(Bloomberg) —
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has self-isolated after being deemed a close contact of a positive case. Austria is set to ease most Covid-related restrictions for unvaccinated people starting next month.
U.S. Republican Senator Mitt Romney tested positive for the virus without symptoms, and is now isolating and working remotely. Russia for the first time reported more than 100,000 new infections over the previous day.
China is seeing the omicron variant spread, with Lunar New Year celebrations and the Winter Olympics just around the corner. Hong Kong researchers have found evidence that pet hamsters can spread the disease to people.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 370 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
Indonesia Cases Hit 5-Month High (7:07 a.m. New York)
Indonesia reported 11,588 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, the highest in five months due to the spread of the infectious omicron strain. The daily caseload could reach as high as 285,000, more than five times the peak notched during the delta outbreak in 2021, according to health authorities.
The government will weigh tightening curbs on movement should hospitals reach critical capacity. Patients filled 12% of beds dedicated for Covid-19 nationwide as of Friday, compared with just 2% at the start of the year. The bed occupancy rate is currently at 43% in Jakarta, the capital.
Austria to Ease Measures for Unvaccinated (6:43 p.m. HK)
Austria will relax most measures against unvaccinated people in February as the rate of serious infections wanes, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said at a press briefing.
People without coronavirus vaccines who can show proof of a negative test will again be allowed in shops starting Feb. 12, and in restaurants and hotels from Feb. 19. The country’s chief medical officer said authorities expect the omicron wave to peak around the end of the first week of February.
China Cases Spread Ahead of Olympics, Lunar New Year (6:21 p.m. HK)
China is seeing flare-ups of the omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1 and the Winter Olympics, set for Feb. 4-20 in Being. The nation on Saturday reported 40 domestic Covid infections, including three asymptomatic cases.
Cases have spread in Tianjin over the past two days, after the northern port city looked poised to bring them under control. Hangzhou, an e-commerce hub in the east, has also seen infections grow. Omicron has spread to four other provinces, including Xinjiang in the west, government officials said at a briefing in Beijing on Saturday.
Health authorities are under pressure to stamp out the virus through aggressive tactics including mass testing, sweeping quarantines and lockdowns under China’s so-called Covid Zero strategy. Officials in the country’s major economic, political and tech hubs are more reluctant to resort to sweeping curbs, compared with the heavy-handed lockdowns enacted in smaller jurisdictions.
New Zealand PM Self-Isolates (6:19 p.m. HK)
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has entered self-isolation after being deemed as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case, according to a statement from her office. The exposure occurred on Jan. 22 during a flight from Kerikeri to Auckland.
“The Prime Minister is asymptomatic and is feeling well,” according to the statement. She will be tested immediately on Sunday and will isolate until Tuesday. The Governor-General and members of her staff were also on board and are following the same isolation instructions.
U.K. Workers Resist Return to Office (5:36 p.m. HK)
Almost two out of five people working from home in the U.K. say they won’t return to the office, The Times reported, citing a YouGov survey. Just 9% of people have returned to their desks permanently since the government last week ended its advice to work from home, it said. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they prefer working remotely.
Russia Reports Over 100,000 Cases for First Time (4:40 p.m. HK)
Russia reported a record 113,122 Covid-19 cases over the last day, marking the first time new infections hit six figures as the omicron variant sweeps through the country. Last year was the deadliest in Russia since World War II, according to official statistics published late Friday.
Study Shows Hamster-to Human Covid Spread: Lancet (4:19 p.m. HK)
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. The study, published Saturday in The Lancet as a preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, provided the first documented evidence of hamster-to-human transmission of the delta variant.
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.
U.S. Urges China to Alter Diplomat Quarantine Rules (2:18 p.m. HK)
The Biden administration said it recommended changes to China’s requirements for Covid-19 quarantine and testing among American diplomats, adding to tensions between the world’s biggest economies ahead of the Olympics.
“We have long-standing concerns regarding the PRC’s quarantine and testing policies that run counter to diplomatic privileges and immunities,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Thursday, referring to China’s formal name. “We’ve recommended what we think are a series of reasonable options that would be consistent with Covid-19 mitigation measures and at the same time align with international diplomatic norms.”
The U.S. embassy in Beijing on Saturday didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular working hours.
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)
Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, 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.
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