(Bloomberg) — Merck & Co.’s Covid-19 pill was cleared by U.S. regulators, the second new treatment option approved in as many days in an expanding arsenal to fight the pandemic just as a new wave of infections is taking hold in the nation.
Cases rose to a record in Italy and in the U.K. Scotland, Slovenia and Greece tightened restrictions.
A third dose of AstraZeneca Plc’s shot significantly boosted neutralizing antibodies against omicron. The variant appears less likely to lead to hospitalizations than the delta strain, preliminary data from studies show.
Yale joined several other U.S. colleges that plan to start the next semester online due to the worsening virus situation.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 277 million; deaths top 5.38 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 8.8 billion shots given
- Omicron brings new risks to mostly-unvaccinated pregnant women
- Stages, restaurants go dark as de facto shutdowns grip U.S.
- Omicron hospitalization risk is far below delta’s in two studies
- All you need to know about rapid test kits
- What we know about omicron, the new virus variant: QuickTake
Italy Infections at Record (11:40 a.m. NY)
Italy recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The first country in Europe to move into lockdown last year reported 44,595 cases on Thursday, up from 36,293 a day earlier. Patients in intensive care units rose by 13 to 1,023, still well below the peak of more than 4,000 last year.
To counter fast-spreading Omicron variant — which now accounts for about a third of new cases– Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government is set to to marginally tighten restrictions at a meeting Thursday, reimposing the use of masks outdoors and cutting the time between second and third booster jabs to four months.
U.K. Case Record Pressures Johnson (11:20 a.m. NY)
U.K. cases surged to a new record for a second day, piling pressure on Prime Minster Boris Johnson as he considers whether to tighten pandemic regulations after Christmas.
A total of 119,789 new cases were logged on Thursday, according to data published on the government’s coronavirus dashboard. That’s more than double the rate seen at the start of the month, and an increase of more than 10,000 on Wednesday’s caseload — which had been a daily record.
New Wave Taking Hold in U.S. (11:00 a.m. NY)
Another wave of Covid infections is taking hold in the U.S., powered by the fast-spreading omicron variant. On Wednesday, daily cases topped 250,000 for the second time this week, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg show.
Even so, the hospitalization rate in the nation has been relatively stable in recent days. Preliminary studies from overseas show omicron may be less likely to land patients in the hospital than the delta strain.
Serbia Finds First Omicron Case (10:50 a.m. NY)
Serbia detected its first omicron case on Thursday after health authorities said the strain will inevitably spread to the Balkan country. Serbia’s rate of new infections has been declining this month but the government has warned that another wave of Covid cases is possible.
Yale Delays Start of Term (9:40 a.m. NY)
Yale University is delaying the start of the spring semester and moving the first few weeks of classes online as the Covid-19 omicron strain spreads. The school’s spring break will also be shortened by one week.
After a relatively quiet start to the fall semester, several colleges including Harvard, Stanford and Duke have announced plans to begin the term starting in January online.
Merck Pill Gets U.S. Clearance (9:23 a.m. NY)
Merck & Co.’s Covid-19 pill was cleared by U.S. regulators, giving high-risk patients another at-home treatment option at a time when the omicron variant is causing cases to surge.
The drug, molnupiravir, received emergency authorization on the heels of Pfizer Inc.’s competing pill that was cleared Wednesday, Paxlovid. Together, the treatments promise to provide a new way to keep a sharp rise in infections from overwhelming U.S. hospitals.
Molnupiravir, developed by Merck with partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is intended to treat Covid in non-hospitalized people 18 and older at risk of developing severe illness. A study showed it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death among adults with mild to moderate disease by 30%.
Slovenia Tightens Restrictions (9:19 a.m. NY)
Slovenia decided to tighten virus measures before the holiday season, limiting the number of shoppers to 1 per 10 square meters, while banning public events and parities for New Year’s Eve. However, bars and restaurants will be allowed to operate without limit on Dec. 31 for guests with a fresh negative test. Private gatherings on Christmas and New Year’s will be limited to family members of up to three different households.
German ICU Occupancy Seen Surging (9:13 a.m. N.Y.)
Germany may see 8,000 Covid-19 patients in intensive-care units simultaneously next spring, Spiegel magazine reported, citing calculations by the Max-Planck-Institut. Currently, the country has about 4,400 ICU patients with Covid, and 85% of all intensive care beds occupied.
Due to the omicron variant, daily new infections could reach between 160,000 and 240,000 in March, Spiegel said.
France Warns on Worker Shortages (9:03 a.m. NY)
France’s Covid-19 advisory board warned on Thursday that the latest wave of infections spurred by the omicron variant could lead to worker shortages in key industries such as supermarkets, transportation and health, according to Agence France-Presse.
Johnson Holds Off New Curbs For Now (6:50 am N.Y.)
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will wait until after Christmas to announce any new curbs.
Any announcement will not come until the week after Christmas, people familiar with the matter said Thursday, when the government will give a Covid-19 update regardless of whether Johnson decides to introduce new restrictions.
China Urges Reducing Travel, Gatherings (6:30 a.m. NY)
China asked local governments to ensure that people reduce travel and gatherings during the New Year holiday and the Spring Festival, Xinhua reported, citing a notice issued by the State Council.
Scotland to Shut Nightclubs (6:20 a.m. NY)
The Scottish government said nightclubs will close for at least three weeks on Dec. 27 to tackle the spread of the omicron variant, which has been the dominant cause of infections in the nation since last week. The closures, which affect about 150 establishments, will be reviewed on Jan. 11.
The U.K. has been divided over how to address the latest wave of Covid-19, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland moving more quickly to reintroduce social distancing and other measures for businesses.
Greece’s New Curbs (6:15 a.m NY)
Greece mandated the wearing of masks in all outdoor areas, as well as indoor areas where they aren’t currently worn, such as gyms. The government also requested all international travelers to take rapid tests on the second and fourth day after their arrival in the country. All outdoor festive events for the holiday season are canceled.
Three Sinovac Doses Fails to Protect (6 p.m. H.K.)
Two doses and a booster of the vaccine made by China’s Sinovac didn’t produce sufficient levels of neutralizing antibodies to protect against the omicron variant, a laboratory study found.
A booster shot from Germany’s BioNTech SE significantly improved protective levels of antibodies against omicron for those who are fully immunized with the vaccine known as CoronaVac, according to the study from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
AstraZeneca Booster Works Against Omicron (5:45 p.m. HK)
The vaccine, created by Astra and Oxford, saw neutralizing antibodies increase to similar levels as those after two doses against the delta variant with a booster shot, the company said. A third dose produced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than those found in individuals who had recovered naturally from the alpha, beta and delta strains.
Portugal Sees Surge Coming (5:30 p.m. HK)
Portugal’s daily new coronavirus infections could reach a new high and surpass the record of over 16,000 cases recorded at the end of January of this year due to the spread of the omicron variant, Health Minister Marta Temido said.
Masks Return to Sydney and Melbourne (2:42 p.m. HK)
Australia’s two most-populous states are bringing back mask mandates as a surge in Covid-19 cases, led by the highly contagious omicron variant, threatens to roil Christmas plans for a second year.
In New South Wales, where Sydney is the capital, limits will also return on the number of patrons in hospitality venues from Dec. 27., in an attempt to limit the potential impact on the state’s health care system. Numbers are climbing at a slower rate in Victoria, home to Melbourne, which hadn’t eased public restrictions as fast as its neighboring state in recent weeks.
India Cases Are Ticking Up Again (1:32 p.m. HK)
India added 7,495 new Covid-19 infections, the highest in a week, according to government data reported Thursday.
New Delhi has canceled all Christmas and New Year’s festivities as cases slowly tick up. The city reported 125 new cases on Wednesday, the highest in more than five months. The country has so far reported 236 cases linked to the omicron variant.
China Locks Down City of Xi’an (10:21 a.m. HK)
The 13 million residents of Xi’an were told to remain in their homes and to designate one person to go out every other day for necessities, while non-essential travel out of the city was banned.
This came after a second round of mass testing weeded out 127 Covid infections scattered across 14 districts, making containment of the virus “grave and complicated,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
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