January 5 coronavirus pandemic and Omicron variant news

Colorado’s seven-day average positivity rate is above 25%, the highest since the start of the pandemic, according to health officials.

When introducing a slide showing the data during a news conference, state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said, “You can see our percent positivity data. This is the percentage of tests that are being reported to Public Health that come back positive. Specifically, this data looks at PCR based tests or molecular tests.”

Colorado is estimated to be on day 18 of the Covid-19 surge, according to Herlihy, and it will take several more weeks before a clear peak in hospitalizations is seen. 

“We have seen a rapid increase in the number of hospitalizations here in Colorado,” she said. “But, while we see case numbers that are unlike anything we’ve seen previously, we see percent positivity values that are higher than we have seen previously, we are not seeing that same trend, at least at this point, in our hospitalization numbers.” 

There are “lots of unknowns” about what hospitalizations may look like over the next couple of weeks, according to Herlihy. 

“There is a variety of reasons that are really leading to challenges in trying to predict what hospitalization numbers might look like,” she said. “It’s difficult to really predict precisely what could happen in the next couple of weeks.”

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has taken the floor to play for the first time in this NBA regular season this evening in Indianapolis, Indiana, against the Pacers.

Irving, who previously has said is unvaccinated against Covid-19, missed the team’s first 35 games this season. 

In September, the NBA warned the Nets as well as the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors that Covid-19 policies set by local governments prohibit any unvaccinated player from playing in home games in New York City and San Francisco. 

In October, Nets general manager Sean Marks had said Irving “will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant.”

On Dec. 17, the Nets reversed course, announcing they would be bringing back Irving in a part-time role “for games and practices in which he is eligible to participate,” at the time citing players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols when making that decision.

California’s mask mandate for indoor public places will remain in effect until at least mid-February, health officials announced Wednesday.

The mandate to wear face coverings at indoor locations was reinstated in California on Dec. 15 as the Omicron variant began to take hold in the state.

Health officials will be eyeing hospitalizations as a metric to drop the mandate, but don’t have a specific number as a goal and will rather look at the big picture of Covid’s current status as well as predictive models to make their decision.

Ghaly urged the public to ensure that masks are high-quality, well-fitted and have a good seal around the nose and mouth. Double masking is also an acceptable approach.

Though he encouraged the use of surgical grade masks, Ghaly said there is no plan to mandate the use of N95 or KN95 masks, even in schools. Health officials are instead focused on amplifying and educating people on best practices and suggest parents get their kids into better-fitting masks if necessary.

Every variant of Covid-19 “teaches us to continue to be humble in the face of a fast-moving, sneaky infection that mutates rapidly throughout different parts of the globe,” Ghaly said.

Revellers participate in the Carnival group "Bloco Tarado Ni Você" parade on March 2, 2019, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

More than 600 organizations behind Carnival in the city of Sao Paulo announced they were canceling events in the city due to a lack of guarantees around health conditions, according to a statement published by CNN’s affiliate CNN Brasil.

The organizers, called blocos de rua, accused local authorities on Wednesday of not inviting them to discuss how to maintain the traditional street parades in a safe way, and for that reason, they announced all events were canceled.

Several other cities in Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, have already announced total or partial cancellation of Carnival due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

On Wednesday: Brazil reported 27,267 new Covid-19 cases and 129 new deaths due to the virus, according to the country’s National Council of Health Secretaries.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 Wednesday in favor of expanding the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster recommendation to include people ages 12 to 17.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky must sign off on the recommendation for it to take effect.

The advisers made the recommendation after hearing research on rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in young people who have gotten Covid-19 vaccines and noting that many parents are concerned about long-term side effects of vaccines.

They also considered that vaccine uptake among 12- to 17-year-olds has slowed recently and weighed the record numbers of Covid-19 cases in children amid a surge of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

On Monday: The FDA expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine boosters to children ages 12 to 15.

The CDC signed off Tuesday on shortening the booster interval from six months to five months for people who got the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It has also been recommended that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5- to 11-year-olds receive an additional primary dose 28 days after their second shot; only the Pfizer/BioNTech shot is authorized for that age group.

Canada will provide 140 million rapid tests for residents this month, weeks after more than 80 million tests were delivered to provinces and territories in December, officials announced.

The tests will be distributed on a per capita basis in each territory and province, Canada’s Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said.

In addition to tests, Trudeau announced that there are enough vaccines for every Canadian to get their vaccine shot. 

“It’s about all of us doing our part to make sure that through this Omicron wave, we do not overwhelm our healthcare system,” Trudeau said. 

More than 40% of children ages 5-11 have received one dose, Duclos said, adding that there are enough vaccines for those who are eligible for both doses. 

And with booster shots rolling out across Canada, Duclos said there have been 7 million shots given to date. 

“January 2022 is not March 2020,” Duclos said. “We have made significant progress and we’re continuing to add resources and tools to help protect and support Canadians.” 

As of Jan. 4, there have been 284,893 Covid-19 cases in the past seven days. 

New York City’s hospital beds, both including Covid-19 and all non-Covid-19 patients, are currently around 80% full and that rate has been fairly stable over the past month, City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said Wednesday.

Chokshi said while he does expect hospitalizations to increase in the coming days, the city’s Covid-19 hospitalization rate remains less than half of what it was during its peak in spring 2020. Additionally, even as Covid-19-related hospitalizations are increasing, non-Covid-19 admissions are generally not increasing and are, in some cases, declining, making for a stable citywide hospital bed capacity rate, Chokshi said.

Chokshi also noted that while there has been a steep increase in Covid-19 cases, the city has seen a “leveling off” in recent days. It’s too early to know if the pattern is significant or simply due to holiday testing schedules, Chokshi said.

However, the city’s health commissioner noted that despite the availability of beds, New York City’s hospitals remain “under some degree of strain” due to staffing shortages, stating it was “vital to surge resources” into the city’s healthcare system.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams answered that call on Wednesday by announcing millions of dollars of new funding to the city’s hospitals and public health system. He also pledged to expand staffing in the city’s health department.

Organizers of the Grammy Awards, scheduled for later this month, have postponed the event, citing the current Covid-19 surge.

“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show,” CBS and the Recording Academy announced in a statement.

A teenage boy receives a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Barcelona, on December 22, 2021.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting today to discuss and vote on whether to recommend Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine boosters for people ages 12 to 15.

It’s not clear what time the vote will take place, but it’s scheduled to follow two presentations and a discussion that begins at 3 p.m. ET.

On Monday, ahead of today’s CDC meeting, the US Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine boosters to children ages 12 to 15.

Adolescents ages 12 to 15 became eligible to receive their initial series of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in mid-May, opening vaccinations up to about 17 million additional people.

Now, about half of the 12 to 15 population — about 8.7 million — is fully vaccinated, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 5 million of them have been fully vaccinated for more than five months and are now eligible to receive a booster shot.

England will scrap the need for double-vaccinated travelers to present a negative pre-departure Covid PCR test upon arrival starting at 4 a.m. local time on Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday.

“We will be scrapping the pre-departure test, which discourages many from traveling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense,” he told lawmakers in Parliament.

People will also no longer need to self-isolate on arrival until taking another PCR test, Johnson said.

Those arriving in England will only need to take a lateral flow test by the end of day two in the country. Anyone testing positive from a lateral flow test will need to take a PCR test to assist in identifying “any new variants at the border.”

Take-home COVID-19 testing kits are displayed on a Manhattan drugstore shelves on December 22, 2021 in New York City. 

When the federal government buys 500 million at-home Covid-19 tests to send to Americans later this month, it won’t cut in to the number of tests available on pharmacy shelves, the Biden administration said on Wednesday. 

Zients said that in September 2021, the US was producing fewer than 50 million rapid tests per month. Now, more than 200 million are being produced each month.

“But, with all the companies that have now been authorized,” he continued, “there’s the capacity for the US government to purchase the 500 million now and not disrupt or in any way cannibalize the tests that are on pharmacy shelves and on websites and used in other settings.” 

Overall, Zients said, the country is making “significant progress” in getting those tests. He reiterated that yesterday the public contracting process closed, as White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during her press briefing Tuesday, and added that the deliveries of tests should start “over the next week or so.”

Current studies examining a Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5 may produce data in the first half of 2022, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.

“Hopefully, towards the earlier part of the first half, we may have some information so that we can vaccinate children of that age,” Fauci said during a White House Covid-19 Response Team briefing.

Currently, no vaccine is authorized for children under 5 in the United States. Children ages 5-17 are authorized to receive a series of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.

A woman receives her Covid-19 vaccination at a pop-up clinic in the international arrivals area of Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on December 22, 2021. 

As the Biden administration recommends Americans to receive a Covid-19 booster shot, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently has no plans to change its definition of “fully vaccinated,” the White House said – a change that had previously been widely expected. 

“Someone is considered fully vaccinated if they receive their primary series of vaccines. … That has not changed and we do not have any plans to change that,” White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky reiterated that individuals are “considered fully vaccinated against Covid-19 if they’ve received their primary series,” and “that definition is not changing.”

Walensky urged those who have had a primary series of vaccination to “stay up to date with additional doses that they are eligible for” based on which vaccine they received and what age group they are in.

The CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated depends on someone’s age.

“For children 5 years though 17 years of age, a primary series consists of 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” the agency says.

And for adults over 18 years of age, a primary series consists of “a 2-dose series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine).”

Last month, as the Omicron variant began to spread, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that it is “going to be a matter of when, not if,” the definition would change to include a third dose. 

An Israeli health worker administers a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at the Maccabi Health Service in Jerusalem on August 20, 2021 when Israel launched its campaign to give booster shots to people aged over 40, in a bid to stem spiking infections driven by the Delta variant. 

Getting a booster shot decreases Covid-19 mortality by 90% compared to being fully vaccinated, according to data highlighted Wednesday by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

During a White House coronavirus briefing, Walensky shared data on booster dose efficacy from studies conducted in Israel while the Delta variant was dominant.

The data Walensky presented indicated that a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine:

“While these studies were done when Delta was the dominant variant in Israel, we expect to see a similar trend of increased protection over those who are boosted with Omicron,” Walensky said.

Less than 1% of students in the New York City public school system were out with cases of Covid-19 as of Tuesday evening after receiving positive results on tests that were mostly taken last week, according to data from the city’s Department of Education released Wednesday.

Eighty-five percent of the 8,743 positive student cases were identified before or during winter break, when the district encouraged testing, the department said. 

In-school PCR testing as part of the city’s new effort to double surveillance began when classes resumed on Monday, according to a DOE spokesman, and results are expected as early as today. The school system has also been handing out rapid tests to students since classes resumed, the spokesman said.

The total number of confirmed cases amounts to nearly 22% of all registered positive cases in the school system since classes began in September.

No schools or classrooms are currently closed in the public system, according to city data. 

The Biden administration is opening additional federally run free Covid-19 testing sites in six states across the country as the Omicron variant continues to surge in the US.

 “We have the tools we need to manage the surge in Omicron cases,” White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters during Wednesday’s briefing, citing vaccinations and boosters, funding from the Covid relief package to help schools implement prevention measures, and federal support for treatment and prevention.

The Biden administration, Zients said, “is deploying every available measure to help states communities and hospitals confront this Omicron challenge. Military doctors, nurses and EMTs are now in place assisting local hospital staff and states across the country, with additional teams ready to deploy as needed.”

Zients said that additional new testing sites would be “opening soon” in Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Delaware, Texas and Washington state.

A White House official told CNN Wednesday that 13,546 National Guard personnel are currently deployed to support Covid-19 efforts, including approximately 700 medical personnel.

The administration has shipped 2.4 million pieces of personal protective equipment in the last two weeks, Zients added.

He also touted Covid treatments, including President Biden’s announcement that the federal government is working with Pfizer to accelerate delivery of its antiviral pill. 

“The coming weeks are going to be challenging,” Zients said, echoing comments from Biden on Tuesday that cases will continue to rise.

Volunteers explain how to use a rapid at-home Covid-19 test in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on December 17, 2021. 

The US Food and Drug Administration cautioned against using self-collected throat swabs for Covid-19 tests, saying that people should use the tests as they are authorized. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that most self-tests require nasal specimen collection, although there are a few that require a saliva specimen. 

The CDC also says that people performing self-tests should follow instructions exactly, cautioning that if specimens aren’t collected as directed, test results may be inaccurate. 

In December, the FDA said that quick antigen home tests may be less sensitive to picking up the Omicron variant, but health officials said that they are still a useful tool.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger testifies during a Senate Rules and Administration Committee oversight hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in Washington.

The US Capitol Police department has been “hit hard” by Covid-19, US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said as he testified before the Senate ahead of the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 riot.

Over 70% of the staff is vaccinated, he added.

A sign is seen on the fence outside of Lowell elementary school on January 5 in Chicago, Illinois. Classes at all of Chicago public schools have been canceled today by the school district after the teacher's union voted to return to virtual learning, citing unsafe conditions in the schools as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

The Chicago Teachers Union tweeted Wednesday they are “being inundated with calls and emails this morning from educators who attempted to log into their platforms to connect with their students” but “are being locked out by Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot.”

The district canceled classes for more than 340,000 students Wednesday after the teachers union voted Tuesday night to refuse to show up for in-person work, citing concerns over Covid-19 safety.

While Chicago Public Schools did not specifically confirm that they had locked teachers out of their remote platforms, the district reiterated to CNN Wednesday morning that “the vote was a work stoppage.”

Additionally, the district said Tuesday night that CTU members that do not report to school Wednesday won’t be paid. The school district said they expect to update the plan for resuming learning to families and students by the end of Wednesday.

Earlier this morning, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said educators want to teach, and “we are prepared to do that remotely starting today.”

Sharkey said the city has “failed to deliver a whole number of basic demands that we need in the schools, has failed to provide adequate staffing, adequate cleaning in the schools, has failed to provide adequate testing, has failed to address our concerns as people going to the schools.”

CNN’s Carma Hassan contributed to this post.

Healthcare workers wearing personal protective equipment are seen inside a makeshift facility created inside a sports complex, amidst the spread of coronavirus cases, in New Delhi, India on January 5, 2022.

The cities of Mumbai and New Delhi have collectively recorded at least 25,831 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to officials.

On Tuesday evening, both cities had recorded a total of 16,341 new cases.

Delhi currently has a positivity rate of 11.88% with 10,665 new cases.

The positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested.

India recorded its first death due to the Omicron variant Wednesday. According to the health ministry, the individual had diabetes and other pre-existing conditions and was confirmed to have contracted the Omicron variant.

The Mumbai municipal corporation confirmed Wednesday that 15,166 new cases were recorded in the city in the past 24 hours. The city currently has more than 61,000 active cases.

India is expected to start administering booster shots on Jan. 10 to health care workers, frontline workers and people above the age of 60 years with pre-existing medical conditions.