Tag Archives: omicron variant

Reuters reports: US carriers Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group canceled hundreds of flights on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions and rising cases of the Omicron variant – and expected more cancellations today. Delta said it expected to cancel more flights today after canceling the more than 250 of 4,133 scheduled flights on Tuesday, while Alaska canceled 170 …

The Washington Post reports: The lightning spread of the coronavirus’s omicron variant in the United States pushed the seven-day average of new daily cases to 253,245 as of Tuesday afternoon, surpassing the previous high of 248,209 cases on Jan. 12. The omicron variant, first identified late last month in southern Africa, has sent infections soaring to levels not seen since …

Reuters reports: Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron could displace the Delta variant of the coronavirus because infection with the new variant boosts immunity to the older one. The study only covered a small group of people and has not been peer-reviewed, but it found that people who were infected with Omicron, especially those who were vaccinated, developed …

The Insider reports: Subway services across New York City are set to run less frequently from Monday to Thursday as COVID-19 cases swell. The New York City Transit Authority, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said on Sunday that subways would be less frequent and passengers may have to wait longer for their train. It advised people to check …

CNN Business reports: Major US airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, the third day in a row of mass cancellations and delays over Christmas weekend, as staff and crew call out sick amid the Omicron surge. More than 1,200 US flights were canceled and more than 5,000 were delayed Sunday, according to FlightAware. Globally, there were over 2,000 cancellations. Delta …

ESPN reports: The Military and Fenway bowls were canceled Sunday as a result of COVID-19 issues with participating teams. Boston College had over 40 players unavailable to play in the Military Bowl against East Carolina on Monday. Virginia also had players test positive for COVID-19, making it unable to travel and play SMU at the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, set for …

The Associated Press reports: Holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, even as shoppers grappled with higher prices, product shortages and a raging new Covid-19 variant in the last few weeks of the season, according to one spending measure. Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, reported Sunday that holiday …

The Associated Press reports: FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted 941 flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. canceled Saturday, up from 690 Friday. Over 200 more flights were already canceled for Sunday. Delta, United and JetBlue on Friday had all said the omicron variant was causing staffing problems leading to flight  According to FlightAware, the three airlines canceled more than …

NBC News reports: Tens of millions. That’s how many rapid COVID-19 tests Indianapolis-based Roche Diagnostics plans to make, now that they have the green light from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA granted emergency use authorization Friday for an at-home COVID-19 test developed by Roche. The test is for individuals ages 2 and older and can be collected and …

Sky News reports: The UK has recorded 122,186 new cases of coronavirus and a further 137 deaths, the latest daily figures show. It is the highest number of new infections reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Yesterday there were 119,789 cases and 147 fatalities within 28 days of a positive test recorded. Head of the UKHSA, Dr Jenny Harries, …

Reuters reports: Commercial airlines around the world canceled more than 4,500 flights over the Christmas weekend, as a mounting wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant created greater uncertainty and misery for holiday travelers. Airline carriers globally scrapped at least 2,401 flights on Friday, which fell on Christmas Eve and is typically a heavy day for air travel, …

ESPN reports: The EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl was canceled after Hawai’i announced Thursday that it was pulling out of the game, citing COVID-19 issues within the program in addition to injuries and transfers. The game was scheduled to be played Friday in Honolulu. “The health and safety of our student-athletes is the most important part of this decision,” Hawai’i athletic director …

Reuters reports: The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month over concerns about the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant, the White House said Friday. Foreign nationals who are barred from the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the prior 14 days will again be allowed on U.S.-bound …

The Washington Post reports: The United States logged a seven-day average coronavirus case count of 168,981 on Wednesday, amid a nationwide spike driven partly by the omicron variant, Washington Post figures show, surpassing a summer peak of just over 165,000 infections on Sept. 1. Even before omicron was detected, coronavirus-related hospitalizations were rising in the United States. About 46,000 people …

Reuters reports: As Germany pushes out third shots amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, its health minister is looking toward a fourth shot against a fifth wave. Karl Lauterbach told reporters Wednesday that Germany has enough supply to meet its year-end goal of 30 million vaccinations. The government wants another 30 million by the end of January. “Personally, as …

The BBC reports: A government panel of experts in Israel has recommended a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine for all people aged over 60 and healthcare workers. The move was welcomed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett [photo], who said it would help the country get through a potential wave of the Omicron variant. The Israeli health ministry has so …

Defense One reports: Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide. The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on …

Gothamist reports: New York State Attorney General Letitia James warned the pop-up COVID testing site company LabQ to be more truthful about delays in turnaround times for the results of PCR COVID tests. She also urged New Yorkers to report examples of price gouging to her office if they were charged exorbitant sums for at-home Covid-19 test kits — currently …

Florida Politics reports: As winter solstice arrives, the autumn lull in the COVID-19 pandemic — which Florida has enjoyed since mid-October — appears to be over. Perhaps driven by the new omicron variant, the Sunshine State saw its recent COVID-19 caseload more than triple in the past week, and in time to put a pall on Christmas. Tuesday’s latest federal …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden on Tuesday outlined plans to expand coronavirus testing sites across the country, distribute a half-billion free at-home tests and deploy more federal health resources to aid strained hospitals, as the omicron variant drives a fresh wave of infections. At the White House, Biden acknowledged that Americans are “tired, worried and frustrated” with covid-19, which …