(Bloomberg) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country is managing to slow the spread of omicron, winning time to administer booster shots. South Korea will extend limits on social gatherings and dining out for two weeks after record new infections, Yonhap News reported.
Covid-19 vaccinations among U.S. children aged 5-11 have fallen to the lowest levels since the shots were first approved, a sign that parental enthusiasm for the shots may be running low even as authorities consider expanding the shots to even younger kids.
American Express Co. is encouraging staffers in New York and the U.K. to start returning to the office early next month as coronavirus cases recede globally. In Brazil, daily infections climbed to their highest level since the pandemic began.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 387.3 million; deaths pass 5.7 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 10.1 billion shots administered
- Covid’s endemic shift means slowdown for virus-product makers
- New virus research will speed NIH’s next outbreak response
- What we know about omicron and its subvariant BA.2: QuickTake
- Sign up for the free Coronavirus Daily newsletter here
N.Z. Welcomes Slow Spread of Omicron (7:54 a.m. HK)
The slow spread is giving more people the opportunity to receive boosters, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The strategy has to ensure the health system isn’t overwhelmed, she said.
“Taken as a whole there is a range of factors that are making a difference to New Zealand’s experience of omicron versus other countries,” she said. “That’s a sign of success.”
S. Korea to Keep Distancing: Yonhap (7:40 a.m. HK)
South Korea will extend current social-distancing curbs, including limiting private gatherings to up to six people and 9 p.m. closing hours for restaurants and cafes, for another two weeks, Yonhap News reported.
The steps will be effective through Feb. 20, according to the report. South Korea has been reporting record number of daily new cases, topping 22,000 infections earlier this week.
Iowa, Maryland End Health Emergencies (5:57 p.m. NY)
Governor Kim Reynolds said she would allow Iowa’s public health emergency declaration, first issued near the start of the pandemic in March 2020, to expire on Feb. 15.
“After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly.”
Health emergencies were declared at the start of the pandemic in all 50 states, and the expanded power of governors proved contentious in many of them. Roughly half of U.S. states have revoked them, and more are expected to do so as the surge caused by the omicron variant eases. Maryland, which includes part of the Washington metro area, allowed a 30-day state of emergency to expire on Thursday.
Colorado Hopeful on Omicron Immunity (4:36 p.m. NY)
Public health modeling suggests 80% of Colorado residents could be “immune to infection” from the current omicron variant by mid-February, Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist, said during a Thursday briefing. At the same time, the number of omicron cases remains elevated “and we have a long way to come down,” said Scott Bookman, Covid-19 incident commander at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Johns Hopkins researchers estimate 70.1% of Coloradans are fully vaccinated.
Medicare to Cover Free Home Tests (2:46 p.m. NY)
Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get up to eight free over-the-counter Covid-19 tests per month beginning in early spring, the Biden administration announced Thursday.
The new initiative will allow Medicare to directly pay participating pharmacies and other entities for over-the-counter tests approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
Private Medicare Advantage plans may offer coverage of the tests as a supplemental benefit in addition to hospital Part A coverage and outpatient Part B benefits, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said. Beneficiaries covered by Medicare Advantage should check with their plan to see if it includes such a benefit.
Amex Tells NYC, U.K. Staff to Start Returning (2:15 p.m. NY)
American Express Co. is encouraging staffers in New York and the U.K. to start returning to the office early next month as Covid-19 cases recede globally.
AmEx has previously said most colleagues will work remotely at least part of the time even after the pandemic subsides. The firm asked New York staffers in those hybrid roles to begin coming back one day a week starting March 1 before a wider return on March 15, Chief Executive Officer Steve Squeri said in an internal memo Thursday seen by Bloomberg News.
“The purpose of this phased approach is to give colleagues some time to adjust to the transition of coming in after working virtually for the past two years, as well as to become familiar with some of the new technology and other changes that have been made to support our new way of working,” Squeri said in the memo.
Kids’ Vaccinations Plummet (1:53 p.m. NY)
Covid-19 vaccinations among children ages 5-11 have fallen to the lowest levels since the shots were first approved, a sign that parental enthusiasm for the shots may be running low even as authorities consider expanding the shots to even younger children.
The seven-day average of first doses fell to about 37,062 on Jan. 28, marking the slowest one-week period since the government approved the vaccines for those children on Nov. 2, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Just 31% of kids 5-11 have gotten a shot, compared with 75% of the total population.
Trudeau Rules Out Army Against Truckers (1:08 p.m. NY)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau downplayed the idea of deploying Canada’s military to help clear out a trucker protest that’s paralyzed the capital, raising the prospect of an extended occupation of Ottawa’s downtown core.
Trudeau, speaking in a virtual news conference from isolation after contracting Covid-19, said Thursday that the federal government would consider any request for military help from provincial or city officials — but he doesn’t see that happening in the near future.
“One has to be very, very cautious before deploying military in situations engaging Canadians,” Trudeau said. “There have been no requests, and that is not in the cards right now.”
Merck Trims Antiviral Sales View (9:01 a.m. NY)
Merck & Co. said early Thursday that it now expects lower sales for its Covid antiviral molnupiravir than it had previously projected. The company now projects $5 billion to $6 billion in sales of the drug for the year, compared with a previous estimate of $5 billion to $7 billion.
EU’s Valneva Review to Take Longer (8:56 a.m. NY)
French drugmaker Valneva SE’s vaccine might not receive a decision from European Union regulators until after mid-April, extending the review process.
The European Medicines Agency is awaiting more data from Valneva covering the entire adult population, Marco Cavaleri, the regulator’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy, said at a briefing on Thursday. The pace of the review depends on when the data is available, though it’s unrealistic to expect it before Easter, he said.
Subvariant Has Spread Across Africa (8:50 a.m. NY)
The omicron subvariant known as BA.2 has been found across Africa, and countries should sequence more samples so the extent of its spread can be determined, the World Health Organization said.
So far, the strain has been found in Senegal in West Africa, Kenya in East Africa and Malawi, Botswana and South Africa in southern Africa, Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi, a virologist with the WHO, said Thursday on a conference call.
Subvariant Dominant in Denmark (8:22 a.m. NY)
The omicron subvariant BA.2 makes up 69% of confirmed cases in Denmark and will reach 100% by mid-February, according to a study from the Danish virus watchdog SSI. BA.2 is about 30% more contagious than the original omicron, known as BA.1, the study found.
While unvaccinated people have a bigger risk of contamination overall, those who have been vaccinated are more likely to catch the new strain than BA.1. Denmark lifted all its Covid restrictions on Tuesday despite record daily cases, as hospitalizations and the number of people with severe disease are gradually declining.
U.K. Regulator Clears Novavax Shot (7:41 a.m. NY)
Novavax Inc.’s vaccine won clearance from U.K. regulators for use in people aged 18 and over for a first and second dose. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said nuvaxovid, as the protein-based shot is known, will be the fifth Covid vaccine authorized for use in Britain.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the next step will be for the Independent Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination, the government’s advisory panel on inoculations, to consider its use as part of the country’s Covid vaccination program.
Europe Could See Covid ‘Ceasefire:’ WHO (6:43 a.m. NY)
Europe is at a crossroads in the fight against the pandemic with a potential “ceasefire” in sight, according to the director for the region at the World Health Organization.
While cases and hospitalizations from the omicron-driven wave are still rising in Europe, deaths are beginning to plateau, Hans Kluge told reporters Thursday. As the omicron wave recedes, Europeans will have a relatively high level of immunity derived from vaccines and from previous infections.
“This period of higher protection should be seen as a ceasefire that can bring us enduring peace,” Kluge said. He urged a “drastic” increase in vaccinations, particularly in lower- and middle-income countries.
EU Proposes to Extend Certificates (6:14 a.m. NY)
The European Union is proposing to extend its digital Covid certificate system for a year, until the end of June 2023, as it aims to facilitate travel even as many governments are easing or eliminating pandemic-related restrictions.
“Without this extension, we risk having many divergent national systems, and all the confusion and obstacles that this would cause,” Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in a statement.
Africa Needs $1.29 Billion for Vaccine Rollout (6 a.m. NY)
Africa is short at least $1.29 billion to fund the rollout of vaccines, the World Health Organization said, citing data from 40 of the continent’s 54 countries. Only 11% of Africa’s 1.2 billion people are fully inoculated and the weekly pace of vaccination needs to rise sixfold to hit a target of getting 70% immunized by the middle of this year, the WHO said Thursday.
German Group Backs Second Booster (6:06 p.m. HK)
Germany’s vaccine commission recommends a second messenger-RNA booster shot for the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or who work in medical and other care facilities.
The second booster should take place at least three months after the first for people who are at least five years old and at heightened risk of serious disease, the commission said. For those working in medical and other care facilities, the second booster should take place at least six months after the first, the commission said.
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