There is still a lot we don’t know about Omicron, but Israel’s health minister said there are “indications” people who received a vaccine booster are “protected” against the variant.
Moderna’s president said he hopes its vaccine will deliver the “highest efficacy” against Omicron but added current shots could be less effective on the new strain.
Our live coverage of the Omicron coronavirus variant has moved here.
65 Posts
Japan?overturns ban on inbound flight bookings
From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo
Japan?has canceled a ban on accepting new reservations for inbound international flights, according to the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.?
On Wednesday, the Transport Ministry had asked airlines to refuse reservations on international flights to?Japan over concerns of the Omicron coronavirus variant. It would have applied to all travelers — including?Japanese citizens — from December 1 through December 31.
But Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later said he had instructed the ministry to reconsider the decision out of consideration for?Japanese citizens’ need to return.
Kishida added the initial announcement had caused confusion while talking to reporters from his office on Thursday.?
Airlines can now take new reservations as long as the number of passengers entering?Japan?remains below 3,500 a day — a limit on arrivals that was lowered from 5,000 last month, a transport ministry official said, according to Reuters.
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South?Korea?detects record?new Covid-19 cases for second straight day
From CNN’s Gawon Bae in Seoul, South Korea
South?Korea?identified 5,266 new?Covid-19?cases?on Wednesday, a?record?high?for?a second?consecutive?day,?the Korea?Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a news release Thursday.
That breaks the previous record of 5,123 new?cases, recorded on Tuesday.?
Last month, South Korea announced it would start “living with Covid-19” and began easing restrictions. But its reopening has coincided with record new infections, critical cases and deaths. Concerns over the new Omicron variant are also threatening the country’s recovery.
South Korea’s total confirmed?cases?increased to 457,612, while the death toll rose by 47 to 3,705, according to KDCA. Some 733 patients are in critical condition, KDCA said.
That’s despite high vaccination rates. As?of?Wednesday, 80.1% of the population has been fully vaccinated, according to KDCA.
Travel restrictions: The rise in cases has prompted authorities to mandate a?10-day quarantine for all incoming international travelers, including Korean nationals, starting Friday for two weeks.
The move came as five Omicron cases were reported by the country in?travelers?arriving from Nigeria.?
The mandate applies?to?travelers?from?all?countries, regardless of their vaccination status, KDCA said.
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Moderna president says he has "hope" their vaccine will "hold up quite well" against Omicron
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
Dr. Stephen?Hoge,?president of?Moderna, expressed hope the pharmaceutical company’s Covid-19 vaccine would deliver the “highest efficacy” against the Omicron variant.
“Our hope, at least in Moderna,?is that we’re going to continue?to see the highest efficacy?overall and continue to see the?boosters push that even higher,” he said during CNN’s town hall tonight.
Hoge was responding to Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel remarks on Tuesday in which he suggested current vaccines?might struggle with Omicron.
“There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level?.?.?. we had with [the] Delta [variant],” Bancel said in an interview with the Financial Times. “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.’”
Hoge took issue with Bancel’s word choice, but acknowledged this evening that it is likely the current vaccines could be less effective against Omicron.
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Moderna president says if current Covid vaccines protect against Omicron they "might be all we?need in the long run"
Moderna president Dr. Stephen Hoge joins CNN's town hall on Wednesday night.
(CNN)
Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of Covid-19 vaccine maker Moderna, said during CNN’s town hall tonight that if vaccines hold up against Omicron, they could provide benefit against future strains of the virus that have?significant mutations.
Looking at the history?of Covid-19 vaccines, Hoge said they have had good efficacy against previous variants, including Gamma, Beta and the Delta variant that became the dominant strain earlier this year.
Fauci says it's still safe to travel despite Omicron coronavirus variant
From CNN's Leinz Vales
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said Wednesday that with the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Americans are still safe to travel and would not suggest anything different from previous safety recommendations.
“We just have a problem that’s?identifiable now, and just as I?said, and I’ll say it again, if?you have a vaccinated situation,?your family’s vaccinated, enjoy?the holidays, indoor with your?family in a family setting,” Fauci told CNN at a town hall.
Fauci urges Americans to get vaccinated, warning the Delta variant remains a grave danger
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans should not lose sight of the dangers of the Delta variant even as the Omicron strain of coronavirus dominates headlines.
Fauci urged the 60 million Americans who remain unvaccinated to get their shots as quickly as possible since it is proven to lower the transmission and dangers of the Delta variant.
“We still have?99.9% of the isolates are Delta,?and we know what we can do with?Delta,” he said. “We have, within our capability,?to block it by getting the people who are?unvaccinated vaccinated.”
Fauci added that Americans ought to take other precautions as well, such as wearing masks, as colder weather settles on much of the country.
“There are a lot of things we?can do now with what we’re?dealing with now, and what?we’re dealing with now is?Delta,” he said.
Time will tell whether people will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 each year, Fauci says
(CNN)
It is too early to tell whether people will need to receive a Covid-19 vaccine each year to protect against infection, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN’s Anderson Cooper during the company’s town hall Wednesday evening.
Fauci added: “So the honest answer is we don’t?know what’s going to be?required.?I hope we get a durability?protection from the boost that?we won’t have to be chasing all?the time against the new variant. But that just remains to be seen.”
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Fauci says it was "better to be safe than?sorry" on South Africa travel ban
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he “felt really badly” about the US travel ban imposed on South Africa and other southern African countries following the detection of the Omicron variant.
Dozens of countries around the world have imposed temporary travel bans on several countries in southern Africa. While the Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa, it doesn’t mean it necessarily originated in the country.
“I would hope that we’d get?enough information soon that we?could pull back on that as?quickly as possible because you?don’t want individual countries?to feel that when they are?honest and transparent that?there are negative consequences?for them.?So I do really feel badly about?that.”
Earlier today: UN?Secretary?General?Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described widespread travel?bans?imposed on southern African countries over fears of the Omicron variant as “unacceptable,” likening the restrictions?to?apartheid.
Biden to extend transportation mask mandate through March
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
The Biden administration will extend existing requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, buses, trains and boats, as well as in airports and other transportation hubs, through March to address concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.
In August, the Transportation Security Administration extended its US federal transportation mask mandate through January 18 due to concerns at that time over the Delta variant.
Fauci says real world data is needed to see how Omicron variant impacts vaccines
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a CNN town hall tonight that laboratory data on the Omicron variant should be available in a few weeks but real world data is still unknown.
“We’ll get the laboratory data in?a couple of weeks, but we’ll?have to get the experience from?our South African colleagues?about what the real clinical?effect is going to be,” Fauci said.
“You never know until you test it?in an in vitro, or test tube?situation, and then you get into?real world data of what happens?when a vaccinated person or a?boosted person comes into?contact and gets infected.”
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We don't know enough about the Omicron variant yet, Dr. Anthony Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during CNN's town hall on Wednesday night.
(CNN)
The world has much to learn about the Omicron coronavirus variant before any decision can be made on how to address it, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN tonight during its town hall.
The single Omicron case detected in the United States, which “would be considered?a breakthrough infection because?the person was fully vaccinated?doesn’t really tell you much at?all because we have breakthrough?infections with Delta where?people who have been vaccinated,?fully vaccinated very often more?often than not they have mild?illness,” the nation’s leading infectious disease expert said.
Earlier today: Fauci announced the first US case of the Omicron variant had been detected in the US, in a traveler who had arrived from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive Nov. 29.
The traveler, who landed in California, had mild symptoms and was self-isolating.
Covid-19 flight bans amount to "travel apartheid," says UN Secretary General
From CNN’s Caitlin Hu, Richard Roth and Philip Wang?
U?Secretary?General?Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described widespread travel?bans?imposed on southern African countries over fears of the Omicron variant as “unacceptable,” likening the restrictions?to?apartheid.
“When we have now this virus everywhere, what is?unacceptable is?to?have one part of the world that is one of the most vulnerable parts of the world economy condemned?to a lockout, when they were the ones that revealed the existence of a new variant that, by the way, already existed in other parts of the world, including in Europe, as we know,” Guterres said during a news briefing in New York alongside African?Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat.?
South African scientists discovered the Omicron variant last week. It has since been identified in a?growing number of countries including the United States, with scientists in the Netherlands confirming it was present in their country even before the South African announcement.
At the same Wednesday briefing, Faki Mahamat decried “stigmatization” of a vast swathe of the continent over the new variant.?
US health officials have argued that travel?bans?help?to?“buy time.”
Vaccine?solidarity: Guterres also?called for a global plan to help?African countries produce Covid-19?vaccines.?
With only 6% percent of?Africa’s population fully vaccinated,?the people of?the continent cannot be blamed for the “immorally low” level of vaccinations available to them, he said.
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Soon: CNN's coronavirus town hall with guest Dr. Anthony Fauci
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta will host a coronavirus town hall with special guest Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Watch live at 9 p.m. ET and submit your questions below:
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Omicron mutations may hurt effectiveness of Covid-19 antibody therapies, but it’s too soon to tell
From CNN's Virginia Langmaid
Mutations found in the Omicron variant of Covid-19 may impact the effectiveness of Covid-19 antibody therapies, but there is not enough data to know yet, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Wednesday.
Murthy said more information is needed to know for sure.
“The only way we’ll know for sure is actually the test the monoclonal antibodies against the virus or pseudovirus in the laboratory. That’s the work that’s underway,” Murthy said.
Pseudoviruses are engineered viruses used to test the blood of volunteers in the lab.
More context: The surgeon general did say that two oral Covid-19 antiviral therapies may not be as affected by the mutations in the virus.
Pfizer and Merck have asked the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for pills that reduce the risk that people will develop severe disease or die from Covid-19.
“There’s still good reason to believe that the efficacy, the effectiveness of those oral medications may not be as significantly affected with this new variant,” Murthy said. “That’s sort of based on the biology of how they actually act against the virus,” he added.
Murthy added: “This is to say that there are reasons to be optimistic. There’s still ways we can protect ourselves.”
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Omicron is now reported in the US. Here's what we know about the coronavirus variant.
From CNN's Haley Burton
The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in California.
If you’re just reading in on today’s news about the variant, here’s a recap on how we got here:
How it entered the US: In a White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the first US Omicron case was detected in a person who traveled from South Africa to San Francisco on Nov. 22 and tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov. 29. The person was fully vaccinated and is experiencing “mild symptoms, which are improving at this point,” Fauci said.
Officials are urging people to get vaccinated and booster shots: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement Wednesday saying that the recent emergence of the Omicron variant “further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and general prevention strategies needed to protect against Covid-19.” It went on to say “everyone five and older should get vaccinated and boosters are recommended for everyone 18 years and older.”
Fauci advised in a briefing Wednesday to not wait for variant-specific boosters.
Want to learn more? CNN will host a global town hall and discuss the new Omicron coronavirus variant with Fauci tonight. Watch live at 9 p.m. ET.
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Do not wait for variant-specific boosters, Fauci advises
From CNN’s Maggie Fox
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The arrival of the Omicron variant is another reason for people to get vaccinated and for the vaccinated to get booster doses now, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.
In a White House news briefing, Fauci announced the first US case of Omicron and said the case was in an individual who traveled from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov. 29.
“I think what’s happening now is another example of why it’s important for people to get vaccinated,” Fauci told the news conference, adding that it was also important for vaccinated individuals to get their booster doses.
He said data shows antibody levels spike after a booster dose of any of the three vaccines authorized in the US.
“And that’s the reason why we feel even though we don’t have a lot of data on it, there’s every reason to believe that that kind of increase that you get with the boost would be helpful, at least in preventing severe disease of a variant like Omicron,” Fauci said.
“So right now, I would not be waiting. People say, ‘Well, if we’re going to have a booster-specific vaccine, should we wait?’ If you are eligible – think six months with a double mRNA dose or two months for the J&J – get boosted now. We may not need a variant-specific boost. We’re preparing for the possibility that we need a very specific boost and that’s what the companies are doing,” Fauci added.
“But the mistake people would make is to say, ‘Let me wait to see if we get one,’” he added.
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WHO advises certain high-risk groups to postpone travel in response to Omicron variant
From CNN's Virginia Langmaid
The World Health Organization advised people in certain groups at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19, including the unvaccinated and those over 60, to postpone travel to areas with community spread, in response to the newly identified Omicron variant.
The organization also recommended that countries use a “multi-layered risk mitigation approach” to reducing spread, which it says can include passenger screening, Covid-19 testing and quarantines.?
“Blanket travel bans will not prevent international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” the WHO said, adding that travel bans can “disincentivize” countries to report cases of the variant when they appear.?
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Fauci says travel ban was "needed to buy some time" for US to prepare for Omicron?
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that “no one feels” a travel ban will prevent the Omicron variant from arriving in the US, but that it was “needed to buy some time” for the country to prepare and understand the situation.
Fauci announced the first US case of the Omicron variant had been detected in the US, in a traveler who had arrived from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive Nov. 29. The traveler, who landed in California, had mild symptoms and was self-isolating.
The individual arrived before the US instituted measures aimed at slowing the entry of the new variant by limiting travel from several African nations.?
“But we needed to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what’s going on,” added Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“What is the nature of this infection? What is the nature of the transmissibility? And we wanted to make sure that we didn’t all of a sudden say, ‘It’s like anything else, don’t worry about it,’ and then all of a sudden, something unfolds in front of you that you’re really not prepared for,” he added. “So we look at this is a temporary measure.”
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"Get vaccinated for?goodness' sakes," San Francisco health official says after Omicron case detected in city
San Francisco Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax said the identification of the United State’s first Omicron coronavirus variant case in the city “is cause for concern,?but is also certainly not a?cause for us to panic.”
Contacts to the individual have and are being notified by the city health department, he said.
Colfax said the city is “relatively well?positioned” to respond to variants, and he pleaded with residents to get vaccinated and receive booster shots.
“Most experts that I have?spoken to believe that the?vaccines will still be of?critical importance in?protecting ourselves, our?families and our community.?So our message is the same as it?was yesterday:?To best protect against this?variant, get vaccinated for?goodness’ sakes, if you have not?been vaccinated.?Get your booster if you’re?eligible.?Continue to wear those masks?inside where required,” he said.
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US will react to Omicron "with science and speed," White House says
From CNN's Betsy Klein
White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the US is prepared to meet the challenge of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 “with science and speed” upon its detection in the US Wednesday.?
Earlier today, the first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant was identified in California. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the case was in a person who traveled from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive for Covid-19 on Nov. 29.
That person, Fauci said, is self-quarantining and close contacts have tested negative for coronavirus so far.
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Fauci expresses hope that some Omicron travel restrictions variant get "sorted out and lifted"
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested Wednesday he hopes that some travel restrictions imposed by the Biden administration in light of the Omicron coronavirus variant get “sorted out and lifted” when asked about the countries included in the ban that have not yet identified any Omicron cases, including Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration placed restrictions on travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. So far, the Omicron variant?has been detected in at least 24 countries, including the US.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated that the restrictions were meant to buy time and are not planned to be permanent.
“The President is briefed every day by his Covid team and will continue to assess, based on their recommendations, any additional steps that needs to be taken. As Dr. Fauci noted, there’s a lot we don’t know. So putting in place these travel restrictions was intended to give us more time to do the necessary evaluation, data and testing required that our health experts are working around the clock to do. And they made this assessment and recommendation about the countries where we would put in place these travel restrictions in order to give us that time,” Psaki told reporters later in the briefing.
She continued, “We want to learn more information, know more information, but the President is always going to err on the side of protecting the American people.”
Psaki added that the restrictions were “not a political decision,” but rather, “based on the advice – recommendations – of the health and medical team.”
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As US confirms first Omicron case, CNN medical analyst urges vaccination and preventative measures
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen
(CNN)
CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen urged caution after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
“I definitely understand why?this would be concerning to?people hearing the news, but?let’s remember that this was?something that we expected all?along,” Wen said on CNN.
While Wen said we do not know specifics about this case yet, scientists are actively researching this variant.
“We also know what it takes to?prevent Omicron, which is the?same thing it takes to prevent?Delta.?Vaccination will probably be?effective — especially getting a?booster dose for those if you?haven’t already — and if you’re?going to crowded settings,?please wear a mask,” Wen said.
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Fauci says "there's no doubt" the pandemic will one day end
(Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke at length this afternoon about what must be done for the world to emerge out of the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, discussed the “end game” to the pandemic, saying it would involve “a situation where viruses?will not have the opportunity?that they have right now is to?essentially, freely distribute?and freely circulate in society,?both domestic society and global?society.”
Fauci added: “There’s no doubt.?This will end, I promise you?that.?This will end.”
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Fauci says Omicron underscores importance of getting vaccinated or booster shots
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
(Susan Walsh/AP)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the discovery of the Omicron variant in the United States “is?another example of why it’s?important for people to get?vaccinated who’ve not been vaccinated,?but also boosting.”
“Boosting is really very?important,” Fauci told reporters during a White House press briefing.
Fauci advised Americans to not wait to get a booster shot.
“We may not need a variant-specific boost.?We’re preparing for the?possibility that we need a?variant-specific booster,” Fauci said.
“But the mistake people would?make is to say, ‘let me wait and?see if we get one.’?If you’re eligible for boosting,?get boosted right now,” he said.
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Fauci: First reported case of Omicron variant involves traveler from South Africa
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
(Susan Walsh/AP)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that the patient diagnosed with the first reported case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the US traveled from South Africa to San Francisco, California, and is experiencing “mild symptoms.”
Fauci explained how the case was identified within US borders, saying that the?California and San Francisco?departments of public health and?the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the recent?case of Covid-19 in the individual in California was?caused by the variant.
“Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California at San Francisco and the sequence was confirmed at the CDC as?consistent with the Omicron?variant,” he said.
NOW: Fauci speaks to reporters after US identifies first case of Omicron variant
From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jacqueline?Howard
Dr. Anthony?Fauci,?President Biden’s chief medical adviser, is speaking to reporters now from the White House briefing room.
The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in California, according to a source familiar.
The World Health Organization designates Omicron a “variant of concern.” In a technical brief released this week, the WHO noted that the variant poses a “very high” global risk. The variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been detected in several countries.
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JUST IN: US' first case of Omicron variant reported in California, source says
From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jacqueline?Howard
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant – in California – according to a source familiar.
The World Health Organization designates Omicron a “variant of concern.”?In a technical brief?released this week, WHO noted that the variant poses a “very high” global risk.?The variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been detected in several countries.
Scientists are working to determine how transmissible the variant is, how sick it makes people and how well current vaccines work against it.?Until more information is learned about the variant, the United States restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries.
On Monday, President Biden called the variant “a cause for concern, not a cause?for panic,” saying, “We’ll have to face this new threat just as we face those who have come before it.”
Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, or get a booster if they’re eligible. Other measures such as masks, handwashing, physical distancing and ventilation will still work against the Omicron variant.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus remains the dominant variant globally and in the United States.
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Biden to Americans: "The best protection against Omicron is getting a booster shot"
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury and Betsy Klein
(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
President Biden urged eligible Americans to get booster shots as soon as possible, saying that his administration will fight the Omicron variant with “science and speed, not chaos and confusion.”
Biden continued, “If you’re not vaccinated, now now is?the time to get vaccinated and?take your children to get?vaccinated.?Every child over the age of 5 can get a safe, effective?vaccination.”
On Thursday at the National Institutes of Health, Biden said, he will outline next steps in fighting the pandemic this winter: “Not with shutdowns or lockdowns, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more.”?
Some details of the plan are already emerging, including?narrowing the testing window for international air travelers, as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported. Other aspects are likely to include a new push for vaccinations and boosters.?
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.
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WHO leaders speak out against Covid-19 travel bans
From CNN's Virginia Langmaid
Blanket travel bans may be unfairly applied and likely will not completely prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, World Health Organization leaders said Wednesday.?
“I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing, and reporting this variant so rapidly,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening remarks at a news conference Wednesday.?
“It’s deeply concerning to me that those countries are now being penalized by others for doing the right thing. We call on all countries to take rational, proportional risk reduction measures in keeping with international health regulations,” the director-general said.
“We do not want to see countries penalized for sharing information, because this is how WHO and our partners, this is how we make assessments and how we provide advice,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.
Van Kerkhove said some travel bans have limited the ability of South African researchers to ship virus samples out of the country, “so there are other implications for these travel bans that are out there.”
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said travel bans contain “internal contradictions” that don’t accurately address how the virus spreads.?
“Is that that some passport holders will have the virus and some won’t? Does the virus read your passport? Does the virus know your nationality or?where you’re legally resident?” he added.
Ryan also criticized the inconsistent application of travel bans, pointing out that there are countries currently under a ban who have not yet had a case of Omicron, “and other countries with confirmed cases and evidence of local transmission with no travel bans.”
“So I’m not saying one is right or one is wrong, what I’m saying is I can’t see the logic, certainly from a public health or an epidemiologic perspective,” he said.
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European Commission chief calls for discussion on mandatory vaccinations for bloc
From CNN's James Frater and Sharon Braithwaite
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that it?is?time?to “potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union” and have a discussion about the measure.
When asked during a news conference about her position on mandatory vaccination following Greece’s decision to impose a roughly $113 fine on people over 60 years old who remain unvaccinated by mid-January, von der Leyen said?it?is?“pure member state competence.?Therefore, in respect to that,?it’s not me to give any kind of recommendation.”
“If you’re asking me what my personal position?is? Two or three years ago, I would never have thought to witness what we see right now, that we have this horrible pandemic, we have the vaccines, the life saving vaccines, but they are not being used adequately everywhere,” she said.
“And thus, these costs, of course, an enormous, or this?is?an enormous health cost coming along,” she continued.
“If you look at the numbers we have now 77% of the adults in the European Union vaccinated or if you take the whole population,?it’s 66%. And this means 1/3 of the European population?is?not vaccinated. These are 150 million people. This?is?a lot,” von der Leyen noted.
She went on to outline her position on vaccination mandates, saying, “Not each and everyone can be vaccinated, so there are very small children, for example, or people with special medical conditions, but the vast majority could.”
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3 major US airlines say they are complying with new CDC directive
From CNN's Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace
Three major US airlines told CNN Wednesday they are complying with a new federal directive that requires airlines to turn over contact information on passengers who were recently in certain African countries.??
The carriers are Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines.??
Delta Air Lines flies several flights every week from Johannesburg, South Africa, into Atlanta. The airline said in a statement to CNN it is “in close coordination with public health bodies and industry regulators in our shared mission to keep the safety and health of customers our top priority.”??
United flies between Johannesburg and Newark.??
American has extended its flexibility policies to accommodate passengers who would have been flying from southern African countries into the US to rearrange their flights.??
About the directive: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directive involves foreign nationals from eight countries including South Africa and was issued in response to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
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CDC will provide names of passengers on flights from southern Africa to health departments
From CNN's?Jacqueline Howard
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that officials have directed airlines carrying passengers that have been to certain southern African nations to share those passengers’ contact information with the agency.?
Airlines and aircraft operators are directed to transmit passenger information as required under the CDC’s Contact Information Collection Order, which was issued in late October, if?information is not already being transmitted through established US Department of Homeland Security data systems.?
This post has been updated with new details from the CDC.
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South Korea will require a 10-day quarantine for all incoming international travelers?
From CNN's Gawon Bae
A staff member wearing protective equipment guides a traveller at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Kora, on November 30.
(Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea will mandate a 10-day quarantine for all incoming international travelers, including Korean nationals. The requirement will go into effect Dec. 3 for two weeks, Korea Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said in a statement Wednesday.
The decision was made the same day five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant were reported by the country, in travelers arriving from Nigeria.?
The mandate applies to travelers from all countries, regardless of their vaccination status, KDCA said.
Korean nationals and foreigners on a long-term stay can quarantine from home, while foreigners staying less than 90 days must quarantine at a government-designated facility.?Quarantine exemptions will only be granted in a limited set of special circumstances, such as attending a funeral, the statement said.?
South Korea will also ban foreign nationals on short-term stays — less than 90 days — from Nigeria from entering the country starting Friday.
On Saturday, South Korea had banned foreign nationals on short-term stays from eight southern African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique. Korean citizens and foreigners on long-term stay may still enter the country.?
Starting Saturday, South Korea will also suspend direct flights from Ethiopia for two weeks. The government will arrange non-scheduled flights for Korean nationals to return from African countries, KDCA added.
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US Travel Association calls on Biden to revisit Omicron travel ban
From CNN's Matt Egan?
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2020.
(Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Roger Dow, CEO of the US Travel Association, is questioning the logic of President Biden’s travel restrictions imposed on South Africa and seven neighboring countries in the wake of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Dow, whose trade group represents all parts of the $1.5 trillion travel industry, said he met multiple times with the White House over the weekend and is very encouraged Biden signaled he’s not anticipating further restrictions.
“Even the WHO came out and said the data and science don’t support this,” he said. “We don’t want to see this go beyond South Africa.”
In a?statement?on Tuesday, the World Health Organization said “blanket travel banks will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.”
Dow, whose industry relies on a steady stream of foreign tourists, expressed confidence in the?existing health protocols?to come into the United States, including requirements that visitors are vaccinated and get tested for Covid-19 in advance.
Some background: On Monday, the?United States banned all travel?from South Africa and seven neighboring countries, with the exception of US citizens and legal permanent residents, who must test negative to enter the country.
Top?US officials are considering new restrictions, including requiring everyone who enters the country to be tested for Covid-19 the day before their flight and having all travelers – including US citizens and permanent residents – be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Dow acknowledged the serious health challenge facing the United States, but suggested it shouldn’t overshadow other priorities. Direct travel employment fell by 34% last year amid the pandemic, according to the US Travel Association.?
“We’ve got a health crisis, no doubt about it. But we’ve got a jobs crisis, an economic crisis, a mental health crisis and a diplomatic crisis,” he said.
Dow argued having more foreign tourists would improve America’s standing in the world. “Getting people here, traveling back and forth, is good public diplomacy,” he said.
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Cuba says it's developing vaccines to combat the Omicron variant
From CNN’s Patrick Oppmann in Havana?
Cuban scientists are working on vaccines to combat the Omicron variant, the island’s state-run media reported on Wednesday.?
Cuban pharmaceutical companies have already produced several vaccines scientists say are highly effective against earlier strains of the coronavirus. According to Cuba’s health ministry more than 80% of the island’s population is now fully vaccinated and coronavirus-related infections and deaths have plummeted in recent weeks.
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Ireland reports first Omicron case
From CNN's Sarah Dean
Ireland has reported its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team said Wednesday.?
The statement said the case is linked to travel from one of the seven southern African countries that Ireland has imposed travel restrictions on.
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Inside the lab where the Omicron variant was first detected
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
At Lancet Laboratories in South Africa, scientists and pathologists first noticed an anomaly in positive PCR tests in early November, and it cropped up over and over again.
“It was a bit disturbing, because it made us worry that we were dealing with something new,” Allison Glass, a pathologist at Lancet Labs, told CNN’s David McKenzie.
They urgently notified South Africa’s genomics team. Within days, details about the new Omicron coronavirus variant became known worldwide.
Scientists inside the Wits VIDA Research Unit in South Africa are trying to determine whether the variant is more transmissible or causes more severe disease.
Samples are being put in freezers in the hallways at the lab, and it is set to operate 24 hours a day, McKenzie reported.
Jeanine du Plessis, a medical scientist at the lab, said they are seeing a lot more positive cases in the past few weeks.
Since there is still so much unknown about the variant at the moment, she said “everyone feels a little bit of hopelessness.”
Watch:
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The US is considering mandatory testing for all travelers coming into the country — including citizens
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins?and?Maegan Vazquez
Travelers arrive from international flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on November 30.
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Top US government officials are considering requiring everyone who enters the country to be tested for?Covid-19?the day before their flight and having all travelers — including US citizens and permanent residents — be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, sources familiar with the discussions have told CNN.
Officials were deliberating the potential changes Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made.
However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a statement that the agency is working to revise testing requirements for travelers because of the new Omicron variant.
Currently, vaccinated travelers are required to test three days before their departures. The move under consideration would shorten that timeline to one day.
A mandatory quarantine for US citizens returning home is not under consideration, according to a White House official.
“The administration continues to evaluate the appropriate measures to protect the American people from COVID-19, especially as we learn more about the Omicron variant, including considering more stringent testing requirements for international travel. Policy discussions are ongoing across the government and no final decisions have been made,” a White House official told CNN.
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," says EU leader
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
Europe is in a race against the clock to step up its vaccination and booster programs amid concerns over the Omicron variant hitting its shores, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a news briefing Wednesday.
Von der Leyen urged members states to “do everything possible to make the best out of the time we have until we have certainty about the characteristics of transmissibility and severity of Omicron.”
“What is the bottom line? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” she added.
The EU Commission put forward a coordinated EU approach on Wednesday to address the challenges from the resurgence of Covid-19 in many member states this fall.
Among the measures suggested, member states “should continue to implement a joint strategy to limit the entry of the Omicron variant into the EU, with regular, daily reviews of essential travel restrictions,” the Commission said in a statement.
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Omicron cases have been mild and in younger patients, South African doctor says
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
Dr. Mvuyisi Mzukwa, vice chair of the South African Medical Association, on December 1.
(CNN)
Doctors in South Africa have so far observed that patients with the Omicron coronavirus variant are younger and have milder cases, and those who are hospitalized are largely unvaccinated.
Mzukwa said that very few people are being admitted to the hospital and the South African health care system is not under pressure.
Asked about hospitalizations across the country, which have been seen as trending up over the last month, Mzukwa said that even in the province where the Omicron variant is concentrated, “we have not seen that much of hospitalization, all we see is that those patients that do get admitted are patients who are not vaccinated.”
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A global accord on pandemic prevention and response is one step closer
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
The World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed to start negotiations that would pave the way for a global convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response,” it said in a statement Wednesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision by the World Health Assembly was historic in nature, vital in its mission, and represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen the global health architecture to protect and promote the wellbeing of all people.
An intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) will draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the statement added.
The INB will hold its first meeting by March next year. It will submit its outcome for consideration by the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024.
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Germany's health system could be overwhelmed, with 12 million still unvaccinated, warns minister
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks at a press conference in Berlin on November 26.
(Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images)
The number of unvaccinated people in Germany is still so large it risks overwhelming the country’s heath system, warned Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday.
Even though the number of vaccinations is on the rise, 12 million adults out of a total of 69 million in the country are still not immunized against the coronavirus, Spahn wrote on Twitter.
Spahn, who only has a few days left in the job before the incoming government is sworn in, said that so far more than 10 million booster shots have been given out. Germany aimed to double that number by Christmas, he added.
Meanwhile, people queuing for booster shots in the capital Berlin on Wednesday endured long lines with wait times of up to three hours, CNN reported. In some instances, frustrated people left the lines before receiving their shot.
Germany is battling a fourth Covid-19 wave. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe, with a total 68.6% of eligible adults fully vaccinated, according to the country’s Health Ministry.
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Stranded Welsh rugby team find a route back to UK
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok in London
Welsh rugby team Cardiff Rugby plan to leave Cape Town on Thursday, after being stranded in South Africa since last week. The club has secured a charter flight and quarantine accommodation in England, it said in a statement Tuesday.
The team’s traveling contingent could not return home after South Africa was placed on the United Kingdom’s red list for travel last Friday, amid concerns over the Omicron variant.
On Sunday, the team confirmed that two players had tested positive for Covid-19, one of which is suspected to be the new coronavirus variant.
Cardiff said that both players remain in isolation from the team hotel and are in good health.
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South Korea moves peacekeeping conference online due to Omicron concerns
From CNN's Gawon Bae in Seoul?
South Korea will change its United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference from an in-person event to an online one amid concerns over the new Omicron variant, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The conference was due to be held in Seoul on December 7 and 8, with more than 700 people from 155 countries participating.
The ministry said the decision was made in light of the recently discovered Omicron variant and its possible impact on South Koreans’ health and safety.
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Scotland's Omicron outbreak linked to a "single private event," says first minister
From CNN's Sheena McKenzie in London and Reuters
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the main chamber in the Scottish Parliament on November 30 in Edinburgh.
(Jane Barlow/Pool/Getty Images)
All of Scotland’s nine cases of the Omicron variant are linked to the same event, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday, adding that none appeared to be linked to travel with South Africa.
Scotland’s outbreak makes up a large chunk of the United Kingdom’s 22 Omicron cases. That includes 13 cases in England, the UK Health Security Agency told CNN Tuesday.
The outbreak comes weeks after the climate conference COP26 was held in the Scottish city of Glasgow in early November.
Thousands of delegates from across the world attended the event, though Sturgeon told a press conference Monday that it’s unlikely to be linked to the Omicron cases.
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Before you join that work Christmas party, take a Covid-19 test, says UK health secretary
From Britain's Press Association
Christmas lights shine above Oxford Street in London on November 12.
(Dominic Lipinski/PA/AP)
Britons can continue with their Christmas party plans over the festive season, but might want to take a Covid-19 test before joining any gathering, the UK’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid told local broadcasters Wednesday.
Likewise, Javid told Sky News: “I think people should continue to behave in the way they were planning to behave over Christmas, I don’t think there is any need to change those plans.”
Asked if people should take a Covid-19 test before attending Christmas parties, Javid said: “I would.”
The comments come as the UK government ramps up its booster rollout, amid concerns over the new Omicron variant. The government is aiming to offer booster shots to all eligible adults in England by the end of January.
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Israeli health officials warn against hasty conclusions on vaccine efficacy against Omicron
From CNN's Andrew Carey and Amir Tal in Jerusalem
Two of Israel’s top health officials have urged caution in the rush to report the impact of coronavirus vaccines on the Omicron variant.?
Nachman Ash, the director general of the health ministry, told listeners to Galatz radio Wednesday morning, that it was simply too early to reach conclusions.??
“There is no data at the moment that can support this or that assessment [of vaccine efficacy] and we have no choice but to wait a few days and see the data,” Ash said.
Elsewhere, listeners to 103FM were hearing a similar message from Salman Zarka, the head of the government’s coronavirus advisory group.??
“The data is really at an initial stage. The information we have from South Africa is that among those hospitalized with the new variant, there are relatively more young people and fewer older people, so we cannot say anything regarding the risk to older adults,” he said.?
Zarka also reminded listeners of the fact there are several vaccines on the market, with varying performances against the virus. In South Africa, many people have been given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, whereas in Israel the overwhelming majority have had the Pfizer/BioNTech product.?
“Of those hospitalized [in South Africa] with the new variant, some have been vaccinated and some have not. Most of those who are vaccinated probably received Johnson & Johnson, which has a lower efficacy performance than Pfizer, which is what we have in Israel,” he said.?
“There is probably initial data [from South Africa] that suggests it may be the case that the vaccine is less efficient against the new variant than it is against Delta, but even less efficient could still mean 85% or 80%. This is initial data and I don’t want to mislead the public.”??
While officials are warning against jumping to conclusions about the relationship between the vaccine and the new variant, Ash said one characteristic of the Omicron variant was already becoming clear.?
The director general of Israel’s health ministry added that there are conflicting reports regarding the severity of the disease, and whether or not there are more hospitalizations. “As for the vaccine, as I said, we really don’t know,” he emphasized.
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WHO advises unvaccinated older people to postpone travel to Covid-19 hotspots
From CNN's Sheena McKenzie in London
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised unvaccinated people over the age of 60 and those with certain health conditions not to travel to Covid-19 hotspots as new cases of the Omicron variant continue to emerge globally.
The WHO also commended South Africa and Botswana for their surveillance and sequencing capabilities, and for the “speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information” on the new Omicron variant with other health bodies.
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Japan requests airlines to stop taking new inbound international flight reservations
From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo?
Police officers patrol an empty check-in area in a departure hall at Narita Airport in Japan on November 30.
(Toru Hanai/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has requested airlines suspend taking new reservations on all inbound international flights to the country until the end of December, in response to the Omicron variant.
The request has been made to all airlines – including Japanese and international airlines operating in Japan – but at this time is not a mandate, a ministry official told CNN.?
The ministry has requested this apply to all travelers, including Japanese citizens, beginning Wednesday.
CNN is reaching out to airlines operating in Japan for a response, but has not yet heard back.?
Last month Japan began the process of rolling back some of its more stringent travel restrictions. However, on Monday it moved to close its borders to all foreign nationals in light of the new risk posed by Omicron.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the new measures would be temporarily until more information is known about the new variant.?
Japan?confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant on Tuesday. The variant was detected in a man in his 30s who traveled from Namibia to Tokyo. The man is now in quarantine at a government designated facility and his close contacts have been traced, Japanese?Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Tuesday.
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German state confirms handful of new Omicron cases, mostly travelers from South Africa
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz and Wayne Chang
The southwestern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Wednesday confirmed four cases of the Omicron variant, mostly in people returning home from South Africa.
Three of the four infected people returned from a business trip to South Africa on November 26 and 27, according to a government statement. The fourth person is a family member of one of the returnees.?
All four people are fully vaccinated and live in the Alb-Donau district of the city of Ulm, in southern Germany.
They are showing moderate symptoms and are in quarantine at home, together with members of their household, the statement says.?
It brings the total reported Omicron cases in Germany to nine.
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Saudi Arabia reports first Omicron case
From CNN's Schams Elwazer?
Saudi Arabia has confirmed its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The positive case came from a Saudi citizen traveling from a north African country, SPA reported. The infected person and their contacts are in quarantine.
Saudi Arabia is the 22nd country to report cases of the Omicron variant.
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Australia reports seventh Omicron variant case
From CNN's Lizzy Yee
Australia has identified its seventh case of the Omicron coronavirus in a traveler who arrived in the country last week, health authorities said Wednesday.
A statement from New South Wales Health said the traveler — who was fully vaccinated — had recently visited southern Africa and landed in Sydney from Qatar on November 25. The traveler tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and is isolating in Sydney.?
At least five passengers on the same flight — QR908 from Doha to Sydney on November 25 — have tested positive for Covid-19, according to NSW Health.?Investigations into the positive cases are ongoing, but so far include two confirmed Omicron infections.
The traveler had visited a pharmacy in the state of New South Wales before testing positive for the virus.?
Effective Tuesday, all travelers arriving in New South Wales who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi during the 14-day period before their arrival must undergo hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status.
There are now seven confirmed cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Australia — six in New South Wales, and one in the Northern Territory.
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France extends southern Africa flights ban
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman and Pierre Bairin in Paris
France has lengthened its ban on flights from seven countries in southern Africa until Saturday, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told RTL France radio on Wednesday.
The flight ban on South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe was implemented on November 26 in response to the Omicron coronavirus variant’s spread. It was originally set to expire on Wednesday.
Beaune said “extremely strengthened” measures were now in place to allow French residents in these countries to return to France via other routes. These include pre-arrival and post-departure testing and quarantines, he said.
France was among 23 European countries that had brought in similar measures to restrict access or suspend flights from southern Africa, Beaune added.
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South Australia mandates quarantine for all international arrivals
From CNN's Lizzy Yee
All international arrivals to South Australia must undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine, effective immediately and regardless of vaccination status, according to the state government.
The state government’s website says travelers will be tested upon arrival and subject to daily checks from a hotel health care team, with additional testing on the fifth day and 13th day of quarantine.
A spokesperson for the premier of South Australia said the new restrictions had been implemented because of concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. So far, five Omicron cases have been confirmed in South Australia’s neighboring state of New South Wales.
The new restrictions are in addition to the national government’s mandatory quarantine for eight southern African countries, including South Africa and Botswana.
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Japan reports second Omicron variant case
From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo?
Japan has identified its second case of the Omicron coronavirus variant,?Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news briefing Wednesday.?
The infection was detected in a man in his 20s who arrived at Tokyo’s Narita Airport from Peru on Saturday. The traveler is quarantined at a medical facility.??
Peru has not yet officially reported any cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.?
It comes one day after Japan’s first case was reported in a man?in his 30s who traveled from Namibia to Tokyo on Sunday.
From Thursday, Japan will ban foreign nationals with Japanese residency from re-entering the country if they are traveling from 10 southern African nations, including South Africa.
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Zimbabwe imposes mandatory quarantine for all travelers
From CNN's Wayne Chang
Zimbabwe on Tuesday imposed mandatory quarantine for travelers and new restrictions on movement amid rising Covid-19 cases and to preempt the spread of the Omicron variant, state-run news agency New Ziana reported.?
In a televised address, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said effective immediately, all Zimbabwean nationals, residents and visitors must be tested upon arrival for Covid-19. They must also undergo quarantine at state-designated facilities at their own cost.
Lockdown measures: Under new restrictions announced Tuesday, all businesses must close at 7 p.m. local time, followed by a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.?Meanwhile, bars are only allowed to admit fully vaccinated patrons.??
The latest measures will be reviewed after two weeks, Mnangagwa said.
Zimbabwe is one of several African nations facing travel restrictions from countries around the world following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
As of Tuesday, Zimbabwe had reported a total of 134,625 Covid-19 cases, according to a tweet by the country’s Ministry of Health and Child Care.??
No Omicron cases have yet been detected in in Zimbabwe.
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Nigeria reports 3 Omicron cases with history of travel to South Africa
From CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton
Nigeria has detected three Omicron variant cases in travelers who arrived in the West African country from South Africa in the past week, according to local health authorities.
In a statement Wednesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said these are the first known Omicron cases in Nigeria.
Nigeria now requires all inbound travelers to present a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 48 hours before departure, according to the NCDC.
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India's Maharashtra state reintroduces mandatory quarantine as new travel rules come into effect
From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi
The Indian state of Maharashtra has reimposed mandatory quarantine for all international passengers arriving from “at risk” countries in response to the Omicron coronavirus variant.
According to a government statement Tuesday, travelers arriving from countries determined to be “at risk” by India’s Health Ministry must quarantine for seven days at their own cost at designated hotels.
As of November 30, “at risk” countries and territories include South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.
These passengers will also be required to take RT-PCR tests on the second, fourth and seventh day after their arrival.
In recent days, four passengers from South Africa and two from Nigeria have tested positive for Covid-19 after landing in Maharashtra. Their samples, as with all tests that now come back positive, have been sent for genome sequencing with contact tracing underway.
Maharashtra’s revised guidelines are effective immediately and coincide with new national travel rules coming into place.
India’s new rules: From Wednesday, all international passengers arriving in India must submit a self-declaration form to an online government portal that includes a 14-day travel history and a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to their departure.
Travelers from countries deemed “at risk” will also now face further testing and surveillance, including a PCR test on arrival and must wait for the results before leaving or catching a connecting flight, according to guidelines issued by the Health Ministry on Sunday.
They will then have to quarantine at home for seven days and take another test on the eighth day.
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Omicron is a "somewhat different animal," and there's a lot more scientists need to learn, NIH director says
From CNN Health’s Jen Christensen
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins
(CNN)
It is still “very early days” with much more to learn about the Omicron variant of coronavirus, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Tuesday.
Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday there is “already room for optimism” that people who are vaccinated will be protected from the Omicron variant. Collins urged caution, though, and warned there is still a lot more that scientists need to know about how much protection the vaccines offer and how much severe disease this variant will cause.
Collins said there is a lot to learn about Omicron from South Africa.?
“We just learned about this Omicron variant one week ago and already South Africa has been on the Zoom calls with me at least three times in the last three days, telling us everything they know about what is going on. But they’re still collecting the data,” Collins said.?
Collins said he guesses, based on what scientists have seen from the protection the vaccines provided against the Delta variant, that immunization should help, especially if someone has been given a booster. Other studies have shown vaccines elicit strong immunity — with enough extra immunity to protect against variants.
Collins said it is one reason so many public health officials are pushing people to get boosted now.
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CDC is working to revise testing requirements for travelers to the US
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to revise testing requirements for inbound international travelers because of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, the agency confirmed in a statement Tuesday.
The CDC currently requires fully vaccinated travelers to be tested three days before their flight’s departure from a foreign country.
The CDC continues to recommend, but not require, that travelers get tested three to five days upon return and those who are unvaccinated should quarantine. The CDC did not offer a timeline for when any updated protocols could go into place.??
Officials across multiple government agencies huddled Tuesday night to discuss the potential changes, CNN reported earlier.
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South Korea reports record number of daily Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Gawon Bae in Seoul, South Korea
A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Covid-19 test at a temporary testing site outside Seoul Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.
(SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
South?Korea?recorded 5,123 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record single-day figure,?according to a news release from the Korea?Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
KDCA said 5,075 of the new infections were locally transmitted, with 4,110 detected in the?Seoul Metropolitan Area.
The country also reported 34 additional fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 3,658, according to KDCA. Some 723 patients are in critical condition, KDCA added.
South Korea has now reported a total of 452,350 cases.
As of Wednesday, 82.9% of the population had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and 79.9% had been fully vaccinated, KDCA said.
Suspected Omicron cases: South Korea is investigating at least two suspected cases of the Omicron variant, with results due on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Health Ministry and KDCA will form a task force along with related ministries to respond to the Omicron variant.
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Israeli health minister says there are "indications" Covid vaccine protects against Omicron
From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali
There are “indications” that people who received a coronavirus vaccine booster are “protected” against the Omicron variant, Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday.
Boosters?have been available in Israel to anyone over age 16 since late August, five months after their second dose of the vaccine. A person is not considered fully vaccinated in the country until they have received a third dose, once they are eligible for it.
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US considers stricter coronavirus testing for international travelers
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
Top US government officials are considering requiring everyone who enters the United States to be tested for?Covid-19?the day before their flight and having all travelers — including US citizens and permanent residents — be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, sources familiar with the thinking have told CNN.
Officials were deliberating Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made, but an announcement could come as soon as this week. Currently, travelers are required to test three days before their departures. The move under consideration would shorten that timeline to one day.
On Monday, the US?banned all travel?from South Africa and seven neighboring nations, with the exception of US citizens and legal permanent residents, who must test negative to enter the US but not once they have arrived.
It's too soon to know if Omicron causes less severe illness, Fauci says
From CNN's Maggie Fox
It’s too soon to know if the Omicron variant of coronavirus causes less severe disease than the Delta variant — in spite of reports that many cases so far have been mild, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday.
Most cases of Covid-19 overall are mild, and especially among younger patients. But nonetheless the virus can and does cause severe disease as it spreads among populations and has killed 5.2 million people globally and more than 779,000 in the United States alone, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that some South African physicians have reported the patients they treated had mild disease. But they were treating young people, Fauci said.
“Dr. Walensky and I specifically asked our South African colleagues that on the most recent Zoom call that we had, and they agreed with us that it’s too early to tell. They’re hoping that it is going to, across the board, give a lower level of severity, but they don’t know that right now,” he added.
In the meantime, vaccination and boosters should protect people, Fauci said. Boosters, especially, can bring antibody levels up to where there is a cushion of extra protection that can cover even variants of the virus.
“And that’s usually most manifested in protection against severe disease that leads to hospitalization,” Fauci said.
“So when we say that although these mutations suggest a diminution of protection and a degree of immune evasion, still from the experience that we have with Delta (you) can make a reasonable conclusion that you would not eliminate all protection against this particular variant,” he said.
“And that’s the reason why we don’t know what that degree of diminution of protection is going to be. But we know that when you boost somebody, you elevate your level of protection very high. And we are hoping, and I think with good reason, to feel good that there will be some degree of protection. Therefore, as we said, if you’re unvaccinated get vaccinated, and if you’re vaccinated, get boosted,” he added.
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How worried should we be about Omicron?
From CNN's Katia Hetter
Since South African authorities announced the arrival of a new coronavirus variant that contains an unusually large number of mutations, countries around the world have mobilized by putting into place?travel restrictions?and precautionary measures.
There is much that’s still unknown about this variant, Omicron. While scientists are gathering more information, the public wants to know how worried they should be.
Is the alarm around Omicron warranted? What’s already known, and what are the key pieces of information still to be researched? Are there things we can do to prepare for it?
I discussed all of this with our expert, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of a new book, “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health,” and the mother of two young kids.
