New Yorkers Get Vaccinated; CDC Expands Boosters: Virus Update
Here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic.
(Bloomberg) -- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city can’t risk letting its hospitals get overwhelmed, while state governor Kathy Hochul reported an increase in New Yorkers who got booster shots. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE third doses for ages 16 and 17.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu promised another round of free at-home rapid Covid tests for residents after they snapped up the first 800,000 within a day — a sign of demand for a type of test that’s relatively rare in the U.S.
Omicron is 4.2 times more transmissible than the delta variant in its early stages, according to a study based on data from South Africa’s Gauteng province. While some London firms are telling staff to work from home, the World Economic Forum is set to go ahead in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 267 million; deaths pass 5.2 million
- Home Covid Tests Snapped Up in Hard-Hit State as U.S. Tarries
- Omicron propels U.S. booster drive where it’s needed least
- What we know about omicron: QuickTake
- BI’s Sam Fazeli on the effectiveness of vaccine boosters against omicron
Australia to Vaccinate Ages 5-11 Next Month (4:05 p.m. NY)
Australia will begin vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 starting Jan. 10 with the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech shot, the government said in a statement.
Health officials expect to advise on use of the Moderna Inc. vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 in the coming weeks, according to the statement. It was released shortly after Australia’s Technical Advisory Group of Immunisation recommended the Pfizer vaccine for all children ages 5 to 11.
Omicron Spurs N.Y. Booster Shots, Hochul Says (3 p.m. NY)
New Yorkers got more than 500,000 booster shots in the past week, nearly doubling the previous week’s number, Governor Kathy Hochul said. She attributed the increase to public concern about the latest virus variant.
“I think the omicron variant got everybody a little nervous,” Hochul said at a news briefing. “They started realizing that there are some instances of breakthrough with the original vaccinations.”
The state’s seven-day average of cases per 100,000 people has risen to almost 50 from 34.6 two weeks ago, Hochul said, adding that she’s monitoring hospital admissions closely. The latest increase in cases and hospitalizations has been mostly caused by the delta variant, state Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said.
CDC Recommends Booster for Ages 16-17 (2:28 p.m. NY)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that adolescents ages 16 and 17 get boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
“Although we don’t have all the answers on the Omicron variant, initial data suggests that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen the protection against Omicron and other variants,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency-use authorization for the vaccine earlier Thursday to 16 and 17-year-olds, once six months have elapsed after their second Pfizer-BioNTech dose. Vaccines made by Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson are only approved for age 18 and older.
U.S. Hospitalizations Rise, Led by Northeast (2:15 p.m. NY)
Two weeks after U.S. residents gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday, Covid-19 hospital admissions are rising in many parts of the eastern U.S., including New Jersey and Connecticut.
In 12 states and the nation’s capital, the seven-day average of admissions with confirmed Covid-19 has climbed at least 50% from two weeks earlier, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Vermont and Rhode Island reported the biggest percentage increases.
London Staff Told Stay Home (1:40 p.m. NY)
London could be about to become a ghost town again after firms started telling thousands of staff to work from home in response to the latest U.K. government guidance.
Deutsche Bank AG is significantly reducing the number of staff working in the office from Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter. The arrangements will be similar to earlier in the pandemic when most staff worked from home, with exceptions for trading teams or those with personal circumstances that require attendance in the office.
Amtrak Faces Worker Shortage (12:45 pm NY)
Amtrak expects it won’t have enough employees to operate all its trains next month when it plans to enforce Covid-19 vaccine requirements.
As Amtrak prepares to comply with the federal vaccine mandate, it will likely need to temporarily reduce frequency, particularly on its long-distance services, Stephen J. Gardner, president of Amtrak, said in written testimony for a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing. About 94% of the rail company’s workers have been fully vaccinated as of this week. Read more here: Amtrak to Cut Service as Workforce Shrinks on Shot Refusals (1)
U.S. Railroads Suspend Vaccine Requirement (11:am NY)
Union Pacific Corp. suspended an employee vaccine mandate after a federal judge in Georgia on Dec. 7 halted the Biden administration’s order requiring workers at federal contractors to get inoculated. The railroad is still encouraging its employees to get vaccinated and 73% have done so, it said by email. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s BNSF Railway, Union Pacific’s largest competitor, said by email that it also halted its vaccine mandate following the court ruling.
South African Scientists Face Death Threats (11:40 a.m. NY)
South African Covid-19 scientists and researchers are facing death threats and harassment, News24 reported.
South African scientists discovered a highly mutated coronavirus variant, now named omicron, on Nov. 25 that the dominant strain in a surge of infections that has led South Africa’s government to consider mandatory vaccinations.
Read more: South Africa’s Top Covid Scientists Facing Death Threats
De Blasio Defends Mandate (11:12 a.m. NY)
De Blasio urged New Yorkers not to let city hospitals get overwhelmed, as some have upstate. The mayor this week announced a vaccine mandate for private-sector workers. A judge next week will hear arguments over whether to halt his mandate for municipal workers.
In an interview on Hot 97 Thursday, de Blasio pointed to hospitals in areas such as Buffalo that are near capacity. Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered 32 hospitals -- including three in Buffalo -- to halt elective surgeries to deal with the Covid patient surges.
“The urgency I’m feeling is we can move now before we end up in that situation,” he said. “Biggest city in America, densely populated, we cannot let that happen here.”
Germany Advises Vaccines for Ages 5 to 11 (9:14 a.m. NY)
Germany’s vaccine authority advised Covid-19 vaccinations for children ages five to 11 who have a pre-existing condition or are in regular contact with people who are at a higher risk. Children in the age group who aren’t at heightened risk can get shots if the parents want them to.
World Economic Forum to Go Ahead (9:00 a.m. NY)
The World Economic Forum scheduled for next month in Davos is set to go ahead, even as European countries grapple with a fresh wave of coronavirus infections.
The event “will provide a key platform for global health leaders to meet with government and business at the highest level to move forward,” a WEF spokesman said in a statement. “Switzerland is open to international travel and events, conducted under sensible and strict public health measures.”
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