Barbados First Omicron Case

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George Thursday evening disclosed that Barbados has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.ci o(CARPHA) Laboratory, he said.

“To date, that is the only confirmed case we have. However, I must couch that by saying that we have been doing testing, preliminary sequencing at the [local] Best-Dos Santos Laboratory and there is also preliminary evidence is Omicron is established in Barbados,” Dr George said, although declining to disclose where the person who tested positive for the variant was from.

“We do not need to panic. We have come to this road before,” he added.

The Chief Medical Officer suggested it was no surprise that Barbados had now joined the list of countries recording the presence of Omicron.

“We have been consistently saying to the public within the last two to three weeks that the likelihood of Omicron being within our borders was high. We had a reason for saying this because the experience in several other countries across the globe indicated that the virus spreads extremely rapidly within communities and therefore Barbados was not going to be spared,” he pointed out.

Dr George added that the Ministry of Health has sent “carefully selected” samples to CARPHA lab and the results are expected in seven to ten days.

“Once we have this information we will share it with the public,” he said.

Meantime, the CMO expressed concern that cases of COVID-19 in Barbados are trending upwards.

He, therefore, urged residents to continue to protect themselves by wearing masks at all times in public spaces and when in close quarters with others; observe physical distancing; sanitize frequently, and get vaccinated and/or booster shots.

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Hong Kong says Omicron has spread despite COVID restrictions

By by Marius Zaharia

A staff member holds a QR code for the “LeaveHomeSafe” COVID-19 contact-tracing app to people lining up outside a community vaccination centre providing Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong, China December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Lam Yik

HONG KONG, Dec 31 (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s health officials said on Friday the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has made its way past some of the world’s toughest COVID 19 restrictions, with the city reporting its first cases outside its strict quarantine system.

The findings raise risks that the global financial hub might keep its borders shut well into 2022. It has largely isolated itself from the world hoping in turn to open the border with mainland China for a limited number of business travellers.

Hong Kong’s last COVID-19 case tracked outside its quarantine facilities and hotels was discovered in October. Previous infections with the Omicron variant were discovered during quarantines of people returning to Hong Kong.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan told reporters one of four air crew members who tested positive after their return to Hong Kong had breached home quarantine rules by going to a restaurant, where he passed the virus to his father and a client sitting at another table.

“Omicron is raging around the world … and it has now found its way into the community,” Chan said.

She added that China border reopening preparations continued, but “the priority was handling the pandemic.”

Health official Chuang Shuk-kwan told reporters a different airline worker, who tested positive but was previously thought to have stayed at home, had visited a bar in a crowded nightlife district shortly after their latest flight back.

The government this week tightened quarantine rules for air crew, who had been allowed to quarantine at home, unlike most people returning to the city who have to quarantine in hotels for up to 21 days at their own cost. read more

Pilots had expressed worries about their mental health amid prolonged periods of isolation even before the tightening. read more

Cathay Pacific Airways said on Thursday the latest tightening had forced it to cancel a significant number of passenger and cargo flights to and from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong which has been coronavirus-free for extended periods since the pandemic began.

But less than 70% of its eligible population, far lower than in other developed cities, have taken two shots of either China’s Sinovac (SVA.O) or Germany’s BioNTech vaccines (22UAy.DE).

Only about 5% of people have received a third booster shot.

Even three doses of Sinovac’s vaccine do not produce adequate levels of antibodies to fight the Omicron variant, researchers from Hong Kong found. read more

Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Kim Coghill

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South Africa says Omicron wave may have peaked

South Africa has lifted overnight curfew rules, with officials saying the country may have passed the peak of its fourth wave of Covid infections sparked by the Omicron variant. A statement released after a special cabinet meeting said cases and hospital admission rates had dropped in almost all provinces across the country. Omicron – first reported by the country last month – is spreading fast elsewhere, leading to widespread curbs.

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Fauci defends new CDC isolation guidelines

Anthony Fauci on Thursday defended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) decision to cut its recommended isolation time to five days for people infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic. Fauci said there was a need to cut the isolation period for asymptomatic people to keep society running as the nation is hit with the highly contagious omicron variant. “The reason is that now that we have such an overwhelming volume of cases coming in, many of which are without symptoms, there’s the danger that this is going to have a really negative impact on our ability to really get society to function properly,” Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said in an interview on NewsNation’s “Morning in America.” ================================================= WORLD STATS Coronavirus Cases: 286,909,243 Deaths: 5,446,797 Recovered: 253,256,354   # Country, Other Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths New Deaths Total Recovered New Recovered Active Cases Serious, Critical Tot Cases/ 1M pop Deaths/ 1M pop Total Tests Tests/ 1M pop Population World 286,909,243 +82,959 5,446,797 +836 253,256,354 +101,423 28,206,092 89,888 36,808 698.8 1 USA 55,252,823 845,745 41,467,660 12,939,418 17,821 165,476 2,533 811,323,078 2,429,817 333,903,023 2 India 34,838,804 481,080 34,266,363 +7,585 91,361 8,944 24,880 344 677,878,255 484,104 1,400,272,592 3 Brazil 22,277,239 619,024 21,567,845 90,370 8,318 103,703 2,882 63,776,166 296,886 214,817,033 4 UK 12,748,050 148,421 10,271,706 2,327,923 868 186,324 2,169 404,382,130 5,910,386 68,418,899 5 Russia 10,479,344 307,948 9,423,227 748,169 2,300 71,763 2,109 240,000,000 1,643,520 146,027,994 6 France 9,740,600 123,552 8,037,572 1,579,476 3,333 148,736 1,887 188,795,159 2,882,836 65,489,381 7 Turkey 9,441,764 82,198 9,039,344 320,222 1,128 110,179 959 118,321,127 1,380,729 85,694,693 8 Germany 7,142,982 112,512 6,382,900 +50,600 647,570 4,636 84,849 1,336 89,622,218 1,064,595 84,184,322 9 Spain 6,294,745 89,405 5,056,955 1,148,385 1,803 134,555 1,911 66,213,858 1,415,375 46,781,846 10 Iran 6,192,698 131,572 6,034,821 26,305 2,713 72,346 1,537 41,791,485 488,226 85,598,564 11 Italy 5,981,428 137,247 5,064,718 779,463 1,226 99,147 2,275 138,913,581 2,302,603 60,328,929 12 Argentina 5,606,745 117,146 5,294,529 195,070 1,004 122,377 2,557 27,954,322 610,152 45,815,350 13 Colombia 5,147,039 129,901 4,967,873 49,265 342 99,569 2,513 29,565,827 571,950 51,693,023 14 Indonesia 4,262,540 144,088 4,114,141 4,311 15,341 519 62,956,193 226,588 277,844,119 15 Poland 4,094,608 96,415 3,614,290 383,903 1,930 108,367 2,552 27,104,556 717,343 37,784,650 16 Mexico 3,969,686 +8,024 299,285 +153 3,306,071 +1,297 364,330 4,798 30,313 2,285 12,358,387 94,370 130,956,264 17 Ukraine 3,667,649 +7,029 95,899 +209 3,468,858 +8,609 102,892 177 84,623 2,213 16,786,785 387,319 43,340,956 18 South Africa 3,446,532 91,061 3,159,143 196,328 546 57,038 1,507 21,187,864 350,644 60,425,498 19 Netherlands 3,116,039 20,892 2,622,284 472,863 500 181,254 1,215 21,107,399 1,227,779 17,191,536 20 Philippines 2,843,979 +2,961 51,504 +132 2,778,242 +481 14,233 899 25,447 461 25,217,292 225,639 111,759,244 21 Malaysia 2,754,513 31,462 2,677,406 45,645 281 83,507 954 41,025,673 1,243,755 32,985,330 22 Czechia 2,469,951 36,061 2,304,176 129,714 637 230,005 3,358 46,866,575 4,364,279 10,738,675 23 Peru 2,292,254 202,653 N/A N/A N/A 905 68,105 6,021 21,725,629 645,487 33,657,752 24 Thailand 2,223,435 +3,111 21,698 +26 2,168,494 +3,241 33,243 588 31,735 310 17,270,775 246,508 70,061,744 25 Canada 2,142,310 30,280 1,878,245 233,785 455 56,028 792 52,560,743 1,374,621 38,236,538 26 Iraq 2,093,436 24,154 2,064,527 4,755 86 50,360 581 16,817,837 404,574 41,569,250 27 Belgium 2,089,657 +13,876 28,308 +41 1,721,202 +14,890 340,147 580 179,139 2,427 27,200,334 2,331,791 11,664,999 28 Romania 1,807,223 58,714 1,737,543 10,966 402 94,888 3,083 17,051,755 895,301 19,045,828 29 Chile 1,804,682 39,096 1,723,655 41,931 531 93,211 2,019 27,301,171 1,410,086 19,361,355 30 Japan 1,733,325 +490 18,393 1,712,019 +191 2,913 49 13,768 146 29,340,602 233,051 125,897,671 31 Vietnam 1,714,742 32,168 1,336,644 345,930 7,336 17,383 326 74,637,039 756,607 98,647,006 32 Bangladesh 1,585,027 28,070 1,548,811 8,146 1,349 9,483 168 11,472,815 68,642 167,140,428 33 Israel 1,380,053 8,243 1,349,030 22,780 92 147,979 884 37,741,674 4,046,931 9,326,000 34 Portugal 1,358,817 18,937 1,181,456 158,424 144 133,844 1,865 26,078,371 2,568,724 10,152,265 35 Sweden 1,314,784 15,271 1,192,194 107,319 106 128,984 1,498 14,931,240 1,464,800 10,193,362 36 Switzerland 1,307,201 12,284 1,004,795 290,122 314 149,408 1,404 14,211,787 1,624,355 8,749,189 37 Serbia 1,297,147 12,688 1,260,458 24,001 91 149,359 1,461 7,221,585 831,524 8,684,758 38 Pakistan 1,295,376 +515 28,927 +6 1,256,337 +406 10,112 633 5,699 127 23,372,405 102,829 227,294,120 39 Austria 1,274,995 13,701 1,232,226 29,068 345 140,369 1,508 123,226,848 13,566,477 9,083,187 40 Hungary 1,256,415 +3,360 39,186 +82 1,111,676 +5,145 105,553 334 130,554 4,072 9,152,694 951,059 9,623,683 41 Greece 1,170,293 20,708 1,010,603 138,982 636 113,105 2,001 46,704,479 4,513,844 10,346,942 42 Jordan 1,061,560 12,620 1,015,224 33,716 933 102,522 1,219 13,506,180 1,304,384 10,354,447 43 Kazakhstan 987,866 +480 13,012 +7 960,211 +576 14,643 528 51,688 681 11,575,012 605,636 19,112,164 44 Cuba 965,571 8,322 956,176 1,073 11 85,326 735 11,626,920 1,027,451 11,316,282 45 Morocco 961,058 14,844 939,533 6,681 103 25,585 395 10,824,966 288,174 37,564,010 46 Georgia 934,741 +2,100 13,800 +42 895,315 +2,251 25,626 234,994 3,469 12,911,370 3,245,921 3,977,721 47 Slovakia 838,738 16,598 777,568 44,572 483 153,514 3,038 5,085,694 930,833 5,463,595 48 Nepal 828,207 11,590 811,746 4,871 114 27,682 387 4,851,470 162,153 29,919,101 49 Denmark 769,766 3,256 586,018 180,492 75 132,201 559 106,452,714 18,282,410 5,822,685 50 Ireland 768,449 5,912 564,203 198,334 88 153,072 1,178 9,975,030 1,986,989 5,020,174 51 UAE 759,511 2,162 744,180 13,169 75,432 215 110,915,918 11,015,712 10,068,883 52 Bulgaria 744,298 30,890 611,829 101,579 467 108,336 4,496 7,419,396 1,079,932 6,870,243 53 Tunisia 724,680 25,556 695,993 3,131 70 60,373 2,129 3,342,848 278,493 12,003,351 54 Lebanon 723,640 9,102 659,448 55,090 186 106,735 1,343 4,795,578 707,338 6,779,751 55 Croatia 709,678 12,493 671,664 25,521 239 174,479 3,071 3,743,534 920,371 4,067,418 56 Belarus 697,600 5,561 690,505 1,534 73,862 589 11,022,249 1,167,033 9,444,677 57 S. Korea 630,838 +4,871 5,563 +108 513,978 +4,021 111,297 1,056 12,289 108 15,804,065 307,861 51,335,134 58 Guatemala 627,562 16,106 608,447 3,009 5 34,088 875 3,273,053 177,784 18,410,257 59 Azerbaijan 616,352 8,346 598,793 9,213 59,981 812 5,853,336 569,628 10,275,708 60 Bolivia 591,773 19,650 524,973 47,150 220 49,684 1,650 2,633,963 221,141 11,910,811 61 Sri Lanka 586,746 14,962 560,313 11,471 27,230 694 5,726,599 265,767 21,547,423 62 Costa Rica 570,556 7,353 560,709 2,494 45 110,496 1,424 2,965,435 574,295 5,163,612 63 Saudi Arabia 555,417 8,875 541,614 4,928 49 15,591 249 33,134,497 930,133 35,623,404 64 Ecuador 547,186 33,672 443,880 69,634 759 30,327 1,866 2,136,008 118,384 18,043,087 65 Myanmar 530,645 19,265 508,053 3,327 9,656 351 6,029,936 109,725 54,954,814 66 Lithuania 519,597 +1,831 7,387 +9 486,328 +1,720 25,882 103 194,935 2,771 6,604,912 2,477,934 2,665,492 67 Panama 493,707 7,427 475,216 11,064 18 111,795 1,682 4,488,534 1,016,383 4,416,182 68 Paraguay 467,122 16,625 447,965 2,532 44 64,312 2,289 2,032,200 279,787 7,263,394 69 Slovenia 462,152 5,583 439,653 16,916 187 222,256 2,685 2,072,037 996,476 2,079,365 70 Venezuela 444,411 5,324 433,621 5,466 681 15,695 188 3,359,014 118,628 28,315,498 71 Palestine 439,495 4,662 431,160 3,673 55 83,264 883 2,847,177 539,407 5,278,346 72 Dominican Republic 417,268 4,246 407,783 5,239 93 37,898 386 2,570,850 233,493 11,010,415 73 Kuwait 416,631 2,468 411,590 2,573 4 95,451 565 5,945,483 1,362,118 4,364,880 74 Ethiopia 415,443 6,926 354,495 54,022 260 3,485 58 4,098,858 34,383 119,211,573 75 Uruguay 411,658 6,169 398,552 6,937 26 117,895 1,767 4,393,751 1,258,334 3,491,722 76 Australia 395,570 +32,893 2,241 +15 250,027 143,302 128 15,248 86 54,955,292 2,118,407 25,941,805 77 Norway 391,214 1,305 88,952 300,957 115 71,330 238 9,323,318 1,699,916 5,484,576 78 Mongolia 389,361 +272 2,059 +1 313,256 74,046 192 115,981 613 4,030,048 1,200,451 3,357,112 79 Libya 388,183 5,696 375,747 6,740 139 55,369 812 2,025,457 288,904 7,010,830 80 Egypt 384,728 21,727 320,024 42,977 122 3,657 207 3,693,367 35,103 105,215,381 81 Honduras 379,542 10,434 124,171 244,937 83 37,431 1,029 1,139,978 112,426 10,139,810 82 Moldova 375,780 9,690 361,724 4,366 146 93,479 2,410 2,334,414 580,708 4,019,948 83 Armenia 344,930 +104 7,972 +4 331,559 +211 5,399 116,079 2,683 2,568,448 864,355 2,971,521 84 Oman 305,489 4,116 300,381 992 5 57,636 777 25,000,000 4,716,667 5,300,353 85 Kenya 292,237 5,376 251,223 35,638 41 5,262 97 3,020,888 54,393 55,538,661 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 290,471 13,428 192,218 84,825 89,367 4,131 1,479,046 455,048 3,250,310 87 Bahrain 281,406 1,394 277,216 2,796 1 157,235 779 8,005,638 4,473,128 1,789,718 88 Singapore 279,061 827 275,357 2,877 16 47,146 140 21,098,774 3,564,532 5,919,086 89 Latvia 275,517 4,561 259,623 11,333 81 148,525 2,459 5,600,259 3,018,978 1,855,018 90 Qatar 249,787 617 245,348 3,822 22 88,962 220 3,168,202 1,128,355 2,807,805 91 Zambia 249,193 3,730 216,666 28,797 344 13,012 195 2,943,337 153,685 19,151,740 92 Finland 248,958 1,554 46,000 201,404 56 44,828 280 8,621,296 1,552,384 5,553,585 93 Nigeria 241,513 3,030 214,003 24,480 11 1,130 14 3,823,309 17,886 213,761,189 94 Estonia 240,334 1,928 223,051 15,355 19 180,992 1,452 2,514,711 1,893,796 1,327,868 95 North Macedonia 224,507 7,953 211,548 5,006 107,768 3,818 1,591,522 763,963 2,083,246 96 Botswana 219,509 2,444 204,811 12,254 1 90,613 1,009 2,026,898 836,700 2,422,491 97 Algeria 218,037 6,271 149,854 61,912 27 4,842 139 230,861 5,126 45,033,065 98 Zimbabwe 211,728 4,997 178,332 28,399 12 13,942 329 1,836,542 120,936 15,186,010 99 Albania 209,516 3,215 200,465 5,836 23 72,923 1,119 1,473,154 512,740 2,873,100 100 Uzbekistan 198,903 +134 1,485 196,012 +172 1,406 23 5,817 43 1,377,915 40,298 34,193,528 101 Kyrgyzstan 184,633 2,800 179,778 2,055 131 27,619 419 1,907,195 285,299 6,684,899 102 Mozambique 184,219 1,996 153,731 28,492 13 5,658 61 1,087,526 33,399 32,561,283 103 Montenegro 168,328 2,407 158,645 7,276 60 267,959 3,832 972,372 1,547,907 628,185 104 Cyprus 161,779 636 124,370 36,773 60 132,552 521 9,477,138 7,765,021 1,220,491 105 Afghanistan 158,056 7,356 145,606 5,094 1,124 3,928 183 820,849 20,401 40,236,471 106 Namibia 146,720 3,616 130,402 12,702 27 56,223 1,386 864,924 331,440 2,609,595 107 Ghana 141,295 1,287 130,474 9,534 5 4,410 40 2,096,416 65,429 32,040,891 108 Uganda 139,079 3,291 98,379 37,409 69 2,904 69 2,136,079 44,600 47,894,426 109 El Salvador 121,741 3,823 107,088 10,830 91 18,629 585 1,505,621 230,389 6,535,112 110 Cambodia 120,493 +6 3,012 116,917 +10 564 7,061 177 2,764,919 162,028 17,064,501 111 Rwanda 110,558 1,349 45,522 63,687 2 8,231 100 3,989,715 297,049 13,431,171 112 Laos 110,054 360 7,339 102,355 14,806 48 913,451 122,888 7,433,212 113 Cameroon 109,367 1,851 106,050 1,466 13 3,972 67 1,751,774 63,628 27,531,577 114 Luxembourg 102,486 912 94,316 7,258 19 159,839 1,422 3,813,874 5,948,183 641,183 115 China 102,083 +193 4,636 94,733 +42 2,714 15 71 3 160,000,000 111,163 1,439,323,776 116 Maldives 95,540 262 93,042 2,236 23 172,220 472 1,873,374 3,376,933 554,756 117 Jamaica 93,591 2,470 65,508 25,613 3 31,401 829 703,604 236,071 2,980,482 118 Trinidad and Tobago 91,320 2,850 72,607 15,863 22 64,938 2,027 503,400 357,971 1,406,261 119 Angola 79,871 1,764 64,280 13,827 3 2,322 51 1,273,800 37,039 34,390,404 120 Réunion 76,602 409 69,431 6,762 34 84,656 452 1,347,378 1,489,047 904,859 121 Senegal 74,870 1,890 72,482 498 4 4,302 109 917,913 52,747 17,402,038 122 DRC 74,793 1,205 50,930 22,658 799 13 846,704 9,044 93,620,883 123 Malawi 74,201 2,355 60,043 11,803 67 3,735 119 485,197 24,422 19,867,277 124 Ivory Coast 68,146 712 61,609 5,825 2,491 26 1,225,710 44,811 27,352,685 125 Eswatini 65,832 1,299 58,445 6,088 11 55,879 1,103 429,118 364,243 1,178,108 126 Guadeloupe 56,035 750 2,250 53,035 23 140,008 1,874 607,573 1,518,075 400,226 127 Fiji 53,332 698 51,223 1,411 58,856 770 471,147 519,943 906,151 128 Suriname 52,269 +238 1,189 49,085 +1 1,995 2 87,923 2,000 170,021 285,997 594,485 129 Malta 51,070 476 40,045 10,549 6 115,204 1,074 1,211,456 2,732,813 443,300 130 Madagascar 50,279 1,027 44,708 4,544 22 1,749 36 320,884 11,160 28,752,857 131 Syria 50,243 2,893 32,394 14,956 2,771 160 146,269 8,066 18,134,877 132 Martinique 48,473 779 104 47,590 1 129,320 2,078 488,892 1,304,303 374,830 133 French Guiana 48,399 339 11,254 36,806 8 156,011 1,093 489,555 1,578,044 310,229 134 Sudan 46,518 3,331 38,714 4,473 1,025 73 562,941 12,406 45,376,743 135 French Polynesia 46,382 636 N/A N/A N/A 7 163,701 2,245 283,334 136 Mauritania 41,154 863 39,138 1,153 27 8,517 179 560,972 116,096 4,831,947 137 Gabon 41,073 288 37,097 3,688 15 17,826 125 1,484,651 644,355 2,304,087 138 Cabo Verde 40,738 351 38,232 2,155 23 72,102 621 389,139 688,733 565,007 139 Guyana 39,395 1,052 37,595 748 7 49,727 1,328 422,927 533,848 792,224 140 Papua New Guinea 36,158 590 35,468 100 7 3,930 64 249,149 27,081 9,199,996 141 Belize 32,488 598 30,582 1,308 4 79,549 1,464 382,010 935,375 408,403 142 Guinea 31,641 391 29,819 1,431 49 2,316 29 571,842 41,850 13,664,060 143 Togo 29,416 246 26,113 3,057 3,433 29 613,086 71,554 8,568,206 144 Tanzania 29,306 737 N/A N/A N/A 7 471 12 62,271,371 145 Lesotho 28,408 665 15,241 12,502 13,106 307 322,581 148,818 2,167,622 146 Barbados 28,310 260 27,058 992 98,332 903 467,711 1,624,555 287,901 147 Burundi 27,366 38 773 26,555 2,204 3 345,742 27,840 12,418,806 148 Iceland 27,059 37 20,654 6,368 6 78,534 107 1,364,712 3,960,830 344,552 149 Channel Islands 26,799 113 22,438 4,248 152,045 641 1,123,134 6,372,138 176,257 150 Haiti 25,985 766 23,289 1,930 2,238 66 132,422 11,406 11,610,139 151 Benin 24,935 161 24,705 69 5 1,979 13 604,310 47,973 12,596,819 152 Seychelles 24,788 134 24,033 621 249,736 1,350 99,257 153 Bahamas 24,269 716 21,789 1,764 2 60,846 1,795 182,597 457,801 398,857 154 Somalia 23,532 1,333 12,948 9,251 1,421 81 391,308 23,638 16,554,464 155 Mauritius 23,421 762 21,881 778 18,371 598 358,675 281,331 1,274,922 156 Andorra 23,122 140 20,563 2,419 31 298,541 1,808 249,838 3,225,797 77,450 157 Mayotte 22,269 185 2,964 19,120 78,791 655 176,919 625,963 282,635 158 Curaçao 20,710 189 17,795 2,726 3 125,442 1,145 391,243 2,369,791 165,096 159 Mali 20,670 658 18,584 1,428 979 31 534,411 25,303 21,120,590 160 Congo 20,089 367 12,421 7,301 3,512 64 301,494 52,702 5,720,702 161 Timor-Leste 19,833 122 19,705 6 14,627 90 226,255 166,864 1,355,927 162 Aruba 19,719 181 16,769 2,769 5 183,530 1,685 177,885 1,655,622 107,443 163 Burkina Faso 17,632 318 16,619 695 810 15 239,193 10,993 21,758,090 164 Nicaragua 17,487 212 4,225 13,050 2,594 31 6,742,274 165 Tajikistan 17,095 124 16,966 5 1,734 13 9,857,285 166 Taiwan 17,029 +41 850 15,881 +10 298 713 36 9,261,089 387,798 23,881,203 167 Brunei 15,470 98 15,272 100 1 34,863 221 687,114 1,548,471 443,737 168 South Sudan 15,242 135 12,934 2,173 1 1,338 12 297,596 26,128 11,389,744 169 New Zealand 14,118 +61 51 12,870 +90 1,197 26 2,822 10 5,561,698 1,111,873 5,002,100 170 Equatorial Guinea 13,710 175 13,410 125 1 9,316 119 263,190 178,835 1,471,688 171 Djibouti 13,632 189 13,354 89 13,504 187 257,996 255,579 1,009,455 172 Isle of Man 13,578 67 13,244 267 1 158,427 782 133,676 1,559,722 85,705 173 Saint Lucia 13,473 295 12,950 228 6 72,874 1,596 107,507 581,493 184,881 174 New Caledonia 12,792 +30 281 12,249 +22 262 4 44,172 970 42,756 147,639 289,598 175 Hong Kong 12,631 213 12,191 227 1,665 28 29,687,335 3,912,481 7,587,854 176 CAR 12,163 101 6,859 5,203 2 2,455 20 74,519 15,039 4,955,127 177 Gambia 10,136 342 9,688 106 4 4,026 136 131,044 52,045 2,517,913 178 Yemen 10,126 1,984 7,020 1,122 23 329 64 265,253 8,610 30,806,157 179 Cayman Islands 8,818 11 4,877 3,930 11 131,858 164 215,963 3,229,353 66,875 180 Gibraltar 8,533 100 7,717 716 1 253,385 2,969 447,487 13,288,009 33,676 181 Eritrea 7,982 75 7,731 176 2,205 21 23,693 6,546 3,619,720 182 San Marino 7,655 98 6,725 832 6 224,896 2,879 103,193 3,031,700 34,038 183 Niger 7,331 274 6,910 147 2 287 11 203,400 7,973 25,512,293 184 Sierra Leone 6,983 123 N/A N/A N/A 850 15 259,958 31,629 8,219,081 185 Dominica 6,814 47 6,466 301 94,308 650 124,840 1,727,818 72,253 186 Comoros 6,515 +231 157 +1 4,709 +158 1,649 7,261 175 897,244 187 Guinea-Bissau 6,476 149 6,302 25 3,179 73 110,892 54,428 2,037,395 188 Bermuda 6,420 110 5,788 522 103,659 1,776 699,028 11,286,660 61,934 189 Liberia 6,278 287 5,535 456 2 1,199 55 139,824 26,709 5,235,034 190 Grenada 6,181 +108 200 5,685 296 54,553 1,765 93,935 829,067 113,302 191 Liechtenstein 6,066 69 5,715 282 15 158,414 1,802 80,413 2,099,995 38,292 192 St. Vincent Grenadines 5,850 81 5,228 541 7 52,482 727 93,855 841,998 111,467 193 Faeroe Islands 5,764 14 5,025 725 5 117,298 285 641,000 13,044,363 49,140 194 Chad 5,701 181 4,874 646 333 11 180,347 10,529 17,128,702 195 Monaco 5,085 38 4,588 459 4 128,221 958 54,960 1,385,849 39,658 196 Sint Maarten 5,054 75 4,653 326 2 115,909 1,720 62,056 1,423,205 43,603 197 Antigua and Barbuda 4,283 119 4,063 101 1 43,202 1,200 18,559 187,200 99,140 198 Saint Martin 4,250 58 1,399 2,793 7 107,188 1,463 78,366 1,976,444 39,650 199 Sao Tome and Principe 3,877 57 3,678 142 17,213 253 29,036 128,915 225,234 200 British Virgin Islands 3,397 39 N/A N/A N/A 8 111,260 1,277 92,359 3,024,990 30,532 201 Caribbean Netherlands 3,368 23 3,205 140 126,678 865 30,126 1,133,110 26,587 202 Turks and Caicos 3,283 26 3,148 109 83,116 658 94,789 2,399,782 39,499 203 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2,918 28 2,784 106 1 54,277 521 58,205 1,082,662 53,761 204 Bhutan 2,660 3 2,649 8 3,392 4 1,286,842 1,640,754 784,299 205 Greenland 2,610 1 2,203 406 2 45,856 18 138,127 2,426,814 56,917 206 St. Barth 1,895 6 N/A N/A N/A 190,990 605 56,491 5,693,509 9,922 207 Anguilla 1,674 5 1,640 29 110,110 329 51,382 3,379,728 15,203 208 Diamond Princess 712 13 699 0 209 Wallis and Futuna 454 7 438 9 41,480 640 20,508 1,873,732 10,945 210 Saint Pierre Miquelon 100 95 5 17,385 14,120 2,454,798 5,752 211 Falkland Islands 83 N/A N/A N/A 22,859 8,316 2,290,278 3,631 212 Macao 79 77 2 119 5,075 7,660 662,554 213 Montserrat 46 1 44 1 9,206 200 3,230 646,388 4,997 214 Vatican City 27 27 0 33,582 804 215 Solomon Islands 24 20 4 34 4,500 6,320 712,012 216 Western Sahara 10 1 8 1 16 2 619,248 217 Palau 10 8 2 549 17,775 975,416 18,223 218 MS Zaandam 9 2 7 0 219 Vanuatu 7 1 6 0 22 3 23,000 72,360 317,853 220 Marshall Islands 4 4 0 67 59,787 221 Samoa 3 3 0 15 200,384 222 Saint Helena 2 2 0 328 6,104 223 Micronesia 1 1 0 9 116,824 224 Tonga 1 1 0 9 107,484 Total: 286,909,243 +82,959 5,446,797 +836 253,256,354 +101,423 28,206,092 89,888 36,807.8 698.8 Highlighted in green = all cases have recovered from the infection Highlighted in grey = all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases) [back to top ↑] Latest News December 31 (GMT) Updates 1,831 new cases and 9 new deaths in Lithuania [source] 2,961 new cases and 132 new deaths in the Philippines [source] 3,360 new cases and 82 new deaths in Hungary [source] 104 new cases and 4 new deaths in Armenia [source] 2,100 new cases and 42 new deaths in Georgia [source] 30 new cases in New Caledonia [source] 41 new cases in Taiwan [source] 7,029 new cases and 209 new deaths in Ukraine [source] 134 new cases in Uzbekistan [source] 6 new cases in Cambodia [source] [source] 231 new cases and 1 new death in Comoros [source] 13,876 new cases and 41 new deaths in Belgium [source] 480 new cases and 7 new deaths in Kazakhstan [source] 32,893 new cases and 15 new deaths in Australia [source] [source] [source] [source] [source] 515 new cases and 6 new deaths in Pakistan [source] 272 new cases and 1 new death in Mongolia [source] 490 new cases in Japan [source] 108 new cases in Grenada [source] 238 new cases in Suriname [source] 3,111 new cases and 26 new deaths in Thailand [source] 8,024 new cases and 153 new

 

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The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in St Kitts and Nevis and is being spread among the population, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Hazel Laws confirmed today.

Dr Laws revealed that on December 22, the federation sent off a small package to CARPHA, and they had just received results of genomic sequencing.

“Two of the three samples returned positive for the Omicron variant of concern. When we looked at the data for these two cases, we have objective evidence that the Omicron variant is in circulation in the federation…”

“We have two variants in circulation, the Omicron and Lambda.”

The Lambda variant has been in circulation for the past seven months.

Dr Laws noted that the federation is currently in the fourth wave of COVID-19. This wave started last Friday.

“If you have been monitoring the information provided by the Ministry of Health, you would recognise there is an uptick – a surge – in the number of newly diagnosed cases each day.”

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New York (CNN Business) The cruise liner Queen Mary 2, on route to New York from Southhampton, UK, will not make its planned return to the Big Apple after a Covid outbreak onboard.

The Queen Mary 2 dropped off 10 Covid-19 infected passengers in New York earlier this month. Instead of returning to call in New York as originally planned, the Queen Mary 2 will remain in Barbados until January 2 due to the “current international travel situation.

“As a precautionary measure Queen Mary 2 will take on additional manning in essential roles in Barbados prior to the sail back to the UK,” a statement from the parent company said.

The ship left Southhampton on December 13 and is scheduled to return on January 10.

The company said the additional staffing will take a few days due to current air travel delays and cancellations, and therefore will not have time to return to New York. The company did not answer when asked whether the additional staff is needed due to more Covid-19 infections, nor did they answer questions from CNN regarding how many total passengers ended up testing positive for Covid-19.

The CDC has started an investigation into the “Queen Mary 2,” according to agency’s website. It is one of 88 cruise ships that the CDC is currently investigating for having a number of Covid-19 cases that is either at or above the CDC’s threshold for investigation.

Flight arrangements will be made for guests that were set to disembark in New York on January 3rd, according to a statement from Cunard which operates the vessel.

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The Reuters Daily Briefing Thursday, December 30, 2021 by Linda Noakes

Today’s biggest stories

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell sits as the guilty verdict in her sex abuse trial is read in a courtroom sketch in New York City, December 29, 2021. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg WORLD NEWS British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is going to appeal her conviction for setting up teenage girls to have sexual encounters with financier Jeffrey Epstein, but experts said she will struggle to clear the high legal bar needed to overturn the verdict. A 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, which bears directly on Giuffre’s civil lawsuit accusing Britain’s Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, will be made public early next week. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak today, as Washington crafts a common response to Russia’s military build-up on the Ukraine border with European allies. Iran has used a satellite launch rocket to send three research devices into space, a defence ministry spokesman said, without clarifying if it reached orbit. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in the past few years due to technical issues. A Myanmar insurgent group said it has buried the remains of more than 30 people who were killed and had their bodies set ablaze, as the U.N. Security Council called for accountability and an immediate end to violence in the country. South Africans lined up to pay their respects to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose body lay in state at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town where the anti-apartheid hero preached against racial injustice. MARKETS World stocks snapped a seven-day winning streak as the spread of Omicron worldwide clouded bumper year-to-date gains, dented oil prices and boosted the dollar. Chinese shares got a nearly 1% lift from Beijing signalling lower interest rates in 2022, though they are set to end 2021 down 5.5%. Shares of China Evergrande Group tumbled after the embattled real estate developer did not pay offshore coupons due earlier this week. The decline wiped out gains from earlier this week, when the market cheered the initial progress made by the firm in resuming construction work. SenseTime Group shares surged as much as 23% from their IPO price, adding billions of dollars to the artificial intelligence start-up’s market value as it debuted in Hong Kong in the city’s final major float for the year. Bitcoin close to $70,000, ‘memecoins’ worth billions of dollars, a blockbuster Wall Street listing and a sweeping Chinese crackdown: 2021 was the wildest yet for cryptocurrencies, even by the sector’s volatile standards. We take a look at some of the major trends that dominated cryptocurrencies this year.

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Quote of the day “Journalism is not seditious … but seditious activities could not be condoned under the guise of news reporting” Carrie Lam Hong Kong leader Hong Kong police charge two former Stand News editors with sedition

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New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Raquel Batista on Wednesday announced that the City will provide US$1.5 million in funding to help newly-arrived Haitians immigrants in New York, access immigration legal assistance and social services.

“This investment is part of the City’s continued commitment in responding to Haiti’s compounding crises over the past few months,” Batista said.

“We are excited to work with CBOs [community-based organizations] staffed by Haitian New Yorkers, and located immediately within our City’s Haitian communities, who provide daily support and services to their fellow community members including those who have recently resettled in New York City.”

J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, said that while Haitian migrants continue to face an uncertain future, “it is imperative we continue to work with CBOs who have been leaders in helping this community”.

“I am looking forward to how this partnership will help expand the City’s reach to the Haitian community and connect them to critical resources for their resettlement process,” he said.

“As a proud Haitian immigrant, I understand the importance of prioritizing the needs of Haitian asylum seekers.”

Magalie Desroches Austin, senior advisor and director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC): “I am glad to see the administration supporting Haitian resettlement services through Haitian run CBOs and hope that more municipalities follow New York City’s lead.”

Batista said that the funds will be distributed to community-based partners that will provide linguistically- and culturally-responsive case management and immigration legal services to newly-arrived Haitian New Yorkers.

She said case managers will work with newly-arrived Haitians to determine eligibility for benefits and connect them to resources and services.

Batista said legal services will include assistance in accessing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and other humanitarian forms of relief, removal and deportation defense, and immigration legal services capacity-building among local CBOs and pro bono attorneys.

Efforts will also include an anti-fraud and information messaging campaign across community and ethnic media, Batista said.

In recent months, she said there has been a heavy increase in Haitian arrivals to the US due in part to natural disasters and political upheaval in Haiti.

“Many of these new arrivals have resettled in the state of New York, which has the second-largest population of foreign-born Haitians in the United States,” Batista said.

“This investment will provide the supports needed so that community-based partners can help address the critical and social service needs of newly-arrived Haitians and better understand additional challenges anticipated over the coming months.

Haitian American New York City Member Farah Louis told CMC that after travelling across several miles and months to seek refuge in the US, thousands of Haitian New Yorkers need critical resources and supportive services to recover from the emotional, mental and physical toll of this ordeal.

“The allocation of US$1.5 million towards trusted community-based organizations will be instrumental in bolstering the extraordinary work already underway to empower, equip and engage these families,” said the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the predominantly 45th Council District in Brooklyn.

“We are removing societal barriers to legal assistance and social services by working together to ensure that our newest neighbors have a fighting chance to remain in the US, where they can pursue new opportunities and no longer have to live in fear.

Louis thanked Mayor Bill de Blasio, MOIA Commissioner Raquel Batista, and Pastor A.R. Bernard for their support in expanding access to much-needed assistance.

New York State Assembly Member Bichotte Hermelyn, another daughter of Haitian immigrants, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party, said that by providing aid to displaced Haitians who have settled in New York, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is “demonstrating a commitment not only to racial justice but to human rights”.

“Immigrants built our nation; and, by ensuring they have the resources needed to resettle, we are investing in the future success of our city and state,” said Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. “I look forward to partnering with the organization selected by MOIA and thank the Mayor (Bill de Blasio) for his continued commitment to making our city more just and equitable in our recovery,” she sai

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The head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) sees an opportunity for the Caribbean to be a production centre for vaccines.

WTO director-general Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the region already has knowledge bases to do so as she reflected on the vaccine inequity that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian economist was speaking today during a discussion titled The Role Of Trade In Global Public Goods, which was held by the Central Bank at the Frank Collymore Hall.

The event also featured Caribbean Development Bank President Dr Gene Leon and was moderated by Dr Jan Yves Remy, director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Okonjo-Iweala, who served on the CARICOM Commission On The Economy, acknowledged that the WTO rules governing vaccine procurement “could be much better”.

“I would like to see us at the WTO agree to a set of rules so that in a futuer pandemic we don’t have to debate issues anymore but automatically some rules, some modalities, for being part of the solution will automatically kick in,” she said.

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Image source, INABIF

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New COVID-19 cases in US soar to highest levels on record

By KATHLEEN FOODY

A health care worker tests people for COVID-19 at a drive-up testing center at Tropical Park, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

CHICAGO (AP) — More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

New cases per day have more than doubled over the past two weeks, eclipsing the old mark of 250,000, set in mid-January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The fast-spreading mutant version of the virus has cast a pall over Christmas and New Year’s, forcing communities to scale back or call off their festivities just weeks after it seemed as if Americans were about to enjoy an almost normal holiday season. Thousands of flights have been canceled amid staffing shortages blamed on the virus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious-disease expert, said Wednesday that there is no need to cancel small home gatherings among vaccinated and boosted family and friends.

But “if your plans are to go to a 40- to 50-person New Year’s Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a happy new year, I would strongly recommend that this year we not do that,” he said.

The threat of omicron and the desire to spend the holidays with friends and loved ones have spurred many Americans to get tested for COVID-19.

Aravindh Shankar, 24, flew to San Jose, California, on Christmas from West Lafayette, Indiana, to be with family. Though he felt fine, he decided to get tested Wednesday just to play it safe, since he had been on an airplane.

He and his family spent almost an entire day searching for a testing appointment for him before he went to a site in a parking lot next to the San Jose airport.

“It was actually surprisingly hard,” Shankar said about trying to find a test. “Some people have it harder for sure.”

The picture is grim elsewhere around the world, especially in Europe, with World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying he is worried about omicron combining with the delta variant to produce a “tsunami” of cases. That, he said, will put “immense pressure on exhausted health workers and health systems on the brink of collapse.”

The number of Americans now in the hospital with COVID-19 is running at around 60,000, or about half the figure seen in January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

While hospitalizations sometimes lag behind cases, the hospital figures may reflect both the protection conferred by the vaccine and the possibility that omicron is not making people as sick as previous versions.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed over the past two weeks from an average of 1,200 per day to around 1,500.

Public health experts will be closely watching the numbers in the coming week for indications of the vaccines’ effectiveness in preventing serious illness, keeping people out of the hospital and relieving strain on exhausted health care workers, said Bob Bednarczyk, a professor of global health and epidemiology at Emory University.

CDC data already suggests that the unvaccinated are hospitalized at much higher rates than those who have gotten inoculated, even if the effectiveness of the shots decreases over time, he said.

“If we’re able to weather this surge with hopefully minimal disruptions to the overall health care system, that is a place where vaccines are really showing their worth,” Bednarczyk said.

It’s highly unlikely that hospitalization numbers will ever rise to their previous peak, said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School Public Health. Vaccines and treatments developed since last year have made it easier to curb the spread of the virus and minimize serious effects among people with breakthrough infections.

“Its going to take some time for people to get attuned to the fact that cases don’t matter the same way they did in the past,” Adalja said. “We have a lot of defense against it.”

But even with fewer people hospitalized compared with past surges, the virus can wreak havoc on hospitals and health care workers, he added.

“In a way, those hospitalizations are worse because they’re all preventable,” he said.

Several European countries, including France, Greece, Britain and Spain, also reported record case counts this week, prompting a ban on music at New Year’s celebrations in Greece and a renewed push to encourage vaccination by French authorities.

WHO reported that new COVID-19 cases worldwide increased 11% last week from the week before, with nearly 4.99 million recorded Dec. 20-26. But the U.N. health agency also noted a decline in cases in South Africa, where omicron was first detected just over a month ago.

___ Associated Press writer Terry Tang in San Jose, California, contributed to this report.

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Fauci: Omicron not as severe for vaccinated

© Julia Nikhinson

Early data show the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be less severe than the delta strain among people who are vaccinated, Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.

Citing international studies and some initial data from U.S. hospitals, Fauci said people who are vaccinated and boosted are also less likely to be hospitalized. And despite a surge in infections over the past month, hospitalizations have not increased nearly as quickly.

“We know now, incontrovertibly, that this is a highly, highly transmissible virus. We know that from the numbers we’re seeing,” Fauci told reporters during a White House briefing.

However, he said, “all indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta.”

The numbers: Omicron is now the dominant strain of coronavirus, but delta is still prominent. Cases were already rising steadily this fall because of the delta variant, but the emergence of omicron in the past month has led to a near vertical spike.

The U.S. on Tuesday broke a record for most single-day COVID-19 infections, with 441,278 cases. That surpassed the previous daily record by close to 150,000.

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported another 431,567 infections. The seven-day average of cases hit a record 277,241, an increase of more than 60 percent over the past week.

Positive signs? Fauci on Wednesday said there’s been a 126 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, but only an 11 percent increase in hospitalizations.

While hospitalizations and deaths are a lagging indicator, the “disparity between cases and hospitalizations strongly suggest there will be a lower hospitalization to case ratio,” Fauci said.

Fauci noted that omicron has some ability to evade immunity, particularly against infection. But for people who are vaccinated, they remain protected against severe illness.

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Florida Adds 39,000 New COVID Cases from Christmas Weekend

MIAMI (AP) — Florida reported 39,000 new COVID-19 cases on Monday from the Christmas weekend, as thousands of people waited in lines for tests following holiday gatherings and flights on crowded airplanes.

Florida reported 17,955 new cases from Sunday and another 21,040 cases from Christmas Day, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida has seen a sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases in the past week. Last Friday, it added more than 32,000 cases, a day after reporting 31,000 in one day as well.

Following the Christmas weekend, thousands of Floridians around the state lined up sometimes for hours Monday to get COVID-19 tests. At a testing site on the east side of Orlando, some people waited three hours for their turn.

“I feel terrible. I feel like I wanna be at home in bed, take a cold shower. It’s getting tough out here,” Irma Bernabe told Orlando television station WESH.

At Miami-Dade County libraries, workers handed out 90,000 free take-home COVID tests, according to the Miami Herald. The county also distributed more than 12,000 tests at its libraries on Christmas Eve.

The number of new COVID-19 cases even forced the cancellation of the latest performance of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” by the Miami City Ballet.

The dance company said it had to make “the difficult decision,” and only announced it publicly about an hour before the Sunday afternoon show at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.

“These are challenging times for all and we truly appreciate your support and understanding as we navigate the necessary changes,” said the statement posted on the company’s Instagram page.

The Miami City Ballet has not yet announced whether the final performances slated for Wednesday and Thursday in West Palm Beach will go on as planned.

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US Domestic travel mandate back in spotlight

© Istock

The debate over requiring COVID-19 vaccines for domestic travel is back in the spotlight this week, despite pushback from the business community and the potential for strong backlash if the Biden administration imposes such a mandate.

The White House said that a potential mandate is not off the table, and the uptick in COVID-19 cases brought on by the highly transmissible omicron variant has raised questions over whether a requirement is another way to keep Americans safe.

President Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said on Wednesday that the administration is discussing a mandate, but pointed to the safety of the mask requirement in place for all U.S. transportation networks.

“When you’re dealing with domestic flights, you want to keep people safe on domestic flights. And as I said, right now, we feel that the masking requirement and the degree of filtration on a plane is sufficient to keep people safe,” Fauci told reporters during a White House COVID-19 response team briefing. “If there’s a need to do more beyond this masking, mainly having a vaccine issue, we will seriously consider that as new information arises.”

Airline lobby: Airlines and other business groups oppose a vaccine and testing requirement for domestic air travel. Delta Air Lines on Wednesday reiterated their position that the health protections on airlines enable safe travel, pointing to the hospital grade filtration systems and masking onboard aircraft and inside airports.

The administration is already facing criticism for new guidelines that halved the isolation time for people who are asymptomatic or showing improved symptoms, which came after pressure from the airline industry.

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