COVID, coronavirus today news: Omicron symptoms, tests, vaccines, flight cancellations... | live updates

Woman tests positive for Covid-19 on five-hour flight to Iceland

There is no ideal moment or place to find out that you have Covid-19. But the timing couldn't have been much worse for Marisa Fotieo, a Michigan schoolteacher, who started to develop a sore throat during a five-hour flight from Boston to Reykjavik, Iceland on 20 December.

Fotieo explained to NBC that her throat began to hurt about half way through the journey and in consideration of the other passengers, she decided to spend the rest of the flight locked in one of the toilets at the rear of the plane. She tested positive for Covid-19 after taking a rapid, lateral flow test. "There were about 150 passengers on the flight and my biggest fear was giving it to them," she explained.

WestJet cancels 15% of schedule flights until end of January

Canadian airline WestJet has announced that it is cancelling 15% of scheduled flights in January because the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 has left the carrier unable to fully staff its operations. The announcement comes after a slew of North American flight cancellations due to surging coronavirus cases and brutally cold winter weather.

There are 181 WestJet staff currently off work due to Covid-19, a 35% increase in recent days, company spokeswoman Morgan Bell said in an email. WestJet was operating around 450 flights a day - meaning 68 daily departures face cancellation - and Bell said warm weather destinations, international and domestic flights will all be impacted. "We could not have anticipated the rapid and unpredictable impact of the Omicron variant on our people and operations, coupled with prolonged frigid temperatures across Western Canada and global staffing shortages".

WestJet said it will try to consolidate flights that will cause the least disruption, and notify travellers in advance.

Spain hits record daily infection rate just before New Year's Eve

Spain's Health Ministry reported 161,688 new, positive cases of Covid-19 infection on Thursday, the highest figure since the start of the pandemic while 74 people died of Covid-related issues during the past 24 hours. Incidence rate was up 267 points to 1,508 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days.

No region on the Spanish mainland was under 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents while Navarra recorded over 3,000 cases - the highest in the country.

There are current;y 10,768 patients in hospital suffering Covid-19 in the whole of Spain and 1,803 in intensive care.

UK reports pandemic-high 189,213 Covid-19 cases and 332 deaths

The United Kingdom recorded 189,213 new cases of Covid-19 infection on Thursday - a new, one-day record, and 332 deaths related to the virus. Case numbers were up from the previous record of 183,037 set on Wednesday.

Separate data also showed that the number of hospital beds occupied by confirmed Covid-19 patients in English hospitals rose to 11,452. It has risen by more than 4,000 in the last week. The data providers said the daily death figures, which at 332 were up strongly from the 57 reported on Wednesday, included a backlog of deaths from over the Christmas period.

Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is safe for children aged 5 to 11 - CDC

Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has been deemed safe to administer to children aged from 5 to 11, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results of a survey involving 30,000 children - each of whom received two shots, showed rare, mostly mild side effects - similar to those seen in clinical trials. The most frequent reactions were temporary soreness from the injection, fatigue and headache.

Another CDC study found that out of 8 million doses administered, there were 11 verified reports of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that has been seen in teens and young adults, particularly males who received a higher dose of the vaccine. 

Covid-19 deaths in eastern Europe surpass 1 million mark

Coronavirus deaths in Eastern Europe topped 1 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Omicron variant threatened to batter the region. Three out of the five countries reporting the highest number of daily deaths in Europe are from the East, including Russia, Poland and Ukraine.

The death toll in Eastern Europe reached 1,045,454 on Thursday, compared with 1,873,253 in the whole of Europe. The region includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Relatively few cases of Omicron have been detected in Eastern Europe, in contrast with Western Europe where daily cases have broken records. Poland reported 794 Covid-related deaths on Wednesday. It was a record high for the fourth wave of the pandemic, although the figure may have been inflated by delayed reporting due to Christmas.

Russia has overtaken Brazil to have the world's second-highest death toll during the Covid-19 pandemic, behind the United States. The statistics service, Rosstat, said 87,527 people had died from coronavirus-related causes in November, making it the deadliest month in Russia since the start of the pandemic.

South Africa lifts curfew

South Africa has lifted curfew on movement from midnight to 4am with immediate effect as it believes the country has passed the peak of its fourth Covid-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant, a cabinet statement said on Thursday.

China's CanSino planning additional vaccine deliveries to Mexico

China's CanSino Biologics said on Thursday it will resume supplies of its Covid-19 vaccine to Mexico next year, following a Reuters report that the Mexican government had cut its vaccine order after the company missed delivery targets.

"We are working closely with the Mexican authorities and will resume supplying our vaccines next year in compliance with the existing agreement," CanSino said in a statement, stressing its contract with Mexico remains valid.

CanSino added it had delivered over 14 million doses to Mexico in 2021. Most of the doses have been bottled in Mexico. Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday Mexico slashed its vaccine order with CanSino by more than half after it became clear the company would not be able to deliver 35 million doses by September as planned. The people said Mexico had informed CanSino in July it was reducing its order as it sought to ramp up deliveries from more readily available sources, amid a global scramble by poorer countries to secure more of the vaccines.

Israel approves fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot/second booster

Israel is to go ahead with second Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for people with weakened immune systems, the top government health official said on Thursday, but a final decision on wider usage is still pending.

An Israeli hospital administered fourth shots to a test group of health workers on Monday, in what it called the first major study into whether a second round of boosters will help contend with the Omicron variant. Results are expected within two weeks.

Israel was the fastest country to roll out initial vaccinations a year ago, and became one of the first to launch a booster programme after observing that immunity waned over time.

Concerned about the rapid spread of Omicron, a Health Ministry expert panel last week recommended that Israel offer a fourth jab of the Pfizer /BioNTech vaccine to medical workers and those over 60 or with compromised immune systems.

But Health Ministry director-general Nachman Ash, whose approval is needed to launch a new booster campaign, did not immediately announce a decision, with some experts arguing that there was not enough scientific data to justify fourth shots.

At a news conference on Thursday, Ash said that he had decided that a second booster would be offered only to immunocompromised people for now and that he would continue to examine whether to broaden eligibility for the shot. Cancer treatment and organ transplants, as well as chronic diseases, can weaken immune systems. "In light of the gaps in knowledge in the world in the present situation, we are acting cautiously and responsibly," Ash said.

British scientists to test dexamethasone on severely ill Covid-19 patients

British scientists will be studying whether higher doses of a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone could work better for patients with severe Covid-19 compared to the standard low doses, they said on Thursday.

Last year, the same scientists conducting the large trial, dubbed RECOVERY, showed that dexamethasone was able to save the lives of Covid-19 patients in what was called a 'major breakthrough' in the coronavirus pandemic. They had found that a 6 mg daily dose of dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill Covid-19 patients in hospitals.

"Given how quickly the Omicron variant is spreading, we can expect to see patients admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 for a while to come," said Peter Horby, an Oxford University professor co-leading the trial. "This makes it very important that we continue to explore ways to further improve the care of patients with severe Covid-19."

RECOVERY will compare a higher dose of 20 mg of dexamethasone given once daily for five days, followed by 10mg once-daily for a another five days, to the usual low dose treatment given for up to ten days, the trial's website showed. The trial is backed by the UK government and Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and former wife Melinda French's charity. Last week, the scientists began studying GSK and Vir Biotechnology's antibody-based COVID-19 drug as a possible treatment for hospitalised patients.

US NEWS

Can a fourth stimulus check payment happen in January 2022?

The Omicron variant has led to a surge in cases all over the country and many hospitals are feeling the strain. Additionally, as business slows over fears of infection, some economists worry that without additional stimulus aid the progress made in the economic recovery could be risked.

So far, the Omicron variant has not led to an increase in unemployment. The most recent unemployment claims report showed a slight increase, but the levels still remain lower than those seen before the pandemic. Some small businesses have voluntarily shut their doors as staff and customers become infected with covid-19. 

Major private sector associations and advocacy groups including the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable have not released any comments as to whether or not more stimulus should be passed.

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Johnson & Johnson's booster offers strong protection against hospitalization

NBC - Johnson & Johnson's booster shot provides high levels of protection against the omicron variant of covid-19, according to data from a trial of healthcare workers in South Africa released Thursday.

Preliminary results from the Sisonke study, which have not been peer-reviewed, found that for people who had received one vaccine dose, the booster improved protection against hospitalization to 85 percent from 63 percent.

The study, carried out by the South African Medical Research Council compared 69,000 healthcare workers in South Africa to a group of unvaccinated South Africans.

Full details

US NEWS

How many flights have been canceled due to weather and the Omicron covid variant this holiday season?

Major snowstorms have slowed air traffic across the West which has only put more pressure on a fragile air traffic infrastructure. Adding fuel to the fire is the more contagious Omicron variant which has sickened airline workers across the country. Over a third of flights, on major airlines including American, Delta, and United Airlines have been delayed or canceled since 23 December.

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It is going to infect more people and it is infecting more people. We've seen numbers go up, we've seen hospitalizations in kids go up.

What we are seeing is that children under five remain unvaccinated so there's still a relatively large population of children who are naive, so they have no pre-existing immunity to this virus.

Unvaccinated kids raise covid concerns

Within weeks, the Omicron variant has fueled thousands of new covid-19 hospitalizations among U.S. children, Reuters report, raising new concerns about how the many unvaccinated Americans under the age of 18 will fare in the new surge.

The seven-day-average number of daily hospitalizations for children between 21 and 27 December is up more than 58% nationwide in the past week to 334, compared to around 19% for all age groups, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. Fewer than 25% of the 74 million Americans under 18 are vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Omicron cases are expected to surge even faster across the United States as schools reopen next week after the winter holiday, experts cautioned.

Carl O'donnell and Ahmed Aboulenein report.

Concern over kids amid Omicron spread

Dr Spencer appeared on MSNBC, and warns of growing cases across the country which will lead to hospitalisations.

The consistent theme is that although the relative risk is less severe with Omicron compared with the Delta variant, a small percentage of a larger number of infected individuals is still impactful.

Covid symptoms: booster for mild discomfort

This New York City doctor provides some anecdotal information from the frontline.

The positive news continues, as per other studies, to represent much milder symptoms, just a little discomfort.

That said, he is talking about this applying to those who have had their full vaccine dosis.

Upgrade your covid mask for Omicron

Some advice here from the Alabama Department of Public Health on the different types of masks and the benefit of each.

Get yourself the right one and reduce the spread.

UK pledges 105M pounds to help vulnerable nations battle Omicron

Great Britain has pledged 105 million pounds ($141.7 million) in emergency aid to help vulnerable nations, particularly in Africa, cope with the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant. The government said the money would go towards measures helping to reduce transmission, increase testing and boost oxygen supplies.

"The UK is providing vital assistance to help tackle the spread of new variants around the world," foreign minister Liz Truss said in a statement. "This is key to securing our freedom and ending this pandemic once and for all."

Britain, along with other wealthy countries, has been accused of not doing enough to distribute stockpiles of vaccines to poorer nations, which some scientists said was key to stopping the emergence of new variants. The Foreign Office said its latest pledge came on the back of confirmation that Britain had delivered 30 million vaccines to the rest of the world as promised by the end of 2021, part of the 100 million shots it has vowed to donate.

So far, 24.6 million doses have been given to COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing network, to deliver to countries and 5.5 million have been shared directly with countries in need including Kenya, Jamaica, and Indonesia. "The UK is helping other countries most in need. No one is safe until everyone is safe," Truss said.

Photo: REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

COVID-19

Coronavirus US: what are the experts' recommendations for a safe trip?

The Omicron variant has shown the world that the pandemic is far from over. Many had their holiday travel disrupted by exposures, infections, delays, and cancellations as the country broke daily case records over the holidays.

We put together a short guide on the precautions experts are recommending travelers take as they hit the roads or head to the airport in the coming weeks.

Omicron likely to peak in US by end of January - Fauci

Leading US infectious disease adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that the surge in the Covid-19 Omicron variant in the United States is likely to peak by the end of January. "I would imagine given the size of our country, and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination, that it's likely to be more than a couple of weeks, probably by the end of January," he said on CNBC 's Closing Bell show today.

Fauci went on to add that it will be "a couple of months at least" until a Covid-19 vaccine is approved for children under five.

Coronavirus vaccines

Which people will be able to get the third dose in early 2022?

With Omicron tearing its way across the world, many western countries have authorized the use of booster vaccines in an attempt to stop the spread of covid-19.

As it has been so long since the original round of jabs, vaccine efficacy has faltered. Alongside this, Omicron has the ability to circumvent old vaccines, putting more people at risk.

Having a booster tops-up the protection needed to ward off the virus.

Masks mandatory outdoors in Paris from tomorrow

Wearing masks on the streets of Paris will be mandatory starting from Friday, local authorities said, as the number of covid-19 infections soared.

"Not complying with this rule will induce a fine of 135 euros", local authorities said in a press release. Earlier, Health Minister Olivier Veran told lawmakers France was seeing a 'tsunami' of covid-19 infections, fuelled by both the Delta and Omicron variants of the disease.

Mask-wearing is already mandatory inside public buildings and public transport across France.

T cells able to respond against Omicron

Get some science down you to start today!

According to a new study, CD4 and CD8 T cells "respond robustly" to the spike in the Omicron variant "despite Omicron harbouring considerably more mutations than Beta and Delta variants".

70-80% of the CD4 and CD8 T cell response was maintained across study groups who had recieved either the Pfizer or Janssen Covid-19 vaccine. The study, which is subject to peer review, can be viewed here.

Covid-19 live blog: welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage for today, Thursday 30 December 2021, of the spread of the covid-19 Omicron variant.

The highly contagious new strain has led to travel chaos over the festive period, with airlines forced to cancel thousands of flights as rising coronavirus case figures cause staff shortages.

We will be keeping across all the major news, guidance and opinion related to the pandemic and bringing it to you here.