(Bloomberg) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon warned vaccine holdouts among the bank’s staff in New York to get vaccinated or lose the right to enter the office and get paid.
New York City Covid rates are “plateauing,” while upstate figures are tracking behind the city by a couple of weeks, Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Europe should consider the possibility of treating Covid-19 as an endemic illness. The World Health Organization warned of a “west-to-east tidal wave” that may infect more than half of Europe’s population within the next six to eight weeks.
China imposed its second city lockdown in as many months after detecting the presence of omicron. The shutdown was imposed on Anyang, a city of 5 million people in the central province of Henan.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases close to 310.5 million; deaths pass 5.49 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.48 billion shots administered
- Tiny masks are scarce as unboosted kids return to classrooms
- Hong Kong political elite get taste of their own Covid policies
- Covid test makers struggle to cope with whiplash from omicron
NYC Cases ‘Plateauing,’ Governor Says (12:05 p.m. NY)
The omicron-fueled Covid surge in New York appears to be “cresting over that peak” as the rate of increase slows, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday.
She said the percentage of New Yorkers that tested positive has dropped to 18.6%, from more than 22% in recent days.
In New York City, Covid rates are “plateauing,” while upstate figures are tracking behind the city by a couple of weeks, Hochul said in a virus briefing.
Mexico’s AMLO Doing Well After 2nd Infection (11:25 a.m. NY)
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is doing well after testing positive Monday for Covid-19 for the second time in a year, he said during a video appearance at the daily press conference on Tuesday.
“My voice is hoarse — I’m aphonic — but I am fine,” AMLO, as the president is known, said. “A little bit of body aches at first, I’m taking paracetamol and I feel pretty good.”
The president measured his temperature and oxygen levels during the video broadcast: his temperature was a normal 36.1 degrees Celsius and his oxygen level a healthy 96%. Health Minister Jorge Alcocer said that AMLO could return to work next week if he’s feeling better.
Denmark May Ease Some Restrictions (11:25 a.m. NY)
Denmark may end some restrictions next week after the number of new daily virus cases has stabilized, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told broadcaster TV2. The government may ease restrictions for culture, which could reopen museums, concert venues and cinemas. The parties in Denmark’s parliament will hold talks Wednesday, the minister said.
Moscow Braces for ‘Significant’ Increase (9:50 a.m. NY)
Infections by the omicron variant are surging in Moscow after the New Year’s holidays and health officials in the Russian capital are reopening hospital beds in anticipation of a “significant” increase in sickness in the next seven to 10 days, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned Tuesday at a videoconference with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and other officials.
Russia may reach a record of more than 100,000 daily Covid cases soon, public health watchdog chief Anna Popova told the meeting, from fewer than 20,000 recorded cases now.
Omicron Dominant in Brazil, Minister Says (8:24 a.m. NY)
Brazil is currently seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases and the omicron strain is already predominant, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told journalists, according to Folha de S.Paulo.
Brazil’s strong vaccination campaign is still likely to prevent the variant from overburdening hospitals and pushing up deaths
Dimon Warns Unvaccinated NYC Staff (6:10 a.m. NY)
Jamie Dimon issued a warning to the vaccine holdouts among JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s staff in New York.
“To go to the office you have to be vaxxed and if you aren’t going to get vaxxed you won’t be able to work in that office,” Dimon said Monday in an interview on CNBC. “And we’re not going to pay you not to work in the office.”
The warning comes after the lender implemented a vaccine mandate at nine Manhattan office buildings last month. Dimon said that 97% of the firm’s employees in New York are already vaccinated.
Omicron May Hit Half of Europeans, WHO Says (6:07 a.m. NY)
More than half of Europe’s population may be infected with omicron within weeks at current transmission rates, a World Health Organization official said.
The fast-spreading variant represents a “west-to-east tidal wave sweeping across the region,” said Hans Kluge, the regional director of the WHO for Europe at a briefing Tuesday. He cited forecasts by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that the majority of Europeans could catch it in the next six to eight weeks.
Indonesia to Mix Vaccine Brands in Boosters (6:39 p.m. HK)
Indonesia will start its booster program on Wednesday as it braces for the spread of the omicron variant.
The government will mix vaccine brands, using half-doses instead of full ones as recommended by the local drug regulator to ensure there’s enough supply for the country’s 270 million people.
The health ministry reported 802 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the most since Oct. 23, with eight people dying from the disease.
Spain Seeks Debate to Consider Covid Like Flu (4:51 p.m. HK)
Spain is calling on Europe to debate the possibility that Covid-19 can now be treated as an endemic illness, setting a model to monitor its evolution akin to the one used for flu.
“Science has given us the answer to protect ourselves,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in interview Monday with radio station Cadena Ser, adding that the virus’s lethality has been dropping since the beginning of the pandemic. “We have to evaluate the evolution of Covid from pandemic to an endemic illness,” he said.
Vietnam Approves $15.3 Billion in Aid (3:35 p.m. HK)
Vietnam’s parliament approved a stimulus package worth about 347 trillion dong ($15.3 billion) to revive an economy battered by Covid-19 and harsh lockdowns with a focus on assisting virus-hit businesses, workers and increasing infrastructure spending.
The National Assembly voted on a plan that had been significantly reduced over concerns it would spur inflation.
Covid Hit Heathrow Traffic Harder in 2021 (3:21 p.m. HK)
London Heathrow Airport passenger traffic fell 12% in 2021 after successive waves of Covid-19 disrupted travel in the second year of the pandemic.
The U.K. hub, the busiest in Europe in normal times, catered to 19.4 million passengers in 2021, it said Tuesday in a statement. Long-distance services were particularly hard-hit, with passenger counts falling 40% to the Asia-Pacific region, where Covid-zero policies have led to extended lockdowns.
Poland’s Death Toll Exceeds 100,000 (3:04 p.m. HK)
Poland has registered 11,400 new Covid-19 cases and 493 deaths over the past 24 hours, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski says on TVN24.
The death toll from the pandemic has now exceeded 100,000, according to the minister.
Indonesia to Provide Free Vaccine Boosters (3:03 p.m. HK)
Indonesia will prioritize elderly and at-risk people to receive booster shots in a program scheduled to start Jan. 12, President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, said in a statement broadcast on YouTube on Tuesday.
Thailand Opens Three Regions to Tourists (12:39 p.m. HK)
Thailand added three popular beach destinations to a visa program that allows foreign visitors to bypass mandatory isolation, throwing a lifeline to its Covid-hit tourism industry seen as key to a nascent economic recovery.
Starting Tuesday, vaccinated foreign tourists can enter Krabi, Phang Nga, and Koh Samui in addition to Phuket under the so-called sandbox program that won’t require them to go through quarantine, provided they spend at least a week in these destinations.
German Records Rise in New Cases (12:36 p.m. HK)
Germany recorded a total of 45,690 new cases, compared with 25,255 the day before, according to the country’s public health authority RKI.
Reported new deaths associated with the virus rose by 322, bringing the total to 114,351. The 7-day incidence rate rose to 387.9 per 100,000 people.
Chicago Schools Set to Open After Deal (12:34 p.m. HK)
Chicago Public Schools are poised to reopen for students on Wednesday after the teachers’ union leadership voted to approve a deal with city officials to restart in-person classes in the nation’s third-largest school district.
Schools have been closed since Jan. 5 after Chicago teachers voted to shift back to remote learning, demanding that the district put in place more stringent protections amid a Covid-19 surge driven by the omicron variant. On Monday, the House of Delegates voted to suspend the union’s remote action, and the members must now ratify the agreement. The district said classes are canceled Tuesday but that the district’s 330,000 students can return on Wednesday.
H.K. to Roll Out New Round of Relief Funds (11:18 a.m. HK)
Hong Kong will announce details on a new round of anti-epidemic funding to support businesses affected by the latest round of social distancing rules on Friday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam says at a briefing.
Hong Kong has about HK$4 billion remaining in the fund after previous rounds.
Henan City Imposes Lockdown on Omicron (11:16 a.m. HK)
Authorities in Anyang city, in the central Chinese province of Henan, asked people to stay at home and banned most vehicles from roads, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a government notice.
On Monday, two coronavirus infections in Anyang were confirmed as the omicron variant, according to local media.
Hong Kong Airport to Ban High Risk Transits (11:14 a.m. HK)
Air passengers from Group A, or designated high-risk countries, are set to be banned from transiting through Hong Kong International Airport, according to people familiar with the matter, another move in the financial hub’s aggressive effort to shield itself from omicron.
Airport officials recently briefed carriers about the plan, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details aren’t yet public. The suspension will start on Jan. 15 and run through Feb. 14, though the end date will be subject to review, one of the people said. Procedures for how the ban will operate are still to be laid out, another person said.
China Adds 110 Local Infections (9:46 a.m. HK)
Pressure mounted on Chinese authorities to contain a nationwide outbreak of both the delta and omicron variants after reporting 110 locally transmitted infections.
With Hunan province turning into the virus epicenter, the port city of Tianjin, adjacent to the Olympic venues in Beijing and Hebei province, confirmed 10 new locally transmitted cases and a further 11 asymptomatic cases after mass testing. CCTV later reported Tianjin had 49 local confirmed cases.
Henan’s Xuchang, a city of more than four million, found 74 cases, while the provincial capital, Zhengzhou, reported 11, two of which were confirmed as omicron by local authorities.
The outbreak in the northwestern city of Xi’an, the previous epicenter, slowed from its peak, with 13 infections reported on Tuesday.
Australia’s Victoria State Under Pressure (9:17 a.m. HK)
The health care system in Australia’s Victoria state is under “significant pressure,” with at least 4,500 furloughed hospital workers and paramedics forced to isolate after contracting Covid or deemed close contacts of a confirmed case, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters Tuesday.
The state recorded 37,994 new infections and 13 deaths on Tuesday, with 861 people requiring hospital care. Authorities expect new infections to peak by early February, with hospitalizations peaking a week or so afterwards.
Airbus CEO Warns China Sales May Drag (8:51 a.m. HK)
Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury raised a note of caution on the planemaker’s outlook for this year, citing the spread of omicron in China.
The European jet manufacturer is closely watching the situation in China, the destination for 23% of aircraft handovers in 2021, Faury said.
Japan Extends Virus Border Controls (8:49 a.m. HK)
Japan will extend its border measures until the end of February, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday, as virus cases surge after the country kept infections low for months.
Spooked by the rapid spread of the omicron variant, the government in November reintroduced a ban on new entry by non-resident foreigners, initially for a one-month period. Kishida told national broadcaster NHK on Sunday that he would remain cautious, because the variant is not yet fully understood.
Mexico’s AMLO Says He Has Covid (8:47 a.m. HK)
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he was infected with Covid-19 after being sick with the virus a little under a year ago, as a new wave of infections sweeps through the country.
AMLO, as the president is known, said he would take a Covid test after sounding congested during his morning press conference earlier on Monday. He had met last week with Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier, a few days before she tested positive for the virus.
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