As of yesterday, 16 states have detected #Covid cases caused by the #Omicron variant. https://t.co/pbtOlOIDXl pic.twitter.com/TWsvDuFFic — Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 6, 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Monday / Tuesday, Dec. 6-7Post + Comments (40)
Given the data we're all waiting on with Omicron, I want to spend a minute talking about antibodies and the possible worst-case scenario of Omicron showing complete escape from neutralization by vaccine- or infection-derived antibodies. ??
— Edward Nirenberg (@ENirenberg) December 2, 2021
In the meantime: get vaccinated if you aren't, get boosted if you're eligible, wear a mask, keep to well-ventilated areas, humidify, and use testing widely. And don't forget about Delta.
— Edward Nirenberg (@ENirenberg) December 2, 2021
If you stopped using masks indoors after getting vaccinated, now is a good time to mask up again. If you've been wearing cloth masks, consider upgrading to more-protective N95/KN95 masks.
— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) December 6, 2021
The timing of Omicron’s arrival in Europe and America, at the start of the festive (and flu) season, could not be worse https://t.co/t7cK0dzm8d
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) December 6, 2021
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As omicron spreads in southern Africa and around the world, some scientists poring over data from South Africa and the United Kingdom suggest it could soon replace delta as the dominant coronavirus variant. https://t.co/enqS0Nxk7x
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) December 7, 2021
Omicron! What Omicron? https://t.co/kvBTrsWEaA pic.twitter.com/D5KDIIpfFQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2021
That broadly seems to be the tone in global markets on Tuesday as investors ramped up bets that the new Omicron variant may not prove to be as deadly as previously feared. World stocks are on track for their biggest daily rise in nearly two months, money markets are back to pricing the U.S. rate hike by June 2022 and the dollar has clawed back half of its losses against the perceived safe-haven Japanese yen since the variant first hit the headlines.
Even policymakers are optimistic. Australia’s central bank indicated the Omicron variant outbreak was unlikely to derail the current financial recovery while top U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told CNN, “it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity” so far…
China reports 94 new COVID-19 cases on Dec 6 vs 61 a day earlier https://t.co/5qsuHTMULz pic.twitter.com/j45D4bYraW
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2021
Thailand reports its 1st case of #OmicronVariant in a U.S. citizen visiting from Spain. The 35-year-old American had been living in Spain for a year was inoculated in June with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine https://t.co/nHdYDIGpaK
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 6, 2021
Russia on Tuesday confirmed 31,096 Covid-19 infections and 1,182 deaths https://t.co/qJ4SjJoxQh
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) December 7, 2021
The incoming German government plans to make #COVID19 vaccination compulsory for some jobs, such as people working in hospitals & nursing homeshttps://t.co/4CdLan1eEH
— MicrobesInfect (@MicrobesInfect) December 6, 2021
Omicron-cases are up with 43 % in Denmark from yesterday to today (https://t.co/PpS4ZgxeR9)
183 cases yesterday, 261 today
Remember: This is happening everywhere. There is nothing special about Denmark, except that the country is testing a lot & therefore are not in the dark pic.twitter.com/MqG6oHlFAf
— Michael Bang Petersen (@M_B_Petersen) December 6, 2021
Spain’s prime minister has urged people to “remain prudent” about COVID-19 over the holidays, as Christmas festivities are suspected of infecting dozens of staff at one hospital. https://t.co/fmf6MtzBRV
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 6, 2021
We don't think COVID Plan B is required – UK's Raab https://t.co/Fgo4YTNWUI pic.twitter.com/929PPxQyOD
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2021
As Nigeria tries to meet an ambitious goal of fully vaccinating 55 million of its 206 million people in the next two months, health care workers in some parts of the country risk their lives to reach the rural population. https://t.co/CVLgMRY5Gz
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) December 7, 2021
"The way we can protect ourselves against Omicron is to vaccinate and vaccinate."
As the Omicron variant fuels a surge of cases in South Africa, a virologist says more people are registering for jabshttps://t.co/nywlr08mGR
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) December 7, 2021
It will also be important in figuring out how much apparent rapid growth there was down to increased testing, which would tilt us in the direction of less severe infections, although far from enough to be relaxed about this. Like I said we need to watch this closely
— Bill Hanage (@BillHanage) December 6, 2021
The first day of the Omicron wave in South Africa was Nov 23. It is now dominant – 75% of cases. If it was more dangerous, we should have already started to see an increase in deaths. But we haven't. They're still falling. It's mostly producing mild symptoms. This is GOOD NEWS.
— Dr Nigel Kellow (@NigelKellow) December 5, 2021
This is from the President of #SouthAfrica ?? arguing, I believe correctly, that his country has done everything properly, alerted the world to #OmicronVariant , & been penalized for doing so.@POTUS #JoeBiden should lift travel restrictions on African nations NOW.@RonaldKlain https://t.co/uguI0KYM6U
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) December 6, 2021
Mexico's capital rolls out first COVID-19 booster shots https://t.co/EIu4MBtDdw pic.twitter.com/yuWjrh9JId
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2021
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People who are vaccinated are contagious for a shorter period of time after SARSCoV2 exposure compared w/ people who are unvaccinated, according to a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine by a team from Yale, Harvard, Duke, Columbia & elsewhere https://t.co/4NfxSysmQi pic.twitter.com/leze5bL6kC
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) December 7, 2021
A British study has found that switching up vaccines for the second dose can lead to a strong immune response, especially a shot of AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech followed by Moderna https://t.co/H5FQKV89B3 pic.twitter.com/BhvAofnyXa
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2021
From a thread:
Did you know at least 4 #Omicron samples were collected in USA before it was named & designated a Variant of Concern? MO, MN & NY 11/22 – 11/24 #OmicronVariant was already here before we banned travel⛔️✈️to/from 8 African countries. Thx?Authors & Submitters for rapid sharing! pic.twitter.com/uYNAWKr0Zn
— Jeremy Kamil (@macroliter) December 6, 2021
And now for some good news! Beautiful work by @Lab_Harrington showing tet+ Spike-specific T cells directly ex vivo in breastmilk- and they increase in number with boost!!? https://t.co/cYMf8TOJqT
— Dr. Marion Pepper (@PepperMarion) December 6, 2021
I was just thinking that we need to do this everywhere. Our local newspaper reports cases and deaths, but they should be reported by unvaccinated and vaccinated. https://t.co/3ed3PdHOWd
— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) December 6, 2021
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persuasion and mandates have gradually pushed up vaccinations among those initially hesistant, including Blacks and Hispanics
they haven't melted hard-core resistance among Republicans, who now make up 60% of unvaccinated Americans, according to @KFF https://t.co/vX2r7TcRXO
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) December 6, 2021
New York City will implement a sweeping vaccine mandate for all private employers that will take effect Dec. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, calling it the first mandate of its kind in the U.S.https://t.co/JtIEFLEFg7 pic.twitter.com/4ihCNclIov
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 6, 2021
A lot of how Covid has played out in policy discourse is understandable when you learn that only 4200 college educated white people under 65 died in 2020.
— Nathan Tankus (@NathanTankus) December 5, 2021
Of covid, and here's one way to think about it https://t.co/FUTnByoHtX
— Justin Feldman (@jfeldman_epi) December 5, 2021