The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and Supreme Court ruling

By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Jack Guy, Aditi Sangal, Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Updated 0052 GMT (0852 HKT) January 14, 2022
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9:36 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

Covid-19 cases have begun to plateau in Africa in last 2 weeks, WHO says

From CNN's Bethlehem Feleke in Nairobi 

People receive a PCR test at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on Saturday.
People receive a PCR test at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on Saturday. (Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

Covid-19 cases in Africa have begun to plateau in the last two weeks, Dr. Abdou Salam Gueye, director of regional emergencies for WHO Africa, said in a virtual briefing on Thursday. 

"Encouragingly, after a six-week surge, Africa's fourth pandemic wave that has been primarily driven by the Omicron variant has recorded its first drop in cases... this marks the shortest life surge to date on the continent," he said, while cautioning that underreporting during the holiday period could be a factor. 

East, central and southern Africa have reported a decrease in cases in the week ending on January 9th, while cases in west and northern Africa have risen.

Deaths across the continent have risen 64% in the same week compared to the previous week, mainly in infected high-risk people, although deaths in the fourth wave remain lower than previous waves.  

In South Africa, where the wave has been less severe with less hospitalizations, "we are still seeing very serious infections and admissions in patients who are unvaccinated and also in patients who have comorbidities and this includes the elderly population," said South African pulmonologist Anita Graham. 

Around 10% of Africa's population has been vaccinated, according to Dr. Gueye. 

 

8:31 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

In morning speech, Biden will announce new federal medical team deployments to help hospitals combat Covid-19

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Paul LeBlanc

President Biden is expected to deliver remarks this morning announcing a new wave of federally deployed medical teams to six states to help hospitals combat Covid-19, a White House official told CNN. The President is set to speak at 10:30 a.m. ET.

The military medical teams will support the following hospitals, according to the official:

  • Cleveland Clinic in Ohio
  • Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn
  • Rhode Island Hospital in Providence
  • Henry Ford Hospital outside Detroit
  • University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque
  • University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey

"These teams will be providing relief, triaging patients, helping to decompress overwhelmed emergency departments, and freeing up health care providers to continue other lifesaving care. They will be working alongside health care workers on the front lines to give them the support they need," the official added.

The deployments come as the Biden administration faces growing scrutiny alongside record Covid-19 hospitalizationstesting challenges and messaging frustration -- issues the GOP has seized on.

Where things stand in the US: More than 151,000 Americans were in the hospital with Covid-19 nationwide on Wednesday, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. And the US averaged more than 747,260 new Covid-19 cases daily over the last week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

That's about three times last winter's peak average (251,987 on Jan. 11, 2021), and about 4.5 times the peak from the Delta-driven surge (166,347 on Sept. 1), according to JHU.

The surge has put considerable stress on hospitals nationwide. And, to combat the massive strain on health care services that comes as more staff members call out sick with the virus, state leaders have enacted emergency procedures to help hospitals cope.

8:27 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

Hong Kong airport will ban transit passengers from most countries for a month

From CNN's Eric Cheung in Hong Kong

Hong Kong will ban transit passengers from most countries for a month starting on Sunday, the Hong Kong Airport Authority announced on Thursday.

Anyone staying in a "high-risk country" in the last 21 days will not be allowed to use the Hong Kong International Airport as a transit point, the airport authority announced. 

Hong Kong has classified any country outside mainland China or Taiwan with the Omicron coronavirus variant as a "high-risk country" — meaning that most passengers will be affected by the new measures.

The airport authority said the measure was "in response to the rising number of Omicron cases around the world".

Hong Kong's flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, also said in a news release on Thursday that all passengers starting their journey from outside mainland China or Taiwan will not be allowed to use Hong Kong as a transit period during the period.

8:49 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

French health minister tests positive for Covid-19

From Dalal Mawad in Paris

Olivier Véran following a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on Wednesday.
Olivier Véran following a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on Wednesday. (Sipa/AP)

French Health Minister Olivier Véran has tested positive for Covid-19, he said Thursday.

"I just tested positive for Covid. As a result, I will isolate and continue to perform my duties remotely," Veran said on his verified Twitter profile.

The news comes as the country grapples with a teachers strike in protest at Covid-19 school protocols.

8:14 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

England cuts minimum Covid-19 isolation period to 5 days, UK health secretary announces

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London 

The minimum self-isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19 in England will be reduced from seven to five days on Monday, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced Thursday. 

“Around two thirds of positive cases are no longer infectious by the end of day five,” Javid told the House of Commons, citing data from the UK Health Security Agency.

“After reviewing all of the evidence, we've made the decision to reduce the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England. From Monday, people can test [negative] twice before they go, leaving isolation at the start of day six,” he continued. 

Currently, anyone who tested positive in England could leave self–isolation seven days after the date of their initial positive test if they received two negative LFD results, 24 hours apart, on days six and seven of their isolation period. 

Javid told the Commons that “any curbs on our freedoms must be an absolute last resort, and that we shouldn't keep them in place for a day longer than absolutely necessary.” 

Despite “encouraging signs that infections are falling in London and the East of England,” he warned of the need to “proceed with caution,” adding the Omicron variant “still has the potential to lead to significant numbers of people in hospital,” due to its greater transmissibility. 

“There's already almost 17,000 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England, and due to the lag between infections and hospitalizations, the NHS will remain under significant pressure over the next few weeks,” Javid said.  

Javid added it was encouraging that England had not seen an increase in Covid-19 intensive care patients during the Omicron wave, but highlighted the importance of vaccines. 

“We know that Omicron is less severe, but no one should be under any illusions - it is severe for anyone that ends up in hospital and that's far more likely if you have not had the jab,” he continued. 

 

8:03 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

French teachers strike over Covid-19 school protocols

From CNN's Dalal Mawad and Camille Knight in Paris

Teachers protest against school protocols in Clermont-Ferrand on Thursday.
Teachers protest against school protocols in Clermont-Ferrand on Thursday. (Adrien Fillon/Hans Lucas/Reuters)

At least three-quarters of elementary school teachers in France were reported to be on strike and half of elementary schools were closed Thursday in protest at the government's Covid-19 protocols, according to a French teachers' union.

At least 62% of high school and middle school teachers are also reported to be striking, according to the union which represents them.

In Paris, 58% of teachers are on strike​, and nearly 200 schools are closed​ Thursday, according to the mayor's office.

Small groups of teachers were seen taking to the streets by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as well as in other cities Thursday morning ahead of an afternoon protest.

Read more below.

Read more here.

7:13 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan van Tam to step down

From CNN's Sarah Dean and Sharon Braithwaite in London

Jonathan Van-Tam, Britain's Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, attends a media briefing on the latest Covid-19 update, at Downing Street,  London on November 29, 2021.
Jonathan Van-Tam, Britain's Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, attends a media briefing on the latest Covid-19 update, at Downing Street, London on November 29, 2021. (Tefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam will leave his role at the end of March, according to a statement from the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

Van-Tam will take up the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, said the statement.

"My time as DCMO have been the most challenging of my professional career, especially the Covid response. We all wish Covid had never happened," said Van-Tam in the statement. "Notwithstanding, it has been the greatest privilege of my professional career to have served the people of the UK during this time."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked Van-Tam on Twitter.

"I would like to thank Jonathan Van-Tam for his extraordinary contribution to our country and his invaluable advice throughout the pandemic," wrote Johnson. "Wishing him the very best for the future."

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid also tweeted about Van-Tam's departure. 

“It has been an honour to work with JVT and I am hugely grateful for his advice & the vital role he has played in our vaccination programme,” Javid said.

6:50 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

France to relax entry conditions for UK travelers from Friday

From CNN's Dalal Mawad in Paris

Health workers greet passengers arriving from an international flight before testing for Covid-19 tested at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, on Tuesday.
Health workers greet passengers arriving from an international flight before testing for Covid-19 tested at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, on Tuesday. (Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

France has announced it will relax entry conditions for vaccinated travelers from the UK from Friday.

Vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to isolate upon arrival in France, nor will they have to provide a compelling reason for travel, minister of tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne announced on Twitter on Thursday.

But they will still need to present a negative PCR test taken within 24 hours before departure.

Unvaccinated travelers from the UK must continue to register before departure on France’s digital platform, and must observe a strict quarantine period of 10 days, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office. 

6:35 a.m. ET, January 13, 2022

Over 100 South Koreans test positive for Covid-19 in relation to US tech event

From CNN's Gawon Bae in Seoul

Attendees walk around the entrance of CES 2022 in Las Vegas on January 6.
Attendees walk around the entrance of CES 2022 in Las Vegas on January 6. (Steve Marcus/Reuters)

The number of South Koreans who have tested positive for Covid-19 in relation to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in the US jumped to 119 on Thursday.

Ko Jae-young, spokesman for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said some of those who tested positive carried the Omicron variant, without giving specific numbers.

In a press release, South Korea's health ministry urged attendees who were exempted from quarantine to work from home for 10 days to prevent spreading the virus.

On Thursday, South Korea reported 391 imported Covid-19 cases, a daily record, according to KDCA.

In response, South Korea will mandate that international arrivals take a PCR test within 48 hours of departure -- shortened from 72 hours -- starting from January 20, Ko said.

Health authorities estimate that the Omicron variant may become the dominant variant in the country by late January, Ko said.

Starting from Friday, South Korea will also begin administering Pfizer’s oral treatment pill Paxlovid to patients with a high chance of getting critically ill, those aged 65 or above, and those with reduced immunity, KDCA said in a press release.

The country reported 4,167 new cases from Wednesday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 679,030, KDCA said. The death toll rose by 44 to 6,210.