omicron variant

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Better Omicron News Emerges in South Africa

Hospitalizations are down significantly when compared to the delta wave

(Newser) - Stories raising the alarm about the fast-spreading omicron variant aren't hard to find. For example, Britain estimates that 200,000 people are becoming infected with it each day at this point, notes the New York Times . And the same trend appears inevitable in the US. "No part of...

Omicron Called 'Biggest Threat' to World Health

Biden warns of 'winter of illness and death' for the unvaccinated

(Newser) - The omicron COVID variant is now the "biggest threat to global public health," health ministers from Group of Seven countries agreed at a meeting Thursday. A statement issued by the UK, which currently holds the G7 presidency, described developments as "very worrying" and said it is "...

Study Suggests Omicron Multiplies 70 Times Faster

Even if variant is less deadly, researchers say toll could be high because it will spread so widely

(Newser) - Researchers may have a clue to why the omicron variant is spreading so quickly, and what its advantage could be over the original and delta strains. Omicron multiplies in a person's bronchial tubes 70 times faster than the other two varieties, a study by the University of Hong Kong...

France Bans Travel to UK Without 'Compelling' Reason

British government has warned of 'tidal wave' of omicron cases

(Newser) - As European governments scramble to deal with the spread of the omicron variant, France has placed tough restrictions on travel to and from the UK, which currently has a far higher number of omicron cases. In a statement, the French government said it had reintroduced a requirement to have a...

Cornell Takes 'Dispiriting' Steps After Finding Omicron Cases

UK expects 'quite staggering' case numbers

(Newser) - Cornell University says it is taking steps to protect students and the wider community after a COVID surge that appears to include a "very high percentage" of cases of the omicron variant. The main campus in Ithaca, NY, is being shut down, final exams have been shifted online, and...

COVID: &#39;Everything Points to a Large Wave&#39;
COVID: 'Everything
Points to a Large Wave'
the rundown
Dec 14, 2021 8:57 AM CST

COVID: 'Everything Points to a Large Wave'

Major study suggests omicron evades vaccines better, though cases are milder

(Newser) - Research into the omicron variant remains in its early days, but another study reinforces the notion that it spreads more quickly but causes milder cases than previous versions of COVID. Details and related coverage:
  • Good and bad: A major study out of South Africa suggests that Pfizer's two-dose regimen
...

South African President Has Breakthrough COVID Case

Ramaphosa in 'good spirits' with mild symptoms

(Newser) - Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa tested positive Sunday for COVID after coming down with mild symptoms. He felt a little under the weather after a memorial service for former Deputy President FW De Klerk, and is now being cared for by the South African Military Health Service, per an...

Metal Band Named Omicron Says It Won&#39;t Change Its Name
Death-Metal Band's Name
Has Unfortunate Timing
in case you missed it
Dec 12, 2021 8:45 AM CST

Death-Metal Band's Name Has Unfortunate Timing

Belgian group Omicron says it's named after a constellation, not the latest coronavirus variant

(Newser) - Even bad publicity is supposedly good publicity, but whoever coined that phrase likely wasn't part of a death-metal band that shared its name with a coronavirus variant. Such a band formed two years ago, before COVID had overtaken the globe, and now the little-known Belgian group Omicron (which has...

Omicron May Have Spread Early
State Saw Omicron Signs Early
Dec 10, 2021 5:30 PM CST

State Saw Omicron Signs Early

California wastewater samples suggest variant was present before WHO's announcement

(Newser) - A finding in California supports the fear that the omicron coronavirus variant was spreading even before it was globally recognized. The state Department of Public Health said a mutation found in a wastewater sample on Nov. 25, a day before the World Health Organization announced omicron's existence, indicated the...

With Omicron Cases Rising, England Moves to 'Plan B'

New rules include COVID passes for nightclubs

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, warning of the spread of the omicron variant and the "remorseless logic of exponential growth," announced Wednesday that England is moving to "Plan B" for limiting COVID cases. The new rules, like those already in place in Scotland and Wales, make masks...

Here's How Pfizer's Vaccine Fares Against Omicron

3 doses 'offer a sufficient level of protection from disease of any severity'

(Newser) - Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine may be enough to prevent serious illness with the omicron variant, but may not be enough to prevent an infection, the companies said Wednesday. However, "preliminary laboratory studies demonstrate that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine neutralize the omicron variant,"...

Study Finds 'All Our Efforts' on Vaccines Not 'Trash' After All

Pfizer vaccine does appear to offer some protection against omicron, researchers find

(Newser) - When the omicron variant of COVID-19 first surfaced, a South Africa virologist was concerned it had evolved a new way of infecting cells, making vaccine antibodies entirely worthless. "Then all our efforts would be trash," Dr. Alex Sigal tells the New York Times . But, fortunately, that didn't...

Most Common Mispronounced Words, Names of 2021

Yes, 'omicron' is on the list

(Newser) - “Cheugy” is apparently a lot to chew on. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce have something in common—broadcasters butcher their names. And virtually everyone is iffy about "omicron." All four made it onto this year's list of most mispronounced words...

Dow Having a Strong Morning as Fears Ease
Dow Rises 600 Points
on Easing Omicron Fears
MARKETS
Dec 6, 2021 10:25 AM CST

Dow Rises 600 Points on Easing Omicron Fears

Investors in a better mood about the new COVID strain

(Newser) - Fears about omicron have helped hammer the stock market of late. Now, hopes that the new COVID strain won't be so bad appears to be doing the opposite, reports the Wall Street Journal . In early trading Monday, the Dow was up about 600 points, or 1.7%, while the...

Strategy May Not Change for Omicron

WHO official says target should remain the delta variant

(Newser) - Dr. Sikhulile Moyo was analyzing COVID-19 samples in his lab in Botswana last week when he noticed they looked startlingly different from others. Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern—one that appears to be driving a dramatic surge...

Hospitals Say Delta Variant Is Behind Surges in Cases

Omicron is 'another train coming'

(Newser) - While the world braces for a potential surge in omicron cases, American hospitals say they're in danger of being overwhelmed by a more familiar variant. Authorities in Minnesota and other states in the Midwest and Northeast say delta cases are surging and people need to take precautions and get...

Omicron Is in at Least 5 States
Omicron Is in at Least 5 States
Dec 3, 2021 12:34 AM CST

Omicron Is in at Least 5 States

Cases reported in New York, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii, California

(Newser) - The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the US before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease. Just a day...

Second Omicron Case Detected in US
Second Omicron Case
Detected in US
Dec 2, 2021 12:15 PM CST

Second Omicron Case Detected in US

This time, it's in a Minnesota man who had recently visited New York City

(Newser) - A not-so-surprising development about the omicron variant: It has now turned up in a second state. One day after health authorities in California detected the first known case in the US, authorities in Minnesota announced the second, reports NPR . The person infected is described as a man from Hennepin County,...

In Case of Surgeon With Omicron, Cause for Optimism

So far, just one of his many contacts has also tested positive

(Newser) - Dr. Elad Maor returned to Israel from a cardiology conference in London last week, thrice testing negative for COVID-19 before leaving the UK and after arriving back home. So he worked as usual, attending a hospital staff meeting, seeing patients, attending another cardiology conference, eating with colleagues, visiting with relatives,...

White House 'Pulling Out the Stops' With New COVID Plan

Strategy includes focus on at-home testing, booster shots

(Newser) - President Biden is set to roll out his administration's winter COVID strategy Thursday—and he says the nation will fight the virus "not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more." The White House says the new strategy, which Biden will unveil...

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