COVID-19 testing site is seen in Times Square on Dec 3, 2021, in New York. (YUKI IWAMURA / AP)
LONDON – Most of the 43 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant identified in the United States so far were in people who were fully vaccinated, and a third of them had received a booster dose, according to a US report published on Friday.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that of the 43 cases attributed to Omicron variant, 34 people had been fully vaccinated. Fourteen of them had also received a booster, although five of those cases occurred less than 14 days after the additional shot before full protection kicks in.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found through testing in about 22 states so far after first being identified in southern Africa in late November
While the numbers are very small, they add to growing concerns that current COVID-19 vaccines may offer less protection against the highly transmissible new variant.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found through testing in about 22 states so far after first being identified in southern Africa in late November.
Among the Omicron cases, 25 were in people aged 18 to 39 and 14 had traveled internationally. Six people had previously been infected with the coronavirus.
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Most of them only had mild symptoms such as coughing, congestion, and fatigue, the report said, and one person was hospitalized for two days. Other symptoms reported less frequently including nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, diarrhea and loss of taste or smell.
The CDC said that while many of the first reported Omicron cases appear to be mild, a lag exists between infection and more severe outcomes. Symptoms would also be expected to be milder in vaccinated persons and those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Shoppers, some wearing face coverings, cross Oxford Street in central London on Dec 4, 2021, as compulsory mask-wearing in shops has been reintroduced in England. (DANIEL LEAL / AFP)
Britain
Britain reports 58,194 new coronavirus cases, reaching levels not seen since early January, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,719,165, according to official figures released Friday.
The country also reported a further 120 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 146,255, with 7,413 COVID-19 patients still in hospital.
The latest data came as another 448 cases of the Omicron COVID variant have been reported in Britain, taking the total cases found in the country to 1,139.
A pedestrian walks past closed stores on Storget street in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 15, 2020. (CARSTEN SNEJBERG / BLOOMBERG)
Denmark
Denmark has now recorded more than a thousand cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant after a 60 percent jump in one day, prompting health authorities to again urge Danes to vaccinate.
Denmark, which tests and sequences more than most other countries, has registered 1,280 Omicron cases in total, SSI, the country’s institute for infectious diseases, said in a statement on Friday. That’s up from 796 cases a day earlier and up from 18 cases a week ago.
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“The number of Omicron cases has increased sharply since yesterday, so unfortunately the spread is very fast right now,” Henrik Ullum, the head of SSI, said in the statement. “Even though there are indications that the vaccines don’t work so well against omicron, we expect that the vaccines still protect people from falling seriously ill.”
Finland
Finland gave a special, temporary authorization to a coronavirus vaccine for minks produced by Zoetis Inc and VMRD Inc in a bid to inoculate the animals and protect its fur farmers.
The announcement comes just two months after the industry decided to organize an inoculation program using a domestically developed jab, the first such program in the European Union. Minks are known to be particularly susceptible to the virus.
The Zoetis and VMRD product has been in use in the US, where its safety and effectiveness have been studied in field trials, but lacks wider permission in the European Union, the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea said on Friday.
Denmark last year culled 17 million fur animals after concerns emerged that a mutated form of the virus was spreading through its farms, sparking an inquiry into the government’s actions.
Germany
Cases in Germany are on the decline. The nation recorded a total of 53,697 new cases, compared with 61,288 the day before, according to the country’s public health authority RKI.
Reported new deaths associated with the virus rose by 510, bringing the total to 105,506. The 7-day incidence rate fell to 402.9 per 100,000 people.
People wait in the observation area after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Vaccination Centre of Hope at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, Nov 30, 2021. (NARDUS ENGELBRECHT / AP)
South Africa
Omicron is now the dominant coronavirus variant in Cape Town, the South African Medical Research Council said, citing wastewater analyses.
The variant was found in 11 of 12 wastewater samples collected in Cape Town on Nov 30, the council said in a statement on Friday. The Delta variant was only dominant at one wastewater plant in the city, it said.
Switzerland
Switzerland is considering new measures to fight the pandemic, including closing indoor restaurants and fitness centers as well as mandating people to work from home, as it seeks to counter a surge in new infections.
The government and regional authorities are discussing two options and want to be in a position to decide quickly should the situation deteriorate further. One option would limit entry to restaurants and museums and other public indoor venues to those who’ve been inoculated or have recovered from the virus. An additional negative test will have to be shown for discos and bars.
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The other option would effectively be a partial lockdown, closing restaurants for indoor dining, gyms and discos. The potential for a wider lockdown was also discussed.
The deliberations come as Switzerland, with a population of about 8.5 million, reported almost 70,000 new cases since it announced its latest efforts to curb the spread a week ago. Those measures took effect on Monday. A day later, the government called in the armed forces to assist hospitals with patient care, transport and vaccinations.
