The Omicron variant is now dominant in the US

New Zealand said Tuesday it is pushing back its phased border reopening by about a month over concerns of the Omicron variant.

“Waiting till the end of February will increase New Zealand’s overall protection and slow Omicron’s eventual spread,” Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins said in a statement Tuesday.
“There’s no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but it’s important to set these changes out clearly today so they can have time to consider those plans.”

Hipkins said New Zealand’s Cabinet has agreed to a suite of other precautionary measures to keep Omicron out of the community. They include reducing the interval between a second Covid-19 vaccine dose and a booster shot from six months to four months and increasing the required length of stay for returning travelers from seven days to 10 days in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).

“Currently, returnees do their final three days of isolation at home. Bringing those final three days back into MIQ reduces the risk of the virus entering the community,” Hipkins said.

Additional border protections include shortening the pre-departure test requirement from 72 hours to 48 hours before travel.

On Tuesday, New Zealand reported 28 new locally transmitted cases and five imported Covid-19 cases, according to its Ministry of Health. 

New South Wales reported a record 3,057 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday — the first time the Australian state has identified more than 3,000 infections in a single day.

Two deaths were also reported: a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s, NSW Health said in a statement Tuesday. There are 284 people in hospital with Covid-19.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he will hold an emergency National Cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases.

Morrison called for leaders to tailor their approaches while considering the spread of the Omicron variant, but to avoid reinstating travel restrictions ahead of the Christmas holiday.  

“We’re going to need to continue to calibrate how we manage this virus and how we live with this virus in the face of Omicron,” Morrison said to reporters in the state of Queensland. “But we’re not going back to lockdowns. We’re not going back to shutting down peoples’ lives. We’re going forward to live with this virus with common sense and responsibility.”

Queensland cases rising: Meanwhile, Queensland health authorities warned Tuesday they are seeing a doubling in cases every two days — a growing number of which are the Omicron variant — but said they will move forward with easing quarantine restrictions. 

Queensland identified 86 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday, bringing total infections reported by the state to 2,428.

A man in Texas, whose death was related to the Omicron coronavirus variant, was unvaccinated and had previously been infected with Covid-19, according to a release from Harris County Public Health.

“The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from Covid-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions,” the release said.

The case is the first known confirmed Omicron-related death in the United States. 

County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the death on Monday, saying the man was in his 50s. 

Colombia reported its first three Omicron cases on Monday, according to the National Institute of Health.

In a video posted on Twitter, Health Minister Fernando Ruiz said all three cases were detected in travelers who had arrived from the United States and Spain. Two of the cases were found in the city of Cartagena and one in the city of Santa Marta.  

Both cities are popular tourist destinations on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

Ruiz said there is “no community circulation yet” of the variant. 

A Harris County, Texas, man’s death is related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday.

This is the first known confirmed Omicron-related death in the United States. 

The judge said the man was in his 50s but did not disclose any further details, such as his vaccination status.

Omicron caused more than 73% of new coronavirus cases in the US last week, becoming the dominant strain over Delta, according to CDC data. Some research has shown that it may case milder forms of Covid-19 than other variants, but research is still ongoing. Experts say that vaccination and booster shots continue to be the best way to lower the risk of severe illness or death

“Of course, we’re going to have hospitalizations, tragically deaths, like what we’ve seen now, but the evidence shows that for those vaccinated, in with the booster, is much less likely that they’re going to end up in the hospital,” Hidalgo said.

A member of the White House staff who is a close contact of the President tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, the White House revealed in a statement. 

The individual, who the White House described as a “mid-level staffer,” tested positive on Monday morning after experiencing Covid symptoms on Sunday. 

“Three days earlier, on Friday, that staff member had spent approximately 30 minutes in proximity to the President on Air Force One, on the way from Orange, South Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” the statement from press secretary Jen Psaki said. “This staff member is fully vaccinated and boosted, and tested negative prior to boarding Air Force One, as is required for everyone traveling with the President. This staff member did not begin to experience symptoms until Sunday, and was tested on Monday.” 

The President received a negative PCR test on Monday and will take another one on Wednesday, the White House said. 

“As CDC guidance does not require fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an exposure, the President will continue with his daily schedule,” the statement reads. 

Earlier Monday, Psaki told reporters that breakthrough cases of Covid-19 are expected in response to a question about whether there had been recent outbreaks of the virus at agencies within the administration or the White House itself

“The President has a full schedule today and is not in need of quarantine,” Psaki said, answering specifically whether President Biden had been a close contact of any Covid-positive staffers. “We will provide information to all of you as outlined with our commitment from just a few months ago about being transparent about close contacts. I don’t have any updates for you at this point in time.”

She said that Covid protocols within the White House “go above and beyond CDC guidelines.”   

“We expect there to be breakthrough cases across the country, and certainly in the federal government,” Psaki continued, stressing that the important factor is that 99% of White House staff is vaccinated.

Pressed on if there had been outbreaks Psaki responded: “I point you to different agencies to give any additional information but I would just note that we do expect there to be breakthrough cases.”

Later, Psaki said the President was “regularly” tested, but did not know offhand when he was last tested. She added that anyone in close contact with Biden must be tested daily.

The Covid-19 Omicron variant has been identified in at least 48 US states, in addition to Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, according to public statements from hospital systems and state officials in their respective states.

Only Oklahoma and South Dakota have not yet reported cases of the variant.

The Omicron variant causes over 73% of new coronavirus cases in the US, according to estimates posted Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The week ending Dec. 18, Omicron accounted for 73.2% of cases, with Delta making up an additional 26.6%.

The week prior, ending Dec. 11, Omicron was estimated at 12.6% of circulating virus, versus Delta’s 87%. Previously, the CDC estimated Omicron accounted for about 3% that week.

The week ending Dec. 4, Omicron caused less than 1% of new cases.

It’s been just 20 days since the US detected its first case of Omicron.  

The Omicron variant causes over 73% of new coronavirus cases in the US, according to estimates posted Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The week ending Dec. 18, Omicron accounted for 73.2% of cases, with delta making up an additional 26.6%.

The week prior, ending Dec. 11, Omicron was estimated at 12.6% of circulating virus, versus Delta’s 87%. Previously, the CDC estimated Omicron accounted for about 3% that week.

The week ending Dec. 4, Omicron caused less than 1% of new cases.

Omicron is even more prevalent in certain parts of the country — making up over 95% of circulating virus in parts of the northwest and southeast.

A planned New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled over Covid-19 concerns, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted on Monday. 

“Due to the surge in Covid cases, we’ve taken the difficult decision to cancel our NYE event in Trafalgar Square,” said the tweet from Khan’s verified account. “The safety of all Londoners must come first. A spectacular NYE celebration showcasing our city will still be shown on midnight on BBC1 – I urge all Londoners to tune in.” 

A statement attached to the tweet said the planned celebration was expected to host 6,500 people in Trafalgar Square. 

“This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus,” Khan said. “I’m proud that we will still have an incredible broadcast spectacular to watch on our screens, which will showcase our great city to the rest of the world.”

Some context: London isn’t the first European city to cancel or amend New Year’s Eve celebrations over Covid-19 concerns. On Saturday, Paris canceled its traditional fireworks display over the Champs-Elysées Avenue to welcome the New Year due to the renewed Covid-19 surge. In Italy, Rome is among several cities which have decided to cancel New Year’s festivities over Covid-19 health concerns.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged residents to get their at home tests before a “holiday run” on the kits, as Covid-19 cases increase in the state, 

During a news conference on Monday, Beshear said, “at home tests, right now, are sold in convenience stores and pharmacies but there’s going to be a huge run on them before the holidays and you shouldn’t assume that you’re going to be able to get one before this holiday.” 

Beshear also insisted that residents get vaccinated.

Kentucky is still reeling from several tornado outbursts that left at least 76 dead, according to Beshear’s latest count. No hospitals are limiting elective procedures at the moment, Beshear said, except the hospital in Mayfield, which was devastated by a tornado and currently does not have running water. 

Beshear reported the state’s first case of the Omicron variant on Friday, and assumes that the variant is probably “in every county by now.”

More than 10,300 Kentuckians received their first vaccination this weekend and more than 32,700 had a booster shot, the governor said. 

54% of Kentuckians are vaccinated according to Johns Hopkins University. 

A free drive-thru Covid-19 testing site will open on Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio. 

“The site, which is located at the W.O. Walker Building will be staffed by the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Department of Health,” read a joint news release. Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals will support the community Covid-19 testing site.  

The site will open Tuesday and initially operate through Sunday of this week, but will be closed on Dec. 25, according to the release. 

“The testing is free, open to everyone and individuals do not need a doctor’s order to obtain a test. The site will offer PCR tests, and individuals will receive their results in approximately 2-3 days,” the release said. 

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health is offering free rapid at-home antigen testing kits at many sites across Ohio, according to the release, including local health departments, public libraries, and community health centers. 

Due to a surge in Covid-19 infections and an increased demand in healthcare services, particularly in emergency departments, Greater Cleveland’s hospital systems said it will limit coronavirus testing in emergency departments to patients who are going to be admitted to the hospital, according to the release. 

On Friday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he had mobilized the state’s National Guard to “help meet critical needs at hospitals and testing locations,” according to a news release from his office.

The governor mobilized 1,050 members of the Ohio National Guard to “help relieve the hospital staffing strain caused by the rising number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” according to the release. 

“Of the total mobilized guard members, approximately 150 are highly-trained medical professionals and will deploy to help meet critical needs at hospitals and testing locations,” the release said. “The remaining 900 guard members will help with patient transport, housekeeping, and food services.”

The Hawaii Department of Public Health has tracked at least 30 new Covid-19 cases to a local night club, according to a Sunday news release.  

The cases were tracked to concerts held at the Republik nightclub on Dec. 10 and 11, the department said. 1000 people attended the sold-out Dec. 10 concert and 900 people attended the Dec. 11 concert, according to Matty Hazelgrove, one of the club’s co-founders.  

Masks and negative tests taken within 48 hours were required for each concert, Hazelgrove said.  

“Our business has been closed since March 15, 2020. December 10th & 11th was our first weekend back in operation, and we followed all guidance given to us by the City and County of Honolulu to re-open safely,” Hazelgrove said. “Maybe it is time to re-evaluate the guidelines so people can gather together while minimizing the potential spread of the virus.”   

The positive cases were among concertgoers and staff, Hazelgrove added.  

There are currently 31 cases of the omicron variant in Hawaii, according to Brooks Baehr, Covid-19 & Pandemic Response Administrative Assistant for the department of health.  

New York’s Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said the state needs more partnership with the federal government on making sure necessary supplies, like test kits, are available.

“We do call upon the federal government to invoke the Defense Production Act to get manufacturers producing more over-the-counter tests,” Garcia said Monday

New York state will allocate $65 million to give to counties to help them with costs associated with fighting Covid-19, such as buying masks or paying staffers working at vaccination or testing sites, Governor Kathy Hochul said. 

Additionally, the state’s homeland security department will be giving six million masks to county emergency managers to distribute within their counties, Hochul said. 

10 million more at-home test kits are expected to arrive in New York state in the coming weeks, the governor said.

Garcia said that at least five million of those tests kits are expected to arrive before the new year and will be allocated as follows:

Seven new state testing sites are expected to open next week, in addition to the state’s existing 1,800 testing sites. Also, more healthcare teams, including 30 ambulance and EMS teams, will be added to assist hospitals with patients, Hochul added. 

Quebec will implement new restrictions, closing schools, bars and casinos as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations increase, Quebec’s Health Minister Christian Dubé said during a news conference on Monday.

“The situation is critical,” he said. “With the increase of cases and hospitalization, we must put in place new measures, starting at 5 p.m. today, we are closing bars, casinos, movies theaters, and performance venues. Teleworking is now mandatory.”

“Regarding schools, we are closing elementary and high schools,” he said. “The return to class in attendance will be on Monday, January 10.”

Gyms and spas would also be closed, “with the exception of personal care,” according to the health minister. 

Additionally, professional, and amateur sports performances “will have to be behind closed doors,” according to Dubé, and restaurant hours would be limited from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“I know the situation is tough, but now is the time again not to get discouraged and to be strong. I ask everyone to be part of the effort again. It can make all the difference,” Dubé said. 

Panama’s Health Ministry said the first Omicron coronavirus case has been detected inside the country. 

“We inform the population that through epidemiological, genomic, and traceability surveillance at the national level, the presence of the new variant of the coronavirus named by the World Health Organization, Omicron, was detected,” the ministry tweeted Monday.

“[The case] was detected in a 50-year-old citizen, whose immigration status is foreigner residing in the country, who arrived on December 8 with recent travel history to South Africa to work on a mining project,” the ministry added. 

The health ministry said the worker is isolated in the mine and had no contact with other people or other workers. The worker remained asymptomatic during the quarantine and isolation. They added that he will have another PCR test on Monday.

The spread of Covid-19, particularly the Omicron variant, might mean holiday gatherings need to be cancelled, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday.

“There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths,” Tedros said in a media briefing for Geneva-based journalists.

“All of us are sick of this pandemic. All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal. The fastest way to do that is for all of us – leaders and individuals – to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others.”

Tedros said this might mean cancelling in-person events, “but an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled.”

“It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later, than to celebrate now and grieve later. None of us want to be here again in 12 months’ time, talking about missed opportunities, continued inequity, or new variants.”

Some context: Stricter Covid-19 measures have come into effect across Europe, as several nations rush to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron has also been identified in at least 45 US states as of Sunday, according to state officials in their respective states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. And with the Delta variant still present, Covid-19 cases in some areas are rising. Health experts are urging people to get vaccinated or boosted to protect themselves and others before they face greater chances of infection.

You can read Tedros’ full statement here.

The first case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Costa Rica, the Institute for Nutrition and Health Research (INCIENSA) said on Sunday.

“It’s a minor male, Costa Rican, eight years old; his sample was taken in a private hospital and sent for genomic surveillance. The patient had a fever, body aches, and general ill feeling. He’s currently in stable condition and is in isolation in his house in the province of San José,” the statement reads.

Authorities said they are aware of a family trip the child had during the first week of December to the United States, adding that “we are working on the epidemiological investigation of the case and its contacts.”

According to the statement, Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alberto Quesada said this finding doesn’t imply changes in the current measures.

He called on the population to follow self-care protocols: ventilated spaces, correct use of face masks, hand washing, and completing the vaccination scheme against Covid-19.

President Biden will “announce additional steps” in the fight against Covid-19 during his planned remarks about the Omicron variant Tuesday, the White House said, but he won’t necessarily talk about additional restrictions in the face of rising cases.

“This is not a speech about shutting the country down,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki at a Monday afternoon press briefing. “This is a speech outlining and being direct and clear with the American people about the benefits of being vaccinated, the steps we’re going to take to increase access and to increase testing, and the risks posed to unvaccinated individuals.”

Psaki said Biden will “issue a stark warning and make clear unvaccinated individuals will continue to drive hospitalizations and deaths.”

“That is not trying to scare people – or maybe it is, trying to make clear to people in the country what the risks are here of not being vaccinated,” she continued. “What is clear is that we’re not in the same place that we were in.”

“To be clear,” Psaki added, “Covid-19 is not the same threat to fully vaccinated individuals that it was in March 2020.”

New Jersey’s Covid-19 case count is spiking, but hospitals remain within their capacity, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

“We are now seeing the daily case count hitting levels we haven’t seen since mid-January of this year,” Murphy said, a figure echoed by Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who said that Sunday’s 6,533 positive PCR tests marked the highest single day of positive tests since January 2021.

The statewide percent-positivity is 12.11%.

Still, the governor said, hospitalizations are not growing at the same rate.

“We continue to stay at hospitalization levels that are just a fraction of what they were at this time last year, even as the recent case counts are going up with such speed,” Murphy said.

“This is only possible because the vaccines are keeping even those folks who have breakthrough case of infection from developing a serious Covid-related illness,” he added.

The state reports 1,902 people currently hospitalized with the virus. Hospitalizations peaked early in the pandemic with 8,270 reported hospitalizations in April 2020. 

“We’re nowhere near where we were,” Murphy said.

According to state data, 73% of eligible New Jersey residents have received a full initial course of vaccination, and 40% of those who can be are boosted.

There has been an uptick of in-school Covid-19 transmission, Murphy said, with 47 outbreaks tied to in-school transmission in the week of Dec. 6 — the most recent available data — up from 15 outbreaks three weeks prior. 

Murphy said that despite the rise, “these cases do remain somewhat rare.”

To that end, Murphy was supportive when asked about a so-called test-and-stay program for students in New Jersey schools. He and Persichilli said they were preparing a pilot program for such a policy, in which students known to be close contacts of Covid-positive individuals can take frequent Covid-19 tests in lieu of quarantining.

The English Premier League released Covid-19 testing numbers for the past week, which show a sharp rise in new cases among players across the world’s richest top-flight division. 

From Dec. 13 to 19, the Premier League reported 90 new positive cases, more than twice the total of 42 positive tests the week before. Prior to that, the league saw just 100 positive tests in the four months between Aug. 2 and Dec. 5.

Earlier on Monday, the Premier League announced that fixtures over the festive period will go ahead as planned despite a number of clubs experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks among players and staff. The decision was made following a virtual meeting of all 20 clubs and the league. 

Each Premier League team is set to play three times between Dec. 26 and Jan. 3 in what is traditionally the busiest period of fixtures in the domestic league calendar.

Ten Premier League games have already been postponed this month due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

The Premier League announced last Monday that it was instituting its Covid-19 emergency measures, which require all clubs to follow protocols such as wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing and limiting treatment time. The league also increased lateral flow and PCR testing of players and staff.

New York City officials said Monday that they did not expect Omicron to move so quickly and drive up demand for testing, but are now working to increase Covid-19 testing capacity across the city.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city previously saw “a very decreased demand” for testing and began moving to a focus on mobile testing sites before Omicron.

“Obviously Omicron then changed the whole picture and we started to ramp everything up again. And we are quickly ramping up. So, we were responding to the experiences we were having, and we did not – and I’ve been very clear about this in what I said yesterday – we did not expect Omicron to move quite this quickly. And so we are moving quickly to adjust but we will,” de Blasio said.

Dr. Mitch Katz, president and CEO of the NYC Health + Hospitals public health system, added that they did not anticipate so much news about Omicron, nor supply chain issues that affected the supply of in-home tests.

“I’m sorry that demand was so enormous over the last few days – we did not anticipate so much news about Omicron, we did not anticipate that the supply chain would run out of the home tests. In my own pharmacies last week, there were shelves and shelves of home tests to take care of the demand. When I went by yesterday, there were none,” Katz said.

Katz noted that the city’s contact tracing team has doubled its testing capacity in the last three weeks. He also said that the city often closes test sites if there is little demand for testing in that area.

“We do constantly close testing sites and move them to places where the demand is. And that’s part of our model. So when someone says, ‘Well, we closed X site, that’s only because our own community advisory board said you’re going to reach more people if you move from here to there.’ So we constantly are moving them to try to reach New Yorkers in the greatest of need,” Katz said. “We’re gonna keep expanding to meet that need and I feel really confident that New Yorkers this week will have a different experience this week than they did this weekend.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday added eight destinations to its highest-risk category for travel, including Spain.

In its weekly update of Covid-19 travel advisories, the CDC also added the following places to its “Level 4: Covid-19 Very High” category: Bonaire, Chad, Finland, Gibraltar, Lebanon, Monaco and San Marino.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. 

The Defense Department this week plans to send two additional Navy active duty medical teams to states asking for assistance for overworked medical staff as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to significantly expand, a defense official tells CNN. 

One team will go to Indiana, the other to Wisconsin.                

There are currently military teams in five other states: two in Colorado, three in Michigan, two in Minnesota, one in Montana and two in New Mexico.

Each team has approximately 20 medical personnel including doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. One of the in Colorado is a monoclonal antibody infusion team according to the official. The two new teams will be manned by Navy personnel, with the entire medical team effort putting more than 200 active duty troops away from home during the holidays.

The National Guard also has a massive effort underway in helping administer vaccines. So far, more than 12,000 National Guard are supporting Covid-19 response efforts, with the majority working on vaccines according to a Guard official. 

Guard personnel are currently working in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square is currently still scheduled to go on as planned.

De Blasio reiterated earlier comments during his news conference on Monday, saying all guests must be fully vaccinated to attend.

However, de Blasio once again said Monday that city officials are reviewing plans for the event in light of the Omicron variant and noted that that if NYE plans need to be modified in any way, the announcement will come sometime this week before Christmas.

New York officials are focusing on maximizing Covid-19 testing capabilities, including in-home tests for the public as Covid-19 case upticks put a strain on available testing resources. 

Both the New York governor and New York City mayor said they expected case counts to go up for the next few weeks as the holiday season is in full swing. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city is testing “more people than ever” for Covid-19 and that city officials are working with federal officials and the private sector to get more testing supplies. 

“Not a surprise. We’re finding the supplies are becoming a challenge because all over the country, testing is going up suddenly and we’re seeing a supply problem that needs to be addressed. And we’re working on that. We’re working with the White House, working with the private sector, to get more supplies,” de Blasio said.

The mayor added that city officials are also working to get more in-home test kits to offer to people as an alternative testing option. 

“Wherever possible, we’re trying to – particularly at our city-run sites – if there’s a long line, offer people the alternative of giving them an in-home test that they can take home with them. Again, we need to get that supply up quickly to allow that to be an option for more and more people,” de Blasio said.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that the state continues to order tests, with one million kits just arriving, one million coming next week, and one million coming the week after that.

Hochul also announced an “expansive testing program” on Monday, where state residents will be able to order Covid-19 testing kits through a portal to test themselves at home.

“We’re setting that up as we speak,” said Hochul. “Focusing on areas where there is a lower compliance rate because what we want to do is make sure that people show symptoms, that they get tested, or if they get exposed, they get tested because this is how we can stop the spread from getting even more out of control.”

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency and reinstated the city-wide mask order that she had lifted on Nov. 22.

Bowser said the indoor mask mandate will go into effect at 6 a.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 21 through Jan. 31. It comes as DC has been experiencing its highest daily coronavirus case count since the start of the pandemic. 

The mayor said the purpose of the state of emergency declaration was “primarily to expand our administrative tools.” She said the District will implement a six-part action plan to limit the spread of the virus.

The DC government mandate will also be expanded so that employees will be required to get a booster shot on top of their vaccination. Employees will no longer have the option of partaking in frequent testing instead of getting vaccinated, Bowser added.

The District is expanding testing centers and will offer free Covid-19 rapid antigen testing kits to residents, Bowser said.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the date that the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated.

Nine National Hockey League (NHL) teams have now been forced to shut down due to the rise of positive Covid-19 cases.

On Monday, the NHL announced that two more teams are stopping operations through at least the holiday break – the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens – because of “concern for continued COVID spread,” the league said.

The Blue Jackets and Canadiens join the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings.

The Blue Jackets upcoming games will be postponed. They were scheduled to play the Buffalo Sabres on the road on Monday and at home on Thursday.

The Canadiens will also pause team activities. Montreal’s upcoming games this week had been previously postponed.

Thirty-seven games have been postponed since last Monday, 42 overall.

The NHL said a decision on when each team’s training facilities will re-open will be made by the league and the National Hockey League Players’ Association in the coming days. 

Boston’s city employees will no longer be able to opt out of a Covid-19 vaccine with regular testing, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Monday. The change goes into effect on Jan. 15.

The announcement was made at City Hall on Monday during a news conference that was nearly drowned out by a few dozen protestors in the building lobby. The protestors sang the national anthem and chanted “USA” through megaphones, holding signs protesting vaccination mandates.

Amid jeers, Wu said, “There is nothing more American than coming together to ensure that we are taking care of each other.”

According to the city of Boston, over 90% of city workers are already at least partially vaccinated. The city recently revised down the number of employees on unpaid leave due to non-compliance to 23 as of Dec. 13.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that he may take action to prevent the further spread of coronavirus and the Omicron variant if required. 

“We will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, and to protect public health and the NHS,” Johnson said following a UK cabinet meeting, adding that he “won’t hesitate to take that action.”

Johnson said the cabinet agreed the “situation is extremely difficult” given that the United Kingdom is experiencing “cases of Omicron surging across the country now” and “hospitalizations rising quite steeply in London.” 

The United Kingdom reported 91,743 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, the second-highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic, according to government data.

That is up from 82,886 cases on Sunday.

The UK also reported at least 44 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test on Monday, bringing the death toll to 147,261 since the pandemic began. 

More on the situation in the UK: The United Kingdom is in the grip of a surge in Omicron infections, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid telling the BBC on Sunday that he could not rule out restrictions before Christmas.

The Omicron variant now accounts for around 60% of Covid-19 cases in England, Javid also told Sky News Sunday.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Javid said that while a lot was still unknown about the severity of Omicron, the UK did know it was facing “a tsunami of infections in the coming days and weeks.”

CNN’s Sheena McKenzie contributed reporting to this post.

With the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants spreading across the nation as the new year approaches, health experts are urging Americans to get vaccinated or boosted to protect themselves and others before they face greater chances of infection.

Airport travel before Christmas is up by nearly double from a year ago, according to Transportation Security Administration data, with more than 2 million people screened each day from December 16-18. And the indoor gatherings among friends and family could ultimately infect more who are at higher risk for Covid-19 complications.

Omicron has been identified in at least 45 US states as of Sunday, according to state officials in their respective states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. And with Delta still present, cases in some areas are rising.

New York — which was among the hardest-hit states at the beginning of the pandemic — set a new record for single-day Covid-19 cases for a third consecutive day Sunday, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.

There’s generally about a three-week lag behind Covid-19 case trends and hospitalizations, according to a CNN Health analysis, but officials are hopeful the state will be in a more favorable position than last year.

“This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless,” Hochul said. “We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings. Don’t take a chance during the winter surge.”

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that the state has been preparing for a winter surge and hopes to combat Covid-19 spread with measures including state-issued at-home testing and flexing beds within hospitals. Bringing in health care workers from other states has been key as well, Sununu said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan predicted that the state will see “probably the worst surge we’ve seen in our hospitals throughout the entire crisis” over the next three to five weeks, telling “Fox News Sunday” that officials are “trying to do everything we can to get the last 9.2% of our population vaccinated.”

Lockdowns are not being considered, he said, and decried a return to remote learning in schools since protocols currently in place should be sufficient.

Read more about the variants and its impacts here.

As people start to travel for the holidays, doctors warn the surge in Covid-19 cases could continue thanks to the heightened transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Friday that the Omicron variant is so contagious it could potentially cause hundreds of thousands, and up to a million, cases a day. Even if it’s milder overall, the sheer volume of cases could lead to a rise in hospitalizations.

Experts say the Delta variant is driving the December surge in cases, but they are keeping a close eye on the new variant as they continue to learn more about it. Omicron currently accounts for nearly 3% of Covid-19 cases in the US vs. Delta’s nearly 97%, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Doctors and the Biden administration reiterate that the US has tools to prevent the worst. Data shows vaccines are effective in protecting against severe disease.

Here’s a look at where things stand:

US cases

Vaccines

Global cases

New York

Travel

It is now up to US public health authorities to consider whether Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine booster should be administered at a larger dose, Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of the company, said Monday.

Moderna announced Monday that a larger-sized booster dose of its vaccine, at 100 micrograms, increases antibody levels against Omicron more than the smaller 50-microgram dose that is currently administered as a booster. 

Moderna spokesperson Colleen Hussey confirmed to CNN in an emailed statement Monday that the company is “sharing the data with regulators as they begin to assess if any changes to the authorized boosters need to be made.”

Moderna’s current coronavirus vaccine booster is authorized for emergency use in the United States and administered as a half-dose at 50 micrograms, and authorized at the 100-microgram dose for people who are severely immunocompromised. 

“The decision of whether to deploy 100 micrograms or a higher dose is really one for public health agencies at this point. We are just providing the data, and obviously we’ll share it with everybody so that they can make that determination” Hoge said during a company conference call.

“You could imagine that those who are at high risk of exposure, for instance health care workers, or those that are at high risk of severe disease – even from Omicron even if it tends to hopefully be more mild than Delta — that it would make sense to provide a higher level of neutralizing protection,” Hoge said. “But again, that is a decision principally now for public health officials. The authorized dose that we have today is the 50 micrograms.”

The company says that preliminary data now suggests its half-dose booster increases antibody levels 37-fold against Omicron compared with the levels seen when a fully vaccinated person does not receive a booster — but a full 100-microgram dose increases antibody levels 83-fold. 

With at least 22,478 positive Covid-19 cases, New York state set a new record for single-day case count for a third consecutive day Sunday. In New York City, cases are rising “sharply” but hospitalizations are not, according to the city’s health commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.

“Right now, there are about a thousand people hospitalized with Covid-19 across New York City. That’s about a quarter of where we were at the peak of last winter’s wave and less than a tenth of where we were in the spring of 2020,” he told CNN.

The Omicron variant is “likely to be the greatest” threat for the unvaccinated, Chokshi added.

“The fact that New York City has built up our vaccination rate, we have over 70% of our entire population that’s fully vaccinated, it will help. It’s a sea wall against the Omicron wave. We have to continue building upon that with booster doses and getting as many people vaccinated as possible,” he said Monday.

Meanwhile, the city is seeing an “unprecedented demand” for testing in the last few days, Chokshi said, adding that while the city is ramping up testing, he hopes for more help from the federal government.

“This supply is particularly important because we want people to test if they’re feeling ill, because it helps them to isolate and that helps us to break the chains of transmission,” Chokshi said. 

Watch the interview:

Omicron will lead to a spike in cases in the upcoming weeks, but those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated will have a “stark difference” in experience, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told anchor Tony Dokoupil on “CBS Mornings” Monday.

“In the coming weeks, Tony, we are going to see a spike in cases. And that’s because Omicron is incredibly transmissible, and you know, we have to be prepared for that,” Murthy said. “But there will be a stark difference between the experience of those who are vaccinated and boosted versus those who are unvaccinated.”

For people who have maximum protection from vaccines and boosters, Murthy said that they either won’t get an infection, or if they do, it will most likely be mild.

“If you are unvaccinated, I’m worried about you. I’m worried that your risk of being hospitalized, or God forbid, losing your life to this virus, is quite significant,” Murthy said. “It still remains the case that getting vaccinated and boosted is the best way to protect yourself, even against Omicron.”

Biotechnology company Moderna continues to work on developing Covid-19 boosters that specifically target certain variants, including Delta and Omicron, Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of the company, said Monday.

For now, Moderna plans to focus its “immediate efforts” around Omicron on advancing the current vaccine that is already available, Hoge said.

Moderna’s current coronavirus vaccine booster is authorized for emergency use in the United States and administered as a half-dose at 50 micrograms.

Moderna announced Monday that preliminary data suggests its half-dose booster shot increased antibody levels 37-fold against Omicron compared with the levels seen when a fully vaccinated person does not receive a booster – but a larger-sized dose of the booster, at 100 micrograms, increases antibody levels 83-fold.

Earlier on Monday, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, national chair of the South African Medical Association, said Covid-19 case numbers in the country have started to decline. However, the United States and South Africa have key differences, which create “issues with extrapolation” on how the Omicron variant may behave in the two countries, according to Dr. Leana Wen.

“It looks like they were looking at a trajectory of three to four weeks of Omicron really being dominant and driving the number of infections, and now it’s trending down again. In the US, there are some issues with extrapolation,” Wen explained.

Omicron may take time to get to some parts of the US.

“We have a lot of different parts of the country, including some that are not well-vaccinated. Other parts where it might take a little bit of time for Omicron to get to. So I don’t think we could say that the US as a whole will be out of this in three to four weeks. It might be a case of rolling cases, where there are large numbers of infection in parts of the country that then cycle to others,” Wen said.

The population makeup is different.

“South Africa has a much younger population. The individuals also who were initially infected tended to be young people. So even if they were unvaccinated, the chance of them becoming severely ill is relatively low. Here in the US, we have not yet seen what happens when Omicron rips through nursing homes, as an example,” Wen added.

Covid-19 case numbers in South Africa have started to decline, said Dr. Angelique Coetzee, national chair of the South African Medical Association, on Monday.

“What we currently see is our cases, sort of, we’re over the curve – it’s sort of coming down. You know, in Gauteng, which was the epicenter, the numbers are much lower,” Coetzee told CNN.

While she did note that Covid-19 is still spreading in other areas of the country because of the holidays, “in total, if you look at our numbers, it’s going down.”

The positivity rate is still high at around 30%, she added.

The Omicron variant has not caused the death rate to spike and the cases are “much, much” less severe than Delta cases, and the Coetzee said.

Watch:

The UK government will hold a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 2 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) to provide an update on the latest Covid-19 situation, his office said Monday.

The meeting comes amid speculation that further restrictions or a lockdown is being considered over the Christmas period due to a surge in cases, and warnings from government scientists that hospitalizations could reach 3,000 per day in England.

“At this point, we’re still monitoring the data and keeping a very close eye on it,” the PM’s official spokesman said Monday, according to the PA Media news agency. “We’d update if any further decisions are taken.”

Rafael Nadal has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving back in Spain from Abu Dhabi, he announced on Monday.

Spain’s 20-time tennis Grand Slam champion made his comeback from injury in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week. 

It was Nadal’s first tournament appearance since the Citi Open in Washington in August.

In a Twitter thread, the 35-year-old said he had tested positive for the virus following a PCR test taken on arrival back in Spain, but did not confirm the specific variant of Covid-19 he had contracted.

Nadal added that he had tested negative at all times when he was in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi and had last tested negative on Friday.

“I am experiencing some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now confined at home and have informed those people who have been in contact with me of the result,” he wrote.

“As a result of the situation I have to have complete flexibility with my calendar and will be analysing my options depending on my progress. I will keep you informed of any decision about my future tournaments,” Nadal added.

With Covid-19 cases spiking around the world right before Christmas, many are trying to decide if they should still go ahead with their plans to gather and celebrate with family.

Dr. Leana Wen, CNN medical analyst and former Baltimore City health commissioner, recommends some safety precautions for those who want to keep their Christmas plans.

Quarantine for at least three days before your visit.

If a person is vaccinated, “ideally they leave three days in between, essentially they quarantine in that period, and get tested again” before visiting an older and/or immunocompromised person.

“We know that breakthrough infections are happening. It doesn’t mean the vaccines don’t work. It means there is so much virus around us, even vaccinated people are getting the spillover effect,” Wen said Monday.

Get tested.

“If somebody who is vaccinated visits unvaccinated family members, ideally everybody should get tested on the day of the visit,” she explained.

Observe the “two out of three” rule.

For people who are gathering indoors over the holidays, Dr. Wen recommends that you have two out of the three things — vaccination, testing or masking.

“The closer your test is to when you’re gathering with people the better,” she added.

Watch:

The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, due to take place in January, has been deferred due to “continued uncertainty” over the Omicron outbreak.

“Current pandemic conditions make it extremely difficult to deliver a global in-person meeting,” said WEF in a statement.

“Preparations have been guided by expert advice and have benefited from the close collaboration of the Swiss government at all levels. Despite the meeting’s stringent health protocols, the transmissibility of Omicron and its impact on travel and mobility have made deferral necessary.”

WEF plans to reschedule the event for summer 2022, with some digital events to be held in January.

It will be the second year in a row that an in-person event has not taken place. Davos was canceled in 2021 and moved online due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Israel’s daily Covid caseload has risen above 1,000 for the first time in two months as the country’s fifth wave of Covid-19 infections begins to take hold.

There were 1,004 new infections recorded on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry, and the country’s R number – the number of people infected by each Covid sufferer – jumped to 1.22, its highest level since August. 

Earlier in the day, the office of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said government ministers had approved adding the US, Canada and eight other countries to its “red” no-fly list. Israelis will be banned from flying to these countries from Wednesday unless they have special permission. 

Travelers returning from countries on the list will have to self-isolate for 7 days.

At first, they will have to stay in a designated “quarantine hotel,” before being allowed to return home as long as they return a negative PCR test result and agree to have their movements tracked. 

Israel has been steadily adding countries to its red list, including the UK and Italy. Many African countries are also on it. Most of Israel’s 175 confirmed cases, and 380 suspected ones, recently returned from overseas. 

On Sunday evening, Bennett held a televised news conference imploring Israelis to take the new wave seriously, and encouraging those employed in the private sector to work from home. Public sector workers are expected to follow suit next week. 

He also sought to reinvigorate Israel’s stalling vaccination campaign, especially among children, where takeup has been especially weak. 

“The time we bought is running out,” said Bennett, but “with God’s help we will safely overcome this wave.”

Biotechnology company Moderna announced Monday that preliminary data suggests its half-dose booster shot increased antibody levels against Omicron compared with the levels seen when a fully vaccinated person does not receive a booster – but a larger-sized dose of the booster increases antibody levels even more.

Currently, Moderna’s booster is administered as a 50-microgram dose, which the company said increased antibody levels 37-fold, but a 100-microgram booster dose increased antibody levels 83-fold compared with levels seen before a booster.

It remains unclear what these increases mean as far as how well the booster doses clinically work against Omicron.

“The dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant is concerning to all. However, these data showing that the currently authorized Moderna COVID-19 booster can boost neutralizing antibody levels 37-fold higher than pre-boost levels are reassuring,” Stéphane Bancel, Moderna chief executive officer, said in the company announcement.

“To respond to this highly transmissible variant, Moderna will continue to rapidly advance an Omicron-specific booster candidate into clinical testing in case it becomes necessary in the future. We will also continue to generate and share data across our booster strategies with public health authorities to help them make evidence-based decisions on the best vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2.”

SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

Separately, Moderna and other vaccine makers have said that they are working on variant-specific boosters as well. 

Stricter Covid-19 measures have come into effect across Europe, as several nations rush to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

Here’s a look at some of them:

Unvaccinated people face a 10 times greater risk of testing positive and 20 times greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people who have also received a booster, according to data published recently by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The CDC data – which assesses data through October – suggests the gap in risk between unvaccinated people and those with a booster is even larger than it is between unvaccinated people and those who are fully vaccinated with their initial series.

Unvaccinated people face a five times greater risk of testing positive for Covid-19 and 14 times greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people do, according to the CDC data.

A photo that appears to show UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson drinking wine with staff during the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown last year was published in the UK press Sunday.

The image, shared with The Guardian, purports to show an outdoor gathering that took place on May 15, 2020, during the country’s first nationwide lockdown.

Staff were gathered in the garden at Downing Street, which is also the Prime Minister’s residence, and Johnson can be seen with then-fiancée Carrie Symonds. On the table are bottles of wine and a cheeseboard. 

Four other members of staff are sat around a second table. Nine people are also gathered on the grass, with another two sat nearby.

Social distancing restrictions at the time meant that mixing between households was limited to two people, who could only meet outdoors and at a distance of at least two meters. In workplaces, the guidance said in-person meetings should only take place if “absolutely necessary.”

On Sunday, a Downing Street spokesperson said that work meetings often take place in the garden during the summer.

“On this occasion there were staff meetings following a No10 press conference,” said the spokesperson. “Downing Street is the Prime Minister’s home as well as his workplace. The Prime Minister’s wife lives in No10 and therefore also legitimately uses the garden.”

Following the emergence of the photograph, Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tweeted: “Enough is enough. Tell us the truth about what was going on in Downing Street from the very beginning immediately @BorisJohnson.”

The Prime Minister has faced a string of allegations of parties at 10 Downing Street while Covid-19 restrictions were in place.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray has been tasked with investigating the reports after Cabinet Secretary Simon Case was removed from the inquiry following revelations that he had known about a quiz held in his department.

The Danish Ministry of Health anticipates between 9,000 to 45,000 new daily Covid-19 infections by Christmas Day in light of the Omicron variant, according to a report published Saturday.

The Statens Serum Institut (SSI), part of Denmark’s Ministry of Health, also forecast up to 250 hospital admissions per day by Christmas in the report, which estimated infection rates and new hospital admissions through to January 1, 2022.   

While it acknowledges a high degree of uncertainty associated with the modeling, the Expert Group for Mathematical Modelling expects “both increasing infection rates and more admissions towards Christmas.” 

The report took into consideration the country’s accelerated plan for revaccinating all those over the age of 18, and acknowledged “uncertainties around the Omicron variant,” including severity. The projections also hinge “on the degree of declining immunity for the Omicron variant” and the behavior of the population.  

The expert group modeled eight different scenarios with different combinations of relevant parameters. All eight scenarios pointed to increasing infection rates and new admissions.  

“We estimate between 130-250 daily new admissions on December 24, if we assume that the Omicron variant gives the same hospitalization risk, and infects one and a half to twice as much as the Delta variant,” said Camilla Holten Møller, leader of the expert group.  

“There is still great uncertainty about the admission risk for the Omicron variant. And there are indications that the variant may be less severe,” added Holten Møller. 

“Therefore, we have also made calculations with it being half as serious as the Delta variant. If this is the case, the models show we can expect between 120-190 daily new admissions on 24 December.” 

Denmark recorded 8,212 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to SSI data.  

New restrictions came into effect on Sunday in an attempt to curb the spike in infections. Distancing measures and nightlife restrictions are also back in place, and passes are required on parts of the public transit system. 

New York State set a new record for single-day Covid-19 cases for a third consecutive day Sunday, according to data released by Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.

The state reported 22,478 positive Covid-19 cases, up from 21,908 on Saturday and 21,027 on Friday.

Despite surging numbers, Hochul told New Yorkers they are in a far more favorable position than when the virus initially struck last year.

“This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless,” she said Sunday.

“We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings. Don’t take a chance during the winter surge.”

While Covid-19 cases have slowly increased across New York State over the last three days, statewide Covid-19 hospitalizations have remained around the same, according to available data.

It’s a bit too early to tell whether hospitalizations will follow suit and increase as there is generally about a three-week lag behind Covid-19 case trends, according to CNN Health’s analysis of Covid-19 trends in New York.

However, the upward trend in Covid-19 cases could be a message that the US should brace for a winter surge of cases that could very well break records set last winter.

China has reported 37 locally transmitted cases on Sunday, of which 21 were in the historic city of Xi’an in China’s northwest Shaanxi province. 

Since December 9, when its first case was detected among staff at a quarantine hotel, a total of 49 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the city.

Authorities believe the cases are linked to an inbound flight from Pakistan on December 4, where at least six passengers were found to have the Delta variant. 

On Sunday, mass testing for its nearly 13 million residents was launched and schools were suspended from Monday, the municipal government announced. The city has designated one high-risk area in Chang’an University and 13 middle-risk areas.

In the southeastern Zhejiang province – where hundreds of cases have been reported in recent weeks – authorities reported only 10 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, a significant decline from the 77 cases reported Friday.

Authorities downgraded the city to low risk on Sunday.

Since December 6, Zhejiang province has reported at least 475 cases as of Sunday, according to the provincial government. 

On Sunday, two cases were also reported in southern Guangdong province and one case was reported in Beijing. 

Over the weekend, China’s National Health Commission advised people in any city with Covid-19 cases not to travel during the New Year and Chinese New Year holidays. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ended a week of self-isolation which followed his positive test for Covid, according to a statement from his office. 

“The President thanks all South Africans and leaders and friends internationally who conveyed their good wishes during this period.”
“In turn, the President wishes all persons infected with Covid-19 a safe and speedy recovery,” the statement read. 

The President has returned to duty and will chair the final Cabinet meeting for 2021 on Wednesday.

“President Ramaphosa repeats his call for everyone in the country to stay safe by being vaccinated, wearing face masks, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, maintaining a social distance and avoiding gatherings,” the statement adds.  

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in ordered the country’s national university hospitals to focus on treating critically ill Covid patients, amid a surge in cases and concerns over hospital bed shortages in the nation.

On Sunday, South Korea reported a record high of 1,025 critically ill patients. The number has slightly dropped to 997 on Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Last week, ICU bed occupancy in the greater Seoul area stood at 86.5% and the rest of the nation reached 72.6%, KDCA said in a statement.

On Monday, Moon also instructed public hospitals located in the greater Seoul area to shift specialization to infectious diseases where possible, and asked private hospitals to support their efforts by treating other patients, President Moon’s spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.

Moon also called for an expansion of modular hospital beds for treating Covid patients and more public medical workers, including doctors from the military, to be allocated to treating critically ill Covid patients.

“Securing Covid-19 hospital beds is entirely the responsibility of the government,” Moon said as he admitted that the efforts of nearly doubling the number of Covid-19 treatment beds and expanding at-home treatment options were insufficient to support recovery efforts.

Last week, the government reversed its phased plan to ease restrictions, instead reinstating stringent social distancing measures, including a 9 p.m. curfew nationwide for restaurants and cafes

The country reported 5,318 new daily cases of Covid-19 from Sunday, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 570,414, including 4,776 deaths, KDCA added.

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship that docked in Miami over the weekend had 48 people aboard who tested positive for Covid-19, the cruise line said.

“They were identified as a result of immediate contact tracing after a guest tested positive,” Royal Caribbean said in a written statement Sunday.

The company said that the Symphony of the Seas had more than 6,000 guests and crew members, meaning fewer than 1 percent of the people aboard tested positive.

“Each person quickly went into quarantine,” the Royal Caribbean statement said.

“Everyone who tested positive were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and we continuously monitored their health.”

Royal Caribbean said 95% of the people aboard Symphony were fully vaccinated, including 100% of the crew.

The ship’s upcoming voyages will not be affected, the company said.

CNN’s Lechelle Benken contributed to this report.

Israel is adding 10 more countries, including the US and Canada, to its “red” no-fly list, as it braces for a fifth wave of coronavirus infections.  

Subject to ministerial approval, the US, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey will be added to the “red” list at midnight on Tuesday.

The list already includes several African countries, the UK, Denmark, France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. 

“Time is running out,” warned Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in remarks at the beginning of Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

 On Saturday night, it was announced that Bennett was canceling Sunday evening’s annual reception with journalists, diplomats and others, “due to growing concerns over a potential new Covid wave in Israel”.  

Meanwhile, the country is ramping up its vaccination campaign for children, with Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz telling Kan Radio they would be “storming” the education system this week, increasing the number of vaccination centers in schools 10-fold, to 500.

He added there were some indications the booster shot’s efficacy has waned, and that a fourth vaccination dose might be required, especially for the elderly. 

In a bid to stem the spread of the rapidly-spreading omicron variant, Israel has banned most foreigners from entering the country.

Israelis are for the most part banned from visiting countries on its “red” list; travelers returning from these countries need to self-isolate for seven days, first in quarantine hotels, and then – on receipt of a negative PCR test – at home, providing they sign a contract agreeing to have their movements tracked.  

Despite these measures, Israel’s Covid numbers have been creeping higher, with an additional 875 cases recorded on Friday – the highest number in at least a month – before dropping to 372 on Saturday, due to lower weekend testing rates (in late summer, infections peaked at more than 10,000 a day).

Serious cases rose by one, to 81. Less than three months ago, at the height of the fourth wave, they exceeded 750.  

The number of people contracting the omicron variant also continues to grow.

According to the Health Ministry, 175 people have now been identified as contracting the omicron variant, up from 89 a few days ago. Of these, 122 were fully vaccinated. There was also a “high suspicion” of omicron in 380 additional cases.

The R number – the number of people infected by each Covid sufferer – remains just above 1, a threshold it crossed more than a month ago.  

“If what is happening in Europe happens here,” Dr. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science told Israel Channel 12, “we will see a doubling of infections every two or three days.”  

The UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has refused to rule out further Covid-19 restrictions being implemented before Christmas in England.  

“I just can’t make hard fast guarantees,” Raab told Sky News on Monday. 
“I think we will have a much better Christmas than last year because of the vaccination level,” he added.

It comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC on Sunday “there are no guarantees in this pandemic” when asked about a possible circuit-breaker lockdown and further pre-Christmas restrictions to mitigate the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

In his interview with Sky News, Raab also downplayed British media reports that 10 government Cabinet ministers are questioning the advice to impose further restrictions given by the government’s Scientific Group for Emergencies (SAGE) last week.

If further coronavirus measures are not introduced very soon Covid-19 hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day in England, SAGE warned. 

Raab said: “We always, all of us, question the advice and I don’t think that should be presented as some sort of tectonic opposition to the scientists.”

Asked if he was among those opposing, he replied: “No, no. I fully support the approach that the government has taken so far.”