More than 100 cases of new variant have now been found in England; Strict social distancing will be required in Ireland’s bars and restaurants with mandatory table service and a maximum of six people per table.
Summary
23:54
Here’s a roundup of today’s Covid-19 news, as the spread of the Omicron variant continues.
A further 75 cases of the Omicron variant have been identified in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 104. More than half of those infected with Omicron in England were double jabbed.
Five US states have reported having people test positive for the new Omicron variant for the first time; Missouri, Utah, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Nebraska.
Christmas should go ahead “as normally as possible” this year, despite concerns about the Omicron variant, according to UK prime minister Boris Johnson. He said that people did not need to cancel parties or nativity plays.
Two hippos in a Belgian zoo have tested positive for Covid-19, their keepers announced Friday, stressing that the giant animals do not appear to be in danger.
The Red Cross has said the Omicron variant is the “ultimate evidence” of the danger of unequal vaccine rates globally.
The US gave out nearly another 2 million doses of Covid vaccines on Thursday, according to official figures.
Cases in South Africa have risen above 3 million after a surge of infections driven by the new Omicron variant.
Global economic growth projects are likely to be downgraded due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director has said.
Another 221 people have died from Covid-19 in Brazil, its health ministry has reported. The death total, one of the world’s largest, now stands at 615,400. It registered 10,627 new cases on Friday.
Mexico has reported another 188 deaths from Covid-19 on Friday. Its death toll now stands at 294,903, according to the country’s health ministry.
Omicron variant drives South Africa cases above 3m
23:42
Cases in South Africa have risen above 3 million after a surge of infections driven by the new Omicron variant.
Another 16,055 new cases were reported on Friday, taking the total confirmed infections to 3,004,203.
“This increase represents a 24.3% positivity rate,” the government-run National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a daily update.
The majority of new cases on Friday, 72%, were detected in the Gauteng province – which has emerged as the epicentre of the new variant, AFP reports. It includes the country’s capital Pretoria and economic hub Johannesburg.
England reports 75 new Omicron cases
23:36
A further 75 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been identified in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 104. People who have tested positive and their contacts have been asked to self-isolate. Work is under way to find any links to travel.
Cases have been identified in the east Midlands, east of England, London, north-east, north-west, south-east, south-west and West Midlands.
Earlier on Friday health officials said that more than half of those infected with the Omicron variant were double jabbed.
Dr Jenny Harries, the UKHSA chief executive, said: “Increased case detection through focused contact tracing has led to more cases of the Omicron variant being identified and confirmed, as we have seen in other countries globally.
“We are continuing to monitor the data closely. Teams nationally and locally are working at pace to identify and trace all close contacts of every Omicron case. It is critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.
“We have started to see cases where there are no links to travel, suggesting that we have a small amount of community transmission.”
23:34 Andrew Gregory
More than half of those infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant in England were double jabbed, health officials have said, as the number of cases detected in the UK continues to rise sharply.
A further 16 cases have been found in Scotland in the past 24 hours, five times the increase recorded the previous day, with some linked to a Steps concert in Glasgow 11 days ago. Wales also announced its first case on Friday, and more cases have been discovered in England, although precise new figures remained unconfirmed on Friday evening.
The sharp rise in cases came as a new risk assessment from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the new variant is “transmitting rapidly and successfully”. A separate analysis by the agency of the first 22 Omicron cases in England also found that more than half of those infected had been double jabbed.
Related: More than half Omicron cases in England are in the double jabbed
23:34
Another US state has reported its first confirmed case of Omicron.
Utah said the case was discovered through “ongoing genetic sequencing”.
It joins Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Missouri and Maryland.
23:33
Mexico has reported another 188 deaths from Covid-19 on Friday.
Its death toll now stands at 294,903, according to the country’s health ministry.
22:26
There have been no Omicron deaths yet, according to the World Health Organization.
It has now been detected in 38 countries, but no deaths have been reported, the global health agency said on Friday.
The WHO has warned it could take weeks to determine how infectious the variant is, whether it causes more severe illness and how effective treatments and vaccines are against it.
“We’re going to get the answers that everybody out there needs,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said.
21:26
Four US states have reported having people test positive for the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Missouri and Maryland reported cases on Friday as more states identify incidences of it.
The midwest state of Nebraska confirmed six cases, Maryland had three. A man in his 30s tested positive for the variant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reuters reports. Missouri also has a single case.
21:23
Another 221 people have died from Covid-19 in Brazil, its health ministry has reported.
The death total, one of the world’s largest, now stands at 615,400. It registered 10,627 new cases on Friday.
IMF: Omicron likely to affect economic growth projections
21:23
Global economic growth projects are likely to be downgraded due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director said on Friday.
Speaking to a Reuters conference, Kristalina Georgieva said its current projections of 5.9% growth this year and 4.9% next year are likely to change.
20:33
The US gave out nearly another 2 million doses of Covid vaccines on Thursday, according to official figures.
A total of 466,348,132 doses were given out as of Friday morning, up from 464,445,850 the day before, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
More than 198 million people are now fully vaccinated with one of the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson inoculations.
20:16
The Red Cross has said the Omicron variant is the “ultimate evidence” of the danger of unequal vaccine rates globally.
In an interview with AFP during a visit to Moscow, Francesco Rocca, the president of the charity said: “The scientific community has warned… on several occasions about the risks of very new variants in places where there is a very low rate of vaccinations.”
About 65% of people in high-income countries have had at least one dose of vaccine against the coronavirus, but just over 7% in low-income countries, UN numbers show.
19:44
The US regulator for medicine has approved a dual-antibody therapy for children, including newborns.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday that Eli Lilly’s Covid-19 therapy for mild and moderate diseases could be used on children who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, Reuters reports.
19:29
Christmas should go ahead “as normally as possible” this year, despite concerns about the Omicron variant, according to UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
He said that people did not need to cancel parties or nativity plays. It follows comments by public health official Dr Jenny Harries that people should not socialise “when [they] don’t particularly need to”.
Johnson said: “I’ve noticed there’s been quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing about it, people concerned that they need to cancel their Christmas parties. That’s not right, we’re not saying that and we’re not saying that nativity plays have to be cancelled.
“I believe very strongly that kids should be in school and I also think that Christmas should go ahead as normally as possible. But the key point, the key point is that whatever the risk Omicron may pose, or may not pose, the booster is everywhere and always, vaccination is going to be your best protection, so everybody should get it.”
19:23
UK prime minister Boris Johnson visited a vaccine centre on Friday as part of a byelection campaign, but then got the name of his candidate, an NHS doctor, wrong.
On a visit to Oswestry in North Shropshire, Johnson saw Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst vaccinating people at a pharmacy. However in comments to the press, he called him “Dr Neil Shastri-Hughes”.
He said: “I think we’ve got a fantastic candidate, Dr Neil Shastri-Hughes, who I’ve just been seen contributing already to the life of the community by vaccinating people, he’s a doctor amongst his many other talents and what he’s also going to do is work very, very hard for the people of North Shropshire.”
19:10
October was the deadliest month for Russia during the pandemic, with its government’s statistics agency saying nearly 75,000 people died across the month.
Rosstat said on Friday that 520,000 people have died since Russia recorded its first case. It means the country has the third worst death toll behind the US and Brazil, according to AFP.
Authorities in Moscow have been accused of downplaying the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and Rosstat’s figure – released late on Friday – painted a far darker picture than official figures suggest.
This is Harry Taylor taking you through Covid news for the rest of the night. If you have any comments, tips or suggestions – drop me an email or get in touch via Twitter.
19:03
Two hippos in a Belgian zoo have tested positive for Covid-19, their keepers announced Friday, stressing that the giant animals do not appear to be in danger.
The infections at Antwerp Zoo are not the first time that zoo animals have tested positive during the pandemic, but most cases are thought to have been in cats and monkeys.
The building housing Hermien and Imani, a mother and daughter aged 41 and 14, has been closed to the public and their keepers have formed an isolated social bubble.
It’s believed to be the first time such animals have caught the virus.
19:00
Hi. That’s all from me, Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time, Handing over now to my colleague Harry Taylor.
Ireland announces new restrictions for bars and restaurants after warning risks are ‘just too high’
18:44 Lisa O’Carroll
Ireland has reintroduced restrictions to combat the risk posed by the Omicron Covid variant.
However the government stopped short of cancelling Christmas but has restricted interactions in private settings to four households.
Nightclubs will be closed from next Tuesday until 9 January; strict social distancing will be required in bars and restaurants with mandatory table service and a maximum of six people allowable per table.
The measures will return the country to limits which were in force until as recently as 22 October in a blow to the night time economy.
Indoor and sporting venues will be limited to 50% capacity and sporting events must be fully seated and a Covid certificate evidence double vaccination will be required for access to hotels and gyms.
In a televised announcement, taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “Our public health experts have been exceptionally clear in their advice to government. The risks associated with proceeding into the Christmas period without some restrictions…is just too high.”
18:38
Some key developments from today:
The Omicron variant is likely to be capable of causing a new wave of coronavirus infections that could be even bigger than previous waves, UK government scientists have warned.
Belgium is to close kindergartens and primary schools a week early for the Christmas holidays.
Switzerland is tightening restrictions and reinforcing its work from home advice.
Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally.
Wales has reported its first confirmed case of the Omicron variant, which is linked to foreign travel.
At least 13 people in the Norwegian capital Oslo have been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus following a corporate Christmas party
New analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) of 22 Omicron cases confirmed in England by November 30 shows that:- 12 of the 22 cases were more than 14 days after receiving at least two doses of vaccine.
Zimbabwe reported a sharp rise in coronavirus infections, a day after it identified its first case of the new Omicron variant. It announced 1,042 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, compared to just around 20 two weeks ago.
The Czech health ministry is reportedly preparing a decree making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for people over 60, as well as workers in critical sectors such as medical staff, police, soldiers and firefighters.
Canada has discovered a total of 11 cases of the new omicron variant, all of them among travellers who arrived from abroad.
Germany’s fourth wave of the pandemic could reach a “sad peak” in intensive care units around the country around Christmas, the outgoing health minister, Jens Spahn, has warned as he defended the decision to bar unvaccinated people from many areas of public life.
Doctors in South Africa said on Friday there had been a spike in hospitalisations among young children after Omicron swept through the country but stressed it was early to know if they were particularly susceptible.
A Steps concert in Glasgow is among the sources of new Omicron cases in Scotland, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) chief scientist has urged people not panic over the emergence of the Omicron variant and said it was too early to say if COVID-19 vaccines would have to be modified to fight it.
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi said some of the four diplomats who first tested positive for the Omicron variant in the country had come from Europe, calling for a reversal of widespread travel bans imposed against southern African countries, Reuters reports.
18:33
Israel’s health ministry has confirmed seven cases of the new Omicron variant.
Four of the confirmed cases are unvaccinated individuals who had recently returned from South Africa, AP reports.
The other three include two people who returned from South Africa and from Britain and who had received two doses and a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The third person returned from Malawi and had been inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The ministry said it has a “high suspicion” that another 27 identified cases of the coronavirus are also the new variant.
Eight of them are individuals who had either traveled abroad or been in contact with a recent arrival who has tested positive for omicron.
The rest could not be connected to foreign travel — an indication the omicron variant could now be spreading within Israeli towns and cities.
18:06
Italy reported 74 coronavirus -related deaths on Friday against 72 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 17,030 from 16,806. Italy has registered 134,077 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 5.08 million cases to date.
17:47
The Conservatives are pressing ahead with their Christmas party in spite of scientists’ fears over the spread of Omicron, as their co-chair told people to “keep calm and carry on” with festivities, Rowena Mason and Matthew Weaver report.
Labour has decided to cancel its Christmas function though it is not urging businesses to do the same.
Despite criticism of No 10 for allegedly holding lockdown-busting parties last Christmas, the Conservative party’s co-chair said on Friday that No 10 and the central party would be carrying on with their functions.
“We obviously wouldn’t set out details of private functions in No 10 but, as I say, there will be festive events in the run-up to Christmas,” said Oliver Dowden.
You can read the full report here:
Related: Tories to go ahead with Christmas party despite Omicron risks
17:46
Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally.
More than 15 countries in Europe have now reported confirmed cases of the new variant that has rattled financial markets.
Even before the discovery of Omicron, Europe was pandemic’s epicentre with 66 out of every 100 new infections each day coming from European countries, according to a Reuters analysis.
Eastern Europe has 33% of the total reported cases and about 53% of the total reported deaths in Europe. It makes up 39% of the region’s population.
The UK has so far reported the highest total number of coronavirus cases in the region followed by Russia, France and Germany.
The Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic has picked up speed in the second half of 2021. Europe has reported highest daily average of 359,000 new cases in second half as compared with highest daily cases of about 241,000 a day in the first half of the year.
It took 136 days for the European region to go from 50 million cases to 75 million, compared with 194 days it took to get from 25 to 50 million while the first 25 million cases were reported in 350 days.
17:46
New analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) of 22 Omicron cases confirmed in England by 30November shows that:
12 of the 22 cases were more than 14 days after receiving at least two doses of vaccine.
Two cases were more than 28 days after a first dose of vaccine.
Six were unvaccinated.
Two had no available information.
None of the cases are known to have been hospitalised or died, but the HSA said that “most of the cases have a specimen date that is very recent and that there is a lag between onset of infection and hospitalisation and death”.
17:45
The first case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in Mexico, the deputy health minister said on Friday. The infected person is a 51-year-old who travelled from South Africa, according to a post on Twitter from the deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, who added that the person has only presented mild symptoms so far.
17:44
At least 13 people in Oslo have been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus following a corporate Christmas party in the capital, and more cases are expected to be confirmed, local authorities said on Friday.
Norway reintroduced some nationwide restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 following the emergence of the new Omicron variant in the country on Thursday.
The outbreak took place at a Christmas party on 26 November organised by renewable energy company Scatec, which has operations in South Africa where the variant was first detected, Reuters reported.
The first person in Oslo confirmed as infected had attended the party, where at least one employee had just returned from the country.
All the attendees were fully vaccinated and had tested negative before the event.
“Health authorities have confirmed a further 12 cases of Omicron in Oslo after an outbreak,” the city of Oslo said in a statement. “So far 13 Omicron cases have been confirmed after sequencing. More cases are expected.”
Health authorities said the individuals infected were so far displaying mild symptoms, with none hospitalised.
“They cough, have sore throats and headaches,” Tine Ravlo, chief physician for the Oslo borough of Frogner, told broadcaster NRK.
Scatec said its focus was on taking care of its employees and limiting the spread of the virus.
17:44
Tunisia reported its first infection from the Omicron variant, the health minister, Ali Mrabet, said on Friday. The infected person was a 23-year-old man from Congo who came to Tunisia from Istanbul airport.
17:43
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has said the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant discovered in Wales is associated with foreign travel.
Public Health Wales has said the case was identified in the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area.
Drakeford told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “It is associated with international travel.
“The individual has been identified through our sequencing service and public health officials have now been able to contact them, their immediate contacts, and we are confident that the people who need to be in isolation are now doing that.”
Asked about the health of the affected individual, Drakeford said: “I am told that they are reasonably well and not themselves badly affected by the illness.”
17:08
More regions of Russia have made Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for residents age 60 and over as the country tries to control infections and to keep the Omicron variant at bay, AP reports.
Authorities in the northern region of Komi said on Friday that people in that age group are required to get fully vaccinated by 1 February. The Omsk region in Siberia introduced a more stringent timeline on Thursday that obligates those 60 and above to get their first vaccine dose by Dec. 24 and their second dose by Jan. 15.
Several other regions, including Lipetsk, Kurgan and the city of St. Petersburg, adopted similar mandates in recent weeks.
Some regions also imposed vaccine mandates for certain categories of essential workers.
Russia has struggled to get cases down amid low vaccination rates and poor compliance with public health measures.
About 40% of Russia’s nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, months before most of the world.
17:07
Two people who returned to Russia from South Africa on Friday tested positive for Covid-19 and their test samples are being studied to determine whether their infection was caused by the new Omicron variant, Russian authorities said.
The two have been hospitalised, Russia’s public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether their condition required hospital care or they were admitted to a hospital for additional testing because of the variant, AP reports.
Russia restricted entry for all foreigners travelling from countries in southern Africa and required all Russian nationals returning from South Africa or neighbouring countries as of Thursday to quarantine for 14 days because of the the Omicron variant, which was first reported by scientists in South Africa.
17:07
The Czech health ministry is preparing a decree making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for people over 60, as well as workers in critical sectors such as medical staff, police, soldiers and firefighters, the news website idnes.cz reported.
The government has been considering compulsory vaccinations due to lagging inoculation numbers compared with west European nations, Reuters reported.
The country of 10.7 million has been one of the world’s worst-hit in recent weeks by a surge in infections. Some other European countries have begun moving towards compulsory vaccinations, including the Czech Republic’s neighbour Austria, which has mandated shots for all citizens.
The report states the decree should be published next week, with the vaccine mandate effective from March.
But whether it remains in place long enough to take effect could be in doubt, as the government is due to be replaced by a centre-right coalition later this month following an election in October. The new coalition has been against compulsory vaccination for age groups, and lukewarm on mandatory vaccination for professions.
Just 59.6% of Czechs are vaccinated, compared to an EU average of 66.3%, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
17:05
Zimbabwe reported a sharp rise in coronavirus infections on Friday despite measures to stem the spread of the virus, a day after it identified its first case of the new Omicron variant.
It announced 1,042 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, compared to just around 20 two weeks ago.
After South Africa alerted the world to the new strain of Covid last week, dozens of countries imposed travel bans on southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, AFP reports.
South Africa led a chorus of criticism over the bans, but Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, instead imposed his own restrictions.
On Tuesday, he required a 10-day quarantine for all arrivals in the country, extended a night-time curfew, and required proof of vaccination to visit bars or clubs. But one case of Omicron was confirmed Thursday, and infections are soaring.
The country has limited health surveillance systems, and the huge jump in cases has alarmed authorities.
“We are now in a particularly dangerous period once again,” the health minister, Constantino Chiwenga, said.
As in neighbouring South Africa, a large cluster of infections appears to have emerged among students.
Many are also worried that, under the new quarantine requirement in Zimbabwe, the country’s large migrant population in South Africa will become stuck at the land border after crossing back over for the Christmas holidays.
Zimbabwe has reported 136,379 Covid-19 infections since March 2020, including 4,707 deaths.
Government scientists issue stark warning on Omicron, saying could lead to ‘very large wave of infections’
16:50 Miranda Bryant
Government scientists have issued a stark warning on the Omicron variant, which they say could lead to a “very large wave of infections” and high numbers of people hospitalised.
Minutes of a Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) meeting held on 29 November, released today, note that it is highly likely Omicron could escape immunity to some extent, but that it was unclear by how much.
The government scientists warned:
Even if there continues to be good protection against severe disease for individuals from vaccination (including boosters), any significant reduction in protection against infection could still result in a very large wave of infections.
This would in turn lead to potentially high numbers of hospitalisations even with protection against severe disease being less affected.
The size of this wave remains highly uncertain but may be of a scale that requires very stringent response measures to avoid unsustainable pressure on the NHS.
If vaccine efficacy is substantially reduced, then a wave of severe disease should be expected.
They added:
It is important to be prepared for a potentially very significant wave of infections with associated hospitalisations now, ahead of data being available.
Meanwhile, scientists at a meeting of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) subgroup on 25 November said it is capable of causing a new wave of coronavirus infections of a “magnitude similar, or even larger, than previous waves.”
In a note of the meeting, released by Sage today, scientists conclude: “We cannot exclude that this wave would be of a magnitude similar, or even larger, than previous waves.”
It adds: “Although data on disease severity associated with B.1.1.529 are not yet available, a large wave of infections will be accompanied by a wave of severe cases and the subgroup cannot rule out that this may be sufficient to overwhelm NHS capacity.”
Scientists said it is highly likely that omicron is a “fit” virus that is undergoing extensive community transmission in South Africa and potentially in other places. But they said there is insufficient data o make comments on the severity of disease brought by the variant.
16:36
Canada has discovered a total of 11 cases of the new omicron variant, all of them among travellers who arrived from abroad, chief public health officer Theresa Tam told reporters on Friday. “The need for heightened vigilance remains, regardless of which variant is circulating,” she said.
16:03
Does the Omicron variant mean Covid is going to become more transmissible?
Here Hannah Devlin, Guardian science correspondent, looks at the facts.
Related: Does the Omicron variant mean Covid is going to become more transmissible?
15:59 Andrew Gregory
The first case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Wales, in the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area, the Welsh Government has announced.
The case is linked to international travel, according to officials.
The government said it was “prepared to respond rapidly to emerging variants of concern and intensive investigations and robust public health action are being taken to slow any spread”.
Meanwhile, the public in Wales have been urged to follow steps “which keep us safe”, with the government calling for people to take up the offer of a vaccine.