Omicron 'five times' more likely to reinfect than Delta – latest updates

Covid-19 has infected more than 273M people and killed over 5.3M worldwide. Here are some of the latest coronavirus-related developments:

The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19 percent, Imperial College said in a statement, noting that their study had not yet been peer reviewed.
Reuters

The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19 percent, Imperial College said in a statement, noting that their study had not yet been peer reviewed.

Friday, December 17, 2021

Study: Omicron more likely to reinfect than Delta, no milder

The risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is more than five times higher and it has shown no sign of being milder than Delta, a study by Imperial College London has showed.

The results were based on UK Health Security Agency and National Health Service data on people who tested positive for Covid-19 in a PCR test in England between November 29 and December 11.

"We find no evidence (for both risk of hospitalisation attendance and symptom status) of Omicron having different severity from Delta," the study said, although it noted that data on hospitalisations remains very limited.

UK reports third consecutive record of daily cases

The British government has reported 93,045 new cases, a third consecutive record daily tally, as the Omicron variant fuels a surge in infections across the country.

The latest data brings the total number of infections during the pandemic to more than 11.1 million, while the UK also registered a further 111 deaths from the virus, taking the death toll to more than 147,000.

Canada lifts travel ban from African nations

Canada has announced the lifting of a ban on foreign travellers from 10 African countries, while reimposing testing and warning that the Omicron variant risks quickly overwhelming hospitals.

The travel restriction on flights from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt will end at 0459 GMT on Sunday (11:59 PM on Saturday), Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a news conference.

Denmark to shut down public venues as virus infections rise

Denmark's prime minister has that theatres, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries across the country must close down under new restrictions.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the measures also require stores smaller than 2,000 square meters and restaurants to limit their number of customers. Restaurants must serve their last meals and alcoholic beverages at 10 PM and close at 11 PM.

Switzerland targets unvaccinated with new curbs

Switzerland will step up anti-Covid measures with a return to working from home and curbs on the unvaccinated, as the country battles an intense fifth wave of the virus.

Private gatherings will be limited to 10 people, including children, if anyone among the group is not vaccinated or cannot show proof of recovery.

WHO approves Novavax vaccine for emergency use

The World Health Organization has given emergency approval to a vaccine made by US-based Novavax and the Serum Institute of India.

The vaccine, known as CovavaxTM, is the ninth to be granted an emergency use authorisation from the UN health agency.

The approval marks a vote of confidence for Novavax that could also mean the shots will be accepted by some countries that only admit travellers vaccinated with WHO-backed jabs.

South Africa to donate 2 million J&J shots to African countries

South Africa has said it will donate roughly 2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine to other African countries.

The shots will be made available over the next year through a medical supplies platform set up by the African Union (AU).

AU Covid-19 envoy Strive Masiyiwa said the 2,030,400 donated doses would be distributed to the lowest-income countries as quickly as possible.

France clears vaccination for all children aged 5-11

French ethics body CCNE has approved vaccination against Covid-19 for all children aged 5-11, BFM television reports.

South Africa seeing slight increase in deaths

South Africa is seeing a slight increase in Covid-19 deaths in an ongoing fourth infection wave but off a low base, a senior disease expert said.

"Also starting to see a slight increase in deaths nationally, but once again this level is very much lower even than the baseline period we were seeing between the second and third waves," Michelle Groome from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases told a news conference.

Health officials said infection rates are soaring across South Africa as a result of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but fewer people have died or required hospital treatment compared to previous waves of Covid.

Sweden to reintroduce support measures for companies

Sweden will reintroduce some economic support measures for companies to help them get through the latest stage of the pandemic, news agency TT said, amid a surge in new infections of the virus.

The measures agreed between the Social Democrat government and the opposition include support for lost income for very small firms and subsidies for workers on shorter hours, TT said, quoting opposition Moderate Party finance spokeswoman Elisabeth Svantesson.

EU leaders: Jabs, boosters 'vital' against Omicron

EU leaders said vaccinations and booster shots would be vital to counter the Omicron coronavirus variant as countries stepped up restrictions to slow its startling spread.

The EU summit they were participating in also emphasised the need for "coordinated efforts" based on science, amid go-it-alone measures applied notably by Italy.

The joint conclusion, swiftly adopted at the beginning of the one-day gathering, underlined the urgency Omicron has injected into European policy-making just three weeks after South African researchers detected the strain.

Brazil registers 124 virus-related deaths

Brazil registered 124 Covid-19 deaths and 3,720 additional cases, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry, though the statistics were incomplete as six of the nation's 27 federative units failed to provide fully updated numbers following a Friday hacking incident.

The South American country has now registered a total of 617,395 coronavirus deaths and 22,204,941 total confirmed cases. 

Pubs, parties push Australia's Covid cases to record levels

Australian authorities have rushed to track down hundreds who attended a Taylor Swift album party in Sydney last week that has become a super-spreader event as cases in the country hit a new pandemic high for the second straight day.

Infections, including the new, more transmissible Omicron variant, have been spreading in pubs and nightclubs as social distancing curbs ease after higher vaccination levels.

Despite the surge in cases, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia had entered "a different phase of the pandemic" and ruled out lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus.

"Case numbers are no longer the metric ... the real measure is what does it mean for serious illness, (intensive care), hospitalisation, pressures on the hospital system," Morrison said during a media briefing.

He said initial signs suggest the Omicron variant could be less severe than other variants.

At least 97 cases, including some potential Omicron ones, have been detected among people who attended the Taylor Swift theme party. 

More than 600 people who checked in at the venue must test and self-isolate but officials flagged there could have been more guests.

Moderna jab has slight non-serious heart problems

The Moderna Covid jab carries a slight risk of usually non-serious heart problems, a study of the entire population of Denmark has found.

Incidences of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) after mRNA jabs from Pfizer and Moderna had been noted in vaccine safety reports and small-scale studies.

These reports led France, Denmark, and other countries to advise against the jab for people under 30.

It said that vaccination with Pfizer was only associated with an increased risk among women.

While it confirms the risks, it insists they are slight and that the risks posed by Covid infection are greater.

It noted that among the vaccinated who developed myocarditis or pericarditis "only a few" had severe outcomes.

EU Commission recommends booster after six months

European Commission has recommended vaccinated people receive booster doses no more than six months after their initial shots, with a further three month grace period for their Covid travel passes to be valid.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had told EU leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels that the EU executive would present a delegated act on Covid passes.

"We will ensure a common approach on boosters and the length of validity of the certificate. So boosters are recommended at the latest six months after full vaccination, and the certificate will remain valid for a grace period of three months beyond this."

US body recommends Pfizer, Moderna over J&J

A panel of outside advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has voted to recommend Americans choose to receive one of the other two authorised Covid-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson's shot, due to rare but sometimes fatal cases of blood clotting.

The CDC said that the rate of such incidents is higher than previously estimated, both in women and men. The agency has identified more than 50 cases of TTS in the U.S., about 3.83 cases per million J&J doses administered.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization voted unanimously to make the recommendation in favor of the vaccines made by Moderna Inc and Pfizer/BioNTech over the J&J shot. The regulator still needs to sign off on the guidance.

Six Premier League called off due to Omicron

The Premier League has postponed six more matches due to the wave of coronavirus infections hitting Britain, but said it intended to "continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible" as calls for a circuit break intensified.

Leicester's scheduled match against Tottenham was postponed just hours before kick-off.

Five more games scheduled for this weekend have also been postponed due to outbreaks at Manchester United, Brentford, Norwich and Watford.

United's home clash with Brighton, Brentford's trip to Southampton, Watford's meeting with Crystal Palace and West Ham's fixture against Norwich have all been called off along with Leicester's visit to Everton.

For the second consecutive day, record numbers of Covid-19 cases were recorded in Britain as the Omicron variant runs riot, with fears growing that the crisis could derail the football season.

WHO makes recommendations for mixing vaccines

The World Health Organization has issued interim recommendations for mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturers for both the second dose and booster shots.

Depending on availability, mRNA vaccines, such as those developed by Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc can be used as subsequent doses after initial doses of AstraZeneca's vectored vaccine and vice versa, the global health body said.

Viral vector vaccines contain instructions for making coronavirus antigens, while mRNA vaccines use a code from SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, to prompt an immune response in recipients. Inactivated vaccines take the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inactivate or kill it using chemicals, heat, or radiation.

The guidance has been developed based on advice from WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on vaccines earlier this month.

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