December 23 Omicron variant and coronavirus news

Germany's health minister Karl Lauterbach said Germans will need a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to maintain protection from the Omicron variant.

The protection of the booster vaccination administered so far "is not too durable --- and we are prepared for that," Lauterbach went on to say.

Germany has ordered vaccine doses from Pfizer/BioNTech specifically targeting Omicron "80 million doses in total, which we expect in April or May", Lauterbach said.

Omicron could soon be dominant: On Wednesday, the head of Germany's public health institute, the Robert Koch Insitute (RKI), said that the Omicron variant could be dominant in the country in two to three weeks.

Vaccination drive in full force: Lauterbach said that vaccination centers will be kept open over the Christmas holidays to keep Germany's booster campaign up to speed and administer 30 million booster vaccinations by the end of the year.

In addition, Germany aims to get another 30 million vaccine shots administered by the end of January. Lauterbach said this strategy could ''dramatically'' slow the spread of the virus.

In Germany, 70.5% of the population is fully vaccinated and 33.8% have received a booster shot, data from the RKI showed Thursday.

Germany's new chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to achieve a first-time vaccination rate of 80% in Germany by January 7, Scholz' spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit announced Wednesday.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics officials expressed “regret” Thursday that no National Hockey League (NHL) players will attend the Games in February.

The NHL said Wednesday it will opt out because of the "regular-season schedule having been materially disrupted as a result of increasing COVID cases and a rising number of postponed games."

Speaking at a State Council news conference Thursday, Huang Chun, deputy director of epidemic prevention and control office of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, said organizers regretted the NHL decision.

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China has acknowledged the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics could bring “Covid-19 cases or small clusters of infections,” an official said during a State Council news conference on Thursday.

Despite the risk, China said it is fully prepared for the possible Covid-19 infections inside the Olympic bubble.

Deputy director of epidemic prevention and control office of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, Huang Chun, said any infected staff and athletes will not be able to compete or work, and will be sent to a designated hospital or isolation facility depending on whether the patient has symptoms or not.

Symptomatic patients would be discharged after their body temperature returns to normal, respiratory symptoms disappear and present two consecutive Covid-19 tests within 24 hours. They will then be able to choose whether to participate in the next stage of the competition or return to work, Huang said.

As for asymptomatic patients, Huang said they will be tested every 24 hours in isolation and will be released if they present negative results twice within 24 hours, including one within six hours ahead of the competition.

Huang said the committee and Chinese people were “very concerned” about the possible impact of potential Covid-19 cases inside the Olympic bubble on China’s wider society. 

On Tuesday, the central Chinese city of Xi'an recorded 52 new Covid-19 cases. By Wednesday, authorities had imposed strict lockdown measures on its estimated 13 million residents.

The sweeping restrictions, which prevent people from leaving their homes, come as the country braces for the Lunar New Year travel rush, followed swiftly by the 2022 Winter Olympics, due to begin in the capital Beijing on February 4.

Xi'an, an ancient city known internationally as the home of the 2,000-year-old Terracotta warriors sculptures, detected its first case connected to the latest outbreak at a quarantine hotel on December 9. The virus is believed to have then spread into the community via an infected hotel worker.

Officials believe the cluster is linked to an inbound flight from Pakistan on December 4, where at least six passengers were found to have the Delta variant. So far, there have been no reported cases of the Omicron variant in Xi'an.

Authorities moved swiftly, suspending schools and conducting mass testing for the entire city. Cases have continued to climb, however. Since December 9, the city has recorded a total of 206 cases. On Wednesday, authorities recorded 63 new locally transmitted cases, Xi'an's highest daily figure this month.

Lockdown rules: By noon on Wednesday, more than 30,000 people who were believed to have come into contact with a confirmed case were placed in quarantine, according to state-run newspaper China Daily. That same day, the city imposed a strict lockdown until further notice for all residents.

Xi'an is now designated a "controlled area," China's second-highest category of lockdown -- meaning residents are banned from leaving their homes except for urgent cases like medical emergencies. Each household is only allowed to send one designated person out of the house to buy groceries every two days.

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Japan recorded its first locally transmitted cases of the Omicron variant on Wednesday, according to officials in Osaka prefecture.

Of the four people who tested positive for Omicron in Osaka, three did not have any travel history or any close contact with people who had traveled abroad, authorities said.

The three people with no travel history are members of the same family — a man and a women in their 30s, and a girl under age 10. They developed mild symptoms on Saturday and Sunday and have been hospitalized.

South Korea reported a record number of critically ill Covid-19 patients for the second day in a row, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Some 1,083 patients are in intensive care units as of Wednesday, the KDCA said.

The country also reported its highest single-day rise in coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic with 109 fatalities from Wednesday, according to the KDCA.

Here's a quick rundown of South Korea's Covid outbreak:  

Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW) reported record new Covid-19 cases for the third straight day on Thursday, with 5,715 infections.

The daily total is almost 2,000 cases higher than the previous day. And it was only on Tuesday that NSW reported more than 3,000 daily cases for the first time during the pandemic.

Covid cases are rising rapidly in Australia, with the Omicron variant posing a new threat just as states and cities were beginning to loosen restrictions.

One death nationwide was reported from Wednesday: a man in his 40s who was not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions, NSW Health said in a release.

NSW — Australia's most populous state — currently has 347 Covid-19 patients in hospital with 45 in intensive care, 13 of whom require ventilation.

The state has recorded 112,307 total Covid-19 cases, NSW Health said.

Victoria cases rise: The neighboring southern state of Victoria reported 2,005 new cases on Thursday — an increase of more than 500 infections from the previous day, according to a media release from the Health Department.

There are 398 Covid-19 patients in hospital in Victoria, with 72 in intensive care, and 39 of those on a ventilator.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized Pfizer's antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat Covid-19.

This is the first antiviral Covid-19 pill authorized for ill people to take at home, before they get sick enough to be hospitalized.

High-risk individuals age 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test are eligible for this treatment and will need to have it prescribed by a doctor.

The pill "should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of Covid-19 and within five days of symptom onset," according to an FDA statement.

Paxlovid combines a new antiviral drug named nirmatrelvir and an older one called ritonavir and is administered as three pills given twice a day for five days.

Last week, Pfizer released updated results that showed the treatment cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of their first symptoms. If given within the first five days of symptoms, the efficacy was similar: 88%.

In November, the Biden administration said it would purchase 10 million treatment courses for $5.3 billion. President Joe Biden said he was encouraged by the "promising data" from Pfizer and added the drug would "mark a significant step forward in our path out of the pandemic."

The FDA emphasized in a statement that Paxlovid is not for pre- or post-exposure prevention of Covid-19 and "is not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended."

With coronavirus cases surging once again, frustrated Americans are struggling to get tested days before Christmas as long lines and increased demand overwhelm some facilities across the country.

The catalyst has been the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant strain in the US in a matter of weeks and has led to a slew of new measures to combat the spread.

With millions traveling or planning to join large family gatherings, there is a rush to get tested — and many people are running out of luck, either with getting tests at clinics or with buying at-home test kits.

Long lines were seen this week in New York City, Boston and Miami, as well as Ohio and Minnesota.

At the same time, CVS Health and Walgreens — the two largest pharmaceutical chain stores in the US — are limiting the number of at-home Covid kits customers can buy due to significant demand, they announced.

The demand is only going to grow, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

And while the Biden administration plans to provide 500 million new tests by next month, the holiday test surge is happening now.

A former assistant secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department is concerned the co pledge on tests will not meet the demand, he said.

"Unless we have a billion or 2 billion a month, I think we're still going to have to be selective to make sure that we keep people who can die from the disease from dying from the disease," Adm. Dr. Brett Giroir told CNN.

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