Existing COVID vaccines will struggle against the “highly transmissible” Omicron variant, Stephane Bancel, head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna, told the Financial Times on Tuesday, adding that it will take two weeks to know whether current vaccines are effective and months to develop a new one.
A growing number of countries have imposed travel restrictions after the new, highly-mutated variant was detected in South Africa last week.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the global risk from the spread of Omicron was “very high”.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said the strain should be considered a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic”. No Omicron-linked deaths have been reported yet.
Forty-two cases of COVID-19 Omicron variant confirmed in 10 EU states
Forty-two cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in 10 European Union countries, the head of the EU’s public health agency says, adding that they were mild or asymptomatic, although in younger age groups.
EU authorities were analysing another six “probable” cases, Andrea Ammon, who chairs the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), told an online conference organised by the EU’s Slovenian presidency.
“For the assessment whether it (Omicron) escapes immunity, we still have to wait until the investigations in the laboratories with sera from people who have recovered have been carried out. These are expected in a couple of weeks,” she said.
Dutch found Omicron a week earlier than thought
Dutch health authorities say the new variant was present in the Netherlands a week earlier than previously believed and checks are underway to see how far it has spread.
The RIVM National Health and Environment Institute said it “has found the corona variant Omicron in two test samples that had already been taken in the Netherlands… on November 19 and 23”.
The first Omicron cases in the Netherlands were thought to be 14 infections on two flights from South Africa to Amsterdam on Friday, November 26. The two earlier Dutch infections also came before South Africa first reported the new strain on November 24 to the WHO.
UAE approves Sputnik Light as universal booster shot against COVID-19
The United Arab Emirates has approved Russia’s Sputnik Light vaccine as a universal booster shot against COVID-19, Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF announced.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which markets the vaccine abroad, said Sputnik Light can be administered six months after the second dose of any other vaccine used in the UAE.
Greece to make vaccinations for persons over 60 mandatory: PM
Greece has said that it will fine people over the age of 60 who have not received a first COVID-19 shot, as the country grappled with a new surge in coronavirus cases.
Authorities said they would impose a 100 euro fine on every individual over the age of 60 who was not vaccinated.
The measure would apply each month from January 16 onwards.
Norwegians should wear face masks in crowded places, PM says
Norwegians should wear face masks in public transport and other crowded places amid a surge in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.
The center-left minority government on Monday said it would seek to limit any potential spread of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, including by imposing longer isolation on those found to have been infected with it.
Three new Omicron cases were identified in Scotland
Three new Omicron cases have been identified in Scotland, Sky News reported on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in Britain to 14.
Cambodia bars entry to travelers from 10 African countries
Cambodia has barred entry to travelers from 10 African countries, citing the threat from Omicron.
The move, announced in a health ministry statement late Monday, came just two weeks after Cambodia reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers. No date was set for lifting the new restriction.
The ministry said the entry ban included anyone who has spent time in the previous three weeks in any of the 10 listed countries, including South Africa where the variant was first identified. Other countries include Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The move comes just two weeks after Cambodia reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers [File: Cindy Liu/Reuters]
EMA chief: COVID-19 shot against Omicron could be approved in 3-4 months
The EU drug regulator could approve COVID-19 vaccines that have been adapted to target the new variant within three to four months if needed, although existing shots would continue to provide protection, the agency’s chief said.
Speaking to the European Parliament, European Medicines Agency (EMA) Executive Director Emer Cooke said it was not known if drugmakers would need to tweak their vaccines to protect against Omicron, but the agency was preparing for that possibility.
The head of the European Medicines agency said it was not yet known whether drugmakers would have to tweak the vaccines to better address the threat of the new coronavirus strain [File: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters]
Japan confirms the first case of Omicron
Japan has confirmed its first case of Omicron in a visitor who recently arrived from Namibia, an official said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Tuesday the patient, a man in his 30s, tested positive upon arrival at Narita airport on Sunday and was isolated and is being treated at a hospital. Matsuno did not identify his nationality, citing privacy reasons.
His travel companions and passengers in nearby seats have been identified and have been reported to Japanese health authorities for follow-up.
A notice about COVID-19 safety measures is pictured next to closed doors at a departure hall of Narita Airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of Omicron [Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters]
China says Omicron will ‘lead to challenges’ for Winter Olympics
China has warned that the fast-spreading Omicron variant would cause challenges in hosting next February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Although China has largely quashed the coronavirus through travel restrictions and snaps lockdowns, recurrent domestic outbreaks linked to the Delta variant have put the authorities on high alert.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “China has a lot of experience in responding to COVID-19” and that he “firmly believe[s] the Winter Olympics will be conducted smoothly”.
Australia on alert as first Omicron community case confirmed
Australian authorities confirm that a person who flew into Sydney on Thursday was infected with Omicron, after disclosing that the person had been active in the community, but urged calm as they weighed up the severity of the strain.
The fully vaccinated person visited a busy shopping center in Sydney while likely infectious, officials said. All passengers in the person’s flight were asked to self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their vaccination status.
The additional case brings Australia’s total number of infections with the new variant to six. But it is the first case where the person appeared to be active in the community, all other cases have been in quarantine and are asymptomatic or display very mild symptoms.
Case of Omicron found on French territory of Reunion
A person has tested positive for Omicron on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, official researcher Dr. Patrick Mavingui said.
Mavingui said the person was a 53-year-old man who had traveled to Mozambique and made a stopover in South Africa. The patient, who returned to La Reunion some two weeks ago, is currently in isolation, Mavingui told local French media.
Health ministry data showed on Monday that France had registered a huge jump in coronavirus-related hospital admissions, with the number of COVID patients in ICUs jumping by 117 to 1,749 people, the biggest increase since March-April, when the number rose by more than 100 a day on several days.
Singapore to hold off further reopening to evaluate Omicron
Singapore will hold off on further reopening measures while it evaluates Omicron and will boost testing of travelers and front-line workers to reduce the risk of local transmission, authorities say.
“This is a prudent thing to do, for now, when we are faced with a major uncertainty,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told a media briefing on Tuesday, adding the variant had not yet been detected locally.
India promises more COVID-19 shots to Omicron-hit Africa after Chinese move
India stands ready to “expeditiously” send more COVID-19 vaccines to Africa to help fight Omicron, New Delhi announced late Monday after China pledged 1 billion doses to the continent.
India and China have close ties with many African countries but Beijing has pumped much more money into the region, and on Monday promised to invest another $10bn.
India says it supplied more than 25 million doses of domestically made shots to 41 African countries, mostly through the global vaccine-distribution network COVAX.
Moderna CEO says vaccines likely less effective against Omicron
The head of drugmaker Moderna says COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as they have been previously, sparking fresh worry in financial markets about the trajectory of the pandemic.
“I think it’s going to be a material drop. I just don’t know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to . . . are like ‘this is not going to be good,” Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel told the Financial Times.
Bancel added that the high number of mutations on the protein spike the virus uses to infect human cells meant it was likely the current crop of vaccines would need to be modified.
Hong Kong bans non-resident arrivals from 13 more countries
Hong Kong has banned the entry of non-residents from more countries and plans to expand that to travelers who have been to Australia, Canada, Israel and six European countries in the past 21 days.
In a statement late on Monday, the Hong Kong government said non-residents from Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia would not be allowed to enter as of November 30. Residents can return if they are vaccinated but will have to quarantine for seven days in a government facility and another two weeks in a hotel at their own cost.
Additionally, non-residents who have been to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Israel, and Italy in the past 21 days would not be allowed to enter the city from December 2. Vaccinated residents returning from these countries will have to do three weeks of hotel quarantine.
Fiji proceeds with border reopening despite Omicron
Fiji will press on with plans to reopen its border to international travelers on Wednesday, despite the threat from the Omicron variant, the Pacific nation’s leader told Parliament.
Fiji has long targeted December 1 as the day it will welcome back foreign holidaymakers to boost a tourism-reliant economy devastated since the pandemic forced borders to close in March last year.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Omicron’s recent emergence would not derail the plans and he would personally welcome the first Fiji Airways flight into Nadi from Australia on Wednesday morning.
Singapore says two travelers to Sydney with Omicron transited at Changi
Singapore’s Ministry of Health says two travelers from Johannesburg who tested positive for Omicron in Sydney, Australia, had transited through Changi Airport.
The two individuals left Johannesburg on November 27 on a Singapore Airlines flight and arrived at Changi on the same day to transit, the ministry said in a statement. Both had tested negative for COVID-19 prior to departure, it added.
The ministry said most of the travelers had remained in the transit area at Changi Airport. Of the seven who disembarked, six had been placed on a 10-day stay-at-home notice, while the seventh, close contact of an infected individual on the flight, had been quarantined.
“Contact tracing is ongoing for airport staff who may have come into transient contact with the cases,” the ministry said.
Hong Kong stocks begin with further losses
Hong Kong shares have dipped at the open of trade to extend losses stemming from the new Omicron strain that has fanned fears about the effect on the global economic recovery.
The Hang Seng Index dipped 0.29 percent, or 69.38 points, to 23,782.86 on Tuesday.
The Shanghai Composite Index added 0.23 percent, or 8.05 points, to 3,570.75, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China’s second exchange gained 0.35 percent, or 8.80 points, to 2,525.73.
Australia to delay border reopening for international travelers
Australia says it will delay the reopening of its borders to vaccinated skilled workers, international students and other visa holders, which was set for Wednesday, a “temporary pause” to allow time to “gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant”.
“The National Security Committee has taken the necessary and temporary decision to pause the next step to safely reopen Australia to international skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders from 1 December until 15 December,” a Monday evening statement by Canberra said.
“The reopening to travelers from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be paused until 15 December.”
