(Bloomberg) —
More Covid-19 cases were reported among people involved in China’s upcoming Winter Olympics. Hong Kong researchers have found evidence that pet hamsters can spread Covid-19 to people, and linked the animals to human infections in the city.
In South Korea, there was a dip in people hospitalized in a critical condition with the virus, despite a fresh all-time high tally of daily cases. Tokyo’s new cases were the second highest on record, with almost half of its hospital beds dedicated to Covid patients occupied.
U.S. Republican Senator Mitt Romney tested positive for the virus without symptoms, and is now isolating and working remotely. Meantime, Florida’s weekly fatalities almost doubled.
The U.S. and Canadian governments should reinstate a vaccine exemption for cross-border truckers to ease supply chain snarls, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said as a protest convoy arrived in the Canadian capital.
About 60 million households in the U.S. have ordered at-home Covid-19 tests from the federal government after President Joe Biden made them available for free to ease shortages fueled by the omicron variant.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 369 million; deaths pass 5.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 10 billion shots administered
- UAE, Saudi top list of best places to be in an omicron world
- Almost half the world trails IMF vaccine targets to end pandemic
- What we know about the omicron variant now: QuickTake
Tokyo’s New Covid Cases Short of Record (3:45 p.m. HK)
New cases were at 17,433, down from 17,631 yesterday, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, while hospital bed occupancy rate for Covid climbed to 48% from 46.1%. Governor Yuriko Koike will consider asking the government to declare a state of emergency if the rate reaches 50%, Kyodo News reported earlier this month.
Australia Sends Help to Solomon Islands (1:26 p.m. HK)
Australia deployed an eight person team to support the Solomon Islands’ response to the growing Covid-19 outbreak. The specialists arrived on a flight also carrying 37,800 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. The team is due to report back to inform future Australian support in partnership with the government there.
More China Winter Olympics Cases (11:51 a.m. HK)
China reported a total of 36 Covid-19 cases for people involved in the Winter Olympics on Friday. They include infected people arriving on planes as well as others involved in its “closed loop” system, which includes broadcasting staff and media. Covid infections among people involved in the event rose to 177 since Jan. 4, according to Bloomberg calculations based on official data.
Romney Tests Positive, Isolates (8:44 a.m. HK)
Republican Senator Mitt Romney tested positive Friday for Covid-19, his office said.
“He is currently asymptomatic and will be isolating and working remotely for the recommended period of time. Mrs. Romney has tested negative. Both Senator and Mrs. Romney have been fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus,” his office said in a statement.
South Korean Critical Cases Edge Lower (8:30 a.m. HK)
The number of people with Covid-19 in a critical condition in South Korean hospitals slipped to 288, a two-week low, according to health authorities. Daily cases were at a record high of 17,542. Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency still expects the number of daily cases could reach 30,000 in February.
Florida’s Weekly Deaths Double (8:13 a.m. HK)
Florida’s weekly fatalities almost doubled, to 1,192 through Thursday from 605 the previous week.
Deaths generally lag infections by several weeks, and new cases in Florida are dropping rapidly, to 198,719 this week, from 288,793 the week before, according to state data released Friday. Cases in the omicron surge peaked the week starting Jan. 7, at 430,015.
Vaccinations are also falling, to 144,052 this week from 230,966 the previous one. The highest number of vaccine doses given in the last 10 weeks was 633,544, in the first full week of December.
Myanmar Reports First Local Omicron Cases (7:07 a.m. HK)
Myanmar reported the nation’s first local transmission of omicron variant on Friday, as 72 new cases were detected in Tamu and Kalay townships near the border with India, according to the Ministry of Health.
“Given that local transmission of omicron began here, people are required to strictly follow Covid rules and get vaccinated without fail,” said Khin Khin Gyi, director of emerging infectious disease at the Central Epidemiology Unit.
Authorities locked down a city near the Indian border after more than 150 Covid cases were reported over the past week, local media reported, without specifying the variant.
Connecticut Cases Reach Six-Week Low (5:59 p.m. NY)
New infections in Connecticut fell to the lowest in six weeks, reflecting an easing of the omicron variant’s surge in many parts of the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Hospitalized patients declined by about 6%, according to Governor Ned Lamont.
The state health department on Friday reported almost 2,700 new cases among the population of 3.6 million, the fewest since Dec. 17.
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare, was quoted as saying by the Hartford Courant. “Maybe not the end of the pandemic, but at least the end of this wave.”
Trucker Mandate Hurts Supply Chain: Kenney (3:22 p.m. NY)
The U.S. and Canadian governments should reinstate a vaccine exemption for cross-border truckers to ease supply chain snarls, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said as a protest convoy arrived in the Canadian capital.
Kenney, speaking Friday in Washington ahead of a meeting of U.S. governors, said he believes cross-border truckers are a low risk to spread Covid-19. The rules, imposed this month by both nations, will further fuel inflation and constrain shipping, he warned.
Alberta is “calling on the two federal governments to simply exercise a bit of common sense,” Kenney said in an interview with Bloomberg Television and BNN Bloomberg.
Sixty Million Households Order Free Tests (12:58 p.m. NY)
About 60 million households in the U.S. have ordered at-home Covid-19 tests from the federal government after President Joe Biden made them available for free to ease shortages fueled by the omicron variant.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced the figure on Friday. “Tens of millions” of tests have been shipped out, she said.
The Biden administration hasn’t said how many tests it has so far received for delivery to households, though many have begun arriving to homes around the country.
Omicron Subvariant Spreads Faster (12:42 p.m. NY)
An omicron subvariant appears to be even more contagious than the original fast-spreading strain, U.K. health authorities said, though vaccine booster shots remain an effective shield.
Data from contact tracing showed the subvariant, BA.2, spread more frequently in households, the U.K. Health Security Agency said on Friday. Its rate of transmission among household contacts was 13.4%, compared to 10.3% for omicron. Though the data is a good indication of how transmissible the subvariant is, the agency cautioned that it’s preliminary and could fluctuate.
NYC School Enrollment Shrinks 10% (12:30 p.m. NY)
New York City’s student enrollment has shrunk to its lowest point in at least a decade as the largest U.S. public-school system contends with staff shortages, low attendance rates and ever-changing Covid protocols.
Although the number of kids attending the city’s public schools has declined for six consecutive years, the pandemic accelerated the trend. In the 2021-22 school year, 870,000 pre-K to 12th grade students were enrolled in New York City public schools, a 5% drop from the year before and a 10% decrease since 2019, according to data released this week from the New York State Education Department.
Wyoming Prisons Report Worst Week (12:20 p.m. NY)
An estimated 15% of inmates in Wyoming’s state prisons are suffering from Covid-19, based on data for this week and last, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.
More than 300 cases were identified this week, including among prison staff, the most in a single week since the pandemic started in 2020, data show.
Virginia Public Colleges Can’t Compel Shots (11:46 a.m. NY)
Virginia’s new attorney general said state universities that require vaccinations for students lack legal backing.
Attorney General Jason Miyares said in an advisory opinion to Governor Glenn Youngkin that the General Assembly could have added Covid-19 to the list of diseases requiring vaccination, like mumps or tetanus. “It has not done so,” he wrote.
The Republican governor issued executive orders banning mask mandates for public schools and repealing vaccine mandates for public employees when he took office this month. Public universities in Virginia rolled back vaccine requirements for staff but kept them in place for students on campus.
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