U.K. Warns on Omicron; Ramaphosa Tests Positive: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the U.K. is facing a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and set an end-of-year deadline for the country’s booster vaccination program. Infections in the U.K. from the new variant doubled in the last day and now make up a third of new cases in London. 

Anthony Fauci, U.S. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said omicron appears able to evade vaccines and some Covid-19 treatments but that a booster shot can increase protection. At least 30 U.S. states are reporting cases of the variant.  

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms.

Austria ended a nationwide lockdown for most people, while keeping restrictions for the unvaccinated. Russia’s total infections topped 10 million, even as cases drop to their lowest level in almost two months. 

Key Developments:

• Virus Tracker: Cases pass 270 million; deaths top 5.3 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.45 billion shots given
• Two weeks into the omicron outbreak: where to from here?
• What we know about omicron: QuickTake
• Pandemic intelligence chief brings data, AI to omicron fight
• Return-to-office plans are turning ‘shybrid’ with ongoing delays

Tennessee Reports Omicron Case (4:27 p.m. NY)

Tennessee reported its first two cases of the omicron variant, the Chattanoogan reported, quoting Shelby County Health Director Michelle Taylor. No other details were given.

At least 30 U.S. states have reported cases of the new variant. 

Ramaphosa Tests Positive (3:26 p.m. NY)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms.

“The president, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week,” the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

Ramaphosa, 69, was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot in February.

Johnson Warns of Omicron ‘Tidal Wave’ (3:10 p.m. NY)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the U.K. is facing a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and set an end-of-year deadline for the country’s booster vaccination program.

“Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year,”Johnson told the nation in a hastily-arranged address on Sunday night.

Johnson, who has been the subject of scathing headlines over his handling of the pandemic, tried to change the narrative in a somber address. While he is accelerating a plan to deliver booster jabs, in practice he’s bringing the deadline forward by a month.

German Protests Prompt Warning (2:25 p.m. NY)

Protests in several eastern German cities against Covid-19 restrictions and vaccination drives ended in tussles with police, the DPA newswire reported.

As many as 1,000 people took the streets in Greiz near the Czech border and tried to break through a police cordon, injuring at least two officers. About 25 people gathered in a town near Leipzig, defying a regional restriction on public gatherings to 10 people, DPA cited police as saying. A similar rule-breaching protest at Plauen drew several hundred people.

Baerbel Bas, a Social Democrat who is the speaker of Germany’s lower house, told broadcaster ZDF that Germany’s Covid protests are growing and increasingly radicalized.

France May Be Reaching Wave’s Peak (1:55 p.m. NY)

France could be reaching the peak of the fifth viral wave, Olivier Veran, health minister said in tweet Sunday. The current wave is reaching a “very high” level but the dynamic is “weakening,” he added. He told Le Parisien no lockdown is in sight but recommended to limit contacts as end-of-the-year celebrations approach.

Too Early to Call Omicron Mild, Scientist Says (12:13 p.m. NY)

Omicron can’t be assumed to be less severe than other variants, said Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa. 

“It’s a little bit early to say it’s mild,” de Oliveira said on CBS’s “Face the Nation. He said it “normally takes a few weeks between infection and the need for hospitalization” and that admissions are rising. He also said a “large number” of young children are being hospitalized. 

Fauci Says Boosters Best Protection for Omicron (11:05 a.m. NY)

President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser said that the omicron variant appears able to evade vaccines and some Covid-19 treatments, but that a booster shot can increase protection. 

“It appears to be able to evade some of the immune protection of things like monoclonal antibodies, convalescent plasma and the antibodies that are induced by vaccines,” Anthony Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.” “That’s the sobering news.”

“The somewhat encouraging news is that preliminary data show that when you get a booster, for example, a third shot of an mRNA, it raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against” omicron.

He also said that, so far, illness caused by omicron appears to be less severe, though he called that “preliminary data.” The variant is spreading rapidly in places like South Africa and the U.K., but there have been few reports of serious illness or hospitalization. The variant has caused no deaths in the EU area, European health officials said Saturday.  

U.K. Moves to Daily Tests for Vaccinated Covid Contacts (10:28 a.m. NY)

The U.K. government said that double-vaccinated people who come into contact with a Covid-19 case from Tuesday should take a daily rapid lateral flow test for seven days to help slow the spread of the omicron variant. 

The government said in a statement Sunday the move follows a significant rise in omicron cases, which it expects to become the dominant strain by mid-December. This replaces the requirement for omicron contacts to isolate for 10 days, though unvaccinated people will still have to isolate if they are in contact with any Covid-19 case.

The U.K. confirmed 1,239 new omicron cases on Sunday, almost double the 633 cases reported the day before. 

South African Hospital Numbers Edge Higher (8:14 a.m. NY)

South African hospitals have 5,563 Covid-19 patients, including 7.3% in intensive care units, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a report on Sunday. The numbers compare with 5,434 who were in the hospital a day earlier.

While admissions have risen in the past month, it’s still a fraction of the total at the height of earlier infection waves. The country’s three biggest private hospital groups have said that so far cases appear to be milder than in previous infection waves.

One in Three London Cases Are Now Omicron (6:07 a.m. NY)

U.K. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said one-third of new Covid infections in London are now the omicron variant, and cases of the strain in the U.K. are doubling every two to three days. “Very quickly omicron will be the dominant variant,” Zahawi, the U.K.’s vaccine minister until mid-September, told Sky News. 

Zahawi said Boris Johnson would speak later Sunday about accelerating the U.K.’s vaccine booster program, though the government later said he would not be appearing. About 33% of people have had a third shot so far.

‘No Red Lines’ to Fight Against Covid, Scholz Says (6:45 p.m. HK)

Germany’s new chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government is ready take all necessary measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 if the situation doesn’t improve quickly. “There must be no red lines, this pandemic has really shown us that. We must always be prepared to rethink if circumstances demand it. And then act quickly and decisively,” he told the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper.

New cases dropped under 400 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days for the first time since Nov. 23. The country recorded 32,646 new cases and 132 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute. This compares with 42,055 new cases and 94 deaths a week ago. 

Johnson Faces Damaging Christmas Report (5:05 p.m. HK)

Boris Johnson, engulfed by a string of crises that have angered Tory lawmakers, could face more ire over a report he personally breached Covid lockdown rules a year ago. 

The Mirror reported Saturday night that the U.K. prime minister hosted a Christmas quiz from his Downing Street residence on Dec. 15, when London was under a “no mixing” order. 

Polarized Austria Ends Lockdown (3:07 p.m. HK)

Austria ended a nationwide lockdown for most people, while keeping restrictions for the unvaccinated as it presses ahead with the boldest incentive in Europe to boost inoculations.

Starting Sunday, vaccine rejectors can only leave their homes to go to work, where they’ll need to provide a negative coronavirus test every two days, and for essential shopping and daily exercise. Entry to other venues will be barred. 

Life will slowly return to normal for people who’ve had a vaccine or have recently recovered from the virus, with regions implementing a patchwork of easing schedules. Concerts are set to restart, museums and restaurants will throw open their doors again and Christmas markets will return to life. 

Police estimate about 44,000 people turned out in Vienna for the third large protest in the past month against mandatory vaccinations, organized by the far-right Freedom Party and its leader, Herbert Kickl. Several arrests were reported. 

Korea Sees Record Number of Critical Cases (9:54 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported a record number of critical patients on Sunday -- 894 -- as officials struggle with nearly 80% of intensive care hospital beds occupied. The Asian nation added 43 deaths, following a record 80 on the previous day, raising concerns in a country where more than 90% of adults are fully vaccinated. 

Daily cases stood at 6,689, falling slightly from the previous day but still the highest level for a weekend, when fewer testings occur. Cases of the omicron variant rose by 15, to a total of 90. Officials have urged people over 60 to get a booster, as about 92% of deaths have come from that group.

Omicron Found in Japan Quarantine Case (9:48 a.m. HK)

In Japan’s Gifu prefecture, a man traveling from Sri Lanka has tested positive for the omicron variant, Japan’s Health Ministry announced. Though several omicron infections have been detected via screenings at airports, the new case is Japan’s first to be confirmed in a person quarantining at home, according to the Asahi newspaper. 

The case highlights the difficulty even a country implementing some of the most stringent border controls faces trying to contain the newly discovered variant. Last month, Japan moved to close its borders to new foreign arrivals and have its own citizens isolate on arrival from countries where the omicron variant has been found. 

The foreign national tested negative in initial screenings but came down with symptoms after returning to his home in Gifu last week, according to the Health Ministry. 

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With assistance from Bloomberg