Featured Headlines
Christmas travel will fuel Omicron spread in US, Dr Fauci warns – BBC News Video
Christmas travel plans will increase the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, even among the fully vaccinated, the top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said.
Dr. Fauci says world has been ‘shocked’ by omicron spread – PBS Newshour
Speaking at a National Press Club event, Fauci said omicron appeared “even more transmissible than the very troublesome delta variant” which had become the most common worldwide.
The new report (Report 49) from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team estimates that the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is 5.4 times greater than that of the Delta variant. This implies that the protection against reinfection by Omicron afforded by past infection may be as low as 19%.
With omicron now dominant, depleted U.S. hospitals struggle to prepare for the worst – NPR
America’s hospitals are in bad shape right now — overwhelmed and understaffed — just as the omicron variant of the coronavirus takes hold across the country and Americans begin traveling and socializing for the holidays.
How Long Does Omicron Take to Make You Sick? – The Atlantic
The new variant seems to be our quickest one yet. That makes it harder to catch with the tests we have.
Top government health officials on Sunday warned that the United States will probably see record numbers of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations as the omicron variant spreads rapidly and forces Americans to again grapple with the dangers of a pandemic that has upended life around the globe.
Understanding omicron’s many mutations – Washington Post
The virus’s spikes have far more changes than we’ve seen in any previous variant, and researchers are racing to figure out how they affect it — and us. The omicron variant of the coronavirus has about 50 genetic mutations, and a whopping 36 of them are in the all-important spike. That is the part that lets the virus attach to human cells and worm its way inside.
Omicron Suddenly Upends the World’s Return to the Office – Bloomberg
The emergence of the omicron variant, just as the coronavirus seemed to be receding into the rear-view mirror, has put much of the global return to the office on hold.
We Know Enough About Omicron to Know That We’re in Trouble – The Atlantic
A lot has changed for Omicron in just two weeks. At December’s onset, the variant was barely present in Europe, showing up in 1 to 2 percent of COVID cases. Now it’s accounting for 72 percent of new cases in London, where everybody seems to know somebody with COVID. In the U.K. and Denmark, Omicron case numbers are doubling every other day. The same exponential growth is happening—or will happen—in the United States too, just in time for the holidays.
48 test positive for Covid on world’s biggest cruise ship – CNN
Despite stringent measures supposed to keep ocean cruises Covid-free, operator Royal Caribbean says at least 48 people on board one of its ships that docked in Miami over the weekend have tested positive for the virus.
U.K. omicron cases explode – Washington Post
Scientists are pushing Boris Johnson to take tougher measures to slow the exploding number of new infections driven by the omicron variant, but the British prime minister on Monday said no rules would change for now, as the country prepared to ride out the holiday season.
Vaccine Headlines
Novavax’s Covid Vaccine Is Authorized in Europe – NYT
The vaccine will be the fifth to become available in the E.U., which already has ample supplies. The European Commission on Monday authorized a Covid-19 vaccine made by Novavax, making it the fifth vaccine available in the 27 nations of the European Union.
Pfizer Data on kids age 2-5 – Pfizer
Interim data on Pfizer’s vaccine for kids ages 2-5 did not produce an immune response comparable to those in ages 16-25. The manufacturer said a third dose of 3 μg will now be studied in this group.
How to Motivate People to Get a Vaccine – NYT
At this point in the pandemic, many Americans remain unvaccinated because they believe the coronavirus vaccine is unlikely to do them any good. They’re aware of the virus and the damage it can cause, but for any number of reasons, they simply don’t believe they should get a vaccine. We’ve spoken to patients like this in our practice, and we have observed in those conversations that providing more, frightening information intended to change their beliefs is ineffective for many or may even cause further entrenchment against vaccination.
Time of Day and COVID Antibody Response – Harvard Medical School News
Antibody levels differ by time of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration. Our internal 24-hour circadian clock regulates many aspects of physiology, including the response to infectious disease and vaccination. A new study published in the Journal of Biological Rhythms demonstrates that antibody levels are higher when people receive the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in the afternoon versus the morning.
Clinical Considerations
Clots Kept at Bay for COVID Patients on OAC After Discharge – MedPageToday
People at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) but low bleeding risk fared better taking prophylactic-dose rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for 35 days starting at hospital discharge than peers getting no post-discharge anticoagulation, according to the MICHELLE trialists led by vascular surgeon Eduardo Ramacciotti, MD, of Brazil’s Science Valley Research Institute in São Paulo
Studies detail risk of severe COVID-19, GI problems in kids – CIDRAP
Two studies today describe severe COVID-19 and the related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), the first detailing risk factors for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission and death during hospitalization, and the second showing serious gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.
Official Reporting for December 21, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update December 21st (latest release)
New Cases: 504,603
Confirmed Cases: 273,900,334
Deaths: 5,351,812
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 275,666,580
Deaths: 5,364,765
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 50,791,012 (+88,379 New Cases)
Total deaths: 803,593 (+138 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Are T cell COVID-19 vaccines the future? – MedNewsToday
Current vaccines target the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. This protein mutates frequently, which could make currently available vaccines less effective.Researchers in the United States recently investigated the effects of T cells that recognize a different protein in the virus — one that does not mutate as quickly as the spike protein. T cells are a type of white blood cell that can ‘remember’ antigens for decades. Vaccines developed using this new approach may provide more lasting protection.
COVID Tests Weren’t Designed for This – The Atlantic
Testing is so complicated because we’re asking it to do too much.
The Omicron Variant Is a Mystery. Here’s How Science Will Solve It – Wired
Scientists in South Africa identified a new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19—within days the World Health Organization gave it the spy-sci-fi name Omicron—and because of the abundant smorgasbord of mutations in its spike protein, the nanomechanical tentacle that attaches and cracks into cells, science alarms started going off.
Do Rapid Tests Pick Up Omicron? – MedPageToday
Omicron’s heavily mutated spike protein has increased its potential to evade our immunity, even our vaccinated immunity. But most rapid, at-home tests detect the virus’ nucleocapsid protein instead, according to long-time advocate of rapid testing Michael Mina, MD, PhD, formerly of Harvard and now chief science officer at a biotech software company.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Is Christmas canceled? Worried Americans reassess plans as omicron spreads – NBC News
Covid-19 cases are on the rise, and the omicron variant is spreading rapidly. Reinstated mask mandates, warnings from overburdened hospitals and long lines at testing sites are inspiring a sense of déjà vu from a Christmas past that few people care to relive.
Published Research
Growth, population distribution and immune escape of Omicron in England – Imperial College of London
Protection against Covid-19 by BNT162b2 Booster across Age Groups – NEJM
Diagnostics for COVID-19: moving from pandemic response to control – The Lancet
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
‘Enormous’: Secret Service reveals scope of Covid-19 fraud – CNN
CNN’s Erica Hill speaks to special agent Roy Dotson of the US Secret Service, who has been tapped to lead an investigation into the billions of dollars of Covid-19-related fraud.
Coping with COVID
Queen guitarist, Brian May, infected with COVID after vaccines, and a booster – CNN
Rock music icon Brian May has urged the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine, after telling fans on Instagram he’s been having a “truly horrible” time since testing positive for the virus last week.
