The latest on the Omicron variant

Covid-19 cases among children are still considered “extremely high,” the American Academy of Pediatricians reported Monday. For the week ending Dec. 2, there were at least 133,022 new cases among children — that’s about 2,000 more new cases than the week before.

Children represented more than 22% of all new Covid-19 cases for the past week, the Academy said.

Since the start of September, nearly 2 million children have gotten sick with Covid-19. This marks the 17th week in a row 100,000 or so children have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

It’s still less likely for children to be hospitalized with Covid-19 compared to adults, but in the states that report hospitalizations by age, kids made up between 1.7% and 4% of those who needed to be treated at the hospital for Covid-19, a number that has been consistent throughout the pandemic.

Deaths also account for a small percentage of total cases. Six states reported zero child deaths from Covid-19. In states reporting death by age, 0% to 0.03% of all child Covid-19 cases resulted in death, according to the academy. But 974 children have died from Covid-19 in the United States since the start of the pandemic. That’s 24 additional deaths since last Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children ages 5 and older are now eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine. Children are still the least vaccinated of any age group. 

Starting Friday, France will close nightclubs for four weeks and heighten mask-wearing for primary school children due to a fifth wave of Covid-19, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in an address to the nation. 

Castex said a lockdown or curfew would have been a “disproportionate” measure. Instead, the French government is calling on the country to “take it easy” regarding social interactions “until the end of year festivities.”

France will also implement stricter sanitary measures in primary schools, which will involve mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing, Castex said, adding that there has been “strong spreading” of the virus in those under 12. 

French children under 12 are currently not eligible for vaccines but shots will be made available to more vulnerable children starting Dec. 15, Castex said. Preparations are underway to open up vaccinations to all children ages 5 to 12 from around Dec. 20, provided scientific advice supports such a move, French Health Minister Olivier Veran added.

Those aged 65 and up will be able to get a booster dose of the vaccine without an appointment, the prime minister added.

Veran said that 25 cases of the Omicron variant had been identified in France so far. Of these, 21 were cases linked to Southern Africa, with four understood to be contact cases within France, he said.

The Covid-19 positivity rate in South Africa has jumped by 24% since the Omicron variant was detected two weeks ago, according to the latest data from the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases Monday.  

There were at least 6,381 confirmed cases out of 24,159 tests conducted in the past 24 hours, representing a positivity rate of 26.4% and the highest percentage positive cases of the Omicron variant. 

The positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested.

There was a significant jump from Nov. 22 when 312 cases were detected out of 13,473 tests conducted, making for a positivity rate of 2.3%. 

Monday’s seven-day moving average (21.1%) is 2.3% higher than that of Sunday (18.8%). 

A high number of tests has not always correlated in a high positivity rate as figures from Dec. 1 show. Out of 51,977 tests conducted in the 24 hours leading up to Dec. 1, a positivity rate of only 16.5% was recorded.  

An additional nine Covid-19 related deaths were recorded Monday by the South African National Department for Health. 

At least 70% of Monday’s new cases were detected in the Gauteng province where the Omicron variant has been detected in significant levels since late November. 

Nepal has detected its first two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the country’s ministry of health and population said on Monday.

The two people were identified as a 66-year-old foreign national and a 71-year-old local citizen, the ministry said in a statement. The local citizen was infected after meeting with the foreign national, who recently arrived in Nepal, the statement also said.

Both people are currently in stable condition and in isolation, the ministry’s statement added.

All private sector employers in New York City will now be required to implement a Covid-19 vaccine mandate by Dec. 27, the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced Monday.  

Public sector workers were already subject to vaccine mandates.  

This new move, announced on MSNBC, means everyone who works in the city will now be subject to a vaccine mandate.  

“The more universal they are, the more likely employees will say okay, it’s time. I’m going to do this. Because you can’t jump from one industry to another or one company to another. It’s something that needs to be universal to protect all of us,” de Blasio said. 

Children, ages 5 to 11 in New York City, will now also be required to show proof of at least one shot before being allowed access to indoor dining, fitness and entertainment, the mayor announced. 

Adults will now be required to proof of two vaccinations for those areas.  

The mayor said he is confident the mandates will hold up in court.  

“Our health commissioner has put a series of mandates in place. They have won in court, state court, federal court every single time. And it’s because they’re universal and consistent. And they’re about protecting the public right now from a clear and present danger,” de Blasio said.  

The mayor is set to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. ET.

President Biden announced Dec. 2 new measures aimed at curbing the pandemic.

All inbound international travelers will be required to test within one day of departure for the United States starting Monday.

All flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET Dec. 6 must abide by a new CDC testing order, which was posted Thursday evening.

This new testing time frame will apply to everyone, “regardless of nationality or vaccination status,” the plan outlined on the White House website says.

Documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days is also accepted.

Through Sunday, Dec. 5, vaccinated travelers are required to test within three days of their departure. There is a requirement for foreign travelers arriving in the United States to be fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Americans and legal permanent residents are allowed to enter the country with a test taken within one day of departing for the United States. The new rule will make the testing time frame one day for everyone.

Biden also announced that the federal mask mandate requiring travelers to wear masks in airports, on planes and on other modes of public transportation such as trains and buses has been extended through March 18.

Here are some more key things to know: 

Read more about the new requirements here.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a US travel ban on South Africa and several other African countries is being reevaluated every day.

He said the US was aware of the hardship the bans have placed on the countries.

Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said the ban was put in place when the US was “in the dark” and just learning about a surge in cases in South Africa due to the Omicron variant and added the ban was meant to provide time to assess the situation. 

The United States barred entry to travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, but the variant has now been identified in dozens of countries and several US states.

Many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, India and Russia, as well as the European Union, have also imposed new travel restrictions because of the Omicron variant.

“Now, as you mentioned, as we’re getting more and more information about cases in our own country and worldwide, we’re looking at that very carefully on a daily basis. Hopefully we’ll be able to lift that ban within a quite reasonable period of time,” Fauci told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted malaria programs in many high-risk countries, leading to an increase in malaria cases and deaths in 2020, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

WHO’s new report estimates there were 241 million malaria cases in 2020 – an increase of 14 million from 2019. It also estimates there were 627,000 malaria deaths globally in 2020 – 69,000 more than in 2019. The report links 47,000 of the deaths to disruptions in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2020, WHO said. About 80% of deaths in the region were among children younger than 5.

A new detail has emerged in the story of a 50-year-old man who tried last week to pass off a silicon arm as his own at a Covid-19 vaccination clinic in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting inoculated, in northern Italy.

The man is a dentist.

The doctors’ association in the Italian town of Biella confirmed his occupation without giving further detail.

“When we learned that it was a dentist enrolled in our local association, we felt deep indignation. All doctors and dentists have given a lot in these 2 years of pandemic, dealing with the health requirements of citizens with self-denial and a spirit of service, even putting their own existence at serious risk,” the doctors’ association added. 

Read the full story here.

Italy’s new Covid-19 “super green pass” has now become mandatory in bars, restaurants, theaters and other closed entertainment venues.

Starting Monday, only fully vaccinated people or those who have a proof of recovery from coronavirus can enter these venues. 

The “super green pass” is an extension to Italy’s existing green pass, which requires full vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative Covid test. The original green pass still applies in work spaces and has been extended to local public transport. 

As opposed to the normal green pass, the “super green pass” does not accept a negative test in lieu of the vaccine – a move by the government to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

The new measures will apply until at least January 15 across the country.  

As the world continues to grapple with the challenges posed by the new Omicron coronavirus variant, the co-creator of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has warned that the next pandemic “could be more contagious or more lethal, or both.”

Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said the Covid-19 pandemic “will not be the last time the virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods.” 

Gilbert made the remarks during the annual Richard Dimbleby lecture, which is set to be broadcast on the BBC on Monday. 

“The truth is the next one could be worse,” she said, adding:

Just as we invest in armed forces and intelligence and diplomacy to defend against wars, we must invest in people, research, manufacturing and institutions to defend against pandemics.

She said that recent surges in case numbers, the imposition of lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations and the discovery of the Omicron variant have shown that “this pandemic is not done with us.”

Taiwan announced tougher vaccine requirements on Sunday, including mandatory shots for employees in education, childcare, elderly services, entertainment, hospitality and the cosmetic industries.

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said the workers will be required to be fully vaccinated by January 1, meaning they need to receive their second dose by December 17 at the latest.

Here is a list of establishments that will require their workers to be vaccinated:

Russia has detected its first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in two people arriving from South Africa, the country’s public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Monday, according to Russian state media, TASS.

Rospotrebnadzor said 10 people who arrived in Russia from South Africa tested positive for coronavirus and their samples were being analyzed to determine the variant.

The new Omicron variant was detected in two of the passengers. No information has been disclosed yet about when they returned to Russia. 

TASS reported that the public health watchdog said the Omicron variant was detected as a result of genome-wide sequencing conducted by the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology that’s run by Rospotrebnadzor.

Several health ministries in the Asia Pacific region have said that while it’s too early to make firm conclusions, Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant appear to be “mild.”

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a news conference on Friday that while there is “no doubt” that the Omicron variant is transmissible, there is “no real evidence … of an increase in severity” compared to previous variants of Covid-19. 

Of the 25 Omicron cases confirmed in the Australian state of New South Wales, the state most heavily impacted by the new variant, none were admitted to hospital for Covid-related care, officials said Monday.  

Meanwhile, South Korea’s health agency, the KDCA, warned that while it is staying cautious, all of the country’s confirmed Omicron cases were “stable and mild so far.”

The country has so far reported 24 confirmed cases of the variant, one of the highest numbers recorded in Asia Pacific.  

In addition, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday that while “it is early days to conclude on the severity of the disease,” cases globally “have mostly displayed mild symptoms,” including a “sore throat, tiredness and cough.”

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also published a statement saying that while the evidence is evolving, “the severity of the disease is anticipated to be low.”

In Hong Kong, three of the Omicron cases confirmed there are being treated in hospital, which is a requirement of all people who test positive for Covid-19. Those infected and in the hospital are stable, the hospital authority said in a statement. Another patient has already been discharged and is in 14-day isolation, it added. 

More countries are detecting their first cases of the Omicron variant, with health authorities in Fiji and Thailand confirming cases on Monday.

Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services said two cases of Omicron were detected in two Fijian citizens who traveled from Nigeria and arrived on a Fiji Airways flight from Hong Kong on November 25.

The two tested positive for Covid-19 last week, and results from their genomic sequencing on Monday confirmed they had the Omicron variant. Other passengers on the flight tested negative.

The statement added the two citizens had entered a government quarantine facility upon their arrival, and do not have any symptoms.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health said a 35-year-old American businessman who arrived in Bangkok from Spain on November 30 tested positive for Covid-19 the following day.

Subsequent genomic sequencing confirmed he was infected with the Omicron variant.

The patient has been vaccinated with the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine in June, and did not have any symptoms.

On Sunday, Argentina’s health ministry said the country had detected its first case of the Omicron variant.

The patient, who’s 38 and fully vaccinated, was attending a work event in South Africa, returning to Argentina on November 30. He has been in quarantine since his arrival, the health ministry added.

Teens and young adults who developed a type of heart inflammation known as myocarditis after getting the Covid-19 vaccine in the US had mild symptoms, none died and most recovered quickly, researchers reported Monday.

A review of 139 cases of myocarditis reported up to July 4 of this year showed virtually all cases occurred after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine – either Pfizer/BioNTech’s or Moderna’s vaccine, the researchers reported in the journal Circulation.

“Risk factors and mechanisms for the development of suspected myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination are unknown,” the researchers wrote.

Even though most patients were White, so were most of those who got vaccinated, they noted.

Chest pain was the most common symptom, although close to a third of patients also had a fever and a quarter had shortness of breath. Fewer than 20% were admitted to ICUs.

Early signals on the severity of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant are “a bit encouraging,” but it’s too soon to make a clear statement about whether it can cause severe disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious diseases expert, told CNN on Sunday.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said data so far suggests the variant is not causing more severe illness. He said:

But we really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or really doesn’t cause any severe illness comparable to Delta. But thus far, the signals are a bit encouraging regarding the severity. But again, you got to hold judgment until we get more experience.

Fauci said the United States remains in constant communication with experts in South Africa. He said the Omicron variant is clearly becoming dominant in South Africa, especially as cases there were at a low level when the variant was identified. 

He said it was not clear what would happen in the US and in other countries, where the highly transmissible Delta variant still dominates.

The question for us here in the United States, now that it is clearly here in at least 15 or more states and in about 40 countries, is: What is it going to be as it competes with a very dominant variant, Delta?

Fauci said booster doses of the coronavirus vaccines “are going to be really critical in addressing whether or not we’re going to be able to handle this.” 

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said all adults should get a coronavirus vaccine booster.

Africa’s largest telecom conglomerate MTN Group will require all employees to be fully vaccinated starting January 2022, the company announced on Monday.

MTN Group warned that workers who refuse vaccination may face consequences.

It said it was “not obliged to continue the employment contract” for those who are “not exempt from vaccinations either through risk assessment or agreed exclusions but still refuse vaccination.” 

MTN group president and chief executive officer Ralph Mupita said the decision to make vaccines mandatory was guided by the group’s responsibility to follow the “highest standards of health and safety.”

Mupita also urged more vaccinations to be made available for African nations, and said the travel bans imposed on African countries arising from the Omicron variant were “not based on science” and “unjust.”

“African countries are being punished for the very transparency that’s actually needed to successfully combat the impact on lives and livelihoods of the COVID-19 virus,” he added.

South African hospitals have been ramping up preparations to admit more patients as the the country enters its fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a weekly newsletter Monday.  

Ramaphosa said the newly identified Omicron variant is dominating new infections across the country.

“Over the last week, the number of daily infections has increased five-fold. Nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 tests now come back positive. Compare this to two weeks ago, when the proportion of positive tests was sitting at around 2%,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa urged more people to get vaccinated, exercise social distancing and wear masks:

South Africa’s National Coronavirus Command Council will convene a meeting “soon” to review the state of the pandemic, which would enable the country to take “whatever further measures are needed to keep people safe and healthy.”

As the newly identified Omicron variant pops up in more and more countries, China is determined as ever to eliminate Covid-19 within its borders — but it hasn’t been able to achieve that ambitious goal for the past seven weeks.

Since October 17, China has reported at least one locally transmitted case every day, as local outbreaks continue to flare up one after another with increasingly short intermissions. 

While its caseload pales in comparison with those of many countries — including the United States, which is averaging more than 100,000 new cases a day — the unceasing flareups underscore the growing challenge China faces to keep infections at zero.

TOPSHOT - This photo taken on December 1, 2021 shows residents undergoing nucleic acid tests for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Hulun Buir, in China's Inner Mongolia Region. - China OUT (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Analysis: In 'zero-Covid' China, cases have been above zero for seven weeks