(Bloomberg) — Sydney and the rest of New South Wales state reportedly face a raft of fresh restrictions as soon as Friday as omicron cases jump. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered local leaders to limit the movement of unvaccinated individuals as infections soar.
Chicago’s viral surge is filling the city’s intensive care units, with almost 90% of beds occupied. Chicago Public Schools canceled classes for a third day amid a disagreement with teachers over Covid-19 tests.
Alaska Airlines cut 120 flights Thursday, or about 16% of its total, according to FlightAware.com, as more than 1,980 flights were canceled across the industry because of winter weather and employee illness.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases exceed 299.9 million; deaths pass 5.47 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 9.36 billion shots administered
- Big Take: Covid’s Lost Girls see decades of progress come undone
- Hong Kong officials are under fire for partying
- Work-from-home access is skewed across U.S. race, education gap
- U.S. hospital staff shortages hit most in a year on Covid surge
New South Wales Set to Reimpose Restrictions (9:02 a.m. HK)
New South Wales authorities are preparing to reintroduce restrictions by shutting nightclubs, banning singing and dancing in pubs, and pausing large events as omicron cases surge, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The changes follow 70,000 infections in two days in the state and a jump in hospitalizations, the newspaper said.
Australia Says Djokovic Not Held ‘Captive’ (8:16 a.m. HK)
The Australian government insists world tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic isn’t being held against his will as the vaccine-mandate critic remains confined in a hotel used to detain refugees and asylum seekers.
Djokovic “is free to leave at any time that he chooses,” Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said Friday.
Djokovic’s lawyers have mounted a legal challenge against a federal decision overruling a Victoria state vaccine exemption for the tennis champion.
Vaccinated 23-Year-Old Dies in Sydney (7:56 a.m. HK)
A double-vaccinated 23-year-old with no significant underlying health conditions died of Covid-19 in Sydney this week, the New South Wales government said, as cases in the state surge.
The man was James Kondilios, a scientist and athlete who won bronze at the 2015 classic powerlifting world championships in Finland in 2015, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. NSW reported 38,625 daily cases Friday, with 1,738 in hospital, including 134 people in intensive care.
Chicago School Cancel Classes for Third Day (7:38 a.m. HK)
Chicago Public Schools canceled classes on Friday for the third straight day as district officials negotiate with the teachers’ union over returning to in-person instruction amid surging Covid cases.
A “small number” of schools may be able to offer in-person activities if enough staff are reporting to work, the district said in a post on Twitter.
Argentina Hits Record (5:05 p.m. NY)
Argentina posted a record number of cases for a third consecutive day as the omicron variant surges across Latin America.
Argentina’s health ministry reported 109,608 cases on Thursday, more than double the number of infections seen on Dec. 31. Yet the death toll as well as hospital occupancy remained relatively low: 40 people died of the virus and only 38% of intensive-care units were taken — about half the peak level seen last year for ICUs.
BofA Extends Remote Work (5:01 p.m. NY)
Bank Of America Corp. is pushing back its return to office another week as it monitors the surge in Covid-19 cases.
The company encouraged U.S. employees to work remotely through the week starting Jan. 10 as the bank evaluates its next move, according to an internal memo sent Thursday. The firm had earlier advised workers to stay home through at least this week.
Alaska Airlines Cuts Flights on Sick Calls (4:26 p.m. NY)
Alaska Airlines cut 10% of its remaining January flight schedule Thursday as an “unprecedented” level of employees unable to work because of the omicron variant undercut its ability to operate reliably.
Alaska cut 120 flights Thursday, or about 16% of its total, according to FlightAware.com, as more than 1,980 flights were canceled across the industry because of winter weather and employee illness. Alaska grounded nearly 15% of its flights from Dec. 24 through Wednesday, FlightAware data showed. Another 38% were delayed.
Indiana Medical Worker Quarantines Soar (4:08 p.m. NY)
Indiana’s largest health-care system reported 1,728 employees in quarantine, almost 50% more than the previous week.
“We are truly leveraging all of our available resources to support caring for our patients,” said Lisa Tellus, a spokeswoman for Indiana University Health. The system has a total of 36,000 employees, supplemented by a medical team from the U.S. Navy and personnel from the Indiana National Guard.
Daily infections hit a state record on Thursday of more than 15,200, with a positive test rate almost of 36%, according to state data.
Third of NYC Small Businesses Mandate Shots (3:33 p.m. NY)
A third of small firms in New York City, which put in place one of the strictest private-sector mandates of the country at the end of last month, are asking their workers to get the shots in the latest weekly U.S. Census Bureau Small Business Pulse Survey. That’s up from 28% the week of Christmas and less than a quarter three months ago.
In Quebec, No Shot, No Pot (1:16 p.m. NY)
Quebec has tried everything from restaurant closures to a curfew to slow down hospitalizations as the omicron variant rages on. It’s now adding a more draconian measure to its arsenal: Requiring vaccination proof to enter government-owned alcohol and pot stores.
From Jan. 18, residents will need a vaccine passport to enter Societe des alcools du Quebec (SAQ) and Societe quebecoise du cannabis stores, Health Minister Christian Dube said Thursday. Other restrictions targeting unvaccinated people will follow, he said.
Omicron Not Mild, WHO Says (11:25 a.m. NY)
The omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus appears less serious than previous strains but shouldn’t be considered mild, the director general of the World Health Organization said.
“Omicron is hospitalizing and killing people,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a briefing in Geneva Thursday.
Chicago ICU Beds Fill (11:15 a.m. NY)
Chicago’s surge is filling up its intensive care unit beds. The city’s positivity rate is 23%, and 89% of its 1,026 ICU beds were in use Jan. 5, according to the city’s dashboard. Patients with the virus make up about 30% of the overall ICU bed use, according to the data.
Belgium Hospitals Set for Surge (10:40 a.m. NY)
Belgium’s hospitals should be able to cope with the current surge of omicron even as new cases may as much as quadruple by mid-January, experts said on Thursday.
Hospitals will likely have enough beds available in intensive-care units to handle the peak of infections expected by the end of the month, virologist Steven Van Gucht told reporters following Thursday’s meeting by the federal government and regions.
Portugal’s Bars to Stay Shut (10:38 a.m. NY)
Portugal’s schools will reopen on Jan. 10 as planned, while nightclubs will stay shut for another week, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said. Remote working will also remain mandatory until Jan. 14, and will be recommended after that.
According to the latest rules, only people who test positive for Covid-19 or those who live in the same home have to self-isolate. People who have already received a third vaccine dose won’t have to self-isolate.
NYC’s Tests Aimed at Schools (10:32 a.m. NY)
New York City health officials say they plan to receive 2.5 million additional at-home tests on Thursday and Friday, but that a national test shortage means the city is prioritizing the tests for the reopening of schools.
Since Dec. 28, New York City’s Test & Trace said it has distributed nearly 3.5 million tests, including over 2 million tests to schools.
Germany Downplays Risk of Lockdown (7:40 a.m. NY)
Germany can avoid a sweeping lockdown even if the omicron strain of Covid-19 fuels a “drastic increase” in infections in the coming weeks, according to Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s talks to decide on the government’s pandemic strategy, Lindner said that Germany can tackle the virus and prevent overloading the health system with “reasonable” measures that avoid closing businesses and schools.
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