People wait to be tested for 'COVID-19 at a facility in Soweto, South Africa, on Dec 2, 2021. (DENIS FARRELL / AP)
JOHANNESBURG / OTTAWA / BERLIN / BRUSSELS / LONDON / WASHINGTON / NICOSIA / ATHENS / LISBON / ACCRA / COPENHAGEN / TIRANA / BRASILIA / PANAMA CITY / CAPE TOWN / ZURICH / PRAGUE – South Africa is being hit by a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant which has been detected in seven of the country's nine provinces, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said on Friday.
Phaahla told a media briefing that he hoped that the variant could be managed without causing too many deaths.
He urged South Africans to get fully vaccinated, adding that the country could manage the fourth wave without stricter lockdown restrictions over Christmas.
"We can still manage this in a manner where government doesn't have to invoke serious restrictions over the next few days if we all just do our basic duties of the safety measures, but also if more and more of us who are eligible … approach their nearest vaccination sites," Phaahla said.
Top scientist Michelle Groome of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said at the briefing the country was facing an "unprecedented rise" in infections over a short time due to Omicron.
The infections were also moving from the younger age cohort into older people, she said.
Meanwhile, a group of South African health bodies said on Thursday that the Omicron poses a threefold higher risk of reinfection than the currently dominant Delta variant and the Beta strain.
The South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) and the NICD said the latest findings "provide epidemiological evidence for Omicron's ability to evade immunity from prior infection".
Their statement was issued after a group of South African health organizations published a paper on medrxiv.org as a pre-print, meaning the work was not yet certified by peer review.
Earlier in the day, microbiologist Anne von Gottberg at NICD had echoed the same views at an online news conference hosted by the World Health Organization, saying South Africa was seeing an increase in COVID-19 reinfections due to Omicron.
A nurse prepares a syringe before jabbing a resident in Sukth village, about 33 kilometers west of Tirana, Albania on Nov 16, 2021. (FRANC ZHURDA / AP)
Albania
Albania will ban arrivals from six African countries as of Friday, due to the threat from the new Omicron variant, the Technical Committee of Experts on the coronavirus in Albania announced at a press conference on Thursday.
The Committee has recommended a three-week ban on arrivals in Albania from six African countries including Kenya, Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Senegal and South Africa.
In addition, Albanian nationals returning from these destinations will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Brazil
Brazil's capital Brasilia on Thursday confirmed the presence of two cases of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, raising the country's total number of Omicron cases to five, including three previously detected in Sao Paulo.
The governor of the Federal District, Ibaneis Rocha, confirmed that one case involved a passenger who arrived in Brazil from South Africa, was tested for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Nov 29, and turned out to have Omicron.
The patient has been isolating at home since landing in Brasilia, despite showing no symptoms of the disease.
People wear face masks as they walk, in Regent Street, in London on Nov 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Britain
Britain registered 53,945 new COVID-19 infections, the highest since July 17, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,329,074, according to official figures released Thursday.
The country also reported a further 141 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 145,281, with 7,644 COVID-19 patients still in hospital.
The latest data came as the country confirmed another 10 Omicron coronavirus variant cases, bringing the total number of people with the strain identified in Britain to 42.
In another development, COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna that use mRNA technology provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when given 10-12 weeks after the second dose, a British study published on Thursday has found.
The "COV-Boost" study was cited by British officials when they announced that Pfizer and Moderna were preferred for use in the country's booster campaign, but the data has only been made publicly available now.
The study found that six out of the seven boosters examined enhanced immunity after initial vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, while all seven increased immunity when given after two doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine.
In this file photo taken on Aug 9, 2021,
people pass signs indicating the entrance to the London Bridge Vaccination Center in London. (TOLGA AKMEN / AFP)
"A third dose will be effective for many of the vaccines we've tested and in many different combinations," Professor Saul Faust, an immunologist at the University of Southampton and the trial's lead, told reporters.
The study found that a full dose or half dose of Pfizer or a full dose of Moderna gave a very effective boost to both antibody and T-cell levels, regardless of whether the person initially received Pfizer or AstraZeneca.
When AstraZeneca, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Curevac were given as boosters, they increased antibody levels for either initial vaccine, albeit to a smaller degree. However, while Valneva boosted antibodies in people initially vaccinated with AstraZeneca, it did not provide a boost for Pfizer.
The study found that booster shots also helped to generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants, which may play a key role in longer-term protection.
Canada
The town of Durham in the central Canadian province of Ontario has recorded a case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the local health authority said in a tweet on Thursday.
The person involved had traveled to one of the 10 countries in southern Africa that Ottawa had identified as high risk. The announcement brings to 10 the number of people in Canada diagnosed with the new variant.
Meanwhile, Toronto Public Health on Thursday announced a COVID-19 outbreak at the provincially run Toronto East Detention Centre with one suspected case of the Omicron variant.
The Durham Region Health Department is investigating the infection, Toronto Public Health said in a statement.
There is no evidence of transmission within the setting at this time, it said, adding it was working closely with the facility and the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General to ensure appropriate measures were taken to minimize risk to staff and inmates.
Cyprus
Cyprus is further tightening checks on all incoming passengers over the age of 12, requiring a mandatory PCR test on arrival, Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said on Thursday.
Travelers arriving by air have to take the PCR test regardless of whether they have a health SafePass, denoting that they have recovered from a COVID-19 infection, are fully vaccinated or have a negative test for the coronavirus.
Passengers entering from ports for a short visit, mostly tourists arriving by cruise ships, must have a negative PCR certificate within 72 hours and will also be required to take a rapid antigen test on disembarkation without any cost to them.
Hadjipantelas said the measures will be effective from Dec 6 to Jan 10, 2022, when the epidemiological situation will be reviewed.
Flags of the European Union flutter in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on March 10, 2021. (ARMANDO BABANI / AFP)
European Union
The European Union's public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe within a few months, but no cases of severe disease had yet been identified in the region.
The estimate could lend weight to preliminary information about the very high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, above that of the Delta variant, which before Omicron was considered the most contagious of the main coronavirus strains.
"Based on mathematical modelling conducted by ECDC, there are indications that Omicron could cause over half of all SARS-CoV-2 infections in the EU/EEA within the next few months," the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement.
The EU and European Economic Area (EEA) include the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Europe has so far recorded 79 cases of the Omicron variant first detected in southern Africa last month, the ECDC said.
Half of those cases were asymptomatic and the other half showed only mild symptoms. There were no cases featuring severe disease, hospitalization, or death.
Of cases that have data on age and vaccination status, the majority were young and fully inoculated, it said.
The ECDC provided no further details, but noted that as the people concerned were travellers, they could also be assumed to be healthier than the general population.
ALSO READ: EU urges daily travel reviews, booster shots over Omicron
Finland
Finland confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant on a person who had returned from Sweden.
Other people traveling with the person had also tested positive for the coronavirus, but the variant was not yet confirmed from their samples.
People queue up in front of a coronavirus testing station on Nov 24, 2021 in Berlin, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
(JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP)
Germany
German health authorities on Thursday reported the first confirmed case of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the capital Berlin, only days after several cases were detected in southern states of Europe's most populous country.
Dilek Kalayci, health senator in the state government of Berlin, said there were also several more suspected cases of the new Omicron strain in the city of 3.6 million people.
On Wednesday, the public health office in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said four people had tested positive for the Omicron variant even though they were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. They had only mild symptoms.
On Saturday, two cases of the new Omicron variant were detected in the southern German state of Bavaria.
Meanwhile, Germany on Thursday imposed restrictions on the unvaccinated as it sought to break a dramatic surge in daily coronavirus infections exacerbated by the discovery of the Omicron strain.
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz agreed with leaders of Germany's 16 states to bar the unvaccinated from access to all but the most essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and bakeries.
They also agreed to pass legislation in the national parliament to make vaccination mandatory.
"The situation is very serious," Merkel said during a news conference with Scholz, who is expected to be elected as chancellor by the Bundestag (lower house) next week. "The number of infections has stabilized, but on a far too high a level."
Merkel said an ethics committee will be asked to draft legislation to make vaccination mandatory and the Bundestag would debate and vote on the disputed measure in February at the latest.
Ghana
Ghana's foremost medical research institution announced Thursday a confirmation of 34 cases of the Omicron variant in the country.
In a statement, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) said it detected the virus in 34 out of the 120 samples collected from travelers arriving at the Kotoka International Airport between Nov. 21 and 24.
"The positive cases constitute 28 percent of the total number tested, and these are the first imported cases in Ghana," the statement said.
A pedestrian wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walks in front of a mural, at a metro station in Athens, Greece on Nov 15, 2021. (THANASSIS STAVRAKIS / FILE / AP)
Greece
Greece has detected the first COVID-19 Omicron variant case in the country, Health Minister Thanos Plevris said on Thursday.
"The case concerns a Greek citizen from South Africa who is in Crete. All quarantine and tracking contacts protocols have been implemented," he told Greek national broadcaster ERT.
The Greek man, who is a permanent resident in the African country, arrived at the Greek airport on Nov 26. He was vaccinated and had mild symptoms. Initial tests were negative, but a PCR test on Nov 29 showed he was positive to the Omicron variant.
This file photo taken on June 4, 2021 shows a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Paris, France. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
Moderna Inc
Moderna says it could know how effective its vaccine is against the new omicron strain in a little more than a week, co-founder Robert Langer said at the Sohn Hearts and Minds Investment Leaders conference in Sydney.
“I certainly expect it will be somewhat effective,” he said, according to a report in AFR. “Then Moderna you know’s also been working on other strategies round the clock to effect this as well.”
Pfizer said Thursday that it would have similar information about the vaccine it developed with BioNTech in two to three weeks.
Norway
Oslo is heading back to working from home and using face masks after an outbreak at a Christmas party raised the prospect of a jump in Omicron variant infections.
Home office will now be required for part of the week in Norway’s capital and 21 other municipalities, while face masks must be worn in shops, public transport, bars and restaurants, Health and Care Services Minister Ingvild Kjerkol told reporters on Thursday.
Bars will have to serve customers at tables, guests will need to register to receive notices of infection exposure and limits will be placed on events held inside.
The restrictions come after a case of Omicron was detected and more are feared among more than 50 people that tested positive in an outbreak in Oslo.
Working from home, the use of face masks and limiting the number of contacts for adults are now recommended nationwide.
The cases of new variant were detected after a Christmas party held by renewable power producer Scatec ASA, E24 reported, citing infection control physician Tine Ravlo.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health is now examining samples to determine how many are a result of the new variant, it said. All the participants were recommended to test before attending and had a high vaccination coverage.
ALSO READ: GSK says tests show antibody drug works against Omicron
This file photo taken on Nov 17, 2020 shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes with the logo of US biotech company Novavax. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Novavax Inc
Novavax Inc said on Thursday it could begin commercial manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine tailored for the Omicron coronavirus variant in January next year, while it tests whether or not its current vaccine works against the variant.
Laboratory data expected in the coming weeks will show whether antibodies from individuals who have previously received Novavax's COVID-19 shot can neutralize the variant, according to the company.
Novavax also said it has started developing an Omicron-specific spike protein antigen and will begin laboratory tests of a new vaccine to target the variant in a few weeks.
A woman is inoculated with the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, in Taboga Island, Panama on May 21, 2021. (LUIS ACOSTA / AFP)
Panama
Panama on Thursday said it would temporarily ban the entry of travelers from eight African countries due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The restriction applies to travelers who have been to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe or Malawi within a two-week period, Panama's government said in a statement.
Panamanians and residents of the country who are vaccinated must present a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving in the country, while those who are not inoculated must place themselves in "preventative quarantine," the government said.
Many other countries around the world have imposed travel curbs since South Africa announced last week it had detected the new coronavirus variant.
Portugal
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday that he will not declare a new "state of emergency"– the highest level of civil protection alert – even if the country doubles the daily cases of COVID-19 until Christmas.
"Eight thousand cases would still be short of what we had a year ago and, above all, with a big difference: a year ago, the amount we tested today was not tested," he told journalists.
According to Rebelo de Sousa, at this time of the pandemic "what matters is the number of hospitalized patients, the number of people in intensive care and the number of deaths," and not just the number of people infected with mild symptoms.
He said that in these indicators Portugal has achieved "a trend of stability" because "vaccination is massively supported by the Portuguese."
Roche Holding AG
Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG has developed PCR tests that can detect the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which would help countries monitor the spread of the new strain.
Roche said Friday its recently acquired TIB Molbiol unit is introducing three such tests for research use only. The company also said it checked its existing Covid diagnostics, and all of them can detect the disease when a patient has the Omicron variant.
The Swiss drugmaker concluded its purchase of TIB Molbiol on Wednesday, for an undisclosed price. The Berlin-based company came up with a PCR test for Covid in January 2020, within weeks of the first reported cases of COVID-19.
Slovakia
Slovakia reported 15,278 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic broke out, health ministry data showed on Friday.
The country of 5.5 million has 3,404 people hospitalised with the illness, including 630 in intensive care.
Slovakia has one of European Union’s lowest rates of vaccination uptake.
Switzerland
The Swiss cantons of Geneva and Vaud have placed 2,000 people, most of them children, into quarantine after two cases of the Omicron variant were detected at an international school.
Geneva, a hub for international diplomats and home to the World Health Organization (WHO) which last week classified Omicron as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern", had previously confirmed one case in an individual who had returned from South Africa and another suspected case linked to the same individual.
"Following two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant which attended the Châtaigneraie campus of the International School of Geneva this week, the cantonal medical services of the cantons of Vaud and Geneva have jointly taken the decision to quarantine all of the students and campus staff for ten days," Geneva health authorities said in a statement late on Thursday.
Switzerland has identified a handful of cases of the new variant spread across five cantons and imposed travel bans from southern Africa and quarantine requirements on arrivals from 23 countries including Japan, Britain and Canada.
Authorities said 1,600 of those quarantined in Vaud and Geneva were children. Alongside students, parents and siblings would also need to take a test to check for the variant.
The health authority did not say whether the new quarantine measures were related to the previously confirmed case, but said the two confirmed cases were "closely related within the family to a positive person returning from a trip to South Africa."
Patients wait to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at a mobile vaccination station on 59th Street below Central Park on Dec 2, 2021, in New York. (JOHN MINCHILLO / AP)
United States
The second US case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant was found in the midwestern state of Minnesota on Thursday.
The variant was discovered in an adult male resident who had recently visited New York City for the Anime NYC convention, the Minnesota Health Department said in a news release. He is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot in November.
The man developed mild symptoms on Nov 22, one day after the conclusion of the convention held at the Javits Center from Nov 19 to 21. He was tested Nov. 24 and advised to isolate himself from others; his symptoms have since resolved.
Meanwhile, New York State also confirmed five cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, said Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday.
The first US Omicron case was confirmed in California Wednesday in a person who recently returned to San Francisco from a trip to South Africa.
A traveler adjusts his face mask as he walks through the arrivals area at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Nov 30, 2021. (JAE C. HONG / FILE / AP)
In another development, new rules requiring international air travelers arriving in the United States to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel will take effect Monday at 12:01 am ET (0501 GMT), US officials confirmed Thursday.
Under current rules, vaccinated international air travelers can present a negative test result obtained within three days of their day of departure. Unvaccinated travelers currently must get a negative COVID-19 test within one day of departure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday that beginning Monday "all air travelers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, will be required to show a negative pre-departure COVID-19 viral test taken the day before they board their flight to the United States."
The tighter testing timeline "provides an added degree of public health protection as scientists continue to assess the Omicron variant," the White House said in a factsheet released Thursday.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean Vice-President and Minister of Health and Child Care Constantino Chiwenga on Thursday confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant in the country.
He urged the nation to step up vigilance and adherence to COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures to curb a fourth wave of the pandemic.
The confirmation came as the number of daily cases rose sharply to 712 on Wednesday from 40 on Sunday.
