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Hawaii becomes fifth US state to confirm Omicron: Live

At least 10 cases confirmed, as US announces new measures to help curb the spread of the variant including boosters.

A person with symptoms gets tested for COVID-19 at a drive-up testing centre in Columbus, Ohio, , December 2, 2021 [Gaelen Morse/REUTERS]
Published On 3 Dec 2021

The US states of New York and Hawaii have reported its first cases of the Omicron variant, as the United States brought in new measures to combat COVID-19.

New York became the fourth state to confirm cases of the new strain, while Hawaii is the fifth with a total of at least 10 cases now reported around the US, including a second case in California.

Key developments:

  • The new rules to tackle COVID-19 in the US include stricter testing of inbound travellers and stepping up booster jabs.
  • Germany is planning to exclude the unvaccinated from all but essential shops and services, and is considering a vaccine mandate from February.
  • A United Kingdom study has found mRNA vaccines provide the biggest booster effect

Here are the latest developments:

Panama blocks travelers from eight African countries due to Omicron variant

Panama has announced that it would temporarily ban the entry of travelers from eight African countries due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The restriction applies to travelers who have been to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe or Malawi within a two-week period, Panama’s government said in a statement.

Panamanians and residents of the country who are vaccinated must present a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving in the country, while those who are not inoculated must place themselves in “preventative quarantine,” the government said.

California reports 2nd omicron case in 2 days

The US state of California is reporting its second confirmed case of the Omicron COVID variant in as many days.

The Los Angeles County public health department says a county resident is self-isolating after apparently contracting the infection during a trip to South Africa last month.

Additional cases were reported Thursday in the New York City area, Minnesota, Hawaii and Colorado bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the US to at least 10.

Epidemiologist warns of reinfection risks due to Omicron variant

Australia’s reports possible community transmission of Omicron variant

Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW) has reported its ninth Omicron case, which authorities say could be the first one acquired through community transmission.

NSW Health said the “virus may have been acquired in the community as the case has no overseas travel history or links to people with overseas travel history”.

Authorities said the case involves a student in western Sydney.

Hawaii reports first Omicron variant

The US state of Hawaii has confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant, saying it was a case of community spread and the person had no history of travel.

The person, an Oahu resident, had moderate symptoms. The person had previously been infected with COVID-19 but had not been vaccinated, the Department of Health said in a statement on Thursday.

Hawaii becomes the fifth US state to detect the variant, bringing the total number of cases in the country to nine.

New York finds five Omicron cases

New York has found five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to its governor.

That makes it the fourth US state to detect the variant.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told the media one of the cases involved a 67-year-old Long Island woman with mild symptoms of a headache and cough who had recently returned from South Africa.

The other four people were New York City residents, but the governor said further information was not yet available.

“No cause for alarm,” Hochul said. “We don’t have more information at this time but we suspect there will be more cases emerging, and the best thing everyone can do is to realize we are not defenseless against this variant at all, that vaccines, we know, are going to ensure there is less severe symptoms.”

mRNA vaccines provide biggest booster effect

A UK study has found the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when given 10-12 weeks after the second dose.

The “COV-Boost” study found that six out of the seven boosters examined enhanced immunity after initial vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, while all seven increased immunity when given after two doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

“A third dose will be effective for many of the vaccines we’ve tested and in many different combinations,” Professor Saul Faust, an immunologist at the University of Southampton and the trial’s lead, told reporters.

The study found that a full dose or half dose of Pfizer or a full dose of Moderna gave a very effective boost to both antibody and T-cell levels, regardless of whether the person initially received Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

INTERACTIVE- COVID19 - Omicron(Al Jazeera)

Click here for all the updates from Thursday, December 2.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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