AFP

The Omicron coronavirus variant was present in Europe before the first cases were reported in South Africa, new data from the Netherlands showed Tuesday, as Latin America reported its first two cases in Brazil.

In the week since the new virus strain was reported to the World Health Organization by South Africa, dozens of countries around the world have responded with travel restrictions — most targeting southern African nations.

But the World Health Organization warned Tuesday — as Canada expanded its restrictions to also include Egypt and Nigeria — that “blanket” travel bans risked doing more harm than good.

And the likely futility of broad travel restrictions was underscored as Dutch authorities reported that Omicron was present in the country before South Africa officially reported its first cases, on November 25.

The new variant — whose high number of mutations the WHO believes may make it more transmissible or resistant to vaccines — was found in two Dutch test samples from November 19 and 23, with one having no travel history.

With countries now on alert for the Omicron variant, a clearer picture is emerging by the day of where it has been circulating, and for how long.

So far, well over a dozen countries and territories have detected cases, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy and Portugal.

Among European countries, Belgium and Germany have both reported cases of the new strain prior to November 25, but both linked to foreign travel.

Latin America reported its first two cases Tuesday — in people who traveled from South Africa to Brazil — and a first case was confirmed in Japan, one day after it barred all foreign arrivals.

– Vaccine-resistant? –

While much is still unknown about the Omicron variant — it could take weeks to determine whether and to what extent it is vaccine-resistant — it has highlighted that the global fight against Covid-19 is far from over.

Asian, European and US markets all fell on Tuesday, while the benchmark US oil price tumbled more than five percent after the boss of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned existing jabs might be less effective against the new variant.

“All the scientists I’ve talked to … are like ‘this is not going to be good’,” Moderna boss Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times, warning against a “material drop” in the effectiveness of current jabs against Omicron.

Moderna, US drugmaker Pfizer and the backers of Russian vaccine Sputnik V are already working on an Omicron-specific vaccine.

On the treatment front, meanwhile, a panel of US health experts voted Tuesday to endorse Merck’s Covid pill for high-risk adult patients, which is already authorised in Britain.

– ‘Heavy burden’ –

In a briefing to WHO member states, the body’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was understandable for countries to seek to protect their citizens “against a variant we don’t yet fully understand”.

But he called for the global response to be “calm, coordinated and coherent”, urging nations to “take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures”.

The UN agency cautioned in a travel advisory that “blanket” travel bans risked placing a “heavy burden on lives and livelihoods” and could ultimately dissuade countries from sharing data about the evolving virus — as South Africa did in reporting the latest variant.

But it did advise that people not fully vaccinated and considered vulnerable to Covid-19, including over-60s, should put off travel to areas with community transmission of the virus — after correcting a previous statement that indicated all over-60s should defer travel.

– Tougher measures –

Omicron has emerged as much of the world was already bracing for a new winter wave of the pandemic — leaving even nations with high vaccination rates scrambling to stem infections and prevent health services from being overwhelmed. 

Governments, particularly in western Europe, have already reintroduced mandatory mask-wearing, social-distancing measures, curfews or lockdowns — leaving businesses fearing another grim Christmas.

In Germany, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz said parliament would vote on making Covid vaccines compulsory by the end of the year — and a source from Scholz’s party told AFP he had “signalled his sympathy” for such a rule.

Greece went ahead Tuesday in making vaccines compulsory for over-60s, while Norway will offer booster shots to all adults before Easter, as preferable to a lockdown.

Britain meanwhile set a target of delivering third jabs to all adults within two months, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying vaccination centres would be “popping up like Christmas trees.”

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A panel of health experts appointed by the US government voted to recommend Merck’s Covid pill for high-risk adult patients, a new form of treatment that is easy to administer and could prove more able to withstand variants, including Omicron.

Molnupiravir, already authorized in Britain, has been shown to reduce the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk Covid patients when taken within five days of symptom onset.

The Food and Drug Administration, which convened Tuesday’s meeting, is expected to soon grant an emergency use authorization (EUA), meaning millions of courses of the capsules will be stocked in pharmacies for patients with prescriptions.

But the final margin of victory — with 13 experts in favor and 10 against — reflected concerns over a recent downgrading of the treatment’s efficacy results and fears over its potential harms.

“This was a difficult decision,” said Sascha Dublin, of the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.

Dublin said that while she found the benefits compelling enough, it will be important to make sure the pill is strictly regulated and goes to patients best suited for the treatment.

Last week, Merck released full results from a clinical trial of 1,400 people, which found the pill reduced the risk of hospitalizations and death by 30 percent — a significant result, but more modest than the earlier advertised 50 percent, which was based on an analysis of half the number of patients.

The factors behind the drop in efficacy are not yet fully clear, but could be linked to variation in the underlying conditions among those studied.

Briefing documents uploaded by the FDA illustrated the fine benefit-risk balance the experts had to analyze.

Potential harmful effects were noted on fetal development, as seen in studies on rats and rabbits, and Merck said it would not recommend use in pregnant women. 

The company did not seek authorization for children, and the FDA said it didn’t plan to carry out pediatric trials until safety is established in juvenile rats, with concerns about the impact on bone formation.

Merck’s pill is expected to become the first authorized oral treatment for Covid-19 in the United States. 

The most effective treatment are monoclonal antibodies, which are given by infusion and have been shown to reduce the risk of severe cases in high-risk patients by up to 70 percent. 

But it is far easier and less daunting for patients with prescriptions to get pills from a pharmacy than to go to an antibody infusion site where they will be placed on a drip.

– Toxicity concerns –

Merck’s treatment is taken as four capsules, twice a day, over five days — for a total of 40 pills.

It was found to be safe in its clinical trial, with non-serious adverse events such as diarrhea and dizziness occurring roughly equally between the placebo group and the drug group.

Molnupiravir, which was developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, works by introducing mutations into the genetic material of the coronavirus, inhibiting its ability to replicate.

It is thought likely to be more variant-proof than monoclonal antibodies or vaccines, because unlike them, it does not target the ever-mutating spike proteins that dot the surface of the virus.

The Omicron variant has more than 30 mutations on this protein, the so-called “business end” of the virus that it uses to invade our cells.

But molnupiravir’s error-driving mechanism also comes with certain concerns. 

Some experts have said it could harm mammal DNA, which could in turn cause cancer or damage sperm. But in its presentation, the FDA said rat studies showed the effect was negligible.

Another worry is whether the mutations the pill introduces might lead to a dangerous evolution of the virus itself, spurring new variants.

This is “currently a theoretical concern,” the FDA said in its slides, with no worrying mutations seen so far. But many of the experts who voted no said they were not yet convinced.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill, which cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent, works differently: instead of causing mutations, it blocks an enzyme needed for viral replication.

The US government has committed to buying 3.1 million courses of molnupiravir for approximately $2.2 billion, with the option to purchase more.

A panel of health experts appointed by the US government was mulling Tuesday whether to endorse Merck’s Covid pill, a new form of treatment that is easy to administer and could prove more able to withstand variants, including Omicron.

Molnupiravir, already authorized in Britain, has been shown to reduce the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk Covid patients when taken soon after infection. 

Accordingly, Merck — known as MSD outside the United States and Canada — is seeking an emergency use authorization (EUA) for non-hospitalized, high-risk people with mild to moderate Covid-19 cases, taken within five days of symptom onset.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which convened Tuesday’s meeting and will have the final say after the committee takes a non-binding vote, has raised some cautionary notes.

Among these are the potential harmful effects on fetal development, which were seen in studies on rats and rabbits.

“We are not recommending use during pregnancy,” said Merck scientist Kerry Blanchard.

The company is not seeking authorization for children, and the FDA doesn’t plan to carry out pediatric trials until safety is established in juvenile rats, with concerns about the impact on bone formation.

The meeting was taking place after Merck significantly downgraded the pill’s efficacy results in preventing severe Covid-19 in at-risk people from 50 percent to 30 percent. 

The new figure, released last week, was based on an analysis of more than 1,400 patients, while the earlier, interim statistic was based on results from around half that number. 

The factors behind the drop are not yet fully clear, but could be linked to variation in the underlying conditions among those studied.

Monoclonal antibody treatments, which are given by infusion, have been shown to reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 in high-risk patients by up to 70 percent. 

But it is far easier and less daunting for patients with prescriptions to get pills from a pharmacy than go to an antibody infusion site where they will be placed on a drip.

– More variant-proof –

Merck’s treatment is taken as four capsules, twice a day, over five days — for a total of 40 pills.

It was found to be safe in its clinical trial, with non-serious adverse events such as diarrhea and dizziness occurring roughly equally between the placebo group and the drug group.

Molnupiravir, which was developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, works by introducing mutations into the genetic material of the coronavirus, inhibiting its ability to replicate.

It is thought likely to be more variant-proof than monoclonal antibodies or vaccines, because unlike them, it does not target the ever-mutating spike proteins that dot the surface of the virus.

The Omicron variant has more than 30 mutations on this protein, the so-called “business end” of the virus that it uses to invade our cells.

But molnupiravir’s error-driving mechanism also comes with certain concerns. 

Some experts have said it could harm mammal DNA. But in its presentation, the FDA said rat studies showed the effect was negligible.

Another worry is whether the mutations the pill introduces might lead to a dangerous evolution of the virus itself.

This is “currently a theoretical concern,” the FDA said in its slides, with no worrying mutations seen so far.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill, which cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent, works differently: instead of causing mutations, it blocks an enzyme needed for viral replication.

The US government has committed to buying 3.1 million courses of molnupiravir for approximately $2.2 billion, with the option to purchase more.

The WHO on Tuesday urged countries to remain calm and take “rational” measures against the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, warning that blanket travel bans being rolled out globally will not prevent its spread. 

Omicron, first reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, has already appeared in many countries, with borders shutting and dozens of governments imposing travel restrictions in defiance of WHO advice.

While so much is still unknown — no deaths have been reported from Omicron and it could take weeks to know how vaccine-resistant it could prove — the new strain highlights that the global fight against Covid-19 is far from over.

Germany’s incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday voiced support for compulsory vaccinations and the UK ramped up booster jabs as even nations with high vaccination rates scramble to contain spiralling infections and prevent health services from being overwhelmed.

“We call on all member states to take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing to countries. “The global response must be calm, coordinated and coherent.”

Tedros said it was understandable that countries wanted to protect their citizens “against a variant we don’t yet fully understand”, yet the UN health agency fears blocking travel could be unfair and dissuade surveillance.

“Blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods. In addition, they can adversely impact global health efforts during a pandemic by disincentivising countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data,” the WHO said in a travel advisory on Omicron.

Still, the global health agency urged the over-60s and the vulnerable to postpone travel plans.

Governments, particularly in western Europe, have reintroduced mandatory mask-wearing, social-distancing measures, curfews or lockdowns — leaving businesses fearing another grim Christmas.

– Germany crisis talks –

In Germany Scholz announced parliament would vote on making Covid vaccines compulsory by the end of the year.

A source from Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party told AFP he “signalled his sympathy for such a regulation” as Europe’s largest economy mulled new restrictions amid soaring coronavirus cases and hospitalisations.

The country’s constitutional court has ruled that sweeping restrictions such as curfews, school closures and contact restrictions were lawful, paving the way for further curbs.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran warned the situation was worsening rapidly after the first Omicron variant was found on France’s Indian Ocean island of Reunion, and with 1,700 Covid patients now in critical care.

With 47,000 new cases reported over the past 24 hours, he said average daily cases are rising 60 percent a week. 

“If these trends continue, they could surpass the peak of the third wave by the end of this week,” he told lawmakers, referring to the surge in cases last spring.

In the Netherlands, health authorities revealed the Omicron variant had already entered the country before a cluster of cases emerged from two flights from South Africa.

Belgium and Germany have also reported finding Omicron cases before South Africa officially notified the WHO on November 24, while Japan confirmed its first case one day after barring all new foreign arrivals just weeks after relaxing tough regulations.

Asian, European and US markets fell, while the benchmark US oil price tumbled by more than five percent after the boss of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned existing jabs might be less effective against the new variant.

– ‘Not going to be good’ –

“All the scientists I’ve talked to … are like ‘this is not going to be good’,” Moderna boss Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times, warning against a “material drop” in the effectiveness of current jabs against Omicron.

Moderna, US drug maker Pfizer and the backers of Russian vaccine Sputnik V are already working on an Omicron-specific vaccine.

A panel of US health experts was meeting on Tuesday to decide on approving Merck’s anti-Covid pill, which is already authorised in Britain.

Scientists in South Africa said they had detected the new variant with at least 10 mutations, compared with three for Beta or two for Delta — the strain that hit the global recovery and sent millions worldwide back into lockdown.

China warned Omicron would cause challenges in hosting next February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, with thousands of athletes, media and participants arriving from overseas required to enter a strict “closed-loop” bubble.

“But China has a lot of experience in responding to Covid-19,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. “I firmly believe the Winter Olympics will be conducted smoothly.”

On Tuesday, Greece said coronavirus vaccines would be compulsory for over-60s, while Norway will offer booster shots to all adults before Easter, as preferable to lockdown.

Britain set a target of delivering third jabs to all adults within two months, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying vaccination centres would be “popping up like Christmas trees”, and neighbouring Ireland urged parents to reduce the indoor socialising of children under 12.

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A panel of health experts appointed by the US government was meeting Tuesday to decide whether to endorse Merck’s pill to treat Covid-19, potentially paving the way for the medicine to be available within weeks.

Molnupiravir, already authorized in Great Britain, has been shown to reduce the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk Covid patients when taken soon after infection. 

Accordingly, Merck — known as MSD outside the US and Canada — is seeking an emergency use authorization (EUA) for non-hospitalized, high-risk people with mild to moderate Covid cases, taken within five days of symptom onset.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which convened Tuesday’s meeting and will have the final say after the committee takes a non-binding vote, has raised some cautionary notes.

Among these are the potential harmful effects on fetal development, which were seen in studies on rats and rabbits. 

“We are not recommending use during pregnancy,” said Merck scientist Kerry Blanchard.

The company is not seeking authorization for children, and the FDA doesn’t plan to carry out pediatric trials until safety is established in juvenile rats, with concerns about the impact on bone formation.

The meeting is taking place after Merck significantly downgraded the pill’s efficacy results in preventing severe Covid-19 in at-risk people from 50 percent to 30 percent. 

The new figure, released last week, was based on an analysis of more than 1,400 patients, while the earlier, interim statistic was based on results from around half that number. The factors behind the drop aren’t fully clear.

Monoclonal antibody treatments, which are given by infusion, have been shown to reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 in high-risk patients by up to 70 percent. But uptake is expected to be higher with oral antivirals once they become readily available in pharmacies to patients with prescriptions.

– More variant-proof –

Merck’s pill is taken as four capsules, twice a day, over five days — for a total of 40 pills.

It was found to be safe in its clinical trial, with non-serious adverse events such as diarrhea and dizziness occurring roughly equally between placebo group and drug group.

Molnupiravir, which was developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, works by introducing mutations into the genetic material of the coronavirus, inhibiting its ability to replicate.

It is thought likely to be more variant-proof than monoclonal antibodies or vaccines, because unlike them, it does not target the ever-mutating spike proteins that dot the surface of the virus. 

But this mechanism also comes with certain concerns. Because it causes mutations, some experts have said it could harm mammal DNA. But in its presentation, the FDA said rat studies showed the effect was negligible.

Another worry is whether the mutations the pill introduces might lead to dangerous evolution of the virus itself.

This is “currently a theoretical concern,” the FDA said in its slides, with no worrying mutations seen so far.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill, which cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent, works differently: instead of causing mutations, it blocks an enzyme needed for viral replication.

The US government has committed to buying 3.1 million courses of molnupiravir for approximately $2.2 billion, with the option to purchase more.

The WHO on Tuesday urged countries to remain calm and take “rational” measures against the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, as Germany’s next chancellor voiced support for compulsory vaccinations.

The emergence of Omicron, first reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, has already spread rapidly across the globe with borders shutting and dozens of countries rolling out travel restrictions in defiance of WHO advice.

While so much is still unknown — no deaths have been reported from Omicron and it could take weeks to know how vaccine-resistant it could prove — the new strain underscores how besieged the world remains by Covid-19, nearly two years after the first cases.

“We call on all member states to take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing to countries. “The global response must be calm, coordinated and coherent.”

The WHO chief said it was understandable that countries wanted to protect their citizens “against a variant that we don’t yet fully understand,” yet the UN health agency fears that blocking travel could be unfair and dissuade surveillance.

“I am equally concerned that several member states are introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities,” said Tedros.

Governments, particularly in western Europe, have already struggled with rapid rises in case numbers and have reintroduced mandatory mask-wearing, social-distancing measures, curfews or lockdowns — leaving businesses fearing another grim Christmas.

– Germany crisis talks –

In the European Union’s largest economy, Germany’s next chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated his support for compulsory Covid vaccines, with a source from his centre-left Social Democratic Party telling AFP he “signalled his sympathy for such a regulation”.

Scholz held crisis talks with regional leaders and was due to meet outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel over introducing new restrictions amid soaring coronavirus cases and hospitalisations.

Germany’s constitutional court ruled that sweeping restrictions such as curfews, school closures and contact restrictions were lawful, likely to pave the way for further curbs.

In neighbouring France, Health Minister Olivier Veran warned the situation was worsening rapidly after the first Omicron variant was found on the French island of Reunion, with 1,700 Covid patients now in critical care.

With 47,000 new cases reported over the past 24 hours, he said average daily cases are rising 60 percent a week. “If these trends continue, they could surpass the peak of the third wave by the end of this week,” he told lawmakers, referring to the surge in cases last spring.

In the Netherlands, health authorities revealed the Omicron variant had already entered the Netherlands before a cluster of cases emerged from two flights from South Africa.

Belgium and Germany have also reported finding Omicron cases before South Africa officially notified the WHO on November 24, while Japan confirmed its first case one day after barring all new foreign arrivals just weeks after relaxing tough regulations.

Markets in Asia, Frankfurt, London and Paris fell, while US markets and oil prices also tumbled after the boss of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned vaccines might be less effective at fighting the new variant.

– ‘Not going to be good’ –

“All the scientists I’ve talked to … are like ‘this is not going to be good’,” Moderna boss Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times, warning against a “material drop” in the effectiveness of current jabs against Omicron.

Moderna, US drug maker Pfizer and the backers of Russian vaccine Sputnik V have all announced they are already working on an Omicron-specific vaccine.

Scientists in South Africa said they had detected the new variant with at least 10 mutations, compared with three for Beta or two for Delta — the strain that hit the global recovery and sent millions worldwide back into lockdown.

China warned Omicron would cause challenges in hosting next February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, with thousands of athletes, media and participants arriving from overseas required to enter a strict “closed-loop” bubble.

“But China has a lot of experience in responding to Covid-19,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. “I firmly believe the Winter Olympics will be conducted smoothly.”

On Tuesday, Greece said coronavirus vaccines would be compulsory for over-60s, a day after Britain said all adults would be eligible for a third Covid jab. 

Norway also said it would offer a booster shot to all adults before Easter, as preferable to lockdown.

And in Switzerland, ahead of what some had hoped would be a prosperous ski season, hoteliers said they were facing a wave of winter cancellations following quarantine restrictions being imposed on travellers from certain countries, including Britain.

The first confirmed case of the Omicron variant was in South Africa on November 9, with infections spreading rapidly in the country.

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US biotech firm Regeneron said Tuesday that its synthetic antibody treatment for Covid-19 may be less effective against the new variant, and it plans to conduct tests to determine by how much.

“Prior in vitro analyses and structural modeling regarding the individual mutations present in the Omicron variant indicate that there may be reduced neutralization activity of both vaccine-induced and monoclonal antibody-conveyed immunity, including the current REGEN-COV antibodies,” the company said in a statement.

“Further analyses are ongoing to confirm and quantify this potential impact using the actual Omicron variant sequence.”

REGEN-COV is currently authorized in the United States as a post-exposure prophylaxis in high-risk individuals, and is pending full approval.

It is based on two lab-produced monoclonal antibodies — Y-shaped proteins that bind to the spikes that dot the surface of the coronavirus, stopping the pathogen from invading human cells.

The antibodies, called casirivimab and imdevimab, are injected intravenously.

But Omicron has a high number of mutations on its spike proteins, which worries health experts.

The World Health Organization in late September recommended Regeneron for Covid-19 treatment, but only in patients with specific health profiles, such as the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

A panel of health experts appointed by the US government will meet Tuesday to decide whether to endorse Merck’s pill to treat Covid-19, potentially paving the way for the medicine to be available within weeks.

Molnupiravir, already authorized in Great Britain, has been shown to reduce the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk Covid patients when taken soon after infection, according to a clinical trial.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which convened Tuesday’s meeting and will have the final say on granting an emergency use authorization (EUA) after the committee takes a non-binding vote, has raised some cautionary notes.

Among these are the potential harmful effects on fetal development, which were seen in studies on rats and rabbits, and will mean pregnant women will either be advised against the pill or ineligible to receive it.

Children are also ineligible, and the FDA doesn’t plan to carry out pediatric trials until safety is established in juvenile rats.

The meeting is taking place after Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, significantly downgraded the pill’s efficacy results in preventing severe Covid-19 in at-risk people from 50 percent to just 30 percent. 

The new figure, released last week, was based on an analysis of more than 1,400 patients, while the earlier, interim statistic was based on results from around half that number.

Monoclonal antibody treatments, which are injected, have been shown to reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 in high-risk patients by 70 percent. But uptake is expected to be higher with oral antivirals once they become readily available in pharmacies after a prescription.

Merck’s pill is taken as four capsules, twice a day, over five days — for a total of 40 pills.

It was found to be safe in its clinical trial, with adverse events occurring more frequently in the placebo group.

Molnupiravir, which was developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, works by introducing mutations into the genetic material of the coronavirus, inhibiting its ability to replicate.

It might be more variant-proof than monoclonal antibodies or vaccines, because unlike them, it does not target the ever-mutating spike proteins that dot the surface of the virus. 

But according to slides prepared by FDA scientists, this mechanism comes with certain risks, such as those to fetuses.

One worry is whether the mutations the pill introduces might lead to dangerous evolution of the virus itself.

This is “currently a theoretical concern,” the FDA said in its slides, with no worrying mutations seen so far.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill, which cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent, works differently: instead of causing mutations, it blocks an enzyme needed for viral replication.

The US government has committed to buying 3.1 million courses of molnupiravir for approximately $2.2 billion, with the option to purchase more.

NASA early Tuesday postponed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station by two of its astronauts after receiving a “debris notification” for the orbital outpost.

Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron had been due to head outside the space laboratory later Tuesday on a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to replace a faulty radio communications antenna.

“NASA received a debris notification for the space station,” the space agency tweeted.

“Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the Nov. 30 spacewalk until more information is available.”

Earlier in November, Russia destroyed one of its own satellites during a missile test, generating a cloud of debris that NASA said had “increased the risk to the station.”

The debris cloud forced the seven crew on the ISS to temporarily take shelter in their return ships. NASA said the biggest risk had been in the first 24 hours after the test.

It was not clear if NASA’s postponement of Tuesday’s spacewalk was due to debris from the Russian space missile test.

The Russians have rejected US accusations that their test had endangered the space station.

US officials said they were not informed in advance of the anti-satellite missile test — only the fourth ever to hit a spacecraft from the ground — which generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris.  

The spacewalk had been due to be Barron’s debut walk, and the fifth for Marshburn.

The pair arrived at the ISS on November 11 aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance with NASA’s Crew-3 mission for a six-month stay.

Existing Covid-19 inoculations will struggle against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the head of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned Tuesday, as countries ramp up vaccination programmes and impose further restrictions in an effort to curb growing concern.

First reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, the new strain has rapidly spread from Africa to the Pacific, and from Europe to North America as dozens of countries have announced travel restrictions.

While no deaths have yet been reported from Omicron, and it could take weeks to know how infectious and how resistant the strain may prove to vaccines, its emergence underscores how besieged the world remains by Covid-19, nearly two years after the first cases were recorded.

Stephane Bancel, the head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna, told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday that data would be available on the effectiveness of vaccines in the two weeks’ time, but that scientists were pessimistic.

“All the scientists I’ve talked to … are like ‘this is not going to be good’,” Bancel said, warning against a “material drop” in the effectiveness of current jabs against Omicron.

Moderna, US drugmaker Pfizer and the backers of Russian vaccine Sputnik V have all announced that they are already working on an Omicron-specific vaccine.

Scientists in South Africa said they had detected the new variant with at least 10 mutations, compared with three for Beta or two for Delta — the strain that hit the global recovery and sent millions worldwide back into lockdown.

China warned that the fast-spreading Omicron variant would cause challenges in hosting next February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, with thousands of athletes, media and participants arriving from overseas required to enter a strict “closed-loop” bubble.

– ‘Urgent action’ –

“I think it will definitely lead to challenges linked to prevention and control,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

“But China has a lot of experience in responding to Covid-19,” Zhao added. “I firmly believe the Winter Olympics will be conducted smoothly.”

On Monday, US President Joe Biden said the strain was “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” stressing that he does not foresee new lockdowns or extending travel restrictions for now.

G7 health ministers called for “urgent action” to combat the Omicron variant. 

The WHO said the overall risk from Omicron was “very high” and warned that any major surge would put pressure on health systems and cause more deaths.

Omicron could slow the recovery of the US economy and labour market and heighten uncertainty over inflation, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is to tell the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

Governments, particularly in western Europe, had already struggled with rapid rises in case numbers and have reintroduced mandatory mask-wearing, social-distancing measures, curfews or lockdowns — leaving businesses fearing another grim Christmas.

Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel was to meet remotely with her successor, Olaf Scholz, and regional leaders Tuesday on whether to toughen up restrictions to tame raging infections in the European Union’s largest economy.

Germany’s constitutional court has ruled that sweeping restrictions such as curfews, school closures and contact restrictions were lawful, likely to pave the way for further curbs with hospitals, already over capacity, long sounding the alarm.

– Bans for unvaccinated –

“Contacts must be reduced,” said Germany’s vice-chancellor-in-waiting Robert Habeck, calling for tougher restrictions such as banning unvaccinated people from “all public facilities” apart from essential shops.

On Tuesday, Greece said coronavirus vaccines would be compulsory for over 60s, a day after Britain said all adults would be now eligible for a third Covid jab. On Tuesday, Norway also said it would offer a booster shot to all adults before Easter, as preferable to lockdown.

And in Switzerland, ahead of what some had hoped would be a prosperous ski season, hoteliers said they were facing a wave of winter cancellations following quarantine restrictions being imposed on travellers from certain countries, including Britain.

Hotels had seen “massive cancellations of corporate events and Christmas parties,” said industry group HotellerieSuisse, calling on political leaders to take steps to avoid a lockdown and to maintain financial assistance to the sector already hard hit by the pandemic.

A ministerial meeting on the World Trade Organization, which had been due to take place this week in Geneva but which was postponed due to Omicron, could now take place in early March 2022, the body said.

The first confirmed case of the Omicron variant was in South Africa on November 9, with infections spreading rapidly in the country.

Russia, which has the highest toll from the virus in Europe and which has not yet reported a case of the Omicron variant, on Tuesday recorded its lowest total new daily infections since October 15. 

Kazakhstan has banned flights from December 3 to Egypt, a popular tourist destination, over Omicron.

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