Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Dec 1, 2021. (SUSAN WALSH / AP)
FRANKFURT / BRASILIA / LAGOS / DUBLIN / WASHINGTON / BERLIN / HARARE / LONDON / BUDAPEST / BRUSSELS / TUNIS / MEXICO CITY / SANTIAGO / KYIV – Rising US Omicron cases are guaranteed in the coming days as the highly mutated variant has begun spreading in the community, according to Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser.
“We absolutely have community spread” of the strain in the US, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an appearance on Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power with David Westin on Friday. “There is no way you are not going to see more and more cases.”
Fauci said he was closely monitoring the situation in South Africa, where the strain was first seen, including for signs of how quickly the new variant spreads among vaccinated people.
He said on the show that he will get an update from South African officials during a Zoom call Saturday morning.
The big looming question, he said, is how Omicron will fare when it has to compete in places like the US where the delta strain is prevalent. “Will it take off and become the dominant variant, or will it get a bit smothered by delta?” Fauci said. “The only way we are going to know” is to wait and see.
Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the use of Eli Lilly's COVID-19 dual-antibody therapy in treating mild to moderate symptoms in all children, including newborns, who are at risk of severe illness.
The therapy, bamlanivimab plus etesevimab, was previously authorized for children aged 12 years and older and weighed at least 88 pounds.
"Children under one year of age, who are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, may be at particularly high risk for severe COVID-19 and this authorization addresses the medical needs of this vulnerable population," said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The FDA authorization also allows the administration of the therapy as a preventive measure in children who are exposed to the virus.
The therapy, however, is not a substitute for vaccination, Cavazzoni said.
A man shows a poster reading: "Against Passes. Stop the COVID-19 noose. Freedom" during a demonstration against the reinforced measures of the Belgium government to counter the latest spike of the coronavirus in Brussels, Belgium on Nov 21, 2021. (OLIVIER MATTHYS / AP)
Belgium
The authorities in Belgium decided on Friday to implement a slew of measures to take pressure off the country's healthcare system and prepare for the Omicron coronavirus variant's potential impact.
Indoor activities are now banned except for weddings, funerals and meetings in private dwellings. The face mask mandate in indoor public spaces will now apply from age six.
The Christmas break for kindergarten and primary school students will start a week earlier, on Dec 20.
The country's concertation committee met on Friday and said that people should limit social contacts as much as possible.
The Vaccination Task Force will accelerate efforts to vaccinate children aged 12 and under.
These measures will enter into force on Dec 4. The authorities will re-examine the epidemiological situation on Dec 20.
ALSO READ: S. Africa hit by fourth COVID-19 wave driven by Omicron
In this file photo taken on Dec 27, 2020, a health worker holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital in Cremona, Lombardy. (PIERO CRUCIATTI / POOL / AFP)
BioNTech
BioNTech should be able to adapt its coronavirus vaccine relatively quickly in response to the Omicron variant, and the next few weeks will show how urgently an upgrade is needed, its CEO Ugur Sahin told the Reuters Next conference on Friday.
Sahin said people should continue to seek the established shot, developed with Pfizer, as it very likely continues to protect against severe disease.
"I believe in principle at a certain timepoint we will need a new vaccine against this new variant. The question is how urgent it needs to be available," Sahin said.
He reiterated that a product relaunch could be achieved within about 100 days and said a redesign is already under way. But any confirmation of the existing shot's protection against severe disease could buy developers time for a more measured approach.
If third booster shots still prevent disease at an 85-90 percent rate "we would have more time to adapt a vaccine", he said.
Sahin reaffirmed his view, stated in a Reuters interview on Tuesday, that the new variant might infect vaccinated people but would likely prevent the need for hospital care. read more
"We expect that this new variant will evolve as an antibody escape variant. That means this variant might be able to infect vaccinated," Sahin said.
"We anticipate that infected people who have been vaccinated will still be protected against severe disease," Sahin added.
Sahin also said that mutations in the virus meant it was more likely that annual vaccinations would be the norm, as is the case with seasonal flu.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a ceremony at the Ministry of Citizenship, in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug 2, 2021. (ERALDO PERES / AP)
Brazil
Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered on Friday that a probe be opened into President Jair Bolsonaro for having said during a live broadcast on multiple social media platforms in October that COVID-19 vaccines may raise the chance of contracting AIDS.
The decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes came in response to a request from a Senate investigative committee, known in Portuguese as a CPI, which found in October that Bolsonaro committed nine crimes related to his widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including crimes against humanity.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, COVID-19 vaccines approved by health regulators are safe for most people, including those living with HIV, the virus that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome known as AIDS.
The CPI had already handed over its roughly 1,300-page report to the office of Brazil's prosecutor-general (PGR) in October, though few expect any significant action given that the nation's current top prosecutor was appointed by Bolsonaro.
In practice, Moraes' decision implies that he will be closely supervising the PGR probe, as the Supreme Court does not conduct its own investigations.
"In order for judicial supervision to be carried out in an effective and comprehensive manner, it is indispensable that documents be presented showing the status of the investigation in question," Moraes said.
A healthcare worker inoculates a child with a dose of the Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine at the Providencia school in Santiago, Chile on Sept 27, 2021, during the start of vaccinations in schools for children between ages 6 to 11. (ESTEBAN FELIX / AP)
Chile
Chile recorded the lowest daily COVID-19 positivity rate since Oct 20, after reporting a 2.51-percent rate on Friday, with 2,115 COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, to 1,768,584 cases in total, the Ministry of Health said.
In its daily report, the ministry also said there were 36 deaths related to the disease in the same period, bringing the death toll to 38,439.
The Santiago Metropolitan Region had a daily positivity rate of 2 percent, while in eight of Chile's 16 regions it was equal to or lower than 2 percent.
An inspector appointed by the exhibitors, wearing a sign on her back reading "COVID-Check", walks through Christmas market on Roncalliplatz near the cathedral in Cologne, Germany on Nov 22, 2021. (OLIVER BERG / DPA VIA AP)
Germany
The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could reach a "sad peak" in intensive care units (ICUs) across Germany around Christmas even if the measures just agreed were implemented immediately, acting Health Minister Jens Spahn said here on Friday.
According to the German Intensive Care Availability Register (DIVI), the number of COVID-19 patients requiring treatment in ICUs is nearing record levels and stood at 4,797 on Friday.
The country's seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants rose to 442.1, while daily infections continue to hit record highs with 74,352 COVID-19 cases reported within one day, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said.
"We have no time to lose, not a single day," RKI President Lothar Wieler said. The new Omicron variant is present in Germany, and could be even more contagious than the Delta variant.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban waves after delivering a speech during an event in Budapest on Oct 23, 2021.
(ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP)
Hungary
The Hungarian government will roll out a vaccination campaign across the country in the next six weeks, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said here on Friday.
"In the next month and a half, we will have vaccination action days in all localities of the country," Orban said in his weekly interview given to public radio MR1.
"I expect the number of those taking the booster shot to skyrocket," he added.
The six-week vaccination drive comes on the heels of a special vaccination week held between Nov 22 and Nov 28 but extended to Dec 5.
In the last two weeks, until Thursday night, one million shots had been given in the country, of which, 800,000 were booster shots and 115,000, the first jabs, according to Orban.
Ireland
The Irish government on Friday announced strict new limits on the hospitality sector and home visits to try to push down COVID-19 infection rates after officials said the new Omicron variant was likely to add to pressure on the health service.
Ireland has been reporting COVID-19 case numbers near record highs since early November, even though 91 percent of eligible people over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.
The death rate has been far lower than during earlier waves and case numbers have stabilized. But health officials are concerned that even if Omicron does not evade vaccines, it could significantly increase already high infection numbers.
"If Omicron takes hold and if it is more transmissible, the potential for a very serious crisis is obvious," Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a televised address, saying that he had received "very stark" advice from health officials.
"The risk associated with proceeding into the Christmas period without some restrictions… is just too high," Martin said.
Under the measures that will be in place from Tuesday until Jan 9, indoor events will have to operate at 50 percent capacity, a measure promoters say will make concerts unprofitable.
Bars and restaurants, which have been subject to various levels of restrictions since the start of the pandemic, must not accept bookings for more than six people and must only offer table service, the government said.
People should only welcome visitors from a maximum of three other households to their home, it said.
Nightclubs, which opened for the first time in over 18 months in October, will have to close under the new rules.
This undated image provided by Merck & Co shows their new antiviral medication against COVID-19. B
(MERCK & CO VIA AP)
Merck & Co
Merck & Co said on Friday it would supply Canada with up to 1 million courses of molnupiravir, its experimental oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of COVID-19.
The government of Canada has secured access to 500,000 courses in 2022, with options for up to 500,000 more, pending Health Canada's approval, the company said.
Merck said it had filed the final molnupiravir real-time application seeking approval in Canada last month.
Students are seen at the Universidad de Guadalajara as in-person learning returns after being halted amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Guadalajara state, Mexico, on Oct 4, 2021. (ULISES RUIZ / AFP)
Mexico
Mexico detected its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in a person who arrived in the country from South Africa on Nov. 21, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
According to a ministry statement, six days after arriving in Mexico, the fully-vaccinated South African businessman presented symptoms of COVID-19, was tested and found to have the Omicron variant.
The 51-year-old patient has been hospitalized in Mexico City.
"So far, the people who had contact with this first case have not registered symptoms, warning signs or positivity for the SARS-CoV-2 virus" that causes COVID-19, the ministry said.
Mexico's undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, said on Twitter that the patient has a "mild illness" and "his recovery prognosis is favorable."
A woman is administered a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Gaube comprehensive primary health care center in Kuje, Nigeria on Sept 1, 2021. (GBEMIGA OLAMIKAN / AP)
Nigeria
Nigeria will start vaccine booster shots from next week for COVID-19, a senior official said, after the country confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant among two travelers who arrived from South Africa last week.
Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said booster shots will be available from Dec 10 to those that have been fully vaccinated. Only 2.9 percent of Nigerians eligible to get vaccines have been inoculated so far.
The government plans a massive campaign to aim at half of its target population by the end of January to reach herd immunity.
It received about 5 million AstraZeneca shots in October from the COVAX global-sharing facility, both purchases and donations. Nigeria also had commitments for 11.99 million and 12.2 million doses of Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccines, respectively.
The government has purchased nearly 40 million Johnson & Johnson doses, to arrive in batches, it has said.
Shuaib said booster shots will be available for those that have "completed two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech or one dose of Johnson & Johnson."
READ MORE: EU urges daily travel reviews, booster shots over Omicron
Norway
Oslo has uncovered 12 more cases of the Omicron variant after a Christmas party in the Norwegian capital, bringing the total to 13, the city government said in a statement on Friday.
More cases are expected with more than 50 people testing positive to COVID-19 after a Scatec ASA event attended by 120 employees on Nov 26.
In this file photo taken on Oct 21, 2021, a healthcare worker administers a dose of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a vaccination center in the GUM State Department store in Moscow. (DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP)
Russia
Russia suffered the most fatalities of the COVID-19 pandemic in October, according to official data released Friday, adding to what a demographer says is on track to be the deadliest year since World War II.
There were 74,839 deaths associated with the virus in October, a 47 percent increase over the previous monthly high in July, according to Federal Statistics Service data published late Friday. Russia has had over 575,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Tunisia
A 23-year-old man from a sub-Saharan African country has been confirmed as Tunisia's first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the country's Health Minister Ali Mrabet said on Friday.
The man landed at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport from Istanbul, Turkey, Mrabet said in a statement carried on Al-Wataniya, the state's central television.
After testing positive for the virus at the airport, the man was sent to a local hotel where he would be subjected to mandatory quarantine, according to the official.
UK
The UK government is being urged by advisers to tell people to work from home as cases of the Omicron variant surge, The Guardian newspaper reports. Ministers are being warned to act now to avoid a significant wave of infections.
A technical briefing from the UK Health Security Agency found that 12 of the 22 known omicron cases in England up to Nov 30 were in fully vaccinated people, suggesting a potential ability to evade vaccines, according to The I newspaper.
The booster will be opened out to more groups by Dec 13, the NHS said but the timetable means that most under-40s will have to wait until after Christmas, the paper said.
To prioritize vaccinations, doctors have been told to delay routine health checks for older people and new patients, and to cut the number of medication reviews with the most vulnerable getting priority, according to The I.
Medical personnel provides medical assistance to a COVID-19 patient inside the intensive care unit in an hospital which treats patients with COVID-19 coronavirus in Kyiv on Nov 2, 2021. (SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP)
Ukraine
Ukraine tightened its border control measures on Friday to reduce the risk of importing the new COVID-19 Omicron variant, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine said in a statement.
In particular, Ukraine has imposed a travel ban on foreign citizens and stateless persons, who visited certain African countries and stayed there for 7 days or more in the last 14 days, the statement said.
The ban applies to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, according to the statement.
Separately, Yuri Lysyuk, head of the SBGS department for the organization of border control, said that soon the SBGS could require travelers who enter Ukraine from any country with the detected Omicron variant to self-quarantine.
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attends a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak on July 3, 2020 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. (FABRICE COFFRINI / POOL / AFP)
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization's chief scientist told the Reuters Next conference on Friday the Omicron variant could become dominant because it is highly transmissible, but that a different vaccine may not be needed.
Soumya Swaminathan also said it was too early to say whether Omicron is milder than other variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and cast doubt over its origin, saying it was far from certain it emerged in southern Africa.
"It is possible that it could become (the) dominant variant," Swaminathan said, adding that it was however impossible to predict. The Delta variant now accounts for 99 percent of infections globally, she said.
She said Omicron "was highly transmissible" and cited data from South Africa showing the number of cases doubling daily.
"How worried should we be? We need to be prepared and cautious, not panic, because we're in a different situation to a year ago," Swaminathan said in an interview.
She said the WHO could not at this stage say that Omicron was a mild variant, even if many infections so far have been associated with less severe symptoms or no symptoms at all.
"It does seem to be able to overcome some of the natural immunity from previous infection," the world health body's top scientist said, but added that vaccines did seem to be having an effect.
"The fact that they're not getting sick … that means the vaccines are still providing protection and we would hope that they would continue to provide protection," Swaminathan said.
Swaminathan was also cautious about the need to upgrade existing vaccines, noting that a booster of existing shots might be enough against Omicron.
"It's possible that the vaccines will work. It's possible that you may need initially an extra dose to boost immune response," she said.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe will start administering COVID-19 booster shots to frontline workers, people with chronic diseases, and the elderly with immediate effect, a senior Ministry of Health and Child Care official said Friday.
The announcement came as the country on Thursday confirmed its first case of the omicron variant that was detected in neighboring South Africa last week.
"Booster doses for frontline workers, those with chronic diseases and the elderly to commence with immediate effect," Robert Mudyiradima, the acting secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care said in a statement.
