Plans for a rockin’ New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square may be scaled back after all, FOX5 WNYW-TV reported Tuesday. The city initially planned to allow vaccinated revelers to gather for the city’s traditional spectacle. But Mayor Bill de Blasio said a final decision would be made later this week on whether the event will go on or if it will be modified due to a surge in COVID cases in the city. “Right now, it is on, fully vaccinated, outdoors of course,” de Blasio said Monday. And plans are moving ahead as workers set up the venue for the big ball drop and position the huge “2022" that will light up to ring in the New Year. If revelers are eventually allowed, it will be a far cry from last year when the ball dropped into nearly deserted streets due to the pandemic.

The recent death of an unvaccinated Houston-area man in his 50s is believed to be the first known, recorded omicron-linked fatality of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to The Washington Post and ABC News. Harris County Public Health said in a statement that the man, who had underlying health conditions, had previously been infected with COVID-19 but died Monday after contracting the omicron variant, the Post reported. In England, 14 people have died from the omicron variant. The World Health Organization has said the variant has been recorded in 89 countries and that the number of cases associated with it is doubling every one to three days in areas where the variant is spreading in the community.

Residents in New York City could get some extra cash just in time for the holidays and as COVID-19 cases surge nationwide. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new program on Tuesday that will give a $100 incentive to people who get a COVID-19 booster shot between now and the end of the year, AXIOS reported. It is unclear if this includes residents who previously received a booster shot. “This will be by far the biggest booster incentive program in the United States of America,” de Blasio said. “This is the moment, come out in real big numbers, get those booster shots and help make your family safer and help make this whole city safer.” Watch the video below to watch the mayor's announcement about the new incentive program.

The Queen of England traditionally travels to a country estate in Sandringham in Norfolk to spend Christmas, but with the contagious omicron variant spreading across the U.K., she has canceled her trip, the BBC reported. Instead, the 95-year-old queen will stay in Windsor where she will enjoy the holiday with the Royal Family. This is the second year in a row that the Christmas trip was canceled due to the pandemic. It is also the latest in a series of events that Queen Elizabeth has missed over virus concerns, including the COP26 climate summit and the Remembrance Sunday service, the BBC said. 

Jim Cramer, the host of CNBC’s show Mad Money, told viewers on Monday that he has contracted COVID-19. He added that he is triple vaccinated with Moderna shots and is experiencing mild symptoms, CNBC reported. Cramer is isolating at home and said that he knows precisely where he was infected. “I was at an event where you had to have PCR [tests],” Cramer explained. “I got it that night from someone who was tested that day. The problem is it works so fast. You can’t stop it.” Cramer also said that his wife has COVID-19 and is experiencing more symptoms than he is.

While more and more states continue to grapple with the widespread reach of the omicron variant, the heavy traffic at airports has maintained. According to the Transportation Security Administration, nearly 2.1 million travelers passed through airport security on Monday. According to spokesperson Lisa Faberstein, this marked the fifth consecutive day with checkpoint volume above 2 million. The TSA said in a separate tweet that traffic is expected to continue ramping up through the holiday season, with nearly 30 million travelers expected to be screened through Jan. 3.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Monday at a media briefing that amid the quickly spreading omicron variant, the difficult decision may have to be made to cancel or postpone holiday events. “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 told reporters. He added that there is now consistent evidence that the omicron variant is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant had, and it’s more likely that people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 could be infected or reinfected. 

“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 this is for all of us — leaders and individuals — to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others,” Tedros said. “In some cases, that will mean canceling or delaying events just as we had to cancel the reception we had planned to have with you today. But an event canceled is better than a life canceled. 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.” He stressed that if we are to end the pandemic is to end in the coming year, vaccine inequity must end and 70% of the population in every country should be vaccinated by the middle of next year.

New Zealand postponed its phased border re-opening on Tuesday until the end of February amid concerns over the spread of the omicron variant, Reuters reported. The country’s protocols had been scheduled to progressively loosen from January, beginning with non-quarantine travel opening for New Zealanders traveling from Australia as of Jan. 16. However, this step will now be pushed back until the end of February, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference in Wellington. “All of the evidence so far points to omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet,” Hipkins said. “There’s no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holidays plans, but it’s important to set these changes out clearly today so they can have time to consider those plans.”

A White House staffer who was in “close contact” with President Joe Biden on Air Force One has tested positive for COVID-19, administration officials said. NPR reported that the president subsequently twice tested negative for the virus -- one an antigen test; the other PCR -- and is expected to get tested again on Wednesday. The mid-level staffer, who was not identified, began experiencing symptoms on Sunday, NPR said. Current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not require fully vaccinated individuals to quarantine after exposure to someone testing positive, so the president is continuing with his daily schedule, press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. It was unclear if the staffer was infected with the highly contagious omicron variant, which accounted for roughly 73% of all new U.S. cases from Dec. 12-18, according to latest CDC data.

The omicron variant continues to sweep across the United States and is the main driver behind many states seeing a heightened infection rate this week. Three states – Texas, New York and California – recorded over 100,000 new cases, led by California’s 203,900, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The nation’s seven-day average of 139,763 daily infections is the country’s highest in months. Elsewhere around the world, cases have risen most significantly in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. For a broader look at totals from around the world, watch the video below.

Americans will soon be able to receive one of 500 million free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. The Biden Administration recently announced that the tests will be available for ordering online starting in January in an effort to slow down the spread of the omicron variant. The administration also announced the opening of federal COVID-19 testing sites in New York City this week. On top of that, about 1,000 military medical personnel will be dispersed around the country to help support overwhelmed hospital staffs.

The measures come in response to criticisms levied at President Biden for inadequate testing resources. According to Reuters, the free tests will be an addition to free tests provided by health insurers for Americans with coverage, a move that is also expected to begin in January.

The NHL will begin a leaguewide shutdown on Wednesday to coincide with its already scheduled holiday break as COVID-19 cases continue to surge around the league. Beginning Wednesday, the NHL will not play any games through Christmas Day, meaning at least five more games will be postponed, according to The Associated Press. The NHL’s holiday break was already scheduled for Friday through Sunday. The league has postponed 49 games this season and the majority of those have occurred over the past two weeks as the omicron variant has spread across North America.

Over 650,000 new cases of the omicron variant have been recorded in the U.S. in the past week, accounting for 73% of the country’s new infections, The Associated Press reported. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the variant spread has increased nearly six-fold in just one week. The increase represents a sharp swing to the omicron variant from the delta variant, which had previously made up 99.5% of the country’s cases. Johns Hopkins University Dr. Amesh Adalja told the AP that he wasn’t surprised by the omicron spike and that he expects the variant to spread even further over the holiday season.

“All of us have a date with omicron,” he said. “If you’re going to interact with society, if you’re going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.”

More lockdowns could be in store for Scotland as the contagious omicron variant spreads rapidly across the region and the globe. Scotland’s clinical director Jason Leitch spoke with the BBC, saying that it is “nowhere near” the peak of the new wave of infections. “The modelling suggests the peak of this wave is a little bit unpredictable, but probably into late January, early February, so that gives you some idea of where we’re headed,” Leitch told the BBC. He added that new lockdowns have not been completely ruled out, and doing so could slow the spread of the virus as health officials race to vaccinate more people. According to the BBC, around 6,700 new cases were tallied on Monday, just shy of the peak of the most recent wave in early autumn.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has been vaccinated, including a booster shot, but on Monday he announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported. Hogan, a cancer survivor, added that he feels fine despite the infection. “As the omicron variant becomes dominant, I want to urge you to get vaccinated or get your booster shot as soon as possible,” Hogan said. Hospitalizations in Maryland have doubled in the past month as infections rise across the state, with health officials anticipating that number to rise in the coming weeks amid the holidays and the quick-spreading omicron variant.

As coronavirus cases surge across Kansas, rural hospitals are struggling to transfer patients. Some patients have been left stranded in emergency rooms for a week while they wait for a bed, according to the Associated Press. When the delta variant was dominant in the state, supply of beds was also low, but the situation slightly improved into fall. With cases surging again, hospitals in the state are struggling once more. Jessee Thomas of Motient said transfers are higher than ever and it takes an average of eight and a half hours from the time a smaller hospital starts looking for beds in a larger hospital to when an ambulance or air transport arrives to transfer the patient.

Dozens of NFL players tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday as the league continues to deal with outbreaks on multiple teams. The 47 players who were added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list is a new daily record, according to ESPN’s NFL insider Field Yates. Among those added to the list include key players on the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs, such as kicker Harrison Butker and tight end Travis Kelce. Vaccinated players still have a chance at playing next weekend if they are able to test out of the COVID-19 protocols. Players who miss games due to COVID-19 will not only put more pressure on teams making a playoff push, but it will also have implications on fantasy football managers relying on these players to help them advance to the championship round.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated the city's indoor mask mandate amid a rise in omicron coronavirus numbers. Bowser also declared a state of emergency and announced booster requirements for D.C. government employees, according to Axios. "We have to respond to what’s happening in our city and what’s happening in our nation," Bowser said in a press conference. The mask mandate will go into effect on Tuesday and last through January. D.C. officials continue to stress the best form of protection from covid is getting vaccinated and boosters.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is experiencing a quick surge in omicron coronavirus infections. "It’s going to be a very challenging few weeks," said De Blasio. Average daily cases have more than doubled over the week ending Dec. 17, according to CNBC. A seven-day average of more than 7,200 cases are being reported in New York, up from 3,200 the week prior. “We’re going to see a really fast upsurge in cases, we’re going to see a lot of New Yorkers affected by omicron. So far, thank God based on everything we’ve seen, the cases are more mild than what we’ve experienced previously,” said De Blasio. 

Hospitals are stressed across the nation as a new wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant begins, so one organization took a unique approach to warn people about the severity of COVID-19. The nonprofit organization Health System Alliance of Arizona bought full-page ads in newspapers across the state to raise awareness about the mounting concern, the Phoenix-based website azfamily.com reported. “We are doing everything we can. But we need your help,” was at the top of the ad with the hopes that the ‘shock value’ of the campaign would help the message get across. Brittney Kaufmann is the CEO for Health System Alliance and said that this move is not something they normally do, especially given the cost. “Our hospitals, our healthcare workers, our nurses, our doctors, they’re also fatigued,” Kaufmann said. “COVID is still here, and it’s still real.” About two out of every three people in Arizona have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, azfamily.com reported.

North Dakota has become the latest state to confirm cases of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported. Four infections of the strain were confirmed, but there could be more cases that have yet to be identified. “The nature of two of these cases indicates that local or community transmission of the omicron variant is occurring within our state,” said Kirby Kruger, spokesperson for the state’s health department. Health officials also urged people to get tested before and after holiday gatherings and to wear masks and social distance to reduce the risk of infection. ABC News has reported that at least 46 states have now reported omicron cases.

During a four-day tour with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, former President Donald Trump said that he is vaccinated and has received a booster shot, CNBC reported. “Both the president and I are vaxxed, and, did you get the booster?” O’Reilly asked during a stop in Dallas on Sunday, to which Trump responded, “Yes.” It is unclear when Trump received his COVID-19 booster shot, but he said that he was vaccinated back in January before leaving the White House, CNBC said. 

The Broadway production of the wildly popular show Hamilton has been canceled until after Christmas due to increased coronavirus cases, The New York Times reported. According to the Times, about one-third of Broadway shows canceled performances this past weekend. Hamilton’s next possible performance is Dec. 27. Performances of the show have been halted since Dec. 15 due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases among the show’s company.

Starting in mid-January, anyone who wants to go to the gym, eat at a restaurant or go to another indoor business in Boston will need to show proof of vaccination, The Associated Press reported. Additionally, employees at these businesses will need to be vaccinated. Previously, employees did not need to get vaccinated as long as they were tested regularly. “Today’s steps to protect community members in certain indoor establishments and throughout our city workforce will help ensure that everyone in Boston will be safe.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. Around 90% of workers across the city have been vaccinated, the AP said.

Over 6,000 people set sail on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas earlier this month, but some passengers had to spend part of the trip in quarantine after being infected by COVID-19. Nearly 50 passengers tested positive for the virus during the voyage, including passengers and crew members, CBS News reported. According to Royal Caribbean, 98% of those who contracted the virus were fully vaccinated. Only six of the infected passengers had to disembark the voyage to return home, CBS News said. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home topped pandemic box office ticket sales, bringing in $260 million at North American theaters, as noted by Comscore, for the best domestic opening weekend since the coronavirus took hold, Axios reported. The latest Marvel film outpaced box office estimates to become the second-highest U.S. opening ever, behind 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $357.1 million. With the latest Spider-Man installment, Marvel has officially swept the top five theatrical debuts since the pandemic began in March 2020. In second place was Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90 million), followed by Disney’s Black Widow ($80.4 million), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75.4 million), and Eternals ($71 million). 

Over 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but should these people continue to wear masks? According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, it depends. “Vaccinated or unvaccinated, under certain circumstances, masks work at diminishing the likelihood that you are going to get infected or that if you are infected and without symptoms that you’re going to spread it to someone else,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert told ACB’s This Week. “You can do both and should do both,” Fauci added.

But with colder, wintry weather returning, some people are once again becoming frustrated by foggy glasses when stepping outside. “Since condensation is a function of temperature, the colder the glasses, the more the condensation,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck said. One way to avoid foggy glasses is to wash glasses with soap and water or to wear a tighter mask so that air does not escape out the top. Click here to read more tips about avoiding foggy glasses when wearing a mask.

Two U.S. Senators who have both been fully vaccinated announced that tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey both confirmed they had contracted the virus despite receiving two vaccine doses plus a booster, The Associated Press reported. Both Warren and Booker are said to be dealing with mild symptoms.

“I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster — I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse,” Booker said in a statement, according to the AP.

“I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case,” Warren said on Twitter. “Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.” Warren urged those who haven’t gotten the vaccine and booster shot to get one “as soon as possible,” to help save lives.

Government officials in Israel on Monday announced that travel to the United States, Canada and eight other countries has been banned due to the rise in cases linked to the omicron variant. The decision to ban travel is pending final approval from a parliamentary committee, but when approved, the ban is expected to go into effect midnight Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is urging parents to get their children vaccinated. He told the nation in a prime-time address on Sunday that a fifth wave of infections was underway in the country. 

The omicron variant has spread to at least 46 states, according to ABC News, and cases nationwide remained on the rise over the weekend. Since October, cases are up 96% across the country. Though cases are rising in several European countries, no country is seeing more new cases than the U.S., which is averaging 130,000 new infections per day over the last week. The U.S. is on the verge of reaching 204 million Americans who are fully vaccinated, which translates to 62% of the population. For a closer look at the data surrounding the spread of the virus, watch the video below. 

According to data reviewed by Moderna, the drug maker's booster shot -- a third dose following the initial two-shot course -- shows promising efficacy against the fast-spreading omicron variant, Reuters reported. The data, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, analyzed blood samples of patients who had been dosed to innoculate against a "pseudovirus" meant to mimic the behavior of the omicron variant. Moderna tested booster doses in two sizes, with the smaller size increasing antibody levels 37-fold. The larger dosage increased antibodies 83-fold, according to The Associated Press. The regular two-shot course provided minimal protection against omicron, the company said. For more, watch the video below.

The NHL announced it would postpone all games played cross-border through Dec. 23 amid rising COVID-19 cases in the league. As of Sunday, 27 games in the NHL have been postponed through Dec. 23. Twelve games are affected by the recent announcement. The league decided play should continue for other games. "Medical experts have determined that, with virtually all players and club hockey staff fully vaccinated, the need to temporarily shut down individual teams should continue to be made on a case-by-case basis," according to a joint statement by the NHL and NHLPA.

The Radio City Rockettes have announced they will be ending the 2021 season early due to challenges from the coronavirus. On Friday, the Rockettes cancelled their shows for the day and released a statement announcing the end of the season. "We had hoped we could make it through the season and are honored to have hosted hundreds of thousands of fans at more than 100 shows," the statement read. The Rockettes said they will welcome fans back to Radio City Music Hall in 2022.

Throughout the U.S., COVID-19 cases are rising again which means the return-to-office dates are “now history,” Nick Bloom, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor who researches remote work, told CNBC Make it. New research indicates the new omicron variant is highly contagious which could lead to a likely surge in the coming weeks from rising caseloads and holiday travel plans. Bloom says that CEOs should get rid of any plans to bring workers back in January and revisit the idea after the holiday season subsides. Recently, Google and Lyft have both delayed reopening their offices, with Lyft not requiring workers to return until 2023. If infection rates are low, companies can reconsider opening again in early February or March. Bloom also recommends that companies who have already welcomed back their workers should send them back home for the holidays in hopes to slow the spread of the virus. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that students who have been exposed to COVID-19 can safely stay in class if they are regularly tested at school. In an effort to avoid at-home quarantines, the announcement was made in conjunction with two studies that highlight the effectiveness of what is referred to as “test-to-stay,” an initiative that “works to keep unvaccinated children in school safely,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, told The Washington Post. Walensky added that the CDC will update its materials to help with the significant resources required by school districts to run test-to-stay.

Several reports coming out of the United Kingdom suggest that people infected with the omicron variant frequently share one symptom — a scratchy throat, The Deseret News reported. Previous variants have not had a scratchy throat as one of their most common symptoms, with patients previously presenting with a sore throat. Research has suggested that omicron symptoms are less severe than in previous variants, especially among those who are vaccinated, but the variant is believed to be highly contagious and evade pre-existing immunity.

Wastewater testing has identified the omicron variant in four separate Colorado wastewater systems, ABC7 News Denver reported. Just five cases of the omicron variant have been confirmed in Colorado, but the state’s wastewater monitoring suggests the variant is spreading in the community. "At this point, that's really the transition we're looking for is going from a place where we see sporadic imported cases of the omicron variant to a place where we see more local transmission,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. The variant was found in the wastewater systems of Boulder, Aurora, Commerce City and a system shared between the cities of Lakewood and Denver. Still, Colorado has seen a steady decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in recent weeks. “I think at this point, lots of questions remaining, but ... based on what we're seeing elsewhere, I do expect that we will, over the next couple of weeks, continue to see an increase in omicron cases,” Dr. Herlihy said.

Ahead of holiday travel, pharmacists say that over-the-counter at-home rapid tests are something that you should pack with you as the omicron variant surges. The demand for these at-home tests has skyrocketed with pharmacies running out of stock. Eric Pusey, the owner and pharmacist at Medical Pharmacy in Olyphant Pennsylvania, said in a report with a local television station that he gets “50 to 60 calls per day, besides the people walking in” to see if these at-home tests are available. Pharmacists urge people to remember that rapid tests are not 100 accurate. It is important to isolate yourself if you are experiencing any symptoms and to seek a PCR test if your rapid test comes back positive.

Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned that the country must brace for “the storm of omicron” by introducing additional pandemic restrictions, the BBC reported. On Dec. 26, nightclubs will again be shuttered, and social distancing requirements for offices and shops will go into effect. The Welsh government is also considering reimplementing capacity limits in pubs and asking households to limit their contacts. “Wales is in the calm before the storm,” Drakeford said. “We see the storm of omicron coming our way and we need to prepare for it now,” adding that the country must prepare for a rise in hospitalizations like that seen in London. Wales has confirmed 194 omicron cases within its borders, with the variant’s prevalence expected to rise over the coming weeks.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to swing its way to a pandemic box office record, grossing $50 million on Thursday night alone, the third-largest Thursday night total ever, The Associated Press reported. No Way Home is set to be the first pandemic release to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend, with numbers as high as $150 million possible. People are packing into theaters despite the omicron variant and a surge in cases nationwide causing disruption in the entertainment industry, including the shutdown of numerous Broadway productions and the cancelation of numerous sporting events.

Despite cases surging in South Africa, deaths only ticked up slightly in the country, something the country’s health minister credits to pre-existing immunity, Reuters reported. Health Minister Joe Phaahla acknowledged reports that the new variant is leading mostly to mild illness among those infected, leaving him to theorize why. "We believe that it might not necessarily just be that Omicron is less virulent, but ... coverage of vaccination (and) ... natural immunity of people who have already had contact with the virus is also adding to the protection," Phaahla said, adding that infections may have peaked in the country’s Gauteng province, where omicron cases initially began to skyrocket.

In an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Denmark’s prime minister announced Friday that the government is set to close many public venues, The Associated Press reported. Among the places set to be closed are movie theaters, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries. “We are not talking about shutting down the whole country as we did last year,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. “Our goal is still to keep as large sections of society open as possible. We need to curb activity. We all need to limit our social contacts.” The government is also set to require restaurants to limit their number of customers, with alcohol and food sales forced to end by 10:00 p.m. Denmark has seen an uptick in cases and hospitalizations related to the omicron variant, with more than 11,000 new cases reported on Friday.

Health ministers of the Group of Seven nations declared the omicron variant the “biggest current threat to global public health,” stressing the importance of receiving the vaccine booster. Omicron has been detected in at least 77 countries and is “probably everywhere,” according to the World Health Organization. A total of 39 U.S. states have reported their first case of omicron, while Northern European states are racing to contain a surge. On Thursday, the CDC recommended people who are seeking the safest and most effective COVID-19 vaccines and boosters to go with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, instead of those made by Johnson & Johnson.

An NHL team typically has 23 people on its active roster, but the Calgary Flames only have a handful of players available at the moment. According to NHL.com, the Flames have 19 players in COVID-19 protocols, along with three coaches and nine support staff members. With nearly the entire team currently ineligible to play, the NHL has postponed several of the team’s matchups, including Saturday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It is unclear when these postponed games will be played or when the Flames will take to the ice again. Currently, the Canadian-based team is scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 21, but that game could be in jeopardy depending on how long it takes players to be activated from the COVID-19 protocols. So far this season, the league has postponed 11 games due to COVID-19, according to NHL.com.

England is facing a “record-breaking” wave of infections as omicron cases surge, Bloomberg reports. With almost 79,000 cases reported on Wednesday, many are being advised to work from home and restrictions are in place, making people think twice before heading out. Cities historically buzzing this time of year ahead of the holiday have turned into ghost towns. Grappling from last winter’s COVID-19 lockdown, Britain’s hospitality industry is also dealing with labor and supply chain disruptions. UKHospitality forecasts that pub and restaurant earnings will be down as much as 40% for December due to cancelations amid rising Covid concerns. Tom Kerridge took to social media on Tuesday sharing that 654 guests canceled their reservations over the past six days, warning that many venues could “crumble” without help from the government.

The World Health Organization has granted emergency approval to the coronavirus vaccine made by U.S.-based Novavax and the Serum Institute of India. The approval of the vaccine paves the way for its inclusion in the United Nations-backed program to get vaccines to poorer countries, The Associated Press reported. The vaccine, dubbed CovavaxTM, is now the ninth vaccine for the coronavirus that has been granted an emergency use authorization from the U.N. health agency and has been long-anticipated to help increase global vaccine supplies. The shots only require refrigerated storage, thus making them more accessible to low-income countries compared to other vaccines that require storage at lower temperatures. “This listing aims to increase access particularly in lower-income countries, 41 of which have still not been able to vaccinate 10% of their populations, while 98 countries have not reached 40%,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant-Director General for access to medicines and health products, told the AP, alluding to the inequality to vaccines between rich countries and poorer ones.

The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to consider lifting rulings from lower courts that have halted President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, Reuters reported. The Biden administration says that mandating shots is critical before a likely wintertime surge in cases. "The exceptionally urgent need to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure for Medicare and Medicaid patients given the anticipated winter surge in infections tips the equities overwhelmingly in favor of a stay," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued to the Supreme Court. The mandate originally required more than 2 million unvaccinated healthcare workers to get the jab by Dec. 6. At the moment, the mandate has been blocked in 24 states, including those controlled by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court, which argues that the Biden administration has not proven it has the authority to impose such a rule.

The National Football League is set to postpone several games this weekend, the first time it has had to do so all season, CNBC reported. This week alone, more than 100 NFL players have tested positive for the coronavirus, many of them on just three teams: the Cleveland Browns, the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Football Team. According to ESPN reporter and NFL insider Adam Schefter, the game between the Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders is set to be moved to Monday night, while the game between the Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles is likely to be moved to Tuesday, as is the game between the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

The United Kingdom broke its record number of daily new infections for the third day in a row, with the nation tallying an additional 93,045 cases on Friday, the BBC reported. The surging caseload has been driven by a rise in cases in London, where about 70% of all cases are attributed to the omicron variant. Besides the new cases, 111 new deaths and an additional 14 hospitalizations were reported. In total, more than 11 million coronavirus cases have been reported in the U.K. since the start of the pandemic and more than 147,000 people have died.

As the omicron variant spreads across New York City, the percentage of people testing positive for the virus doubled in just three days, NBC 4 New York reported. At the same time, the number of new cases dramatically rose in New York, with 18,276 cases reported on Thursday alone, the highest one-day total since Jan. 14. Dr. Jay Varma, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s senior public health adviser, shared his concerns about the new wave on Twitter, saying that he expected that the new strain is evading vaccine and infection induced immunity. "That's only explanation for dramatic jump in positivity," Varma, who is also a Cornell professor, tweeted. De Blasio said that the city will open more testing sites and will also recommend that people wear better masks indoors, with enforcement of the statewide mask mandate set to be stepped up.

Pedestrians wearing face masks against the coronavirus pandemic walk in Kensington Gardens as snow falls in London, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

One expert is predicting a “viral blizzard” of new infections as the omicron variant and delta variant drive a wintertime surge, CNN reported. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, says that the hyper-transmissible omicron variant could infect millions of Americans in a short amount of time. "In the next three to eight weeks, we're going to see millions of Americans are going to be infected with this virus, and that will be overlaid on top of delta, and we're not yet sure exactly how that's going to work out,” Osterholm said. Even if omicron is less severe, its high level of infectiousness can still cause strain on the healthcare system. "What you have here right now is a potential perfect storm," Osterholm said. "I've been very concerned about the fact that we could easily see a quarter or a third of our healthcare workers quickly becoming cases themselves." 

A new study published this week analyzed the protection that various vaccines offer from the spreading omicron variant. According to the study, Johnson & Johnson, China’s Sinopharm and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines all have little or no protection against the variant, Axios reported. However, the developer of the Sputnik V vaccine refuted these claims, saying that it was more effective against omicron than other vaccines, The Associated Press reported. The study also found that the best protection against the omicron variant is either two doses of a Pfizer vaccine or natural immunity from past coronavirus infections. The results have yet to be peer-reviewed.

The NFL will implement a flurry of new COVID-19 restrictions to “address the increase in cases and the advent of the omicron variant.” NFL Network’s Judy Battista reported Wednesday that “around 100 players recently tested positive for the virus over a three-day span.” Effective immediately, all clubs will eliminate in-person meals, conduct meetings remotely or outdoors, wear mask regardless of vaccination status, eliminate outside visitors while on team travel and adjust return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19 based on expert advice. Players and certain staff members will be prohibited from public appearances or gathering in groups of more than three individuals outside of the facility. With safety being the top priority within the entire NFL community, they will continue to strongly encourage the booster shot.

Even as coronavirus cases rise across New York City as the omicron variant spreads, the city still plans to allow vaccinated revelers to gather for the city’s famous Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations, NBC News reported. “We’re going to watch very carefully,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. “It’s still more than two weeks away. And if at any point we need to alter the plan, we will,” de Blasio said, adding that because the event requires attendees to be fully vaccinated and that it's outdoors, he thinks it can go ahead. Last December, the city held a Times Square celebration without crowds. 

The spread of the coronavirus has remained steady over the past several days, with 121,707 new cases reported across the U.S. on Thursday, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University. This is around the same number reported each day over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, another 1.8 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine were administered on Thursday, including booster shots. Nearly one in three adults across the U.S. have received a booster shot, while over 50% of people at least 65 years old have received a booster jab, according to the CDC. Watch the video below for more details about the spread of the virus.

A massive line of cars was spotted at a COVID-19 testing facility in Miami on Thursday as the nation braces for another winter wave of the coronavirus. The video, which many commenters said reminded them of the early days of the pandemic, shows cars backed up for what looks like over a mile as people wait to get tested. The United States is dealing with a new wave of the virus, driven by the spread of both delta and omicron, the latter of which will soon become the dominant variant in the country, experts say. Over the past week, Florida reported over 12,900 new cases and 184 new coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.

A growing number of clubs in the Premier League – England’s top soccer league – are calling for the season to be shut down until 2022 as the league sees a rise in cases fueled by the omicron variant, ESPN reported. The country is seeing a massive rise in cases attributed to the omicron variant; a record 88,000 new infections were reported in the U.K. on Thursday. A shutdown would suspend games until Jan. 8, 2022. A number of matches have already been postponed, including two Manchester United games after reports emerged that the team’s first team squad had numerous players out with the virus. "We think we should postpone the full round of Premier League games this weekend," said Brentford manager Thomas Frank, whose team has been hit by several positive cases. “COVID cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs; everyone is dealing with it and having problems.”

As coronavirus cases surge in the United Kingdom thanks to the rapid spread of the omicron variant, France announced Thursday that anyone arriving from Britain will need to self-isolate and that only certain people can travel between the two countries, Reuters reported. The only people exempt from the rule are truck drivers, easing concerns about potential supply chain disruptions. "Our goal is to limit as much as possible the spread of Omicron across our territory," French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on BFMTV television station. "Tourism and business travel for people who are not French nationals or Europeans, people who are not French residents, will be limited," he said. There are just 240 confirmed omicron cases in France, far less than in the amount reported in the U.K.

The U.K. government has publicly disagreed with the decision, arguing that it does not believe border restrictions are effective against omicron now that it has already spread widely. "Certainly on our part, given the transmissibility of Omicron and its seeding around the world, we don't think red lists ... are effective or proportionate at this current time," a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. 

COVID-related cancelations have started to again disrupt Broadway productions, with more than a dozen performances canceled in recent weeks, The New York Times reported. In each cancelation, at least one cast or crew member tested positive for the virus. “We have to accept that there is going to be some percentage of performances lost to this,” said Hunter Arnold, a producer whose show, Chicken & Biscuits, had to close for 10 days last month because of coronavirus cases in its company. The theatre industry, already a tough industry to make a profit, is struggling to recover from the coronavirus. “What’s happening is a challenge for all of us in the industry because we’re in the business of gathering,” said Kevin McCollum, the producer of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” which lost about $300,000 in anticipated profits after they canceled shows due to COVID last week. “We can’t pretend no one has COVID when they have COVID. I’m hoping this will be put into the level of the common cold in the future, but until then, we have to respect it fully.” 

As students head home for their winter breaks in the United Kingdom, many are taking laptops with them as schools prepare for a worst-case scenario where learning continues remotely, the BBC reported. The government says it is committed to keeping schools open in January, but schools have been planning for a number of scenarios, including remote learning and staggered start and finish times for students. In England, more than 236,000 students were out for COVID-related reasons on Dec. 9 alone. "Teachers are making sure that everything they plan to teach in the first week of the new term can be taught remotely if it needs to be," said Joe Franklin, head of the Letta Trust, which manages two primary schools in London. "There will come a point when we cannot safely keep classes open." Some schools have seen up to 25% of staff absent as coronavirus cases hit new highs across the United Kingdom.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by Brazil’s health regulator for children aged 5 to 11, AFP reported. “Collective vaccination reduces transmission of SARS-CoV-2 for this age group, and as a result, reduces transmission from children and adolescents to adults and the elderly,” said Meiruze Freitas, director of Brazilian health regulator Anvisa in a Thursday announcement. However, it remains unclear when Brazil will actually start administering the shots in children. Only the United States, which has reported more than 800,000 deaths during the course of the pandemic, has a higher death toll than Brazil, which has lost more than 615,000 lives. About 66 percent of the country’s 213 million people are fully vaccinated, according to AFP. 

An advisory panel of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted Thursday to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s, citing a growing concern over a rare blood clotting condition among dozens of women, The New York Times reported. The committee action, which was unanimous, favored language that calls the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna the “preferred” options for adults, determining that those shots provided greater protection and fewer risks than J&J’s. The blood clotting disorder has been linked to at least nine deaths and numerous cases of women who received the J&J shot in the last year, according to the Times. The panel’s recommendation now goes to CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who will make a final decision.

As coronavirus cases surge across the National Football League, the Washington Football Team is now up to 21 players on its reserve/COVID-19 list, ESPN reported. The surge in cases among the team comes at an inopportune time as the team prepares to play its divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Sunday as both teams fight for a playoff spot. Of the 21 players out with the coronavirus, 11 were possible starters. "We're in meetings and one of the guys told me someone else had it, it's like, 'Here's another one; there's another one,'" guard Brandon Scherff said. "Like Coach Rivera said, 'Next man up.' It's a big opportunity for them to show everyone what they've got."

Head Coach Ron Rivera, who became immunocompromised following his battle with cancer, says he is not concerned for his own safety, as he has continued to wear masks around others and has already got his booster shot. "Nobody expected this [Omicron] variant," he said, adding that he didn’t know which variant of the virus his players had.  "You take every able body you have and they all get opportunities to practice, get opportunities in meetings and walk-throughs to make sure they're brought up to speed.”

A series of new studies suggest that booster shots will protect against severe cases of omicron, but breakthrough infections will still be very possible, The New York Times reported. At a World Health Organization meeting on Wednesday, scientists said that new research suggests that the T cells produced by vaccination in infected people can fight the variant, helping to prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death. “The good news is that T cell responses are largely maintained to omicron,” said Wendy Burgers of the University of Cape Town, presenting recent research. South African scientists said that two doses of a Pfizer vaccine were just 33 percent effective against omicron, but 70 percent effective against death or severe cases, but boosters offered extra protection. “So the message remains clear: If you are unvaccinated get vaccinated, and particularly in the arena of omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had shared data from the National Institutes of Health that showed Moderna boosters provided extra protection against the omicron variant. (edited) 

More than 88,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in the United Kingdom, a 73.7% increase in new cases in just a week’s time, the Mirror reported. The new record shattered yesterday’s record, when 78,610 cases were reported. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, but deaths have yet to increase. England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has warned that the country is likely to see new record cases as omicron spreads nationwide. "I am afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot as rates continue to increase in the next few weeks,” Whitty said. "There are lots of things we don’t know, but all the things we do know are bad.”

South Korean officials announced the toughest restrictions of the pandemic so far for the country on Thursday, banning private gatherings of five or more and ruling that restaurants must close at 9 p.m., The Associated Press reported. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum revealed that the new restrictions will go in effect Saturday and last for at least 16 days. The country’s hospital system is currently overwhelmed thanks to a surge linked to the delta variant. Officials also said that schools around Seoul would return to remote learning after they had fully reopened just last month. A total of 7,622 cases were reported Thursday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a total just shy of the daily record of 7,850 reported Wednesday. “During this period of standstill, the government will reinforce the stability of our medical response capabilities,” Kim said, according to the AP. “We ask our people to respond to these efforts by actively getting vaccinated.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading infectious disease expert, appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday morning to warn Americans over the dangers posed by the omicron variant. Fauci, noting data from other countries across the world, said that it is clear that the omicron variant is highly transmissible. “It has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread,” he said, adding the new variant has a doubling time of about three days, meaning it will quickly be the dominant variant in the U.S. “Getting people who have been holding off about getting vaccinated absolutely need to get vaccinated,” Fauci said, also saying that vaccinated Americans need to get their boosters. “The data are showing, thank goodness, that when you get a booster, you increase dramatically the reconstitution of the [immune] response that was diminished by this new variant.” To see more of Fauci’s interview, watch the video below.

More than 113,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States yesterday as the total number of Americans infected with the disease topped 50 million, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. An additional 1,629 Americans succumbed to the virus. The seven-day moving average positivity ratio continued to hold steady above 7%. As the spread of the omicron and delta variants drives a renewed surge in cases across much of the globe, the United States continues to lead the world in new cases, followed by the Western European nations of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. For more on the state of the global pandemic, watch the video below.

New York University announced Wednesday that it was canceling all “nonessential” gatherings and events on and off campus due to surging rates of new coronavirus cases in the community, The New York Times reported. The university’s decision will include graduations, holiday parties, study groups and athletic competitions. “It’s not a cause for alarm, but it is a cause for concern, caution and appropriate actions,” the university’s provost, Kathrine Fleming, said in a memo. Along with the cancelation of nonessential events, the university strongly encouraged final examinations and/or assignments to be held via a remote or online format. Read more about the changes here.

A new poll shows that the spread of the omicron variant is sparking renewed fear in the United States. The poll, conducted by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, reveals that 36% of Americans are extremely worried they or a family member will get COVID-19. While that number is up 11% from those who said the same in October, it’s still lower than the percentage of people worried in August as the delta variant was spreading. Fear of omicron doesn’t seem to be translating into renewed safety precautions. The poll also found Americans are less likely now than in February to wear a mask and avoid crowds. According to the AP, 57% of Americans say they’re wearing masks often or always, well below the 82% who said the same in February and March.

Police raided six homes in Germany in an investigation of anti-vaccine activists suspected of plotting to kill a top regional official for supporting COVID restrictions and immunizations in the country, police told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday. Police said crossbows and other weapons were confiscated during the raid. The alleged plot, which law enforcement said targeted the leader of Saxony Michael Kretschmer, was first revealed in a report last week by German public broadcaster ZDF about the “Dresden Offline Network,” a chat group on the Telegram messaging app, the Journal reported. According to police, the five men and one woman were suspected of “preparing a severe anti-state violent crime.” In his inaugural address to parliament earlier Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was experiencing a “denial of reality, absurd conspiracy theories, willful disinformation and violent extremism,” The Washington Post reported. 

The Calgary Flames are one of the best teams in the NHL’s Western Conference, but the team has more players in COVID-19 protocol than wins on the season. As of Wednesday, 16 players on the team were in the league’s COVID-19 protocol, as well as three coaches and seven support staff, NHL.com said. The 15-win team is tied for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, but it will be some time before the team has the chance to move up in the standings. The team’s next three games have been postponed with the possibility of more getting delayed due to the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. “Our medical staff and doctors do a great job to try to keep everybody safe. We’re dealing with a pandemic. There’s a lot of imperfections right now when you deal with this,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said. The Flames are currently scheduled to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser, said Wednesday that current booster vaccine regimens are working effectively against omicron, the latest, fast-spreading COVID-19 threat, adding that “at this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster.” Dr. Fauci said the primary two-dose vaccination series from Pfizer-BioNTech is significantly less potent against omicron, but emphasized that a Pfizer or Moderna booster dose increases protection against symptomatic disease to 75%, citing data from the U.K. Health Security Agency. Both Pfizer and Moderna have said they are working on vaccines specific to omicron. Pfizer said last week that development would “continue as planned in the event that a vaccine “adaptation” is needed to increase the level and duration of protection against omicron,” The New York Times reported. Jeff Zients, White House COVID response coordinator, said the latest data shows unvaccinated Americans are eight times more likely to be hospitalized due to the coronavirus and 14 times more likely to die than vaccinated people.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf sent a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Wednesday asking for health care workers to assist at hospitals and nursing homes that are stressed by COVID-19 patients, The Associated Press reported. “Our health care system is strained from COVID-19 cases and further exacerbated by persistent staffing shortages across the sector,” Wolf said. The AP said that new infections across the Commonwealth are up 50% over the past two weeks, and hospitalizations are up nearly 66% since last month. Wolf also requested 1 million at-home coronavirus tests from FEMA. “I am hopeful that these critically important supports will be addressed to alleviate the strain on our health care system and ultimately be able to provide Pennsylvanians the care they need during this time,” Wolf said.

A four-week indoor mask mandate began on Wednesday in California “to ensure that we collectively protect the health and well-being of all Californians,” the state health department said in a statement. According to UPI, the order affects about half of the state’s population, as Los Angeles County, Ventura County and most of the San Francisco Bay Area have remained under an indoor mask mandate since the summer. The new mandate, which is set to run through Jan. 15, is in response to the climbing case rates in the state. Since Thanksgiving, the rate of infections has increased by 47% and hospitalizations by 14%. “Given the current hospital census, which is at or over capacity, even a moderate surge in cases and hospitalizations could materially impact California’s healthcare delivery system within certain regions of the state,” the health department statement read.

A powerful typhoon churning toward the Philippines has forced officials to delay COVID-19 vaccinations to millions of residents, Reuters reported. Typhoon Rai is expected to slam the country on Thursday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic. Thousands have already been evacuated, according to Reuters. The country was in the middle of a vaccination effort that was aimed at 7 million across 17 regions, but due to Rai’s approach, the efforts have been scaled down to only six regions. About half of the 110 million people in the Philippines have received at least one vaccine dose, Reuters said. 

The United Kingdom reported 78,610 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, breaking its previous record for most cases in a 24 hour period -- 68,053 cases back on Jan. 8. The U.K. also reported another 165 coronavirus fatalities on Wednesday, CNBC reported, citing government figures. Health officials warned the numbers of new cases in the days ahead could be "staggering" due to the rise of the omicron variant. The news prompted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to implore citizens to get tested and seek out booster shots to "slow down omicron's spread" ahead of Christmas. For more of Johnson's remarks, watch the video below. 

One day after placing eight players on the NFL’s COVID-19/reserve list, the Cleveland Browns have announced that their head coach Kevin Stefanski has tested positive, and their starting quarterback Baker Mayfield has tested positive as well. According to ESPN, Mayfield’s availability is in jeopardy for Saturday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas. Both Mayfield and Stefanski will need to produce two negative tests by Saturday in order to play and coach in the game. Mayfield reportedly feels “completely normal,” according to ESPN, while Stefanski is fully vaccinated and had just received his booster shot on Tuesday. Stefanski also tested positive for COVID-19 last season and was forced to miss the Brown’s playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in January. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to cut short a trip to Southeast Asia on Wednesday after a member of his delegation tested positive, AFP reported. Blinken was slated to meet with Thai officials in Bangkok Thursday following recent visits to Indonesia and Malaysia. A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said Blinken “would be returning to Washington, D.C. out of the abundance of caution,” AFP reported. In addition, a a journalist traveling to cover Blinken’s tour also tested positive for the virus after arriving in Malaysia and is currently self isolating.

Google employees will face a reduction in pay or even risk losing their jobs if they don’t follow the company’s vaccination policy, CNBC reported. In a memo obtained by CNBC, Google told employees that if they don’t comply with the guidelines by Jan. 18, they will be placed on “paid administrative leave” for 30 days. Following that, employees will be placed on “unpaid personal leave” for six months. After that point, employees will be terminated. The Biden administration has ordered that all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees must ensure that all of their employees are fully vaccinated or regularly tested by Jan. 18. Google, which has more than 150,000 employees, previously set a deadline of Dec. 3 for employees to get vaccinated or apply for a medical or religious exemption. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an imminent surge of COVID-19 cases as soon as January as the omicron variant rapidly spreads in the United States. New modeling analyzed by the CDC predicts that the U.S. could see a massive wave of infections, with both omicron and delta variants peaking, The Washington Post reported. Health experts worry that hospitals may again become overwhelmed as, one official cautioned, a “triple whammy” unloads of delta and omicron infections on top of flu/other respiratory viruses. Federal health officials also forecast a second scenario in which a smaller surge in omicron cases occurs in the spring. “The early signals say there are going to be waves coming,” said Scott Becker, chief executive officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, according to The New York Times. 

COVID-19 has now killed more than 800,000 people in the United States, just two years after the first cluster of infections was reported, figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University show. That number is projected to surpass 880,000 by March, according to a forecasting model from the University of Washington, The Associated Press reports. The news comes hours after the World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, cautioned that omicron “is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.” In calling the death toll a “tragic milestone,” President Joe Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated ‘to honor the memory’ of COVID victims. More than 200,000 American lives have been lost after the coronavirus vaccine became available, AP reported. Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of remaining diligent in wearing masks and social distancing.

A new study out of South Africa has revealed that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine has been less effective in keeping infected individuals out of the hospital since the omicron variant was discovered in late November, Reuters reported. The study, which was published Tuesday by Discovery Health, one of South Africa’s largest health insurance companies, found that people who had received two doses of the shot had a 70% chance of avoiding hospitalization between Nov. 15 and Dec 7. The figure is down considerably from the 93% during the previous wave of cases linked to the delta variant, Reuters said. In terms of avoiding infection entirely, the study found that the percentage had slipped to 33%, which is down from 80%. The study examined 78,173 cases, of which 19,070 tests were positive during the “omicron period” from Nov. 15 to Dec. 7.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this brief incorrectly stated the study in South Africa was based on 211,000 coronavirus cases, of which 78,000 were attributed to omicron, according to initial information Discovery Health released to the media.

In an effort to encourage employees who have resisted vaccination to get the shots, Kroger announced it will be slashing some benefits for its unvaccinated workers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the nation's largest grocery store chain will make unvaccinated workers who become infected with COVID-19 ineligible to receive two weeks of paid emergency leave. The Associated Press reported that a program described by the Cincinnati-based company as "special" leave will still be available to fully vaccinated employees who come down with the coronavirus. Kroger is one of the nation's largest employers, with more than 500,000 workers across the country. It reportedly would not reveal what percentage of its workforce remains unvaccinated. In addition, the Journal reported, employees who continue to refuse vaccination will also incur a monthly $50 surcharge on company health insurance plans. The policies go into effect on Jan. 1. For more, watch the video below:

Officials at Cornell University on Tuesday shut down most of the school’s campus in Ithaca, New York, and moved final exams online amid a COVID outbreak, The (Syracuse) Post-Standard reported. In a statement posted online, university President Martha Pollack said there was preliminary evidence of the omicron variant “in a significant number” of student test samples. All university-sponsored events, including its winter graduation ceremony, were canceled as were any weekend games. Faculty and staff, however, are still reporting to work, and offices and labs remain open, the school said. The university’s COVID dashboard showed 469 active cases, with 214 new reported infections as of Monday.

More than three dozen students and two staff members at Travis Ranch School in Yorba Linda, California, have tested positive for COVID-19, ABC7 reported. School and health officials told the entire sixth-grade class to quarantine following the outbreak, with hundreds identified as being close contacts with those infected with the virus. The school has already been disinfected following the outbreak and late school gatherings have been canceled or postponed, ABC7 said. Some teachers will continue to hold instruction virtually while the students are in quarantine.

In an effort to encourage employees who have resisted vaccination to get the shots, Kroger announced it will be slashing some benefits for its unvaccinated workers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the nation's largest grocery store chain will make unvaccinated workers who become infected with COVID-19 ineligible to receive two weeks of paid emergency leave. The Associated Press reported that a program described by the Cincinnati-based company as "special" leave will still be available to fully vaccinated employees who come down with the coronavirus. Kroger is one of the nation's largest employers, with more than 500,000 workers across the country. It reportedly would not reveal what percentage of its workforce remains unvaccinated. In addition, the Journal reported, employees who continue to refuse vaccination will also incur a monthly $50 surcharge on company health insurance plans. The policies go into effect on Jan. 1.

The Cleveland Browns are facing one of the biggest COVID-19 outbreaks across the NFL so far this season following Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. Three players missed the division rivalry due to COVID-19, and on Tuesday, the team announced that an additional eight players tested positive for the virus, NFL.com said. The Browns face a short week with a home matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders with kickoff still scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST. This news came one day after the NFL announced a COVID-19 booster mandate for all employees, which includes coaches, trainers and other personnel, but not the players.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday cautioned that omicron is spreading faster than previous strains, and stressed that vaccines alone will not protect against infection, CNBC reported. “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a COVID update in Geneva. He said countries need to remain diligent about using masks, social distancing, proper ventilation and hand hygiene to prevent contagion. “If we all apply those measures, we won’t stop transmission of omicron or delta -- it is very hard to stop, but what we will do is critically reduce the force of infection, we will reduce that pressure wave,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, said at the briefing.

China has detected its first cases of the omicron variant in two patients who had recently returned to the country from abroad, The Washington Post reported. One of the two patients was identified in Tianjin near Beijing on Monday, and the other in the southern city of Guangzhou on Tuesday. The first person was deemed an asymptomatic carrier while the second, a 67-year-old man, showed symptoms 15 days after arriving in China and is now hospitalized. Following his diagnosis, 10,544 people connected to the man have been tested for the virus; so far the results have returned negative, CNN reported. China is one of the last countries maintaining a zero-tolerance COVID policy, using lockdowns, mass-testing programs and the closure of public transportation to slow the virus’ spread. Beijing requires all inbound travelers to quarantine for two to three weeks and to undergo repeated testing.

A senior Biden administration official says the U.S. is bracing itself for a big surge in COVID cases of the omicron variant just as new data from Europe and South Africa predict a significantly worse scenario of infections and hospitalizations than with delta, Axios reported. “Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming,” the administration official told Axios. “It will be fast. It won’t be as severe, but regrettably, there will be plenty of hospitalizations.” A new analysis by South Africa’s largest private insurer found that although the risk of hospital admission among adults diagnosed with the omicron variant is 29% lower, the variant is more resistant to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine regimen. U.S. health officials have been encouraging those 16 and older to get booster shots for better protection. European countries have also been reporting that the variant is spreading rapidly, with cases doubling every two to three days. 

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases has dropped slightly - by 1,000 cases - in the United States, to roughly 119,000 infections, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. As such, the seven-day positivity ratio has also dipped to 7.2%. Since the start of the pandemic, 50.1 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus and nearly 800,000 have died. The seven-day average of vaccine doses administered increased, with 62% of the U.S. population now fully vaccinated. For more facts and figures on the state of the global pandemic, watch the video below:

Senegal expects to end up wasting 400,000 coronavirus vaccine doses by the end of the year as demand slows for the jab, NDTV reported. Vaccine campaigns in Africa are made challenging by logistical problems, the short shelf life of vaccine doses and vaccine hesitancy in parts of the continent. About 1 million vaccine doses expired in Nigeria last month alone. "The main problem is vaccine hesitation," said Ousseynou Badiane, who is in charge of Senegal's vaccine rollout. "The number of cases is decreasing. They ask: 'Why is it important to get vaccinated if the illness is not there now'?" Senegal is vaccinating only 1,000 to 2,000 people a day, down from 15,000 a day over the summer.

A surge in new cases around the NFL has the league and the NFL Players Association considering adjustments to existing coronavirus protocols, ESPN reported. The NFL typically has a higher number of reported infections on Mondays because that’s when most teams test their vaccinated personnel--unvaccinated players are reportedly tested daily. The NFL reported a total of 37 new cases Monday compared to 72 over a two-week stretch from Nov. 14 to Nov. 27, and the league’s first reported case of the omicron variant was reported Monday after a member of the Washington organization tested positive. The NFL is reportedly mandating booster shots for all Tier 1 and Tier 2 league employees, excluding players, by Dec. 27, ESPN said, citing a league memo.

The Air Force has discharged 27 people over their refusal to follow a vaccine mandate. These are the first service members to be administratively discharged for refusing to get a vaccine, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed to The Associated Press. Stefanek said those who were dismissed were in the first term of enlistment and none sought any type of exemption. The Air Force had set a deadline of Nov. 2 for service members to get the vaccine, a decision that came after the Pentagon required all military members to get vaccinated, the AP reported.  

The latest data released Tuesday show that Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill, Paxlovid, is 89% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths, The New York Times reported. The drugmaker also said that its antiviral pill worked in laboratory studies against the omicron variant. Pfizer has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize Paxlovid. "It is a game changer," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told ABC News. "But at the same time, I want to emphasize that no one should use the existence of the pill as an excuse to avoid vaccination." The company said that the pill works best if given within three days of the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, according to the Times. The results were based on an analysis of 2,246 unvaccinated volunteers at high risk of severe disease.

As omicron spreads rapidly across the United Kingdom, the country's health secretary Sajid Javid says that the number of new daily cases is estimated at 200,000 a day, The Independent reported. The National Health Service raised its COVID alert level to four, the country’s highest possible level. “It’s vital we remember that hospitalizations and deaths lag infections by around two weeks so we can expect those numbers to dramatically increase in the days and weeks that lie ahead,” Javid said, adding that omicron is expected to be the dominant variant in London within 48 hours. Health experts are awaiting guidance on surging their critical care capacity, something which may limit routine care.

An oral pill from drugmaker Merck that is designed to fight the coronavirus may also have negative health consequences, particularly for pregnant women, The New York Times reported. The Food and Drug Administration narrowly voted to recommend the oral drug, known as molnupiravir, but there are concerns that the treatment could cause mutations in human DNA, as the drug could affect a fetus’ dividing cells. “Do we want to reduce the risk for the mother by 30 percent while exposing the embryo and the fetus to a much higher risk of harm by this drug?” Dr. James Hildreth, the president of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee, said at an FDA meeting. “My answer is no, and there is no circumstance in which I would advise a pregnant woman to take this drug.”

Researchers at the University of North Carolina who studied the disease in hamster cells found that mutations caused by the drug could “contribute to the development of cancer, or cause birth defects either in a developing fetus or through incorporation into sperm precursor cells.” Pfizer’s oral treatment, which is expected to be approved within weeks, does not carry the risk of mutations in human DNA and appears to be more effective.

After a federal judge halted the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, some large U.S. hospital systems have dropped their vaccine mandates, The Wall Street Journal reported. Tenet Healthcare Corp., HCA Healthcare Inc. and non-profits like the Cleveland Clinic have all dropped the mandates, with hospitals struggling to retain nurses and technicians as hospitalizations have climbed. The shortage caused by vaccine mandates has been compounded by burnout and the allure of high-paying traveling nurse jobs, according to hospital executives. “It’s been a mass exodus, and a lot of people in the healthcare industry are willing to go and shop around,” said Wade Symons, an employee-benefits lawyer. “If you get certain healthcare facilities that don’t require it, those could be a magnet for those people who don’t want the vaccine. They’ll probably have an easier time attracting labor.” HCA, which suspended its vaccine requirement, says it still encourages all of its employees to get vaccinated, and that workers must comply with state and local vaccination rules.

Starting on Jan. 3, all Philadelphia businesses that sell food or drink for onsite consumption will have to check patrons' vaccination status before they enter, the City of Philadelphia announced. Only those who are fully vaccinated, meaning that they have received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna jab or one dose of a Johnson and Johnson vaccine, will be permitted to enter. The mandate extends to places like sports venues, bowling alleys, casinos, and food courts. The mandate does not apply in schools, hospitals, grocery stores or in parts of Philadelphia International Airport. People with proof of valid or religious exemptions can be exempted from the mandate, as are kids less than five years and three months old.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is currently receiving treatment for mild symptoms, ABC News reported. The positive test comes after he had visited four West African countries, in which others in his delegation had tested positive before directly returning to South Africa. Throughout the rest of the trip, Ramaphosa and his delegation tested negative for the virus until Sunday. He is currently self-isolating and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service, according to a statement from the presidency. Ramaphosa is fully vaccinated, and the statement didn’t specify if he had been infected with the new omicron variant. 

The tornado catastrophe in Kentucky is coinciding with a rise in the number of new coronavirus cases in recent days, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a press conference Monday evening, displaying a graph that showed cases had recently begun trending upward. He said the state hadn't fully emerged from a surge that began back in late July. Also on the rise, according to the governor, is the number of Kentuckians being treated for COVID-19 in ICUs throughout the state. Beshear said he was confident hospitals would be able to handle a continued escalation of cases, but that the tornado outbreak has complicated health care in the state. "Our hospital capacity is probably a little bit less than it was during the [most recent] surge," Beshear said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Monday that the tornado catastrophe is coinciding with e rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in his state.

(YouTube / Kentucky Governor's Office)

Amid an expected surge of the omicron variant, Norway is set to tighten its coronavirus restrictions, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced the new policy on news agency NTB, saying that the country faces a “serious” situation. “The spread of infection is too high and we have to take action to limit this development ... omicron changes the rules," Støre said. In the past few days, Norway has set record-high numbers in terms of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. On Dec. 7, Norway set a cap on the number of people allowed to privately gather and limited the sale of alcohol at night.  "We think omicron will be the dominant variant in the coming days ... We need to quickly introduce further restrictions,” said Line Vold, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s head of infection control and emergency preparedness.

A record number of new coronavirus cases were reported last week in the Premier League -- Britain's top soccer league -- as a number of top clubs deal with outbreaks, The Independent reported.  Out of the 3,805 players and club staff tested, 42 tested positive for COVID-19. Of those positive include members of Manchester United, whose match against Brentford on Tuesday may be postponed. Clubs have been instructed to reinstate emergency measures, including face mask wearing and observing social distancing. “The safety of everybody is a priority and the Premier League is taking all precautionary steps in light of the recent rise in Covid-19 cases across the country,” the Premier League said. “We will continue to work closely with the Government, local authorities and supporter groups, while being responsive to any future changes to national or local guidance.”

A coronavirus outbreak within the Chicago Bulls organization has forced the NBA to postpone the team’s next two games for this week. At least 10 players, including stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, are in the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN reported. The Bulls were scheduled to play the Detroit Pistons at home on Tuesday and were slated to travel to Canada to face the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. The games were postponed because the Bulls were in jeopardy of not having enough players to field a team. The NBA requires a team to have at least eight players for a game, ESPN said.

Of the nearly 800,000 Americans that have died from COVID-19, 75 percent have been above the age of 65 or older, meaning one in 100 older Americans has died from the virus, The New York Times reported. Older Americans are vaccinated at a much higher rate than those in younger age groups, but deaths in the age group have persisted. More than 1,200 Americans are dying daily from COVID-19, most of them above the age of 65. “You get kind of forgotten,’’ said Pat Hayashi, 65. “In the pandemic, the isolation and the loneliness got worse. We lost our freedom and we lost our services.” Some older Americans have continued to fear the pandemic and remain isolated as many younger groups have returned to relative normalcy. “After seeing a couple of people we knew die, we weren’t going to take any chances at all,” said Rob Eiring, 70, of the way he and his wife had responded to the pandemic. “We really retreated. Everything turned inward for us.”

People across the United Kingdom are waiting in line to get their booster shots after the government urged citizens to do so in light of the spread of the omicron variant, the BBC reported. The National Health Service’s booking services for vaccines are experiencing issues as demand rises, leading England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jonathan Van Tam to urge the country’s vaccination volunteers to again volunteer their time and services again for the country’s emergency booster shot campaign. “You were a huge part of this achievement, but now we need your help again to deliver booster vaccinations at a real rate of knots,” Von Tam wrote. “It’s going to require a Herculean effort and I am asking you personally to be a part of it by undertaking vaccinator shifts as soon as you possibly can.” As part of an effort to speed up the efficiency of booster clinics, people will no longer need to be monitored for 15 minutes after receiving the jab. According to internal targets set by the NHS, 5.3 million people should be given a booster next week alone. Earlier on Monday, the government announced that at least one person has died of omicron in the U.K.

Multiple protests broke out over the weekend in eastern European cities amid COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates. Upwards of 1,000 people protested in Greiz, a German town near the Czech border and tried to break through a police cordon, according to Bloomberg. Public gatherings limited to 10 people in Leipzig were ignored when 25 people gathered to protest in that town. Several hundred people also breached a gathering rule in Plauen. Germany's lower house speaker Baerbel Bas told ZDF that Germany's COVID protests are becoming larger and more radicalized

As the omicron variant grows more dominant in the United Kingdom, the island nation has recorded its first death from the new variant, Reuters reported. Since the spread of omicron was first detected in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged citizens to get their booster shots to prevent an overwhelming wave of cases. Now, the variant makes up 40% of all cases reported in London. "So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus - I think that's something we need to set on one side - and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” Johnson said, deflecting questions about potentially imposing more stringent restrictions before Christmas.

New York reinstated its mask mandate Monday.Experts believe the cooler weather in New York is a factor in the current surge of COVID cases in the state. People are being driven indoors, which increases the chances for spreading the virus. The more contagious delta variant and omicron variant are also both spreading in the state, according to ABC New York. As the state returns to its mask mandate, some counties are refusing to implement it. Local health departments are to be tasked with enforcement and could fine people $1,000. However, Dutchess, Rockland and Nassau counties have said they will not enforce the mandate. 

As the seven-day average of new cases holds steadily around 120,000, the nationwide seven-day average positivity ratio remains above 8%, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. Since the start of the pandemic, just under 50 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus and nearly 800,000 have died. The seven-day average of vaccine doses administered in the United States held steady just below 2 million, with 61.5% of the U.S. fully vaccinated. As the omicron variant threatens to take over globally, the U.S. still leads the world in new cases, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. For more facts and figures on the state of the global pandemic, watch the video below:

Cape Town’s health department is deploying a mobile vaccination service, aka the Vaxi Taxi, AFP News reported. After the discovery of the omicron variant, the second largest city in South Africa deployed the mobile service in hopes of making vaccines more accessible. “I had a bit of a panic when I heard about the new variant Omicron,” Emily Malanzi, a resident of Manenberg township, told AFP. “So it was a bit terrifying because I was looking forward to seeing family and friends over the festive season. And when I saw the vaccine drive today, it was kind of a relief because I could just walk in. They did the registration and everything — it was more convenient and accessible.”

Learn more here: https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1469279479340183556

Legislation passed in Germany will require health care workers across the country to be vaccinated or show proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 by mid-March, Reuters reported. This applies to anyone who works at nursing homes, hospitals and doctor offices. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that in establishments where people live, who put their trust in us to protect them, that people are unnecessarily dying because unvaccinated work there,” Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. Nearly 70% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated.

A British epidemiologist believes the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be spreading faster in the United Kingdom than it did in South Africa, Bloomberg reports. The UK’s older population means not only a greater prevalence of cases but a higher risk for hospitalizations, according to Dr. John Edmunds, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He thinks omicron cases could top 60,000 a day by Christmas. The U.K.’s Health Security Agency has said it expects at least half of all COVID-19 cases to be caused by omicron by January if the growth rate observed in the last two weeks is maintained. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tightened COVID measures, including working from home and expanded mask use.

A Mississippi doctor was let go from a local hospital after taking his COVID-19 patients off of an antiviral drug and instead trying to treat them with the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, CBS News reported. Dr. John Witcher, an emergency room physician and founder of a physicians group that disputes the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine, said he was let go from Baptist Memorial Hospital in Yazoo City, Mississippi after taking three COVID-19 patients off of Remdesivir, which has been approved by the FDA to treat the virus, and put them on ivermectin, which is not approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19. Baptist Memorial confirmed to CBS MoneyWatch in a statement that Dr. Witcher“no longer practices medicine as an independent physician” at its Yazoo facility, and a spokesperson added that the doctor was an independent contractor and not an employee of the hospital.

All ski jumping World Cup events in Japan this season were canceled Saturday due to a rise in the number of omicron variant coronavirus in the nation, The Associated Press reported. On Friday, Japan announced it had found 12 omicron cases, including new arrivals from the U.S., Mozambique and Democratic Republic of the Congo. With the new cases, it has re-imposed a ban on foreign visitors, according to the AP. The International Ski Federation announced that the decision to cancel the three ski jumping events ahead of the Beijing Olympics was “due to the current COVID-19 regulations.” It added that it is looking for replacements for the canceled competitions.

The British government may need to implement tougher restrictions to curb the transmission of the omicron variant and prevent a new rise in coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths, British scientists said Saturday. U.K. health officials say the new variant is likely to overtake and replace the delta strain in Britain within a few days, The Associated Press reported. The U.K. saw cases rise to 58,194 on Friday — the highest number since January, though it is unclear how much is attributed to the omicron variant. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government reinstated restrictions that had been lifted almost six months ago, scientists say it might not be enough. Johnson’s government says it is not considering tougher measures but is aiming to offer everyone over 18 years of age a booster shot of the vaccine by the end of January, according to the AP.

Taiwan recorded its first case of the omicron variant in a traveler, health officials said Saturday. The passenger was a Taiwanese woman in her 30s who had returned from the southern African country of Eswatini, The Associated Press reported. Other passengers who sat near her on the plane have thus far tested negative. Taiwan reported 10 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, all from travelers entering the country from abroad, according to the AP.

More than 600 patients in Michigan are on ventilators fighting COVID-19. The state is now tapping into state and federal ventilator reserves to continue its fight against the coronavirus. Metro Detroit currently has the most ventilator patients with 269, according to ABC Detroit. West Michigan has 132 patients on a ventilator. No more federal teams are available to help hospitals fighting a surge in patients, according to state officials. More than 4,500 people are in hospitals due to coronavirus in Michigan. Inpatient beds with COVID-19 patients is at an all-time high of 21.5%, which has only increased the last 20 weeks.

The mortality rate in Poland has continued to climb, surpassing 500 deaths related to COVID-19 per day on Wednesday, while the nation continues to record low vaccination rates, The Associated Press reported. While the mortality rate is still lower than it had been during the spring, it has yet to peak. On Wednesday, Poland reported 592 deaths from the virus — the highest number of its ongoing wave, according to the news source. Other Eastern and Central European nations, such as Russia and Ukraine, are also battling the latest surge while also facing lower vaccination rates than those in Western Europe. With its hospitals strained, Poland’s government announced Tuesday that doctors, other medical personnel, teachers and uniformed workers will be required to be vaccinated by March 1, the AP reported.

Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said the booster dose will be available to any Ontarians 18 years of age and older starting in January. Individuals who are eligible for their third dose can book an appointment through the provincial portal. Discussions are currently underway to redefine what it means to be fully vaccinated and if two or three doses will be required, according to CTV News. More than 10% of COVID-19 samples in Ontario are positive for the Omicron variant. Moore said in a provincial COVID-19 update that it could be the dominate strain in the next month.

The mutated omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in at least 25 states across the U.S., including Texas, Florida, California, and Georgia, CNBC reported. “It’s normal for viruses to mutate, and given how quickly Omicron spread in southern Africa, we’re not surprised that it showed up here,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, the commissioner of the Texas Health Department. Despite the emergence of this new variant, the delta strain of the coronavirus still accounts for 99% of all genetically sequenced cases across the U.S., CNBC reported citing the CDC. Daily cases continue to rise nationwide with infections up 23% since before Thanksgiving.

A leaked video emerged on Wednesday of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s aides joking about holding a Christmas party at Downing Street last year at a time when social gatherings had been banned due to COVID-19, AFP reported. Last year, Johnson and his ministers had denied that a party had taken place following newspaper reports that dozens of staff members had attended an evening gathering on Dec. 18. London had been under strict restrictions at the time, and indoor social gatherings of two or more people had been banned. A day later, Johnson had tightened restrictions further, impacting family Christmas celebrations across the U.K. “We now know the government broke the rules, they partied and now they’re laughing about it — they’re treating the public with contempt, AFP quoted Labour party leader Keir Starmer as saying. On Wednesday, Johnson ordered Simon Case, Britain’s top civil servant, to investigate, saying anyone found to have broken the rules would be disciplined, The Associated Press reported.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, warned residents that a “tsunami” of infections related to the omicron variant is likely in the near future, the BBC reported. Scotland tallied nearly 100 new cases of the omicron variant as of Tuesday, but officials are worried that this is just the start of a new wave across the region. “The rapid rise in Omicron infections could put significant additional pressure on hospitals and other health and care services, close to the point in the winter when they are already likely to be at peak pressure,” Sturgeon said. She also urged residents to cancel Christmas parties at work due to the rising number of infections, the BBC added.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new mask that uses ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 — by glowing under ultraviolet light, Reuters reported. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Koto Prefectural University said that this discovery could provide a cheaper way to test for the virus at home, they said in a press conference. Scientists began by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, as previous research showed the birds have strong resistance to the disease, Reuters reported. The small study involved test subjects wearing the masks. Then, after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. Reuters reported that the filters worn by people infected with the virus glowed around the nose and mouth areas.

The first case of the omicron variant was confirmed in California on Dec. 1, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that a case had been identified weeks before. The COVID-19 variant was found in a person who traveled internationally and began to experience symptoms on Nov. 15, CNBC reported. This means that the variant started spreading in the U.S. much earlier than previously thought. Nearly two dozen states have confirmed an omicron infection, with community spread likely underway. The majority of people who have tested positive for the latest coronavirus variant have been between 18 and 39 years old, CNBC said.

Nearly a dozen adults vehemently against pandemic restrictions were arrested Friday after a high school principal in Greece was handcuffed and abducted ahead of a daily COVID-19 check of students at the school, The Associated Press reported. Police told the AP the suspects grabbed the 61-year-old principal, forced him into a vehicle and drove him to a nearby precinct where they asked police to charge him “for violating constitutional provisions.” Police instead detained the nine men and two women, allegedly members of a vigilante group opposed to COVID restrictions. The suspects were charged with assault, abduction, using insulting language and disturbing the peace, police said. Takis Theodorikakos, interior minister for Greece, condemned the school incident in a tweet, calling such behavior “provocative and unacceptable.”

Legislation passed in Germany will require health care workers across the country to be vaccinated or show proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 by mid-March, Reuters reported. This applies to anyone who works at nursing homes, hospitals and doctor offices. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that in establishments where people live, who put their trust in us to protect them, that people are unnecessarily dying because unvaccinated work there,” Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. Nearly 70% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated. 

The Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors canceled practice on Thursday over coronavirus-related concerns, according to CBS Sports. The news came one day after Pacers coach Rick Carlisle tested positive for COVID-19 and is likely to miss multiple games. No player on the Raptors’ roster has tested positive for the virus, but the team said that its practice was canceled on Thursday out of “an abundance of caution.” Over a dozen players across the league were in COVID-19 protocols on Friday morning, according to CBS Sports. 

A British epidemiologist believes the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be spreading faster in the United Kingdom than it did in South Africa, Bloomberg reports. The UK’s older population means not only a greater prevalence of cases but a higher risk for hospitalizations, according to Dr. John Edmunds, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He thinks omicron cases could top 60,000 a day by Christmas. The U.K.’s Health Security Agency has said it expects at least half of all COVID-19 cases to be caused by omicron by January if the growth rate observed in the last two weeks is maintained. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tightened COVID measures, including working from home and expanded mask use.

An increase in COVID-19 campus cases has prompted Middlebury College in Vermont to move to remote classes effective Friday. The school emailed all 2,500 students saying college officials made the decision “out of an abundance of caution” as the college nears the end of the semester, WCAX-TV reported. The college said it has 34 new cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 50. Next week’s exams will also be online. Dining halls are offering “grab and go” meals, and sports and other in-person events were being canceled or postponed. A small number of U.S. colleges had announced plans to shift to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break due to COVID-19 concerns. 

New York state will require masks in all indoor public locations starting Monday in an effort to combat a surge in COVID-19 infections, The Associated Press reported Friday. However, masks will not be mandatory if a business or venue institutes a vaccine requirement, according to the order from Gov. Kathy Hochul. The state recorded more than 68,000 positive tests for the virus in the seven-day period that ended Dec. 8. That’s the most in any seven-day stretch since the start of February, officials told the AP. The mandate will be in effect until Jan. 15, at which time state officials said they will re-evaluate the need for masks.

Students at Wyandotte County High School in Kansas City, Kan. walk the corridors wearing mandated masks in this March 2021 file photo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

South Korea reported more than 7,000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, the third consecutive day cases have exceeded that threshold, and the most significant outbreak since the start of the pandemic, The Associated Press reported. The country is struggling to combat the virus as hospitals are overwhelmed and the health care workforce has been depleted, according to the AP. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said that the country could soon take “extraordinary” measures in order to slow the spread of the virus. “If it becomes clear that we aren’t succeeding in reversing this crisis situation within the next few days, the government will have no other choice but to employ extraordinary anti-virus measures, including strong social distancing,” he said. One step officials are planning to help try to slow the spread of infections is increasing the administration of booster shots. Starting next week, boosters will be administered as soon as three months after the second vaccine dose, rather than four or five months.  

The more than 40 cases of the omicron variant found so far in the United States have mostly been “mild,” with patients experiencing cold-like symptoms, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Associated Press. Dr. Rochelle Walensky said reported symptoms among most of the 43 infected patients included mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, the CDC said. More than three-quarters of the patients had been vaccinated, and a third had boosters, Dr. Walensky said. The CDC said cases were recorded in 19 states, with the first one reported on Dec. 1. Most were young adults and about a third of those patients had traveled internationally, the AP reported. Dr. Walensky noted the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold. “What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be … we want to make sure we bolster everybody’s immunity,” she said in a Voice of America report. 

Unvaccinated people in Austria could face substantial financial penalties based off the details of a new plan created by the country’s government. According to Reuters, those who are not vaccinated could be fined up to $4,071 (3,600 euros) every three months. The country’s government recently announced that vaccines would be mandatory for everyone, making it the first country in the European Union to announce such a decision. The vaccine mandate still needs to be approved, but the country’s parliament is expected to pass it in order for the mandate to go in effect by February. “We do not want to punish people who are not vaccinated. We want to win them over and convince them to get vaccinated,” said Karoline Edtstadler, Austria’s minister for constitutional affairs.

South Africa reported just under 20,000 new cases on Wednesday, a record high since the country detected the omicron variant, Reuters reported. It is unclear how many of these cases are attributed to the new variant, but experts believe omicron is driving South Africa’s renewed surge in cases. Early evidence suggests that while omicron may be more transmissible, its symptoms may also cause less severe disease and lower levels of hospitalization. Still, South Africa has seen its economy falter with the discovery of the new variant, with international travel bans that were levied against the country devastating its economy.

An Indonesian holiday island looks more like a ghost town, with many hotels on the island shuttered due to the pandemic, AFP reported. Many of the crystal-clear beaches on the Gili Islands look abandoned, with the boats that are used to transfer tourists anchored and unused. Chef Ilhani used to run a thriving restaurant that served tourists every night, but he lost his job once tourists stopped coming to the island. “It’s extremely hard to earn money,” Ilhani said, adding that many of his friends in the tourism industry have been forced to shift to construction jobs “It feels sad when I can’t give money to my kids when they need something.” Of the 800 hotels on the Gili islands, less than 30 remain open. The United Nations estimates that the pandemic will cost the global tourism industry $2 trillion this year. To see the Gili Islands yourself, watch the video below.

A robust genomic sequencing program identifies key mutations in viruses, something that is crucial to tracking new variants of the coronavirus, but it is something that only a third of countries report doing, CNN reported. South Africa only sequenced 0.3% of all coronavirus cases last month, but still managed to track down the variant. Only a dozen countries sequence more than 5% of all coronavirus cases, including Denmark, Israel, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Senegal, New Zealand and others. The United Kingdom is the only country with an extremely high caseload that has maintained a high rate of sequencing, analyzing 13% of cases on average during the pandemic. The U.S. has only sequenced 4% of all its cases on average. "[The identification of omicron] highlights the continued importance and need for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and access to relevant samples to do this," said Sharon Peacock, a professor of Public Health and Microbiology at the University of Cambridge.