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Omicron Spreads To 38 Nations, No Deaths Reported, Says WHO

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Omicron Spreads To 38 Nations, No Deaths Reported, Says WHO" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/pc82ijg_omicron-us-reuters_625x300_03_December_21.jpg" title="Omicron Spreads To 38 Nations, No Deaths Reported, Says WHO" /></div>
The US and Australia became the latest countries to confirm locally transmitted cases of Omicron. (File)
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Geneva:
The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said on Friday, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain's spread amid warnings that it could damage the global economic recovery.
The United States and Australia became the latest countries to confirm locally transmitted cases of the variant, as Omicron infections pushed South Africa's total cases past three million.
The World Health Organization 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.
The WHO said on Friday it had still not seen any reports of deaths related to Omicron, but the new variant's spread has led to warnings that it could cause more than half of Europe's Covid cases in the next few months.
<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covid-omicron-variant-could-displace-delta-whos-soumya-swaminathan-2636528" target="_self">The new variant could also</a> slow global economic recovery, just as the Delta strain did, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.
"Even before the arrival of this new variant, we were concerned that the recovery, while it continues, is losing somewhat momentum," she said.
"A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence."
A preliminary study by researchers in South Africa, where the variant was first reported on November 24, suggests it is three times more likely to cause reinfections compared to the Delta or Beta strains.
The emergence of Omicron was the "ultimate evidence" of the danger of unequal global vaccination rates, Red Cross head Francesca Rocca said.
South African doctors said there had been a spike in children under five admitted to hospital since Omicron emerged, but stressed it was too early to know if young children were particularly susceptible.
"The incidence in those under-fives is now second-highest, and second only to the incidence in those over 60," said Wassila Jassat from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
In the US, two cases involved residents with no recent international travel history -- showing Omicron is already circulating inside the country.
"This is a case of community spread," the Hawaii Health Department said.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled his plans to battle Covid-19 during the winter, with new testing requirements for travellers and a surge in vaccination efforts.
"Kick in the nuts"
All incoming travellers will need to test negative within a day of their flights, and rapid tests that cost $25 will be covered by insurance and distributed free to the uninsured.
Australia on Friday reported three students in Sydney had tested positive for the variant, despite a ban on non-citizens entering the country and restrictions on flights from southern Africa, with multiple countries rushing to limit travel from the region in the past week.
"It's quite a kick in the nuts," said Sabine Stam, who runs a South African tour company and whose customers are demanding refunds. "Everyone is too scared to set a new travel date," she said.
In Norway, officials said at least 13 people who contracted Covid-19 after an office Christmas party in Oslo last week had the Omicron variant -- though so far they have only had mild symptoms, city health official Tine Ravlo told AFP.
But the government ushered in restrictions in greater Oslo after fears of the cluster surfaced.
On Friday, Malaysia also reported a first Omicron infection in a foreign student arriving from South Africa on November 19. Sri Lanka also announced its first case, a citizen returning from South Africa.
Russia's federal statistics agency Rosstat, meanwhile, said that nearly 75,000 people died of coronavirus in the country in October, making it the deadliest month of the pandemic.
Snogging discouraged
The new variant poses a major challenge to ending the pandemic.
Rising Delta cases had already forced European governments to reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing, curfews or lockdowns, leaving businesses fearing another grim Christmas.
Belgian authorities said on Friday that primary schools would close a week early for the Christmas holidays.
Germany's regional leaders agreed new measures including a ban on fireworks at new year parties to discourage large gatherings.
Ireland said it will close nightclubs and reintroduce social distancing in some settings over Christmas and the New Year.
In the UK, ministers have been expressing divergent opinions, not only on the idea of hosting parties, but also on the kind of conduct deemed acceptable.
"For what it's worth, I don't think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe," said one minister, Therese Coffey.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/no-omicron-deaths-yet-as-new-covid-19-variant-spreads-in-38-countries-world-health-organization-2636600">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/no-omicron-deaths-yet-as-new-covid-19-variant-spreads-in-38-countries-world-health-organization-2636600</a>

news world Omicron Spreads To 38 Nations, No Deaths Reported, Says WHO

The US and Australia became the latest countries to confirm locally transmitted cases of Omicron. (File) Geneva: The Omicron variant ha...

Probe Ordered Into Brazilian President Bolsonaro For Linking Covid Vaccines To AIDS

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Probe Ordered Into Brazilian President Bolsonaro For Linking Covid Vaccines To AIDS" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-11/0g5oq9sg_jair-bolsonaro-reuters_625x300_01_November_21.jpg" title="Probe Ordered Into Brazilian President Bolsonaro For Linking Covid Vaccines To AIDS" /></div>
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declined to take the Covid vaccine. (File)
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Brasilia:
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered on Friday that a probe be opened into President Jair Bolsonaro for having said during a live broadcast on multiple social media platforms in October that COVID-19 vaccines may raise the chance of contracting AIDS.
Bolsonaro, who has declined to take the vaccine, was temporarily suspended from both Facebook and YouTube after his comments.
The decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes came in response to a request from a Senate investigative committee, known in Portuguese as a CPI, which found in October that Bolsonaro committed nine crimes related to his widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including crimes against humanity.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, COVID-19 vaccines approved by health regulators are safe for most people, including those living with HIV, the virus that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome known as AIDS.
The CPI had already handed over its roughly 1,300-page report to the office of Brazil's prosecutor-general (PGR) in October, though few expect any significant action given that the nation's current top prosecutor was appointed by Bolsonaro.
In practice, Moraes' decision implies that he will be closely supervising the PGR probe, as the Supreme Court does not conduct its own investigations.
"In order for judicial supervision to be carried out in an effective and comprehensive manner, it is indispensable that documents be presented showing the status of the investigation in question," Moraes said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/probe-ordered-into-brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-for-linking-covid-vaccines-to-aids-2636590">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/probe-ordered-into-brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-for-linking-covid-vaccines-to-aids-2636590</a>

news world Probe Ordered Into Brazilian President Bolsonaro For Linking Covid Vaccines To AIDS

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declined to take the Covid vaccine. (File) Brasilia: A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered o...

Omicron Likely Picked Up Genetic Material From Common Cold Virus: Study

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Omicron Likely Picked Up Genetic Material From Common Cold Virus: Study" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/fu3vdvag_omicron_625x300_03_December_21.jpg" title="Omicron Likely Picked Up Genetic Material From Common Cold Virus: Study" /></div>
More research is needed to confirm the origins of Omicron's mutations. (File)
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New York:
The Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 likely acquired at least one of its mutations by picking up a snippet of genetic material from another virus - possibly one that causes the common cold - present in the same infected cells, according to researchers.
This genetic sequence does not appear in any earlier versions of the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, but is ubiquitous in many other viruses including those that cause the common cold, and also in the human genome, researchers said.
By inserting this particular snippet into itself, Omicron might be making itself look "more human," which would help it evade attack by the human immune system, said Venky Soundararajan of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based data analytics firm nference, who led the study https://osf.io/f7txy posted on Thursday on the website OSF Preprints.
This could mean the virus transmits more easily, while only causing mild or asymptomatic disease. Scientists do not yet know whether Omicron is more infectious than other variants, whether it causes more severe disease or whether it will overtake Delta as the most prevalent variant. It may take several weeks to get answers to these questions.
Cells in the lungs and in the gastrointestinal system can harbor SARS-CoV-2 and common-cold coronaviruses simultaneously, according to earlier studies. Such co-infection sets the scene for viral recombination, a process in which two different viruses in the same host cell interact while making copies of themselves, generating new copies that have some genetic material from both "parents."
This new mutation could have first occurred in a person infected with both pathogens when a version of SARS-CoV-2 picked up the genetic sequence from the other virus, Soundararajan and colleagues said in the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The same genetic sequence appears many times in one of the coronaviruses that causes colds in people - known as HCoV-229E - and in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, Soundararajan said.
South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, has the world's highest rate of HIV, which weakens the immune system and increases a person's vulnerability to infections with common-cold viruses and other pathogens. In that part of the world, there are many people in whom the recombination that added this ubiquitous set of genes to Omicron might have occurred, Soundararajan said.
"We probably missed many generations of recombinations" that occurred over time and that led to the emergence of Omicron, Soundararajan added.
More research is needed to confirm the origins of Omicron's mutations and their effects on function and transmissibility. There are competing hypotheses that the latest variant might have spent some time evolving in an animal host.
In the meantime, Soundararajan said, the new findings underscore the importance of people getting the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
"You have to vaccinate to reduce the odds that other people, who are immunocompromised, will encounter the SARS-CoV-2 virus," Soundararajan said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/omicron-variant-may-have-picked-up-piece-of-common-cold-virus-2636575">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/omicron-variant-may-have-picked-up-piece-of-common-cold-virus-2636575</a>

news world Omicron Likely Picked Up Genetic Material From Common Cold Virus: Study

More research is needed to confirm the origins of Omicron's mutations. (File) New York: The Omicron variant of the virus that cause...

US Nurse Jailed For 10 Years For Raping, Impregnating Disabled Woman

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Nurse Jailed For 10 Years For Raping, Impregnating Disabled Woman" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/0885q2ig_us-police-generic-afp_625x300_01_December_21.jpg" title="US Nurse Jailed For 10 Years For Raping, Impregnating Disabled Woman" /></div>
The nurse was jailed for 10 years and will be registered as a sex offender. (Representational)
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Los Angeles:
A nurse who raped and impregnated a severely disabled woman in his care has been jailed for 10 years in the US state of Arizona, local media reported Friday.
Nathan Sutherland admitted sexually abusing his then-29-year-old patient at the facility in Phoenix, where she had been cared for since she was three.
The victim, who has not been named, suffers from significant mental disability due to seizures early in her childhood, her family has said.
"She does not speak but has some ability to move her limbs, head and neck," a statement issued through their attorney said.
"Their daughter responds to sound and is able to make facial gestures. The important thing is that she is a beloved daughter, albeit with significant intellectual disabilities."
A healthy baby was born as a result of the assault in December 2019.
Staff at the health care center said they were unaware that the young woman was pregnant until the time of her delivery.
DNA samples of male employees at the care facility revealed Sutherland was the father.
He initially denied responsibility, but later confessed.
Sutherland, who had worked at the institution since 2012, was jailed for 10 years on Thursday by a Phoenix court.
He will also be subject to lifetime supervision and will be registered as a sex offender.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-nurse-jailed-for-10-years-for-raping-impregnating-disabled-woman-2636555">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-nurse-jailed-for-10-years-for-raping-impregnating-disabled-woman-2636555</a>

news world US Nurse Jailed For 10 Years For Raping, Impregnating Disabled Woman

The nurse was jailed for 10 years and will be registered as a sex offender. (Representational) Los Angeles: A nurse who raped and impre...

IMF Chief Warns Omicron Variant Could Slow Global Economy Recovery

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="IMF Chief Warns Omicron Variant Could Slow Global Economy Recovery" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-12/fu3vdvag_omicron_625x300_03_December_21.jpg" title="IMF Chief Warns Omicron Variant Could Slow Global Economy Recovery" /></div>
The IMF raised concerns that uneven distribution of vaccines was slowing the rebound. (File)
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Washington:
The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could slow the global economic recovery, just as the Delta strain did, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said Friday.
"A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence and in that sense, we are likely to see some downgrades of our October projections for global growth," she said at a Reuters event.
In its most recent World Economic Outlook, the fund projected global growth of 5.9 percent this year and 4.9 percent in 2022, but the United States and other major economies suffered sharp downward revisions after the spread of the Delta variant "caused some friction," Georgieva said.
"Even before the arrival of this new variant, we were concerned that the recovery, while it continues, is losing somewhat momentum," the IMF chief said, noting that policymakers are now dealing with new issues like inflation.
The IMF's most-recent forecasts raised concerns that global supply chain issues and uneven distribution of vaccines were slowing the rebound, and causing some countries to be left behind.
A surge in demand in many advanced economies coupled with shortages of key components like semiconductors has fueled a wave of prices increases.
Less than two months ago, Georgieva expressed confidence that inflation would not become a "runaway train" but on Friday she said the US Federal Reserve will have to increase interest rates in 2022, rather than in 2023, as the IMF previously predicted.
The Fed, which cut the benchmark lending rate to zero in the early days of the pandemic, already has started to pull back on its stimulus measures and has signaled it will speed up that process, which would put it in position to lift rates off zero by midyear.
"We do believe that the path to policy rate increases may be walked faster," Georgieva said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/imf-chief-warns-omicron-covid-variant-could-slow-global-economy-recovery-2636553">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/imf-chief-warns-omicron-covid-variant-could-slow-global-economy-recovery-2636553</a>

news world IMF Chief Warns Omicron Variant Could Slow Global Economy Recovery

The IMF raised concerns that uneven distribution of vaccines was slowing the rebound. (File) Washington: The new Omicron variant of Cov...

Video: Paris Police Check Proof of Vaccination While Diners Eat

The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah questioned whether the CEO of Moderna had a conflict of interest in calling for new vaccines to fight Omicron, only to be attacked as an “anti-vaxxer” by his own fans.
Yes, really.
A clip of the segment was posted on Twitter a few hours ago and is already stoking controversy.
In it, Noah points out that all the cases of Omicron so far have been characterized by mild symptoms, a perfectly accurate point (no one in the world has died from the new variant yet).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="6.5769230769231">
Moderna’s CEO hints at needing new vaccines to get ahead of Omicron. Hmm… <a href="https://t.co/aYBNSWjodF">pic.twitter.com/aYBNSWjodF</a>
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1466513437115105281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“The guy who stands to make millions of dollars from new vaccines says we need new vaccines, huh?” asked Noah.
The comedian then made a joke about Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel buying a Ferrari with his vast profits.
Earlier this week, Bancel <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/27def1b9-b9c8-47a5-8e06-72e432e0838f">said</a> that existing vaccines wouldn’t provide sufficient protection against the Omicron variant, remarking, “This is not going to be good.”
“I’m not saying that the CEO of Moderna is lying…I’m just saying I don’t think he’s the most objective source on this topic,” said Noah. “I’ll wait to hear what neutral experts say about a new vaccine.”
However, the comments in the thread below what are perfectly cogent comments by Noah are filled with angry leftists denouncing him as an “anti-vaxxer.”
“Jesus. What’s the difference between this and what the anti-vaxx right has been saying?” asked Nick Pappas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="7.0656934306569">
Jesus. What’s the difference between this and what the anti-vaxx right has been saying?
— Nick Pappas (@NickAPappas) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickAPappas/status/1466518732872761354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“@Trevornoah indistinguishable from an antivaxxer right now,” complained another.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="7.4716981132075">
Jesus what happened to this show after John Stewart left?<a href="https://twitter.com/Trevornoah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Trevornoah</a> indistinguishable from an antivaxxer right now
— FrostZyzz (@FrostZyzz) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrostZyzz/status/1466525072580124672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“This is irresponsible and can get people killed. Shame on y’all,” remarked another.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="7.030303030303">
This is irresponsible and can get people killed. Shame on y’all.
— THEE Tío Sam 🇺🇸🇨🇺 (@TioSamSays) <a href="https://twitter.com/TioSamSays/status/1466518266449383435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
Questioning the impartiality of the CEO of Moderna when it comes to selling vaccines will “get people killed”?
That’s quite the stretch.
“This is literally the same rhetoric anti-vaxxers use,” said another.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="6.8363636363636">
This is literally the same rhetoric anti-vaxxers use
— Gore 🇺🇸 🏗 (@AlbertGorebert) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertGorebert/status/1466519671126044672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“This is no different than anti vax messaging,” commented another.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="6.5287356321839">
This is no different than anti vax messaging
— Stef (@Stefanltweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stefanltweets/status/1466543366137532416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
A significant portion of other comments however praised Noah for at least showing some level of reasoned skepticism, something that is completely absent in other late night talk show hosts.
Case in point, and we’re sorry to remind you about this, being Stephen Colbert.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/12/03/video-paris-police-check-proof-of-vaccination-while-diners-eat/">https://summit.news/2021/12/03/video-paris-police-check-proof-of-vaccination-while-diners-eat/</a>

revolution summit Video: Paris Police Check Proof of Vaccination While Diners Eat

The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah questioned whether the CEO of Moderna had a conflict of interest in calling for new vaccines to fight Omicron, ...