December 22 coronavirus news

Scientists from the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) say they are now “highly confident” the new variant of coronavirus is more infectious than others, with a “hint” that it could be more transmissible in children. 

According to NERVTAG, the new variant — which is believed to have originated in southeast England — could be around 71% more transmissible than other variants. 

“As of last Friday, we felt we had moderate confidence because the data was coming in, but some of the analysis had been done very quickly,” Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University Oxford and chair of NERVTAG, said during a virtual press briefing on Monday.

Speaking alongside Horby, Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London noted that there is a “hint” that this variant “has a higher propensity to infect children,” compared with earlier strains. But he cautioned that “we haven’t established any sort of causality on that, but we can see that in the data,” he added.  

Another NERVTAG member, Wendy Barclay, head of the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, said earlier strains of the virus may have had a “harder time” getting into human cells using a receptor called ACE2. Adults, who have a lot of this receptor in their noses and throats, are “easy targets” compared to children. But under this hypothesis, a virus that can more readily use this receptor to enter cells may make children just as susceptible to the virus as adults, she said. 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some research suggests the UK strain may "bind more tightly” to the ACE2 receptor, but "it is unknown whether that tighter binding, if true, translates into any significant epidemiological or clinical differences.”

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said on Tuesday that she plans to retire, but she's willing to help President-elect Joe Biden's team as needed. 

In a tweet shared by reporter Amber Strong from the news site Newsy, Birx said she would serve as a resource to the Biden administration as needed.

"I will be helpful in any role that people think I can be helpful in, and then I will retire. I will have to say as a civil servant, I will be helpful through a period of time," she said.

Additionally, Birx said that she wants the "Biden administration to be successful." 

Her comments come days after The Associated Press reported that she traveled out of state for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many health officials warned the American public to not travel or attend any gatherings if possible. 

CNN has reached out to the White House for more details. 

Germany has extended its travel ban from the UK until January 6 – despite the European Commission on Tuesday recommending member states scrap the ban. 

“From December 22nd, 2020 until January 6th, 2021 inclusive, there is a transport ban for travelers from the United Kingdom to Germany, i.e. transport companies are prohibited from transporting travelers to Germany," the updated travel advisory said on Tuesday.

The advisory clarified that "a German citizen who wants to enter Germany at the border will not be refused."

“From January 1, 2021, people with residence and right of residence in Germany can be transported again. The federal government must approve the flights individually. The airline will obtain this approval. Travelers do not need individual permits,” the note added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the European Commission said: “While it is important to take swift temporary precautionary action to limit the further spread of the new strain of the virus and all non-essential travel to and from the UK should be discouraged, essential travel and transit of passengers should be facilitated.”

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced new statewide restrictions on capacity for businesses and lowered limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings amid rising Covid-19 cases numbers. 

Beginning on December 26, businesses in “most industries” will need to limit their capacity to 25%, Baker said, calling the decision to institute the new measures “enormously difficult.”

Additionally, indoor gatherings are now limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people, Baker said. 

The new restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks and do not affect K-12 schools, Baker said. 

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the aim is to keep the new measures temporary and said the 25% capacity restriction applies to industries including restaurants and personal services, theaters and event venues, casinos, offices, places of worship, retail stores, libraries, fitness centers, museums, indoor recreation, driving and flight schools, indoor golf facilities, and lodging common areas. 

The latest numbers: On Tuesday, Baker announced that the state had at least 3,760 new cases, with 1,991 people hospitalized and 410 people in the ICU, stating that the state’s hospitals “are now under significant pressure.”

The Massachusetts Department of Health also released updated guidance on Tuesday to hospitals, directing them to “postpone or cancel all nonessential inpatient elective invasive procedures in order to maintain and increase inpatient capacity” beginning on December 26, according to a statement from the governor’s office. 

The first senior citizens who are not living in long-term care facilities were vaccinated in Florida on Tuesday during a news event hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis at UF Health in the Villages. 

DeSantis did not provide a timeline for when more senior citizens will have access to the vaccine, but said it “is coming soon.”

Where things stand: So far, tens of thousands of senior citizens and frontline health workers in the state of Florida have been vaccinated against Covid-19, per DeSantis.

That includes seniors in 100 long-term care facilities in Broward and Pinellas counties and health care workers in five hospitals across the state.

DeSantis said Florida received 179,400 doses of Pfizer last week and 127,000 additional doses this week. And by the end of the day, DeSantis expected the arrival of 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine — which does not require ultra-cold storage — will be distributed more widely, at 173 hospitals throughout the state, DeSantis said.

As for who will be the first in line to get the vaccine as more doses become available, DeSantis said elderly will have priority.

American Airlines is telling workers who were furloughed because of the pandemic that they will get retroactive pay by Christmas.

In a new letter to employees on Tuesday, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom say that American’s 19,000 furloughed workers will be re-hired over time.

The $900 stimulus bill in Congress includes $16 billion for commercial airlines that have been struggling in the pandemic. It also bars them from making any new furloughs until March 31, 2021. 

“With this support, we will be recalling furloughed team members in order to reinstate pay and benefits effective Dec. 1, 2020,” says the letter. “We have taken steps to expedite payments to all furloughed team members.”

US airlines furloughed roughly 50,000 employees when restrictions attached to the first round of emergency coronavirus relief expired October 1. 

“Bringing nearly 19,000 team members back to work is a complex process and will take time,” American says. “While pay and benefits will be restored right away, people will be asked to return to the operation in phases.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has accepted the recommendation of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to prioritize older adults and frontline essential workers to receive Covid-19 vaccines in the next phase of allocation. 

On Sunday, ACIP members voted 13-1 to prioritize adults ages 75 and older and frontline essential workers to receive Covid-19 vaccines in phase 1b of allocation.

The committee vote also included prioritizing adults ages 65 to 75, people ages 16 to 64 who have high-risk medical conditions, and other essential workers in phase 1c of allocation.

The recommendations were published Tuesday in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

French citizens can return from Britain starting Wednesday providing they can show proof of a negative Covid-19 test, French Prime Minister Jean Castex's office said on Tuesday. 

The communique said that people living in France or the EU can also enter the country with a negative test result.

Some background: It comes after France closed its border with Britain on Sunday following the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant in the UK.

The specific procedures for resuming road freight traffic will be detailed in the coming hours, the communique said.

This arrangement will apply until at least January 6, except if a possible bilateral or European review takes place by then, it added.

“Planes, boats and Eurostars will resume service tomorrow morning. French nationals, residents in France and those who have a legitimate reason must present a negative test,” France’s Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari tweeted.

The Irish government has agreed to return the country to level 5 restrictions, Micheál Martin, the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), said on Tuesday.

With several specific adjustments, from Dec. 24 until Jan. 12, the people of Ireland will be facing tougher measures in response to the rising cases and the increasing threat of the new Covid-19 strain, currently circulating in the United Kingdom. 

Here's a look at the new restrictions:

While acknowledging that the tougher measures are difficult, especially in this usually festive season, the prime minister assured the nation that the measures are necessary, and preventive.

He went on to say that even though there is no hard evidence that the new strain of the virus has arrived in Ireland, the “safest and the most responsible thing to do is to proceed on the assumption that it is already here”.

These measures are to be reviewed on Jan. 12, 2021.