Headlines from the last seven days
1 CORONAVIRUS
Omicron variant soon ‘likely to outcompete Delta’
A leading infectious diseases specialist who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School believes the world is seeing “what appears to be a signal of exponential increase of Omicron over Delta”.
“It’s still early days, but increasingly, data is starting to trickle in, suggesting that Omicron is likely to outcompete Delta in many, if not all, places,” Dr Jacob Lemieux said in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Omicron, the variant first identified in South Africa last month, has been detected in at least 38 countries but no deaths had been reported as of earlier this week. The World Health Organization has said it could take weeks to determine how infectious Omicron is, if it causes more severe illness and how effective vaccines are against it.
Omicron has been found in at least 16 US states so far, and New York City has set a Covid vaccine mandate for all private employers from 27 December; they are already required for city employees. Germany announced a lockdown for the unvaccinated and is considering making Covid vaccines mandatory.
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2 UNITED STATES
Biden pays tribute to Bob Dole who has died aged 98
Joe Biden paid tribute to his “close friend” Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee who has died aged 98. The two
