(Reuters) – United Airlines Holdings Inc’s Chief Executive Scott Kirby said on Tuesday that the company had about 3,000 employees who have currently tested positive for COVID-19. In a note sent to employees, Kirby added that the company is reducing its near-term flight schedule.
U.S. reports 1.35 million COVID-19 cases in a day, shattering global record
Jan 11 (Reuters) – The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The previous record was 1.03 million cases on Jan. 3. A large number of cases are reported each Monday due to many states not reporting over the weekend. The seven-day average for new cases has tripled in two weeks to over 700,000 new infections a day. The record in new cases came the same day as the nation saw the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients also hit an all-time high, having doubled in three weeks, according to a Reuters tally. There were more than 136,604 people hospitalized with COVID-19, surpassing the record of 132,051 set in January last year.
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Germany assessing reliability of antibody tests for Omicron – minister
‘Pandemic is controlling our economic trajectory,’ says expert as job growth disappoints
“Well, today’s jobs report ends 2020 on a sour note. We saw payrolls slow well below expectations and in fact even more sluggish payroll growth than what we saw in November, which we were hoping to see, was a bit of a fluke. On top of that, even though we’ve actually seen a pretty significant slowdown in jobs growth in the last two months as the Delta and Omicron variants have took their toll. We have actually seen over six million jobs added over the course of 2021, which is a record high and I think really speaks to the fact that we’ve actually seen significant job growth over the year, despite the conversations and discussions we’ve been having about how difficult it is for employers to hire.”
Omicron surge pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high
WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States are poised to hit a new high as early as Friday, according to a Reuters tally, surpassing the record set in January of last year as the highly contagious Omicron variant fuels a surge in infections. Hospitalizations have increased steadily since late December as Omicron quickly overtook Delta as the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States, although experts say Omicron will likely prove less deadly than prior iterations. While potentially less severe, health officials have warned that the sheer number of infections caused by Omicron could strain hospital systems, some of which have already shown signs of distress, partly due to staffing shortages.
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FDA shortens interval for Moderna booster dose
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to shorten the time between the completion of a primary series of the vaccine and a booster dose to at least five months for individuals 18 years of age and older.
“The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and other variants that have emerged,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity. Today’s action also brings consistency in the timing for administration of a booster dose among the available mRNA vaccines. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated—it’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster.”
The most commonly reported side effects by individuals who received a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine after completion of a two-dose primary series were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills. The fact sheets for recipients and caregivers and for healthcare providers include information about the potential side effects, as well as the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis.
The amendment to the EUA was granted to ModernaTx Inc.
Omicron pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high
(Reuters) – COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States are poised to hit a new high as early as Friday, according to a Reuters tally, surpassing the record set in January of last year as the highly contagious Omicron variant fuels a surge in the number of cases. Hospitalizations have increased steadily since late December as Omicron quickly overtook Delta as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the United States, although experts say Omicron will likely prove less deadly than prior variants. While deemed less severe, health officials have nevertheless warned that the sheer number of infections caused by Omicron could strain hospital systems, some of which have already shown signs of distress, partly due to staffing shortages. “I don’t believe we’ve seen the peak yet here in the United States,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky told NBC News’ “Today” program on Friday, as schools and businesses also struggle with rising caseloads. Continue reading “Omicron pushes U.S. COVID hospitalizations toward record high”
Omicron spike in most vaccinated German state heralds nationwide surge
BERLIN, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The northern German maritime state of Bremen has the country’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rate by far, but it has become the hardest-hit by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, reporting the highest infection rate of any region in Germany. Experts say that the spike in Bremen could herald where Germany as a whole is heading in the coming days. The seven-day infection rate in Bremen stood at 800 cases per 100,000 residents on Thursday, the highest in Germany and more than double the national rate of 303, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. “I assume that Bremen is just a little further ahead than other federal states,” said Hajo Zeeb of the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen. He said he expected many of Germany’s federal states to report infection rates similar to Bremen in the coming days.
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NY reports highest single day covid deaths
- According to state data, 130 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 62 alone coming from New York City
- As of Thursday, over 11,000 people are hospitalized, the highest number since the spring 2020 peak when the state was utilizing field hospitals
- But daily deaths remain much lower than during that period, when up to 816 were dying across the state every day
- Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement that New Yorkers should continue to wear a mask, get vaccinated and wash your hands
- New York City, with a positivity rate of nearly 33 percent, now accounts for over half of the hospitalizations across the state
- Hospital officials in the Big Apple still say that things are nowhere near as bad as they were at the dawn of the pandemic
New York State and New York City saw some startling COVID-19 numbers Thursday, with the most deaths in one day since vaccinations begin, but both death and hospitalizations remain down from their 2020 peak. According to state data, 130 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 62 alone coming from New York City. That’s the most since mass vaccination started, but still well below the record 816 who died in one day during the first peak in April 2020.
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Global coronavirus infections surpass 300M
Global COVID-19 cases topped 300 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
The United States reported 58,449,898 cases and 833,957 deaths, both the highest counts around the world, accounting for more than 19 percent of the global cases and more than 15 percent of the global deaths.
The global caseload reached the grim milestone of 100 million on Jan. 26, 2021 and rose to 200 million on Aug. 4. Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, said Thursday that current COVID-19 vaccines do work against all variants that are circulating and are highly effective against preventing severe diseases and death. “I think that’s really important for the public to know … when it is your turn, get vaccinated because it’s really critical,” she said.