(Bloomberg) — U.S. hospital admissions for Covid-19 are receding in 34 states and the nation’s capital, easing the health-care staffing crises that were widespread at the start of the year. The World Health Organization warned countries not to ease restrictions prematurely.
New studies are emerging that suggest the latest version of omicron is transmitting faster than the original, but researchers say the sub-variant isn’t more severe and that vaccines continue to be effective against it.
South Africa dropped a requirement for people who test positive but have no symptoms to self isolate. Meanwhile, Austria started a dramatic public health experiment, with a divisive new law that makes Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 379 million; deaths pass 5.6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 10.1 billion shots administered
- Pregnant women with Covid unlikely to transmit to babies
- What we know about the omicron variant now: QuickTake
- Sign up for the free Coronavirus Daily newsletter here
Norway Eases Most Infection Measures (2:30 p.m. NY)
Norway is easing most of the measures to curb infection and aims to remove the rest in a couple of weeks as it bets a high level of vaccination will be enough to shield the health system from overloading.
Limits on guests at private gatherings, a curb on the service of alcohol in bars and restaurants, and testing after arriving at the border have all been removed, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters in Oslo on Tuesday. Face masks will still need to be worn in shops, shopping centers and on public transport where a distance of a meter (3 feet) can’t be maintained.
Pfizer Seeks Nod for Shot in Younger Kids (1:35 p.m. NY)
Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE have begun submitting data to U.S. regulators for authorization of their Covid-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 4 years old, according to people familiar with the matter, hastening an effort to get shots to younger kids after the omicron wave caused pediatric infections to jump.
Unvaccinated Far More Likely to Be Hospitalized (1:30 p.m. NY)
Hospitalization rates remained far higher for unvaccinated adults than the vaccinated even after the surge of infections with omicron, which has been found to be less severe than other strains.
Unvaccinated adults were 23 times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19 than those who were immunized and boosted after omicron became dominant during the week ending Jan. 8, according to a study in Los Angeles County. Compared with the vaccinated who hadn’t received a booster, unvaccinated adults were five times more likely to be hospitalized, according to the data published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, the difference in risk was lower than during the dominance of delta. In the two weeks ending Dec. 11, unvaccinated people were 83 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who were immunized and boosted.
Senators Seek DOJ Crackdown on Fake Masks (12:35 p.m. NY)
U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats from Massachusetts, called on the Justice Department to crack down on retailers selling counterfeit masks.
“We urge the DOJ to redouble its efforts to ensure that consumers are not vulnerable to fraudulent masks sold through brick-and-mortar and online retail settings,” the senators wrote in letter Tuesday. “Americans trying to protect themselves, their families, and their communities should not face potentially life threatening exploitation by unscrupulous actors.”
Reports of fraudulent or counterfeit masks have skyrocketed during the pandemic — as have prices. The senators’ letter comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask advice last month to reflect that respirator-style face coverings, KN95s or N95s, are more effective at preventing Covid-19 transmission than cloth or surgical masks.
Last year, the DOJ established a task force to combat Covid-related fraud, which includes the reigning in of counterfeit mask sales to health-care facilities and state and local governments. But Markey and Warren say the agency hasn’t had the same zeal for safeguarding everyday consumers.
New York State Infections Fall 92% (11:50 a.m. NY)
Covid-19 infections in New York state have fallen 92% from the state’s peak of roughly 90,000 a few weeks ago, Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press briefing at North Central Bronx Hospital. There were 7,119 new positive cases as of Monday, according to state data.
As of Monday, the state’s seven-day positivity was 5.92%, down from a peak of 23% on Jan. 2, she said. Hospitalizations are also starting to trend downward.
“The surge came and now is starting to go away,” she said. “Just like the snow is melting, we hope that this winter surge is melting as well.”
Even though the numbers are trending down, it’s not over yet, Hochul said, urging New Yorkers to continue to get vaccinated. The governor is calling on the federal government to put out guidance for all insurers to cover the cost of consultations for Covid vaccines.
WHO Warns Against Early Lifting of Curbs (10:45 a.m. NY)
Covid case reporting is an underestimate and is not a great proxy for understanding virus circulation, and it’s not the time to lift public health measures all at once, World Health Organization officials said.
“My greatest fear at the moment is that countries have a lemming syndrome now and they all chase to open up — and they open up on the basis that the country next door opened up,” Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said at a media briefing.
Countries aren’t all in the same situation, especially relating to vaccine coverage or health systems, he said, adding that premature opening will result in unnecessary transmission, severe disease and deaths.
“I’m really fearful that while some countries have the opportunity to raise measures more than others, others may choose that because there’s political pressure to do that,” Ryan said.
New Omicron Version Not More Severe: WHO (10:30 a.m. NY)
The emerging subvariant of omicron doesn’t seem to be any more severe than the original form, an official of the World Health Organization said, according to Reuters.
Vaccines also continue to provide similar protection against the different forms of omicron, Boris Pavlin of the WHO’s Covid-19 response team told an online briefing, according to the news service.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Tests Positive (9:50 a.m. NY)
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19, the premier’s office said in an emailed statement. The 60-year-old Costa, who won a general election on Sunday, has no symptoms and will self-isolate for seven days.
U.S. Hospital Admissions Drop (9:32 a.m. NY)
U.S. hospital admissions for Covid-19 are receding in 34 states and the nation’s capital. In the past week, the number of new Covid-19 patients has dropped 31% in New Jersey and in Maryland, the biggest declines in the country, according to datafrom the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The fast-spreading omicron variant swept across the U.S. through much of December and early January, sending cases to a weekly peak more than three times as bad as the previous worst period, last winter. The number of infections meant that hospitals became overwhelmed yet again, even with a variant less virulent for the average infected person.
Europe’s Covid Spending Detailed (9:26 a.m. NY)
European Union states spent only about a third of the more-than 3 trillion euros ($3.4 trillion) in aid they budgeted for to save their economies from the pandemic, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
New Omicron Version Studied (6:55 p.m. HK)
The BA.2 omicron subvariant of omicron is even more infectious than BA.1 and likely to become the dominant virus, based on data from Denmark and the U.K., Bloomberg Intelligence senior pharmaceutical analyst Sam Fazeli says.
Early data from the U.K. suggest that the effectiveness of vaccines against symptomatic disease doesn’t differ between the subvariants.
“Though BA.2 may not cause more severe disease, we believe its raised transmissibility could make for sustained high levels of infections and the associated effects on society,” Fazeli said. Data from the U.K. suggest a 30% increase in transmissibility.
Hong Kong Faces Outbreak (6:10 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong on Tuesday reported the highest daily tally of unlinked infections in its fifth Covid outbreak as the government struggles to contain community transmission. The city had 129 newly confirmed cases – 102 were local cases and 22 have no currently known source, according to authorities.
S. Africa Eases Isolation Rule (6 p.m. HK)
South Africa dropped a requirement for people who test positive for Covid-19 but have no symptoms to self isolate, a marked turnaround from its initial approach to the virus when it implemented one of the world’s strictest lockdowns.
Austria Vaccine Mandate Takes Effect (5:30 p.m. HK)
Austria has embarked on a dramatic public health experiment, with a divisive new law that makes Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory. Police will begin checking the vaccination status of people on the street and during traffic stops, and from mid-March offenders who haven’t had a shot will face fines rising to as much as 3,600 euros ($4,050).
It’s a risky political move that’s already led to tens of thousands of protesters regularly thronging Vienna’s streets.
Italy Vaccine Requirement Starts (4:12 p.m. HK)
Vaccination will be mandatory in Italy for citizens over 50 starting Tuesday. People in that age group who haven’t received at least one shot can be fined 100 euros, and later this month will need to show a so-called “reinforced green pass”, which can only be obtained with the vaccine or after recovering from Covid, to go to work.
Pandemic Waste Cited in Report (3 p.m. HK)
The response to the pandemic has produced tens of thousands of tons of extra medical waste, challenging disposal systems and threatening human health and the environment, according to a World Health Organization report.
Overwhelmed waste systems, especially in lower-income nations, mean that health-care workers face the risk of needle injuries and burns, as well as exposure to pathogenic microorganisms, the WHO said. People residing near poorly managed landfills and waste disposal sites are at risk of contaminated air and poor water quality.
Shionogi Pill Seen Effective (2:30 p.m. HK)
Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co. shares rose the most in more than 20 months after disclosing its antiviral pill for Covid-19 was effective in a study.
Omicron Variant and Reinfection (1:15 p.m. HK)
New studies are emerging that suggest the latest version of the highly-infectious omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original, and mild cases of the first may not offer much protection against future infections.
The findings cast doubt on hopes that the wave of omicron that’s sweeping the world may help hasten the end of the pandemic. Calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as endemic like influenza are rising globally as people grow tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccines become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low.
Thailand’s Quarantine-Free Tourism (1 p.m. HK)
Thailand expects to welcome hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers a month with the kickoff of a quarantine-free visa program that’s set to serve as a model for tourism-reliant countries balancing safe border reopenings with economic revival.
Starting Tuesday, visitors of any nationality can apply for quarantine-free entry into Thailand, provided they are fully vaccinated. The government expects between 200,000 and 300,000 travelers to take advantage of the so-called Test & Go program in February alone, with the numbers expected to swell in the following months.
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