5:49 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong reported 25 confirmed local Covid infections on Saturday, the most since at least March, and 100 preliminary positive cases as officials try to contain an outbreak at a public housing estate.

Most of the preliminary positive cases were found at the public housing complex in the New Territories where more than 2,500 residents have been locked down for five days and are tested every day. 

Swiss Review Covid Measures Weekly (5:37 p.m. HK)

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset told newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende that he’s reviewing Covid measures weekly. If developments are positive, the government can reduce the work-from-home “obligation” to a “recommendation” in the next few weeks and lift the quarantine, Berset said. The days of the proof of vaccination certificate “also seem to be drawing to a close,” he said.

Russia Cases Hit Daily Record (5:10 p.m. HK)

Russia reported 57,212 new cases in the past day, the highest number during the pandemic, according to the government’s reporting center. Russia reported 681 deaths from Covid-19 in the past day.

Tokyo Daily Cases Break Above 10,000 (5:03 p.m. HK)

Tokyo reported a record number of daily Covid cases Saturday, eclipsing 10,000 infections for the first time as the highly contagious omicron variant begins to spread throughout Japan. The capital reported 11,227 new cases for the day, bringing its 7-day case average to 7,145.

Tokyo and 12 other prefectures are currently under a state of quasi-emergency, a decision that allows local governments to request limits on gatherings and hospitality operations.

Though serious cases remain low, at 12, Tokyo’s Covid bed occupancy rate has been creeping up, reaching 34.3% on Saturday. An occupancy rate of around 50% could prompt the city to return to a full state of emergency for the first time in more than three months.

Hong Kong Cases in Public Housing: SCMP (4:41 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong authorities have uncovered at least 130 Covid-19 cases at a public housing estate, with officials meeting to decide whether to lock down more housing blocks, the South China Morning Post reported.

Infections had been reported in at least two buildings on Kwai Chung Estate, the paper reported, citing people it didn’t identify.

Taiwan Bans Eating on Trains as Cases Rise (4:33 p.m. HK)

Taiwan imposed new Covid-19 controls after the number of local infections surged to their highest since a widespread outbreak last summer.

The government will ban eating on public transportation, including trains and ships, from Sunday, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai said at a briefing on Saturday. Large-scale religious events where social distancing can’t be guaranteed, such as pilgrimages and processions, will also be barred, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.

Czech Republic Cases Double in a Week (3:07 p.m. HK)

The Czech Republic reported 26,597 new coronavirus cases, a doubling from a week earlier. The country had a record 28,469 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday and the numbers have been near that all week. The nation of 10.7 million had 1,566 patients hospitalized with Covid-19, according to health ministry data.

UN Offers Vaccines to North Korea: Yonhap (11:52 a.m. HK)

The United Nations offered to send 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea in December but it hasn’t yet received an official response, Yonhap News reported. It cited South Korean lawmaker Kim Kyung-hyup, who was briefed by the nation’s National Intelligence Service. 

Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, showed interest in the proposal and asked whether the vaccines would be Pfizer or Moderna, according to Yonhap.

North Korea is struggling to inoculate its population. The country was offered about 1.7 million doses of vaccines in July through a Covax vaccine-sharing program, but shipments were delayed due to the lack of technical preparedness and global vaccine shortages, according to a UN report.

Singapore’s Local Cases Most Since November (11:25 a.m. HK)

Local Covid-19 cases in Singapore rose to 2,794 on Jan. 21, the most since November, according to the Ministry of Health’s website. Total infections for the day including imported cases more than doubled from a day earlier to 3,155, as the data started including results from antigen rapid tests. 

Infections are climbing as the city-state takes steps to minimize disruptions by lowering isolation periods and easing test requirements for vaccinated travelers, even as it anticipates a surge of the omicron variant in the country.

Chinese City Xi’an Eases Restrictions (11:06 a.m. HK)

Authorities are easing restrictions in some parts of China’s Xi’an city as coronavirus cases dwindle after nearly a month of lockdown in the recent delta epicenter.

Rules on entering and exiting condominiums will be loosened for residents in the Beilin, Xincheng and Lianhu districts and those living in the city’s aerospace base, and businesses will also be allowed to resume, according to a statement on the Beilin government’s WeChat account. The four areas have a combined population of about 2.58 million in the western Chinese city of 13 million.

Veklury May Be Used for Milder Cases: FDA (8:13 a.m. HK)

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Veklury Covid treatment may be used for some non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate cases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The therapy had previously been limited to patients requiring hospitalization.

Citi Asks NYC Staff to Return in February (4:04 p.m. NY)

Citigroup Inc. asked staffers in the New York City region to begin returning to the office early next month as cases start to recede in the area. 

Employees in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were asked to prepare to come back on Feb. 7. For other locations across the U.S., Citigroup will continue to monitor local health data before inviting more workers to return. A spokeswoman confirmed the bank’s plans.

Citigroup has already asked its London staff to come into the office at least three days a week after the U.K. government said people no longer needed to work from home.

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With assistance from Bloomberg