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Omicron dominated the headlines again this week. The new variant upended international travel when it was reported to world health officials by South Africa about two weeks ago. It has continued to spread and wreak fresh havoc throughout the world.
Holly Ellyatt is tracking cases in the U.K. where officials predict 1 million new infections before the new year. Spencer Kimball has the latest from the CDC and FDA, which rushed to approve boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds as new data shows two shots may not be enough against omicron. Meg Tirrell interviewed Pfizer's CEO and Dr. Anthony Fauci, learning how the vaccine stacks up against omicron and the need for a fourth shot.
| | WHO says omicron variant could change the course of the pandemic | Genetic changes to the virus affect both how contagious it is as well as its severity. The infection rate in South Africa suggests it could be twice as infectious as delta, but scientists say it still too early to tell whether it will make people sicker. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "certain features of omicron, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic."
-Annika Kim Constantino | | | | Pfizer booster shows promise against omicron | Three doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine do as well against omicron as two doses against the ancestral strain, at least when it comes to levels of antibodies that can block the virus, a preliminary study from the companies this week showed. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC Wednesday the variant may make it likely we need a fourth dose sooner earlier than projected. The findings make booster doses more important than ever, with Dr. Anthony Fauci telling us health officials are discussing daily whether to update the definition of "fully vaccinated" to include a boost.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | Pfizer Covid treatment pill will be ready to prescribe this month | Pfizer stands ready to distribute its Covid treatment pill Paxlovid as soon as the FDA and CDC sign off on the oral treatment pill, which could happen as early as this month. Bourla told CNBC earlier this week the company planned to submit data within days. FDA approval could come swiftly. Bourla said the final data on the drug held up well to initial trials that showed it was 89% effective in reducing hospitalizations and death. And unlike Merck's oral Covid treatment pill molnupiravir, it's not hamstrung by as many safety questions.
-Dawn Kopecki | | | | UK braces for 1 million cases by New Year as omicron spreads fast | The rise of omicron Covid cases in the U.K. is on such a steep trajectory that the country has been told to brace for 1 million cases by the end of the month. The UK Health Security Agency said omicron is displaying a significant growth advantage over the delta variant, "meaning that it is likely to outcompete delta in the U.K. and become the dominant variant" fairly quickly. The assessment is based on analysis of U.K. data showing increased household transmission risk, increased secondary attack rates (the chance of each case infecting another individual) and increased growth rates compared to delta. "If the growth rate and doubling time continue at the rate we have seen in the last 2 weeks, we expect to see at least 50% of coronavirus cases to be caused by omicron variant in the next two to four weeks," it said in a statement.
-Holly Ellyatt | | | | Covid cases more than doubled in South Africa last week | Week-over-week Covid cases jumped 111% as of Sunday with roughly 62,000 cases that week, according to WHO. The percentage of positive Covid tests also soared with almost a quarter, 22.4%, of tests coming back positive at the beginning of last week, a significant increase from the 1.2% positivity rate reported during the first week of November. The agency said Covid could be surging due to a number of factors, including omicron, scaled back health protocols or the low 25% vaccination rate across the country.
-Annika Kim Constantino | | | | Investors bullish on CVS' Primary Care Strategy | During her first analyst day as CVS CEO, Karen Lynch told investors the pandemic underscored the pharmacy's true competitive advantage in digital and in-person care: "People came to us. They trusted us." She's betting big on physician-led primary care to maintain that momentum. It may take an acquisition to do it, but Lynch says CVS is also committed to returning capital to shareholders, after reinstating buybacks for the first time since 2017.
-Bertha Coombs | |
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