(Bloomberg) — The reproductive number, a measure of how fast the virus spreads, has surged to a record in Gauteng, the center of South Africa’s omicron variant outbreak. The reproductive number rose to 2.33 in the province, Michelle Groome, head of health surveillance for the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said Friday. That means each infected person on average infects another 2.33.
India reported its first cases of the omicron variant, but one prominent expert said it may not be as deadly as the earlier delta surge in the country. South Korea is urging people to work from home, and China identified infections in Beijing and Shanghai.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has delayed its return-to-office plans for workers in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Almost two dozen municipalities in Norway, including Oslo, are requiring remote work, and Switzerland is considering a similar measure.
Key Developments:
Virus Tracker: Cases top 264 million; deaths pass 5.2 million
What we know about omicron: QuickTake
Omicron up close: South Africa’s experts tell their stories
Omicron lands in U.S. with hospitals still battered by Covid
Get a booster now and don’t wait for omicron shot, experts say
Merck Covid pill rules risk drug missing hardest-hit Americans
What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
Spread Rate at Record in S. Africa Epicenter (5:13 p.m. HK)
The reproductive number, a measure of how fast the virus spreads, has surged to a record in Gauteng, the center of South Africa’s omicron variant outbreak.
The reproductive number rose to 2.33 in Gauteng, Michelle Groome, head of health surveillance for the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said on an online presentation on Friday. That means each infected person on average infects another 2.33. In the Western Cape, which includes the tourism hub of Cape Town, the number has reached 2, Keith Cloete, the provincial head of health, said on Thursday.
France Detects Nine Omicron Cases (4:44 p.m. HK)
France said it has detected nine cases of the omicron variant, even as President Emmanuel Macron’s government steps in with fresh promises to support the country’s hard-hit tourism industry.
Cases of the new variant were found in different parts of France and in the overseas territory of La Reunion, and the country is stepping up efforts to identify and isolate them as soon as possible, health authorities said in an emailed statement on Friday.
Roche Creates PCR Test for Omicron (4:38 p.m. HK)
Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG has developed PCR tests that can single out infections with the omicron variant, 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.
Philippines May Extend Vaccine Expiry Dates (4:36 p.m. HK)
The Philippines is considering stretching the shelf life of some vaccines, an official said, after thousands of AstraZeneca Plc. shots were reported to have been unused past their original expiry dates.
Norwegian Air Brings Back Mask Rule (4:25 p.m. HK)
Norwegian Air reintroduced a requirement that masks be worn during flights after authorities in Denmark and Norway reimposed the regulation and a recommendation to use masks in public transportation.
Irish Government to Discuss Curbs (3:34 p.m. HK)
Reduced capacity in pubs and restaurants as well as the size of groups are among measures likely to be discussed, along with vaccine passes being required for a wider range of settings, according to national broadcaster RTE. Limits on the numbers of households that are allowed to mix are also expected to be discussed following advice from the National Public Emergency Team.
Meanwhile, Ireland has delayed the introduction of PCR and antigen testing for air and sea passengers arriving into the country by 48 hours, RTE reported. The measure was due to come into force Friday but will be delayed until Sunday, the broadcaster said, citing an Aer Lingus spokesperson.
New South Wales Finds Two More Cases (3:18 p.m. HK)
Australia’s New South Wales has confirmed two more cases connected to an outbreak at a school in western Sydney as being the omicron variant, NSW Health says in a statement.
Omicron Reaches Malaysia Via Singapore (12:45 p.m. HK)
Malaysia reported its first case of the omicron variant on Friday. The variant was identified in a 19-year-old woman who had traveled from South Africa via Singapore, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said at a briefing.
The southeast Asian country will maintain its travel lane with Singapore for vaccinated people, Khairy said. The route launched on November 29.
Moderna Sees Vaccine Results Within 10 Days (11:56 a.m. HK)
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.
China Outbreak Spreads to Beijing, Shanghai (11:30 a.m. HK)
An outbreak in northern China and spread to six provinces and led to 91 new locally-transmitted infections reported on Friday.
The country’s political and financial hubs of Beijing and Shanghai detected one and two new cases respectively. Inner Mongolia, where the latest flare up is concentrated, reported almost five dozen infections, according to the National Health Commission.
Shanghai locked down the housing block where the two patients reside for two weeks, a deputy director of the district said in a press conference late Thursday. The Beijing patient was a close contact of someone infected in Heilongjiang province, which reported 10 new cases on Friday linked to the Inner Mongolia cluster. Municipal governments have initiated mass testing for potential close contacts of the patient and other related people.
Google, Apple Delay Return-to-Office Plans (9:30 a.m. HK)
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has pushed back the date it will require employees to return to offices in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa, executives told employees on Thursday. Even before omicron cases were reported in the U.S., Apple Inc. also postponed the return of corporate staff to its Cupertino, California, headquarters from January to Feb. 1.
Companies sticking with their January plans to bring workers back may find their hands tied. Switzerland is considering a work-from-home mandate as part of its virus response plans. Working from home is also now a required for part of the week in Oslo and 21 other Norwegian municipalities.
Omicron Probably Less Deadly for India (8:27 a.m. HK)
The new variant is likely to be less lethal in India than the delta-led virus wave earlier this year, given the existing widespread exposure to Covid-19 and reasonably high vaccination rates, one of the country’s prominent epidemiologists said in a Bloomberg TV interview Thursday. If omicron proves effective in getting past immune defenses, that assumption might change, said Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy.
India confirmed two cases of the omicron variant in middle-aged males in southern state of Karnataka, home to the nation’s Silicon Valley.
N.Y. Reports Omicron Variant as Cases Surge (7:38 a.m. HK)
New York State has identified five cases of the omicron variant, Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday, amid a surge of infections overall. New York reported 11,300 new Covid-19 cases, the most since January, as dozens of hospitals neared capacity. As of Thursday, 56 hospitals in the state had a bed capacity of 10% or less, according to the state health department.
All of the omicron cases are in the New York City metropolitan area. Mayor Bill de Blasio also urged anyone who attended an annual four-day anime convention in the city to get tested after Minnesota reported a positive omicron case in one of the attendees.
L.A. to Offer Tests for International Arrivals (7:13 a.m. HK)
Los Angeles International Airport will start offering free rapid Covid-19 tests for passengers arriving from overseas destinations, increasing its vigilance in the wake of the omicron cases in the U.S.
The tests are recommended for all international arrivals but will be done on a voluntary basis, said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director. “We have the capacity to test a lot of people,” she told reporters. “They are going to make a big difference.”
With the return of 1.7 million students and staff after the holidays, the county is expected to keep its indoor masking mandate at schools.
Auckland’s Freedom Portends Wider Spread (5:45 p.m. NY)
New Zealand’s largest city has exited lockdown after 107 days, bringing relief to its residents but also signaling the likely spread of Covid-19 to the rest of the country.
Auckland cafes, bars and restaurants opened their doors Friday for the first time since Aug. 17 — albeit only to vaccinated guests — as the government’s new Covid Protection Framework takes effect nationwide.
“Life is going to start to feel a lot more normal,” Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkinstold Radio New Zealand. However, he said, “Covid is going to spread.”
Variant Virulence Study Due Next Week (4:48 p.m. NY)
Scientists working with the provincial government of Gauteng, the South African province that’s the epicenter of the outbreak of the omicron coronavirus variant, aim to complete a study into its virulence by Tuesday.
“Is this variant less virulent? We don’t have the answers to that yet,” Bruce Mellado, the chairman of the Gauteng Premier’s Advisory Committee, said in an interview Thursday. “Our advisory committee is doing it as we speak. We will most likely have a presentation to the command council, behind closed doors, on Tuesday.”
Biden Plans Tests, Vaccines to Fight Surge (2:17 p.m. NY)
President Joe Biden called on health providers to expand the availability of vaccines and booster shots in a speech at the National Institutes of Health on Thursday, with cases rising in several states.
The seven-day average of hospital admissions with confirmed Covid-19 has climbed 18% in the past two weeks to 6,691, the highest since Oct. 13, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. The numbers are ticking higher in 39 states and the nation’s capital.
Biden said his administration would also make free home Covid tests more available by requiring insurers to pay for them and “accelerate efforts to vaccinate the rest of the world.”
Omicron Reinfection Risk Higher: Study (1:50 p.m. NY)
The risk of reinfection from the omicron coronavirus variant is three times higher than for any previous variant, according to a South African study of infections since the start of the pandemic.
The finding provides evidence of omicron’s “ability to evade immunity from prior infection,” according to the authors, Juliet Pulliam of the South African Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis and Harry Moultrie of the National Center for Communicable Diseases.
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