Health experts urge Americans to keep New Year’s celebrations small
These are some of the major cities that canceled their big New Year’s Eve events due to Covid-19 concerns
From CNN’s Forrest Brown
In New York City, the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be “scaled back” tonight, with fewer revelers and everyone required to wear a mask, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said last week.
But some major cities in Europe, where the spread of Omicron has been startling, announced they are flat-out canceling plans.
On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci repeated his warning that people should avoid large New Year’s Eve gatherings and stick with small gatherings of vaccinated family or close friends.
The following cities announced they’re canceling their big shindigs:
- Athens: No fireworks show over the Acropolis this year. Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris said during a news briefing on Dec. 23, that all public Christmas and New Year celebrations planned by municipalities are canceled.
- Atlanta: Georgia’s capital city is canceling the New Year’s Eve Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases, according to a tweet from Underground Atlanta.
- Berlin: Germany imposed strict contact restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 starting on Dec. 28 and will prohibit New Year’s Eve gatherings, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Dec. 21. That means no big fireworks gathering in Berlin, the capital, nor in other big gathering spots such as Munich and Frankfurt.
- Edinburgh: Public New Year’s Eve celebrations in Scotland will be canceled, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Dec. 21. In a statement, Sturgeon explained details for post-Christmas restrictions on large events to blunt the spread of Omicron.
- London: A planned New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled over Covid-19 concerns, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted on Dec. 20. “Due to the surge in Covid cases, we’ve taken the difficult decision to cancel our NYE event in Trafalgar Square,” Khan tweeted. “The safety of all Londoners must come first.”
- New Delhi: The government of India’s union territory of Delhi, which encompasses the national capital of New Delhi, has announced a ban on all social, cultural, political and festival gatherings until further notice because of a rise in Covid-19 cases, CNN’s New Delhi Bureau reports.
- Paris: Paris has canceled its traditional fireworks display over the Champs-Elysées Avenue to welcome the New Year because of the renewed coronavirus surge. “The fireworks will not take place, nor unfortunately will there be any DJ sets,” the mayor’s office told AFP in a report on France24.com. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Dec. 17, that major public parties and fireworks would be banned on New Year’s Eve and recommended that even vaccinated people take a self-test before getting together for year-end parties, according to Reuters.
- Rome: In Italy, Rome is among several cities that have decided to cancel festivities over Covid health concerns. Large New Year’s Eve celebrations across the country have been canceled, including open air concerts and fireworks in Venice. Nightclubs will be closed for the month of January as well. The Campania region has also banned feasts and alcohol consumption in public areas from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
See which cities are still moving forward with their NYE’s plans here.
UK approves Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral pill for high-risk adults
From CNN’s Amy Cassidy
UK regulators have approved Paxlovid, the antiviral pill developed by Pfizer which, studies suggest, can sharply reduce the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk adults with Covid-19.
The pill is “safe and effective,” according to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in a statement published online Friday. It is taken in combination with an older antiviral, ritonavir, which slows the drug’s breakdown.
Clinical trials among high-risk adults concluded that one course of Paxlovid, taken twice a day for five days, reduced the risk of Covid-19 related hospitalization and death within 28 days by 89%, compared to a placebo group when taken within three days of the start of symptoms.
The UK has authorized it for people aged 18 and above who have mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms, and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, according to the statement.
“The booster campaign, testing and antiviral defences ensure our country is in the strongest possible position to deal with the threat posed by Omicron as we head into the new year,” UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in the statement.
The news release added, “It is too early to know whether the omicron variant has any impact on Paxlovid’s effectiveness but the MHRA is proactively working with the company to establish this.”
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized the pill last week.
Greece follows US in cutting Covid self-isolation to five days
From Amy Cassidy in Glasgow and Chris Liakos in Athens
Greece has followed the US in halving its Covid-19 self-isolation period from 10 days to five, apparently making it the first European country to do so.
The change was announced despite a record surge in cases.
The country’s health experts committee announced the move in a statement published online Wednesday, ahead of a record 35,580 new cases reported on Thursday, according to data from Greece’s national public health organization.
The revised guidelines replicate the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations announced Monday to end self-isolation after five days, provided patients have no symptoms.
The person must then wear a “high-protection” N95, KN95 or FFP2 mask for a further five days, according to the Greek statement.
Those who are fully vaccinated, including a booster shot, are not required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a Covid-positive person, while the unvaccinated must follow the revised isolation rules.
Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal, England and Wales have shortened their isolation period from 10 days to seven.
WHO chief: 2022 can mark the end of the pandemic
From CNN’s Eliza Mackintosh and Duarte Mendonça
The head of the World Health Organization has struck a hopeful note about beating the pandemic in 2022 in a New Year’s Eve message, saying the world had the “tools to end this calamity” even as daily new Covid cases worldwide reached new records.
But the optimistic post from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, which he shared on LinkedIn Thursday, came with a warning: The longer inequity continues, the longer the pandemic will persist.
Two years in, the tools available to fight Covid-19 remain unevenly distributed around the world. In Africa, three in four health care workers remain unvaccinated, while people in Europe and the United States are receiving third booster doses. That gap has made the chances of new variants emerging more likely, “locking us into a cycle of continued loss, hardship and restrictions,” Tedros said.
“If we end inequity, we end the pandemic, and end the global nightmare we have all lived through. And this is possible,” he added.
As part of his New Year resolutions, the WHO chief said he would work in collaboration with governments to prioritize vaccine deliveries to global initiatives, like COVAX and AVAT, with the target of vaccinating 70% of people in all countries by mid-2022.
You can read his full post, “My hope for ending the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022,” on LinkedIn. Here’s an excerpt from his message:
After two years, we now know this virus well. We know the proven measures to control transmission: mask use, avoiding crowds, maintaining physical distancing, practicing hand and respiratory hygiene, opening windows for ventilation, testing and contact tracing. We know how to treat the disease it causes and improve the chances of survival for people suffering serious illness. With all these learnings and capacities, the opportunity to turn this pandemic around for good is in our grasp.
Omicron is now the dominant variant in France
From Dalal Mawad in Paris and Eliza Mackintosh in London
French President Emmanuel Macron is poised to deliver his annual New Year’s Eve speech on Friday afternoon, hours after the country announced that Omicron had become the dominant variant and as it grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases.
More than 60% of coronavirus tests are now showing a profile compatible with Omicron, data released by the government late Thursday showed. The variant accounted for just 15% of all cases in mid-December, but holiday gatherings in recent weeks have fueled its spread and sparked a surge in infections.
Omicron variant cases are doubling every two to three days, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday, reporting that France set another new daily record high of 208,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours. “We are seeing numbers that give you vertigo,” Veran told a parliamentary health commission in Paris.
Earlier this month, French ministers tightened travel restrictions for the United Kingdom, citing concerns over the spread of Omicron. But on Thursday, the French Interior Ministry announced that British nationals who are legal residents of an EU country would be allowed to transit through France over the holiday period.
To curb the spread of Omicron, France has also announced it will require a new “vaccine pass,” replacing the previous “health pass,” which could be obtained by providing a recent negative Covid test instead of proof of vaccination. The new system will to come into force from January 15 in restaurants, as well as in some of the country’s public transportation.
President Macron has pledged to ramp up restrictions on the unvaccinated, but has stopped short of making the vaccine compulsory.
Hong Kong reports first Omicron cluster as city prepares to welcomes New Year
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has confirmed its first Omicron cluster, bringing an end to its long streak of zero locally transmitted cases and prompting fears of a wider outbreak as the city prepares to ring in the new year.
Two cases of local transmission were detected on Thursday, both fully vaccinated with no recent travel history. They tested preliminarily positive for Covid-19 after eating at a restaurant on Monday, where they were exposed to an air crew member who was later confirmed to be carrying the highly transmissible Omicron variant, authorities say.
The crew member, an employee of Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, arrived in Hong Kong from the United States on Christmas Day. He had tested negative twice, before testing preliminarily positive for Omicron on Tuesday. He is fully vaccinated with a third booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine and remains asymptomatic, according to the Department of Health.
Health authorities announced Friday they are also monitoring 19 new cases, mostly imported and all suspected to be Omicron — including a cargo pilot who visited several popular restaurants and bars on Monday, just days after returning from the US. On Tuesday he was determined to be a close contact of another patient and sent to the government’s quarantine center; by Wednesday, he had tested positive for the virus.
Hong Kong hasn’t seen a locally transmitted Covid case with an unknown source for nearly three months; the last such reported case was on October 8. Though the city had reported a number of imported Omicron cases from quarantined overseas travelers in December, the variant hadn’t broken to the local community until now.
Read more:
Cathay Pacific says strict new Hong Kong quarantine rules could cause “dramatic” supply chain disruptions
From CNN’s Hannah Ritchie, Teele Rebane and Eric Cheung
Hong Kong’s flagship airline warned Friday that strict new quarantine measures in the city could lead to “dramatic disruptions” to local supply chains, as the company is forced to curb some passenger and cargo flights.
Cathay Pacific’s note of caution came as the Hong Kong government announced that, from Saturday, all cargo air crew based in the city who have stayed overseas will need to spend seven days in hotel quarantine when they return. That’s up from the current three-day requirement.
The measure marks an escalation from what are already some of the world’s most stringent and isolating restrictions, as Hong Kong attempts to stamp out any trace of the coronavirus. The city, along with mainland China, is one of the last places in Asia still adopting a “zero Covid” strategy. And most people coming into the city are forced to quarantine in a hotel for up to three weeks upon arrival, even if they are inoculated.
“We are wary that any further tightening of aircrew quarantine arrangements would lead to reductions in flight frequencies to protect the well-being of our crew members and the overall safety of our operations,” said Andy Wong, general manager of Cathay Pacific’s corporate affairs division, in a statement.
He added that such actions would cause “dramatic disruptions to supply chains in the short-term” and undermine Hong Kong International Airport as a “leading cargo hub.”
Strict quarantine rules have already been taking a toll on pilots at the carrier.
Like staff at many airlines, all Cathay flight crew are fully vaccinated. But Cathay pilots told CNN Business weeks ago that the airline had adopted strict policies for those traveling to countries designated as “high risk,” such as the United States, India and the United Kingdom. Pilots headed to those places typically fly out for several weeks and still have to quarantine in hotels again in Hong Kong.
Omicron cases: “Low risk” and cargo flights have been more lenient in the past, but Friday’s announcement suggests the city sees a need for a tightening as the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant grows. Hong Kong just reported its first two local cases of the variant, which health authorities said Thursday were likely linked to a Cathay crew member.
Read more:
Doctors in India end strike amid growing Covid cases
From CNN’s Esha Mitra in New Delhi
Resident doctors in India’s capital, New Delhi, have called off their two-week long strike amid rising coronavirus cases in the country, a statement from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) said on Friday.
Thousands of resident doctors have been protesting a delay in allocating hospitals to doctors who have passed their post-graduate exams — leaving them unemployed and unable to support the country’s Covid efforts. The delay has led to a shortage of 45,000 doctors on the front line, according to the Indian Medical Association.
“With the Covid situation getting worse we have rejoined hospitals,” said FORDA secretary Dr. Anuj Aggarwal, adding they will continue to push for allocation of hospitals to the incoming batch of doctors.
India reported more than 16,000 new Covid-19 cases Friday, a 27% rise from the day before, according to the Ministry of Health.
Omicron is likely behind a “sharp increase” in India cases, health official says
From CNN’s Esha Mitra in New Delhi
India reported more than 16,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday, a 27% rise from the day before, according to the country’s Ministry of Health — as doctors brace for a potential third wave driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
India’s Omicron case numbers have more than tripled this week, with at least 1,270 infections now recorded, compared to 358 last Friday.
Health secretary Lav Agarwal called it a “sharp increase” during a news conference Thursday.
According to the head of India’s Covid-19 task force, VK Paul, the rise “could be part of the global rise in cases pushed by Omicron.”
“This variant is highly transmissible and that perhaps explains the speed in which it is rising,” he said Thursday.
Meanwhile, as five Indian states gear up for elections in early 2022, political parties have held a number of events drawing large crowds, particularly in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous.
Many people have stopped wearing face masks, and are getting tested less frequently than before.
Local restrictions: While the national government has issued no restrictions on large gatherings, it has outlined Covid protocols for states to impose depending on their local situation. At least 13 states and several major cities have imposed restrictions.
In the capital, New Delhi, all social, cultural, political and festival gatherings are banned until further notice. Bars and restaurants are capped at 50% capacity, with face masks required for entry. Gyms and pools are shut entirely. A night curfew was announced Tuesday.
In Mumbai, all social, religious and political gatherings — including weddings and professional functions — are capped at 50% indoors and 25% outdoors until further notice.
Vaccination status: Just over 63% of India’s adult population are fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the Ministry of Health, while 90% are “partially vaccinated.”
India has reported a total of 34.8 million Covid-19 cases and 481,080 related deaths, according to the ministry.
Read more about Omicron and India:
Source: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/omicron-variant-coronavirus-news-12-31-21
