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Thursday, December 2, 2021
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
The Omicron Variant's Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios - The Atlantic
World, meet Omicron; Omicron, meet a lot of people who are very, very anxious to know more about you.
The arrival of the newest coronavirus variant, first identified in Botswana and South Africa and now present in the United States, might be bad news, or it might be terrible news—or maybe it’s just a temporary distraction from Delta. Ultimately, Omicron’s effect on the course of the pandemic will be determined by three factors: its transmissibility; the degree to which it evades our existing immune defenses; and its virulence, or the severity of the disease that it causes. If Omicron turns out to jump between hosts with ease, blow past our neutralizing antibodies, and cause unusually dangerous complications, we’ll all be in deep trouble. But it could also turn out to do a lot of other things, with more subtle implications. If Omicron ends up being super contagious, for example, but mild in its symptoms, that might even be a good thing—a perfect variant, just in time for Christmas.
At this point, living with the coronavirus for years to come is all but inevitable. In many countries that have had vaccines in hand for the better part of a year, inoculation rates still aren’t close to 100 percent. Even if every human on Earth gained a degree of immunity from vaccination or infection, the virus could retreat into its many animal hosts, only to reenter the human population in a slightly different form. “There’s no reasonable person, I think, in public health now who thinks that eradication or elimination or having zero COVID is a realistic goal,” says Tara Kirk Sell, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Given that this enemy cannot be vanquished, we’d all stand a better chance at survival if it were armed with a slingshot rather than a cannon. Doctors from South Africa and Israel have said that cases of Omicron seem to be less serious than Delta, so far. Zero severe cases or deaths have been reported among the nearly 60 confirmed cases in the European Union. But the data are very limited and prone to bias. Fewer than 250 cases have been reported worldwide, and the plurality of them are from South Africa, where a younger-than-average populace might be less susceptible to COVID complications in general.
If Omicron continues to show signs of being milder than Delta, that’s good news, of course. But if it also turns out to spread more quickly than Delta, that could be great news. When two variants are circulating, the one that infects more people more quickly will tend to dominate, said Samuel Scarpino, of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute. That variant could win out either because it replicates more quickly in its human hosts and spreads more efficiently between them—that is, it’s more transmissible—or because it more deftly evades the immunity we already have.
Immune escape sounds especially scary; after such a hard-fought battle to stay healthy until the vaccines arrived, or a hard-fought battle against the virus itself, no one wants to be told they’re susceptible again. But a reinfecting variant that doesn’t come with the risk of chronic symptoms or ventilators might not be such a bad thing, Elizabeth Halloran, a biostatistician at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told me. “If it can get around the vaccines, but in the end really causes less severe disease, that’s probably a step in the right direction.”
One possible downside to a super-contagious (or immune-evading), super-mild Omicron would be that those who catch it won’t end up with much protection afterward, Scarpino said. As my colleague Katherine J. Wu has reported, mild COVID cases may not lead the immune system to produce as many antibodies as do more serious illnesses. But Ali Ellebedy, an immunologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told me that mild infection doesn’t necessarily preclude a robust immune response. “Once you have a productive infection, your immune system has been engaged,” he told me. Even if you don’t feel sick, your body might be pumping out antibodies and training up T cells to fight off the invader the next time it arrives. And by stimulating even a relatively gentle immune response in enough people, a new, widespread version of the virus would make the global population that much better prepared for the future. “Any variant that comes will make it harder for the variant that comes next,” Ellebedy said.
Omicron could, of course, turn out to be pretty much anything. Maybe it’s somewhat more transmissible than Delta, but no more virulent; that, Kirk Sell said, could send us back to stricter masking and social-distancing programs for a while. Or else it might be less transmissible than Delta, and no better at slipping past our immune barriers, in which case “it’s going to be a blip on the horizon” regardless of how virulent it is, according to Halloran. If that happens, we’ll effectively be back where we were two weeks ago: stuck with Delta and waiting for the next shoe to drop.
There are worse fates. “In some ways, Delta is the ideal variant,” Scarpino said: It’s transmissible enough to dominate more dangerous variants, and its virulence can be controlled through vaccination. In the next few weeks, we’ll find out whether Omicron will have its own silver lining—or whether it’ll be catastrophically worse.
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California has reported the first U.S. case of the omicron variant - NPR
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The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in the U.S., health officials said on Wednesday. The case was detected in a person in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22," the CDC said in a news release. "The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative."
Omicron cases have been found in countries from Europe to the Middle East less than a week after the worrying new strain was first reported in South Africa. The U.S. now joins that list, which has grown despite countries' attempts to use travel restrictions to keep the omicron variant outside their borders.
The omicron variant's many mutations — including 26 to 32 in the protein spike alone — has led the World Health Organization to say it poses a "very high" risk to global health. While warning that the evidence remains preliminary, the WHO says omicron's mutations "may be associated with immune escape potential and higher transmissibility."
News of the U.S. omicron case in California comes after both President Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, said they believed it was inevitable for the variant to surface in the U.S. They urged Americans to get vaccinated or get a booster shot, and to be vigilant about wearing masks.
"This variant is a cause for concern — not a cause for panic," Biden said.
South African officials raised the alarm about the heavily mutated variant, B.1.1.529, on Nov. 24. Two days later, the WHO classified it as a variant of concern and dubbed it omicron.
One week after the alarm was raised, omicron has been identified in at least 23 countries, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
People line up to get tested for COVID at a site in New York City on Monday. The new omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, is quickly spreading around the world. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
On Monday, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued an update on the public health agency's advice for who should get a COVID-19 vaccine booster.
"Everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot either when they are 6 months after their initial Pfizer or Moderna series or 2 months after their initial J&J vaccine," she said in an statement.
This statement replaces earlier guidance that said people ages 18 and older but younger than 50 may receive a booster and others in certain at-risk categories or 50 and older should get a booster.
Walensky said the emergence of the omicron variant "further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19."
The omicron variant's large number of mutations quickly sparked fears that this version of the coronavirus could make COVID-19 spread more easily, and could be more likely to reinfect people who have already had COVID-19.
Researchers are working to learn more about how the omicron variant behaves, particularly whether it's more likely to cause serious illness than other strains.
"It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible" or if it causes more severe disease, the World Health Organization said on Sunday.
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Supreme Court set to dive into Mississippi abortion case challenging Roe v. Wade - NBC News
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will take up the most direct challenge to Roe v. Wade in nearly three decades when it hears oral arguments Wednesday over a Mississippi abortion law.
The showdown, which centers on whether the Constitution provides a right to seek an abortion, focuses on a 2018 Mississippi law, blocked by lower federal courts, that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, allowing them only in medical emergencies or cases of severe fetal abnormality.
Supporters argue that the law is intended to regulate "inhumane procedures" and that a fetus is capable of detecting and responding to pain by that point in a pregnancy. Opponents contend that the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the Constitution protects abortion.
The Mississippi law takes aim at the court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, as well as the 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The court has held that states can impose some restrictions on abortion as long as they do not present an "undue burden" and that the procedure cannot be prohibited before fetal viability, generally considered to be 23 to 24 weeks into pregnancy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last month that among the 47 states that reported abortion data for 2018 and 2019, the number of procedures increased by 1.7 percent. The CDC report estimated that 95 percent of abortions take place by the 15-week mark.
The most recent NBC News poll, released in August, found that 54 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Much of the country appears to be in the middle, with the poll finding that 23 percent of respondents said abortion should be legal "most of the time" and that 34 percent said it should be illegal "with exceptions."
The Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has yet to rule on the Texas law known as S.B. 8, which bans abortion after about the sixth week of pregnancy. The justices must decide whether two lawsuits challenging the unique structure of the law, which delegates enforcement to private lawsuits, can proceed.
The issue of whether the Constitution provides a right to seek an abortion is not before the court in the Texas challenges, but it is directly present in the Mississippi case.
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Nigeria detects a case of the omicron variant from October - NPR
A man receives an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Abuja, Nigeria last month. Nigeria has detected its first case of the omicron coronavirus variant in a sample it collected in October, weeks before South Africa alerted the world about the variant last week, the country's national public health institute said Wednesday. Gbemiga Olamikan/AP
Nigeria has detected its first case of the omicron coronavirus variant in a sample it collected in October, weeks before South Africa alerted the world about the variant last week, the country's national public health institute said Wednesday.
It is the first West African country that has recorded the omicron variant since scientists in southern Africa detected and reported it and adds to a list of nearly 20 countries where the variant has been recorded, triggering travel bans across the world.
Genomic sequencing of positive cases of COVID-19 among incoming international travelers has confirmed an omicron case dating back to October, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control said in a statement issued by its director-general. Nigeria has also identified two cases of the omicron variant among travelers who arrived from South Africa last week.
"Retrospective sequencing of the previously confirmed cases among travelers to Nigeria also identified the omicron variant among the sample collected in October 2021," Nigeria CDC director-general Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa said.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and if it can thwart the vaccine.
The Nigeria CDC urged the country's states and the general public to be on alert and called for improved testing amid concerns that Nigeria's low testing capacity might become its biggest challenge in the face of the new variant.
Testing for the virus is low in many states and even in the nation's capital, Abuja. For instance, in parts of Kuje, a suburb of Abuja, Musa Ahmed, a public health official, told The Associated Press that no one has been tested for the virus for weeks.
The detection of the omicron variant in Africa's most populous nation, with 206 million people, coincides with Nigeria's new requirement that all federal government employees must be inoculated or present a negative COVID-19 test result done in the last 72 hours.
With the vaccine mandate taking effect on Wednesday, there were chaotic scenes at several offices in the nation's capital as civil servants without a vaccination card or a negative PCR test were turned away by security agents.
Many of the workers and security agents were not wearing face masks.
"Governments should invest in promoting narratives around vaccine safety, efficacy, and the broader public health security implications of poor vaccines uptake," Adewunmi Emoruwa, lead strategist at Gatefield, an Abuja-based consultancy. "If public servants are convinced about these issues, they are naturally more effective advocates to their constituents."
Across Nigeria, the news of the omicron variant — which the World Health Organization has warned poses "very high" risk — has triggered concerns and renewed fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the airport in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city and economic hub, authorities insisted that travelers must wear their face masks at the counters, though not much attention is paid to many others flouting health protocols around the airport premises and in the city.
Nigeria — with 214,218 confirmed infections including nearly 3,000 deaths — has updated its travel advisory, ordering incoming international travelers to have a PCR test 48 hours before embarking on their trip to the country and two more tests, two days and seven days after arrival. Incoming international arrivals must also isolate for seven days.
Amid global concern over the omicron variant, the Nigeria CDC director-general told reporters that the country remains at alert in the face of the emerging crisis.
"We are working very hard to enhance ongoing surveillance, especially for inbound travelers, and also trying to ramp up testing (including) at the land borders," he said.
A slew of nations moved to ban travels from many countries especially southern African nations in the aftermath of the emergence of the omicron variant. But the move has been widely condemned by many including South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is currently in Nigeria on a two-day visit.
Further west on the continent, Liberia launched surveillance along its borders and placed health officers assigned there on full alert although no cases of the omicron variant have been reported there.
Liberia's Health Minister Wilhelmina Jallah urged citizens to take preventive measures but not panic. She urged them to take advantage of the vaccination campaign.
"You cannot go to war if you are not prepared for the war," she said. "And our preparation for this war against COVID-19 — whether it is alpha, delta or omicron — is to protect ourselves by getting at least a jab in your arm ... so we just want to raise this heightened alert."
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Saudi Arabia confirms first case of Omicron variant: COVID Live - Aljazeera.com
Saudi Arabia has confirmed its first case of the new Omicron coronavirus variant as countries tighten restrictions on international travel in an attempt to slow its spread.
Saudi Arabia’s state-run SPA quoted a source from the health ministry as saying the infected individual – a Saudi national who has been isolated – had travelled back from a North African country.
The announcement came as Ugur Sahin, the CEO of COVID-19 vaccine-maker BioNTech, said while the Omicron variant could lead to more vaccinated people becoming infected, they would likely remain protected against severe illness.
Meanwhile, a panel of US health advisers narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck which could lead to authorisation later this week.
Scientists have been scrambling to learn more about the effects of the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa last week.
It remains unclear where or when the variant first emerged. But nations have rushed to impose travel restrictions, especially on visitors coming from Southern Africa, despite the World Health Organization’s call for “rational” measures in response to the new strain.
Here are the latest updates:
South Korea reports first five cases of omicron
South Korea confirmed its first five cases of the new omicron coronavirus variant in people linked to arrivals from Nigeria, prompting the government to tighten the country’s borders.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the cases include a couple who arrived from Nigeria on November 24 and a friend who drove them home from the airport.
The two other cases were women who also traveled to Nigeria and returned to South Korea on November 23.
German ICUs expect coronavirus surge to hit hospitals at Christmas: Health association
Germany is likely to reach a peak of its fourth wave of COVID-19 infections by mid-December and this could mean 6,000 intensive care beds occupied by Christmas, the country’s association for intensive care medicine (DIVI) said.
Andreas Schuppert, a forecaster for the DIVI association, told a news conference he was “moderately optimistic” the peak in new cases would come in the next two weeks, but warned this would take time to have its full impact on hospitals.
“It is an ominous situation,” DIVI president Gernot Marx told reporters. “We would be well advised to react immediately. We must get ahead of the situation.”
Germany has recorded over 5.9 million cases since the start of the pandemic [File: Thomas Kienzle/AFP]
France to lift ban on Southern Africa flights from Saturday
France has said it will start allowing flights from Southern Africa to land on its territory from Saturday, but with “drastic” restrictions allowing only French and European Union residents to disembark, along with diplomats and flight crews.
These travellers must undergo a COVID test upon arrival, with a negative result still requiring a seven-day quarantine, while a positive test will require a 10-day quarantine, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal after a weekly cabinet meeting.
Vietnam to suspend flights to, from seven African countries
Vietnam will suspend flights to and from seven African countries over concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant, state media reported.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has approved the suspension, the Lao Dong newspaper reported, without saying when the move will come into effect.
All travellers from outside EU need negative COVID test: France
Travellers reaching France from outside the EU will be subject to the obligation of a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of their vaccination status, French government spokesman Gabrial Attal has said.
Talking to journalists after a government meeting, Attal said decisions regarding intra-EU travel would be coordinated by European leaders later this week.
Portugal will tighten COVID curbs around Christmas if needed: PM
Portugal’s government will not hesitate to impose restrictions during the Christmas festival if they are needed to control a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Antonio Costa has said.
Despite having one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, a recent uptick in infections and the emergence of the Omicron variant has prompted the government to reimpose some restrictions since Wednesday.
When asked if the government might take further restrictive measures during Christmas, Costa said: “We all wish that these measures are not necessary, but if they become necessary, we will take these measures.
“We must always be vigilant to take new measures, if necessary. That’s how we’ve been living for the past two years and we’ve managed to prevail, although it’s been hard for everyone,” Costa told reporters.
Ghana records first cases of Omicron variant
Ghana’s health ministry has detected the country’s first cases of the Omicron variant in passengers who arrived at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra following sequencing that was carried out on November 21, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service said.
EU pushes for daily travel reviews, mass booster shots
The EU needs daily reviews of its travel restrictions and rapid deployment of vaccine booster doses to limit entry and protect its citizens from the Omicron variant, the European Commission has said.
Europe is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases and a growing number of infections by the Omicron variant.
“We are now facing a double challenge in the fight against COVID-19,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet. “The rapid resurgence of Delta across Europe and a new variant of concern: Omicron.”
We are now facing a double challenge in the fight against #COVID19.
The rapid resurgence of Delta across Europe and a new variant of concern: Omicron.
Full vaccination and boosters provide the strongest protection there is. And they are available now. https://t.co/FOuda4Jbvj
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 1, 2021
Norway detects its first two Omicron cases, municipality says
Norway has identified its first two cases of the Omicron variant, the west coast municipality of Oeygarden said.
The two infected people had been on a trip to South Africa. Both of them are currently recovering from the infection, Mayor Tom Georg Indrevik said in a statement.
Norway on Friday decided to impose a quarantine on any travellers arriving from South Africa or neighbouring countries, following a similar decision by Denmark.
Uzbekistan restricts travel over Omicron concerns
Uzbekistan has said it would suspend flights to and from Hong Kong, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Tanzania and South Africa from December 3 to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Central Asian nation’s health ministry said residents of those nations and people who have recently visited them would be unable to enter Uzbekistan, while those arriving from Egypt, Israel, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic would be quarantined for 10 days.
Countries launch WHO pandemic accord talks
World Health Organization member states agreed to start work on building a new international accord setting out how to handle the next global pandemic.
Countries adopted a resolution at a special meeting in Geneva, launching the process that should result in a new agreement on pandemic preparedness and response coming into force in 2024.
“The text before us is the product of extensive discussions, of frank exchanges and of compromises,” said Australia’s ambassador Sally Mansfield, who co-chaired the working group. “Let us move forward together in solidarity to do the hard work that we have ahead of us.”
Saudi Arabia confirms first case of Omicron variant
Saudi Arabia has detected its first case of the new Omicron variant, the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported.
Quoting a source from the health ministry, SPA said the infected individual has been isolated along with those who were in close contact with them.
It is the first Omicron variant case reported in the Gulf region. The health ministry said the person was a Saudi national who had travelled from a North African country, without giving further details.
The Saudi ministry urged people to complete their vaccination and ordered travellers to respect self-isolation and testing rules.
A man displays his details on his mobile phone using the Tawakkalna app, which was launched by Saudi authorities to track people infected with the coronavirus, as he enters the Al-Othaim market in Riyadh [File: Ahmed Yosri/Reuters]
Danish concert-goer confirmed infected with Omicron variant
A person infected with the Omicron variant participated in a large concert on Saturday, the Danish Patient Safety Authority has said.
The person was one of 1,600 people attending a concert with Danish DJ Martin Jensen in the northern city of Aalborg on Saturday.
Denmark has already confirmed four cases of the new Omicron variant, all of whom had travelled to South Africa.
A spokesperson for the Danish Patient Safety Authority could not verify if the infected concert-goer had been travelling.
EU launch of COVID shot for younger children advanced to Dec 13
The EU-wide rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine version for five- to 11-year-old children will begin on December 13, one week earlier than previously planned, Germany’s health ministry has said.
Germany is due to receive 2.4 million doses for use as a two-dose regimen, the ministry said, adding it has a commitment on the new date from the manufacturer.
“Given the current pandemic situation, this is good news for parents and children. Many are awaiting this eagerly,” acting Health Minister Jens Spahn said in the statement.
First two cases of Omicron variant detected in Brazil
The first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Brazil, which could also be the first cases in Latin America.
Samples from two Brazilians who tested positive for the variant through the renowned Albert Einstein Hospital would be sent for confirmatory laboratory analysis, a statement from Brazil’s health surveillance agency Anvisa said.
According to the news portal G1, the cases involve Brazilian missionaries living in South Africa.
UK urges people to book booster shots as Omicron cases grow
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid has urged people to book a COVID-19 booster shot as he said there were 22 confirmed cases of the Omicron virus variant in the country.
Javid said the government believed a booster campaign would help protect against severe disease from Omicron, even if it turns out that vaccines are not as effective against the variant as previous strains of the disease.
Britain plans to offer all adults a COVID-19 booster shot by the end of January. Government data shows 81 percent of the population aged above 12 have had two doses of the vaccine, while 32 percent have had a booster shot or third dose.
Pedestrians wearing face masks walk along Regent Street in London [Alastair Grant/AP Photo]
Closing borders not the ‘answer’, WHO’s Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi says
Dr Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi of WHO Africa has said they are trying to warn other countries of the “emergency that might be coming through”, adding that shutting down borders is not the answer.
“Those countries, they’re going to … try their level best to get prepared,” she said.
“But closing the borders, or banning certain countries from entering – I don’t think is the answer.”
If you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated: Fauci
Dr Anthony Fauci, the US’s top infectious disease official, has urged those who are not vaccinated to get the jab, and those who are, to seek a booster shot.
“If you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated,” Fauci said. “Get boosted if you are vaccinated,” he added.
He also called on people to continue to use the “mitigation methods”, such as wearing “masks, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces”.
“Choose outdoors rather than indoors, keep your distance, wash your hands, test and isolate if appropriate,” he added.
France extends suspension of flights from high-risk Southern African countries
France has decided to extend until at least Saturday its suspension of flights from Southern African countries which have been hit hard by the Omicron variant, said French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune.
“As of this morning, we have extended the suspension of flights from seven Southern African countries until Saturday,” Beaune told RTL radio.
Air travellers to US set to face tougher COVID-19 testing
The US is moving to require that all air travellers entering the country show a negative COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure in response to concerns about the new Omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Currently, vaccinated international air travellers can present a negative test result obtained within three days from their point of departure. Nearly all foreign nationals must be vaccinated to enter the United States. Unvaccinated travellers currently must get a negative COVID-19 test within one day of arrival.
The new one-day testing requirement would apply equally to US citizens as well as foreign nationals.
Japan halts new incoming flight bookings over Omicron strain
Japan has asked airlines to stop taking new incoming flight bookings over concerns about the Omicron variant, the transport ministry said.
“We have asked airlines to halt accepting all new incoming flight reservations for one month starting December 1,” a transport ministry official told the AFP news agency, adding that existing bookings would not be affected.
German state reports four fully vaccinated people infected with Omicron
Four people in southern Germany have tested positive for the Omicron variant even though they were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the public health office in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said.
Three of the infected people returned from a business trip to South Africa on November 26 and November 27 respectively, and the fourth person is a family member of one of the returnees, the state public health office said.
“All four people are fully vaccinated. A mutation analysis carried out by the State Health Office has confirmed that all of them are infected with the new variant of concern,” the office said in a statement, adding that all four were in quarantine.
All four showed moderate symptoms.
Japan detects second case of Omicron variant
Japan has found a second person who has tested positive with the Omicron strain, broadcaster FNN reported.
The first case of the variant was discovered on Tuesday.
The country expanded its travel ban covering all foreign inbound travellers – including temporary or permanent residents – from South Africa and nine nearby countries beginning on Thursday.
Nigeria confirms Omicron cases
Nigeria has confirmed two cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant among travellers who arrived in the country last week from South Africa.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) also said retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed cases among passengers to Nigeria had identified the mutation among a sample collected in October. It did not provide further details.
“Given the highly likely increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, it is imperative to put in place measures to curb community transmission,” the NCDC said in a statement.
Malaysia to ban travellers from countries with Omicron cases
Malaysia will temporarily ban the entry of travellers from countries that have reported cases of the Omicron variant or are considered high-risk, its health ministry has said.
It will also delay plans to set up so-called Vaccinated Travel Lanes with those countries, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
UK reports new cases
The United Kingdom has reported eight new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number to 13.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new COVID-19 lockdown was unlikely despite worries about the new variant.
US panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill
A panel of US health advisers narrowly backed a closely watched COVID-19 pill from Merck, setting the stage for a likely authorisation of the first drug that Americans could take at home to treat the coronavirus.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel voted 13-10 that the antiviral drug molnupiravir’s benefits outweigh its risks, including potential birth defects if used during pregnancy.
“I see this as an incredibly difficult decision with many more questions than answers,” said panel chair Dr Lindsey Baden of Harvard Medical School, who voted in favour of the drug. He said the FDA would have to carefully tailor the drug’s use for patients who stand to benefit most.
Molnupiravir has already been authorised for use in the United Kingdom.
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Case against Jussie Smollett focuses on how 'hoax' unraveled - ABC News
Prosecutors will continue presenting their case against Jussie Smollett on charges he staged a fake assault on himself, prompting a massive Chicago police investigation
CHICAGO -- Prosecutors' case against Jussie Smollett has focused on how Chicago police say they determined that what they initially believed was a horrific hate crime was actually a fake assault staged by the ex-"Empire" actor with help from two brothers.
Testimony will continue Wednesday in the trial, which is expected to last about a week.
A lead investigator in the case, Michael Theis, said Tuesday that the brothers — who worked with Smollett on the Chicago set of “Empire” — detailed for police how the actor orchestrated the hoax. They said Smollett told them via text message to meet him “on the low,” paid for supplies including a clothesline later fashioned into a noose and took them for a “dry run” prior to the January 2019 alleged attack.
Theis, who now is assistant director for research and development for the Chicago Police Department, said roughly two dozen detectives clocked some 3,000 hours on the investigation, rebutting a defense attorney's statement that they rushed to judgment. He said police were excited when they were able to track the movements of two suspected attackers using surveillance video and cellphone and records from ride-sharing services.
“The crime was a hate crime, a horrible hate crime,” Theis said, noting Smollett — who is Black and gay — reported that his attackers put a noose around his neck and poured bleach on him. He said the case had become national and international news and that “everybody from the mayor on down" wanted it solved, a reference to then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Defense attorney Nenye Uche has said the brothers — who also worked on the set of “Empire” — attacked Smollett because they didn’t like him “because of who he is” and suggested Tuesday that the brothers were homophobic.
Smollett is charged with felony disorderly conduct for making what prosecutors say was a false police report. The class 4 felony carries a prison sentence of up to three years, but experts have said if Smollett is convicted he likely would be placed on probation and perhaps ordered to perform community service.
After police arrested brothers Abimbola and Olabingo Osundairo, the men said Smollett wanted to stage the attack because he was unhappy about how the TV studio handled hate mail the actor had received, Theis said. He said investigators checked out the brothers' account — including that the actor picked them up days before the attack and drove them around the downtown neighborhood where he lived and talked about what would happen — and corroborated their version of events using GPS, cellphone records and video evidence. Police found no instance where they concluded the men were lying, he added.
“At the end of the investigation, we determined that the alleged hate crime was actually a staged event,” Theis said, and the Osundairo brothers were released.
Jurors were shown surveillance video of the brothers buying supplies, including a red hat they told police Smollett wanted them to wear to resemble supporters of then-President Donald Trump, and a piece of clothesline police said was later fashioned into the noose. Jurors also saw a still image from a video that Theis said showed Smollett returning home the night of the alleged attack, with the clothesline draped around his shoulders. The clothesline was wrapped around his neck when officers arrived, Theis said, leading detectives to believe Smollett may have retied it.
Uche has portrayed the Osundairo brothers as unreliable, and said when police searched their home they found heroin and guns. The brothers will testify during the trial, but it’s unknown if Smollett will.
Uche asked Theis on cross-examination about a homophobic word one of the brothers used. Theis said there was a message containing a slur but that he doesn't know if that makes the man homophobic. Uche also asked Theis if he was aware one of the brothers attacked someone at the TV studio where “Empire” was filmed because he was gay.
“One individual said it happened, but I don’t know that it happened," Theis said.
Uche also sought to discredit the police investigation, suggesting detectives ignored possible leads. And he said a $3,500 check the actor paid the brothers was for personal training so he could prepare for an upcoming music video, not for carrying out the hoax, as prosecutors allege. Theis said the memo on the check said it was for “nutrition” and “training.”
Uche also has suggested that a third attacker was involved. One area resident said she saw a white man with “reddish brown hair” who appeared to be waiting for someone that night, according to police reports. She told a detective that when the man turned away from her, she “could see hanging out from underneath his jacket what appeared to be a rope.”
Under cross-examination, Theis acknowledged that he saw that statement but did not send a detective to re-interview the woman. He said she had seen the man a few hours before the alleged attack and that “the rope was a different color.”
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Check out the AP’s complete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case.
https://ift.tt/3DbjQPl
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