Featured Headlines

U.S. COVID-19 deaths reach 800,000 as Delta ravaged in 2021 – Reuters

The United States on Sunday reached 800,000 coronavirus-related deaths, according to a Reuters tally, as the nation braces for a potential surge in infections due to more time spent indoors with colder weather and the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.

Denmark and Norway Predict Drastic Spike in Omicron Cases – New York Times

Health authorities in Europe are warning of a sharp increase in Omicron cases, adding to an existing surge from the Delta variant.

15 sobering stats that tell the tale of the coronavirus in the U.S. – Washington Post

The United States has hit another ugly milestone in the fight against the coronavirus, with 1 in 100 people ages 65 years or older having died of it, the New York Times reports.

Testing indicates that the Omicron variant is surging in Washington State – New York Times

Researchers testing coronavirus samples in Washington State have recorded a rapid rise in cases with a mutation that is characteristic of the Omicron variant, mirroring trends that have emerged in countries like South Africa, Britain and Denmark.

Omicron now in the District, Maryland and Virginia, with first case present for weeks – Washington Post

The District, Maryland and Virginia have each detected cases of omicron — including one in Northern Virginia reported over the weekend — but the newest coronavirus variant has been present in the greater Washington region for at last three weeks, public health data show.

U.S. crosses 50 million COVID-19 cases as Delta dominates amid Omicron emergence – Reuters

The United States crossed 50 million coronavirus cases on Sunday, according to Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to threaten Americans and the newly discovered Omicron variant spreads.

Britain reports first death with Omicron coronavirus variant – Reuters

At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain.

Omicron is upending the holidays for international travelers – Washington Post

Like so many Americans last holiday season, Emma Webb planned a trip, but it didn’t happen. At the time, she was excited for her father, stepmother and brother in the United Kingdom to meet the baby boy she had shortly before the coronavirus pandemic. Due to a lockdown in Britain, she canceled.

When Two Nations Are Divided by a Common Pandemic – Bloomberg

Here in Britain, whenever something bad happens there is a natural tendency to divide the possible explanations into two buckets: cock-up or conspiracy. The phrase “cock-up” is not as lewd as you might think; I’ve found numerous putative derivations and it appears to come from a printing difficulty. But in practice, what it means is that the problem was caused by somebody making a stupid mistake. A conspiracy is self-explanatory, and much more sinister.

The Next Pandemic – Part nine in a Podcast series from Bloomberg Prognosis

Virus hunters around the globe are already bracing for the next contagion which they fear could prove even more destructive than Covid. These scientists and doctors, drawing from hard-learned lessons from the past, are determined to stop future pandemics even as the current one continues to rage.

Vaccine Headlines

Pfizer Stops 70% Omicron Hospitalizations in South Africa Study – Bloomberg

The two-shot Pfizer course may offer 70% protection against being hospitalized with the variant that is driving the country’s fourth wave of infections, Discovery Health Ltd., the country’s largest medical-insurance provider, said on Tuesday.

Why a Covid booster dose is crucial against the omicron variant – CNBC News

Last Tuesday, scientists in South Africa, where omicron was first detected, said their small preliminary study into the omicron variant had found that it significantly reduces the antibody protection generated by Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine. However, it found that people who had recovered from the virus and received a booster shot would likely have more protection from severe disease.

Omicron Variant Dents Vaccine Protection in Oxford Study – Bloomberg

The omicron variant dented the protection afforded by two doses of Pfizer Inc.’s and AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid vaccines as feared, researchers found, increasing the risk of infection.

Vaccines appear weak at blocking Omicron, better against severe disease – Reuters

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

Vaccinators in Peru’s Amazon are challenged by religion, rivers and a special tea – NPR

The port of Indiana is the largest town for miles on the Amazon River. People travel for days in long, narrow, wooden boats called peque peques down the Amazon and various tributaries to get to the markets in Indiana. Cargo barges and long botes rapidos that can carry dozen of passengers also stop at Indiana before heading down the river to Brazil. And yes, Indiana was named in 1948 after the U.S. state by a Peruvian who’d studied in Indianapolis

What does it mean if the booster knocks me out? What if it doesn’t? – NPR

“This is the first vaccine in history where anyone has ever complained about not having symptoms,” Dr. Paul Offit, an immunologist and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told NPR in April.

Clinical Considerations

Reinfections Seen in Early U.S. Cases of Omicron – MedPageToday

Omicron has dipped its toe into the U.S., but COVID-19 booster shots can prevent it from gaining a stronger foothold, White House officials said at a briefing on Friday.

Official Reporting for December 14, 2021