New Coronavirus News from 22 Dec 2021

Early studies suggest a reduced risk of Covid-19 hospitalization when infected with Omicron compared to Delta [CNN, 22 Dec 2021]

By Jacqueline Howard

(CNN)Two new preprint papers add to the growing evidence that the Omicron coronavirus variant may be less likely to cause severe disease and hospitalization compared to the Delta variant.

Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization compared with Delta, suggests one study, released online Wednesday as a working paper by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. That research was based out of Scotland.

The other paper, posted Tuesday to the online server medrxiv.org, suggests that people with Omicron infections have had 80% lower odds of being admitted to the hospital compared with Delta infections. But once a patient was hospitalized, there was no difference in the risk of severe disease, according to that research, based out of South Africa.

Both studies include preliminary data and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The study out of Scotland included data on 23,840 Omicron cases and 126,511 Delta cases, from November 1 to December 19. The researchers -- from the University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland -- took a close look at the health outcomes among those Omicron infections compared with Delta infections. There were 15 hospital admissions among those with Omicron infections and 856 hospital admissions among Delta.

"Although small in number, the study is good news. The two thirds reduction in hospitalisation of double vaccinated young people compared to Delta indicates that Omicron will be milder for more people," James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford, who was not involved in either study, said in a written statement distributed by the UK-based Science Media Centre on Wednesday.

"The study is rigorous but it is early (thus might change a bit with more data and more studies will report in the weeks ahead). It should be noted that some South African scientists have been saying Omicron was milder for some time," Naismith said. "Although two thirds reduction is significant, Omicron can cause severe illness in the doubly vaccinated. Thus, if Omicron continues to double every few days, it could generate many more hospitalisations than Delta from the double vaccinated population."

The researchers found that the proportion of Omicron cases that were likely reinfections in people who have had Covid-19 before was more than 10 times that of Delta. The data also showed that having received a third dose of vaccine, or booster shot, was associated with a 57% reduction in the risk of symptomatic Omicron infection when compared with being at least 25 weeks out from completing a second dose.

"These early national data suggest that Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation when compared to Delta. Whilst offering the greatest protection against Delta, the third/booster dose of vaccination offers substantial additional protection against the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 for Omicron," the researchers wrote in the paper.

The other paper involved data on 161,328 Covid-19 cases reported nationally in South Africa between October 1 and December 6. The researchers -- from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town -- found that among people with Omicron infection, 2.5% were admitted to the hospital during that time compared with 12.8% of people with Delta infection.

The researchers wrote in their paper, "These are early data and findings may change as the epidemic progresses."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, presented this latest data from South Africa and Scotland at a White House briefing Wednesday -- adding that more research is needed to determine if similar results would emerge in the United States.

"In fact, it appears, that in the context of South Africa, there is a decrease in the severity compared to Delta -- both in the relationship and ratio between hospitalizations and the number of infections, the duration of hospital stay and the need for supplemental oxygen therapy," Fauci said Wednesday.

"Recently, literally yesterday, there was another paper that came out from Scotland, which appears to validate and verify the data that are in South Africa," Fauci said. "This is good news, however, we must wait to see what happens in our own population, which has its own demographic considerations."

Separate preliminary data out of the United Kingdom has shown a "moderate" reduction in hospitalization risk from the Omicron variant in England relative to Delta infections, according to a report published by the Imperial College COVID-19 response team on Wednesday.

The study, based on data from all PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in England between December 1 and December 14, was conducted by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, and Imperial College London. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

The study estimates the risk of being hospitalized for a day or longer due to the Omicron variant to be 40% to 45% lower than for the Delta variant.

"We find evidence of a reduction in the risk of hospitalization for Omicron relative to Delta infections, averaging over all cases in the study period," the report states.

"These reductions must be balanced against the larger risk of infection with Omicron, due to the reduction in protection provided by both vaccination and natural infection," the report cautions. "At a population level, large numbers of infections could still lead to large numbers of hospitalizations."

The study notes that individuals infected with Omicron after a documented previous infection are 50% to 60% less likely to be hospitalized, compared with people with no previous documented infection.

The report also notes that the risk of hospitalization "is similar for Omicron and Delta for people who test positive for infection and who previously received at least two vaccine doses, reflecting reduced vaccine efficacy against Omicron compared with Delta."

"However, the risk of hospitalization in vaccinated people remains significantly lower than for unvaccinated people," adds the report, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Overall, "this study finds that previous infection reduces the risk of hospitalization by around two thirds, indicating Omicron is milder if you have some immunity," Naismith, who was not involved in the report, said in another statement distributed by the Science Media Centre on Wednesday.

"However, the study suggests there is no reduction in the severity of Omicron compared to Delta for the doubly vaccinated, indicating that it is not milder," Naismith said. "This finding is surprising but is grounded in data. There is no report on the benefit of boosting."

Fauci says Jesse Watters should 'be fired on the spot' after Fox News host's 'kill shot' comments [NBC News, 22 Dec 2021]

By David K. Li

The conservative provocateur urged people to "ambush" the nation's top infectious disease doctor and to record "kill shot" confrontations.

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday called out the "crazy" threats made against him by Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters, saying the conservative provocateur should "be fired on the spot."

The nation's top infectious disease doctor, appearing on CNN's "New Day," was responding to comments Watters made over the weekend to the conservative, pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA.

Watters told the group to "ambush" Fauci in the streets and to record a rhetorical "kill shot."
DEC. 21, 202105:22

"That's horrible. I mean that is such a reflection of the craziness that goes on in society," Fauci said. "The only thing that I have ever done throughout these two years is to encourage people to practice good public health practices, to get vaccinated, to be careful in public settings, to wear a mask and for that you have some guy out there saying that people should be giving me a kill shot to ambush me?"

In his remarks to the far-right youth group, Watters appeared to link Fauci to wild conspiracy theories that connect the respected researcher to alleged biowarfare.

“Now you’re going for the kill shot. The kill shot with an ambush (is) deadly because he doesn’t see it coming,” Watters told the crowd.

“This is when you say, ‘Dr. Fauci, you funded risky research at a sloppy Chinese lab. The same lab that sprung this pandemic on the world. You know why people don’t trust you, don’t you?’ Boom, he is dead! He is dead! He's done!”

The CNN interviewer declined to play Watters' comments, fearing it could incite violence.

"I mean what kind of craziness is there in society these days? That’s awful that he said that.

And he’s going to go, very likely, unaccountable," Fauci said. "I mean whatever network he’s on is not going to do anything ... I mean that’s crazy. The guy should be fired on the spot.”

And a Fox News Channel representative made good on Fauci's prediction, as the network backed Watters' incendiary language.

“Based on watching the full clip and reading the entire transcript, it’s more than clear that Jesse Watters was using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions to Dr. Fauci about gain-of-function research and his words have been twisted completely out of context," according to an FNC statement to NBC News on Tuesday.

Fauci has become a reviled figure among far-right activists who view him as a symbol of federal efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic which has killed more than 810,000 Americans.

New Coronavirus News from 21 Dec 2021

China must share more data on virus origins: WHO chief [News Today, 21 Dec 2021]

Geneva: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there had been many failures during the Covid-19 pandemic due to a lack of rules or obligations under the WHO’s current 2005 International Health Regulations.

China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there had been “many failures” during the Covid-19 pandemic due to a lack of rules or obligations under the WHO’s current 2005 International Health Regulations.

We need to continue until we know the origins, we need to push harder because we should learn from what happened this time in order to (do) better in the future, Tedros told a news briefing for Geneva journalists.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of winter this year, Xi’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, has recorded a litany of haemorrhagic fever cases, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate.

Experts of the local Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said rodents are the main source of the infection and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease from spreading, Global Times reported.

Haemorrhagic fever is said to be a common infectious disease in the north. From October every year, some areas of Shaanxi Province enter the high incidence season of haemorrhagic fever.

In recent years, the virus institute of Shaanxi CDC confirmed the local infection of the virus in Xi’an city through a large number of field investigations and laboratory neutralization antibody detection and identification, the report said.

Experts said that haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, also known as epidemic haemorrhagic fever, is caused by Hantavirus, with rodents as the main source of infection.

Chinese Terracotta Warriors city battles Covid-19 and deadly fever [South China Morning Post, 21 Dec 2021]

By Guo Rui

More than half of China’s new Covid-19 cases have been detected in Xian, marking a new high for the northwestern city battling a twin onslaught of the coronavirus and deadly haemorrhagic fever.

The country reported 81 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Monday, 57 of them locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said.

Forty-two of the new local cases were found in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, setting a record for the Covid-19 outbreak there.

More than half of China’s new Covid-19 cases have been detected in Xian, marking a new high for the northwestern city battling a twin onslaught of the coronavirus and deadly haemorrhagic fever.

The country reported 81 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Monday, 57 of them locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said.

Forty-two of the new local cases were found in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, setting a record for the Covid-19 outbreak there.

Xian municipal authorities said the system crashed due to heavy traffic and advised the public to reduce usage unless unnecessary.

But a resident vented his frustration online, saying such advice was meaningless.

“It’s really a joke! What does ‘don’t show your health code unless necessary’ mean? Do we enjoy showing it? You should hurry to fix the system,” the user posted on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like messaging platform.

This came as the Xian clusters spilled over to four cities – Yanan and Xianyang in Shaanxi, Dongguan in southern Guangdong province and Beijing in the north.

Xian municipal authorities said the system crashed due to heavy traffic and advised the public to reduce usage unless unnecessary.

But a resident vented his frustration online, saying such advice was meaningless.
“It’s really a joke! What does ‘don’t show your health code unless necessary’ mean? Do we enjoy showing it? You should hurry to fix the system,” the user posted on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like messaging platform.

This came as the Xian clusters spilled over to four cities – Yanan and Xianyang in Shaanxi, Dongguan in southern Guangdong province and Beijing in the north.

National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng has said the general policy of “dynamic zero infection” should continue through the winter and spring, but urged authorities to avoid a “one size fits all” approach, so as to reduce disruptions to people’s lives.

Liang Wannian, the head of the NHC’s Covid-19 response expert panel, said local officials should depend on their own risk assessment and discretion in deciding whether to allow travel during the Lunar New Year – a traditional season for family reunions in China – or implement lockdowns.

However, tough restrictions will apply to high-risk areas such as border controls or Olympic venues, Liang said.

“In areas at high risk of epidemic [transmission], and special areas such as ports and borders, as well as areas where major events will be held, such as the upcoming Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics in Beijing, strict control measures should be maintained.”

China must share more data on virus origins: WHO chief [News Today, 21 Dec 2021]

Geneva: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there had been many failures during the Covid-19 pandemic due to a lack of rules or obligations under the WHO’s current 2005 International Health Regulations.

China must be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there had been “many failures” during the Covid-19 pandemic due to a lack of rules or obligations under the WHO’s current 2005 International Health Regulations.

We need to continue until we know the origins, we need to push harder because we should learn from what happened this time in order to (do) better in the future, Tedros told a news briefing for Geneva journalists.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of winter this year, Xi’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, has recorded a litany of haemorrhagic fever cases, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate.

Experts of the local Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said rodents are the main source of the infection and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease from spreading, Global Times reported.

Haemorrhagic fever is said to be a common infectious disease in the north. From October every year, some areas of Shaanxi Province enter the high incidence season of haemorrhagic fever.

In recent years, the virus institute of Shaanxi CDC confirmed the local infection of the virus in Xi’an city through a large number of field investigations and laboratory neutralization antibody detection and identification, the report said.

Experts said that haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, also known as epidemic haemorrhagic fever, is caused by Hantavirus, with rodents as the main source of infection.

How Omicron is hitting travel to Europe [CNN, 21 Dec 2021]

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill

(CNN) — Omicron is continuing to spread at an alarming rate across Europe and governments are once again being forced to make tough decisions in order to contain the highly contagious variant.
As more and more restrictions are brought in, travel to and across Europe is becoming increasingly difficult for tourists, particularly those from the UK, where cases have skyrocketed.

The Netherlands entered a strict lockdown on Sunday, with nonessential shops, hospitality venues and cultural institutions all closing and indoor gatherings limited to a maximum of two visitors.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the move as "unavoidable" due to the surge in infections around the country.

"The Netherlands is again shutting down. That is unavoidable because of the fifth wave that is coming at us with the Omicron variant," Rutte said during a news conference at the weekend.
The decision came just days after Germany announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all travelers arriving from the UK beginning on December 20.

Meanwhile, France has placed a ban on all nonessential visitors to and from the UK in a bid to ease the spread of the new variant. The move came as many UK tourists were preparing to travel for the start of the Alpine ski season.

"As the Omicron variant spreads extremely quickly in the United Kingdom, the French government has decided to re-implement compelling reasons for travels from and to the United Kingdom, and to reinforce mandatory tests at departures and arrivals," French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in statement last week.

On Saturday, more than 90,000 Covid-19 cases were reported in the UK for the second day in a row, including more than 10,000 Omicron cases.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a major incident in the capital on the same day due to the "huge surge" in cases, as well as an increase in hospital admissions.

Blow for UK
While government officials have stepped up a campaign to ensure all fully vaccinated adults receive a booster shot before the end of December, the new restrictions from France and Germany will no doubt be a major blow for the destination, with fears that other European countries may follow suit.

Meanwhile, both Greece and Italy have implemented restrictions requiring all visitors, including those from within the EU, to present a negative Covid-19 test before entering.

Although an antigen test taken no more than 24-hours before departure is permitted for entry into Italy, those visiting Greece must produce a negative PCR test taken in the past 48 hours.

Up until relatively recently, fully-vaccinated travelers arriving from Schengen countries could enter without having to take a Covid-19 test.

However, a number of European destinations, including Portugal, have re-introduced mandatory testing requirements for all visitors due to the new variant.

Denmark and Norway have also opted to introduce new Covid-19 restrictions over the past few days due to increasing infection rates, while all UK travelers aged over 12 who visit Cyprus are now required to take an airport PCR test on arrival and quarantine until they receive a negative result.

Deteriorating situation
In Denmark, public venues such as cinemas and concert halls have been shut, as well as popular amusement park Tivoli Gardens, while government officials have opted to close gyms and swimming pools in Norway, as well as ban the serving of alcohol in bars and restaurants.
During a conference earlier this month, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre noted that the country needed to "act fast and we need to act again," in order to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.

"For many this will feel like a lockdown, if not of society then of their lives and of their livelihoods," he added.

Over in Sweden, the vaccine passport exemption will be dropped for visitors from fellow Nordic countries Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland from December 21, which means those arriving from these destinations will have to present proof of vaccination on entry.

Swedish Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren has also advised anyone traveling to the country to take a Covid-19 test in advance due to the "deteriorating" situation.


"The spread of infection is increasing sharply. The new virus variant omicron makes it difficult to predict the spread of infection in the future," Hallengren said during a press conference last week, before telling residents to "be prepared to cancel" their Christmas plans if they display any Covid-19 symptoms and to "choose a smaller party" for any New Year's Eve celebrations.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an emergency meeting for Wednesday to "evaluate new measures that could be introduced in the coming weeks."

Bars and restaurants are required to close by 8 p.m. in Ireland, where more than half of new Covid-19 infections are believed to be Omicron cases as of December 20.

Since it first emerged in late November, Omicron has been detected in 89 countries, with coronavirus cases involving the variant doubling every 1.5 to three days according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Biden assures Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 that they can go ahead with holiday plans despite Omicron surge [CNN, 21 Dec 2021]

By Kevin Liptak, Nikki Carvajal, Jeremy Diamond and Maegan Vazquez

(CNN)President Joe Biden aimed to reassure vaccinated Americans that they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill, announcing a number of new efforts to combat a surge of Covid-19 cases in the United States.

"I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is, yes you can if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated, particularly if you've gotten your booster shot," Biden said in a White House speech Tuesday.

The speech, which came just days before Christmas, reflects Biden's renewed focus on the coronavirus pandemic as anxiety rises around the country at the steep spike in cases and concerns about whether new restrictive measures will be needed to limit the spread.

Biden emphasized repeatedly throughout the speech that the current moment is different than March 2020, when the coronavirus solidified its grip on the US.

"The other question folks are asking is, 'Are we going back to March 2020?' ... The answer is absolutely no. No," Biden said.

The President told vaccinated Americans they should feel comfortable celebrating the holidays as they planned if they take the proper precautions, but he also warned the tens of millions of Americans who have so far declined to get shots that they run a high risk of becoming ill or hospitalized. And he also invoked the name of his predecessor to encourage Americans to get their booster shot.

"I got my booster shot as soon as they were available," the President said, "and just the other day former President Trump announced he had gotten his booster shot."

"It may be one of the few things he and I agree on," Biden added. "People with booster shots are highly protected. Join them, join us."

Testing under scrutiny
During his speech, Biden announced the purchase of a half-billion at-home rapid Covid-19 tests, one of a series of new steps he unveiled as the country faces a potentially crippling wintertime surge of infections.

The 500 million new tests will be made available next month and will reach Americans through the mail, according to the White House.

"To be clear, we're not sending a test to every single home in the country," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during Tuesday's White House press briefing. "We are providing an opportunity, another opportunity or ability for people to ... go on a website and request a test if their preference is to get that test to their home. Not everybody will do that. But we want people who want to do that, who want to get tested, who want to request test that way to have that ability to do (it)."

The President told reporters after his speech that the current shortage of Covid-19 tests in the US is "not a failure," but rather a reflection of a dramatic surge in cases.

"No it's not," he said, "because Covid is spreading so rapidly."

"The alarms are going off," the President said, adding, "I don't think anybody anticipated this would be as rapid at spreading as it did ... then all of the sudden it was like everybody rushed to the counter was a big, big rush."

"I knew that was coming," Biden insisted, "so what I tried to do was meet with the companies to use the Defense Production Act to get a half a billion more tests."

Asked by another reporter what took so long to ramp up production of tests, Biden seemed irritated at the question.

"Come on, 'What took so long?'" he asked. "What took so long is it didn't take long at all."

Details on program still being worked out
The administration is still working to determine how many tests each household may request.

Senior administration officials were unable to provide any new details about exactly when the website to request the tests will launch and how quickly tests will be shipped out. Psaki said Tuesday that the expectation is that the website will be able to sustain a surge of incoming web traffic.

And a senior administration official said during a briefing with CNN Tuesday morning that the administration is still "working through all the details. And we'll have those in the coming weeks."

The official said the "first deliveries" of those tests will happen in January and that the website will launch "in January or around January as well." The official also said the White House is "working through all the details" when asked how Americans without internet access could secure tests.

The new test shipment scheme came during remarks meant to underscore the White House's plan to confront what is expected to be a large spike in cases driven by the now-dominant Omicron variant in the coming weeks. Already, cases are rising rapidly in areas around the country and hospitals are nearing capacity.

Lines for testing centers have stretched for blocks in certain areas, including the northeast, leading the White House to develop plans to open new federal testing sites in New York City before Christmas.

Distributing free at-home tests to all Americans was written off by the White House as recently as this month. Press secretary Jen Psaki scoffed earlier this month when asked if tests should be free and given out, available everywhere.

"Should we just send one to every American?" she asked.

But on Tuesday in the briefing room, Psaki expressed some regret about her earlier comments.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't leave this podium and wish I would have said something with greater context or a more precision or additional information," Psaki said.

"There was a lot of good questioning on testing, and during that briefing, I conveyed a lot of information about our expansion of testing, about the 15 million tests that we were making available about the 20,000 free testing sites," she continued. "Should I have included that additional context?... Yes, going back I wish I would have done that."

New federal Covid-19 efforts
Among the President's new initiatives is a plan to prepare 1,000 military service members to deploy to overburdened hospitals across the country in January and February, administration officials said. Those service members will include doctors, nurses, medics and other military medical personnel.

An official said, "God willing" the full 1,000 wouldn't be needed, "but if we do, they are ready and they're mobilized."

Biden also announced new vaccination sites and increased vaccine access, and will deploy hundreds of additional federal vaccinators.

Though demand for vaccines has dwindled in recent months, the surge caused by the Delta variant earlier this year did lead to increased demand for vaccinations in some of the hardest hit areas.

Biden also addressed FEMA efforts to expand hospital capacity and to pre-position medical supplies in places where stocks may run low in the coming weeks.

In his remarks, the President acknowledged a likely rise in cases -- including among vaccinated people -- but emphasized the drastically different outcomes for those with shots and those unprotected by vaccines.

Biden and his team have been adamant that federal lockdown recommendations aren't in the cards this time. And in his remarks, Biden focused on steps primarily to forestall a crippling of the US public health system than on efforts to fully stop the spread of the virus.

The White House plan announced Tuesday does not ship tests to every American; instead people would request the tests online instead. Those who utilize them will not have to report their results to public health agencies, officials said.

Pressed on that shift, a senior administration official insisted that the new plan "builds" on the administration's previous testing initiatives and pointed to increased supply.

The official also pointed out that "demand for tests ... has spiked now" amid the Omicron surge and the holiday season and said that the government's purchase of 500 million tests is an extra layer on top of existing commercial supply.

The administration had already announced a plan requiring health insurance providers to reimburse plan-holders for the cost of at-home tests; that initiative remains in place next year.