Covid news summary: 5 February
Covid news: all the latest updates
Omicron covid-19 variant headlines:
- Covid-19 deaths in the United States pass 900,000 mark
- US study suggests Omicron-specific booster may not be needed
- Scientists uncover unknown covid variant in New York sewage water
General news and information
- Free at-home tests available in US at covidtests.gov (tel: 1-800-232-0233)
- How long do you have to wait to get a booster dose after having covid-19?
- How contagious is the Omicron BA.2 subvariant?
- Who may not need a fourth dose?
- Armpit pain after being vaccinated: is it normal?
Key websites:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Further covid-related reading:
UK reports 259 more covid deaths, 60,578 cases
Britain reported 60,578 new cases of covid-19 on Saturday and a further 259 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, as numbers drifted lower following a wave of Omicron cases at the turn of the year.
The number of new cases in the past seven days was down 4.2% on a week before at 599,229, while the number of deaths was 5.4% down on the previous week at 1,729.
WHO chief says discussed collaboration on covid origins with Chinese premier
The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday he had discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of covid-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing's relations with the West.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has previously pressed China to be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the virus.
"Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang," Tedros tweeted. "We discussed covid-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on VaccinEquity this year to vaccinate 70% of all populations," he said, referrring to the WHO campaign for fair access to vaccines around the world.
"We also discussed the need for stronger collaboration on covid-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence," he added.
Canadian cities brace for more anti vaccine mandate protests
Canadian cities, including the financial hub Toronto, braced for disruptions over the weekend as protests against vaccine mandates spread from the capital of Ottawa, raising fears of clashes with counter protesters.
The so-called "Freedom Convoy" began as a movement against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
Protesters have shut down downtown Ottawa for the past eight days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canada's government.
Turkey's President Erdogan tests positive for covid-19
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had tested positive for the Omicron variant of covid-19.
"The result of covid-19 tests done with my wife after showing mild symptoms came back positive," Erdogan said in a tweet, adding that both had the Omicron variant of the virus.
"We will continue our work at home. We look forward to your prayers," he added.
Russia eases covid restrictions as daily cases hit record
Russia will ease some of its covid-19 restrictions from Sunday, the consumer health watchdog announced on Saturday, despite reporting a record daily number of cases as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
The number of daily infections has been surging since January. But the highly transmissible Omicron variant has not led to a significant increase in deaths, and the Kremlin has recently dismissed concerns about the risk of new lockdowns.
According to the latest order from the consumer health watchdog, from Sunday people will no longer need to self-isolate after contacting those infected with covid-19.
In Moscow, schools and nurseries may end isolation requirements for pupils from next week, the capital's coronavirus task force said.
WHO chief discussed Covid-19 origins with Chinese premier Li Keqiang
The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday he had discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of Covid-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing's relations with the West.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has previously pressed China to be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the virus.
"Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang," Tedros tweeted. "We discussed COVID-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on VaccinEquity this year to vaccinate 70% of all populations," he said, referrring to the WHO campaign for fair access to vaccines around the world.
"We also discussed the need for stronger collaboration on COVID-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence," he added.
The WHO last year established the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) and called on China to supply raw data to help any new investigation. China declined, citing patient privacy rules.
China has consistently denied allegations that the virus was leaked from a specialist laboratory in the city of Wuhan, where Covid-19 was first identified at the end of 2019.
A joint study by China and the WHO published last year all but ruled out the theory that Covid-19 originated in a laboratory, saying that the most likely hypothesis was that it infected humans naturally, probably via the wildlife trade.
Last November, China said a declassified US intelligence report saying it was plausible that the pandemic originated in a laboratory was unscientific and had no credibility.
Japan's daily coronavirus tally hits record high
Japan hit a record single-day number of Covid-19 cases on Saturday, public broadcaster NHK said, as the Omicron variant continued to spread. The country's daily virus cases exceeded 100,000 cases, marking a fresh high, NHK reported. Most regions in Japan are now under infection control measures to try to blunt the spread of Omicron that has exploded among a population where less than 5% have received vaccine booster shots.
Chelsea manager Tüchel tests positive for Covid-19
Chelsea manager Thomas Tüchel has tested positive for Covid-19, the Premier League club announced on Saturday, hours before their FA Cup fourth round match against Plymouth Argyle. Tüchel will go into self-isolation and the club said he would most likely join up with the team in Abu Dhabi next week for the Club World Cup.
The team will fly out after the FA Cup game. European champions Chelsea face either United Arab Emirates Pro League side Al Jazira or AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal in their semi-final at Abu Dhabi's Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday. If Chelsea qualify for the final, they will remain in Abu Dhabi until 12 February. Chelsea reached the final the last time they played in the Club World Cup in 2012, losing 1-0 to Brazilian side Corinthians in Japan.
Like with Omicron BA.1, the BA.2 subvariant is extremely transmissible. However, BA.2 is a step above that, with estimates by the Danish health authorities that it is a further 50 percent more transmissible than BA.1.
This transmissibility has got some scientists worried, but some good news about the variant is that in many other respects it is similar to the original Omicron variant.
Omicron-specific booster may not be needed, study shows
A study in monkeys pitting the current Moderna covid-19 booster against an Omicron-specific booster showed no significant differences in protection, suggesting an Omicron-specific booster may not be needed, US government researchers said on Friday.
The study involved monkeys vaccinated with two doses of Moderna's vaccine who were dosed nine months later with either the conventional Moderna booster or one specifically targeting the Omicron variant.
The researchers tested various aspects of the animals' immune responses and exposed them to the virus. They found both boosters produced "comparable and significant increases in neutralizing antibody responses" against all of the variants of concern, including Omicron, according to the study, posted on bioRxiv ahead of peer review.
Both Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer have started testing Omicron-specific boosters of their vaccines in human clinical trials.
"This is very, very good news," Daniel Douek, a vaccine researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who co-lead the study, said in a telephone interview. "It means we don't need to radically redesign the vaccine to make it an Omicron vaccine."
(Reuters)
The surge of Omicron cases has seen a new focus on the more protective N95 and KN95 respirators but there is concern that fake versions are being sold online.
AS USA's Will Gittins offers the lowdown on where to get a high-quality face mask
Chelsea boss Tuchel tests positive for covid-19
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has tested positive for covid-19, the Premier League club have revealed.
The German will miss Chelsea's FA Cup tie with Plymouth Argyle today, and is now in a race against time to be back in the Blues' dugout for their Club World Cup semi-final against Al-Hilal or Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Tuchel "will now follow necessary self-isolation protocols and hopes to join up with the team in Abu Dhabi later next week", Chelsea said in a statement.
Scientists examining samples of sewage water in New York City found a viral fragment that does not relate to any variant reported in a human patient.
Just over 370,000 new cases in US on Friday
According to Johns Hopkins University's case tracker, 371,447 new infections were reported in the US on Friday, as case numbers in the country continue to fall from the early January peak of around 1m a day. However, there were 4,154 new deaths in the US, JHU said. That's just under 300 short of the country's record high of 4,442, on 20 January.
Omicron covid-19 variant live updates: welcome
Good morning and welcome to AS USA's daily live blog on the spread of the Omicron covid-19 variant. We'll be chiefly focusing on the US, where the total death toll has now passed the 900,000 mark, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Per JHU, 901,391 fatalities due to covid have now been reported in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.