Tag: Omicron

Conservative MPs Free to Travel Internationally, Liberal, NDP MPs Must Stay Home

Conservative MPs will be free to travel internationally over the holidays while their Liberal and NDP counterparts have been told to stay home. Politicians jet-setting to different vacation destinations drew much attention last year as federal and provincial governments told Canadians to forgo their travel and gathering plans to combat rising COVID-19 caseloads. The federal Liberal government issued Wednesday a…


Businesses Call for Help After UK Chief Scientist Urges People to Reduce Socialising

British businesses have called for government support after a government scientific advisor called on people to reduce socialising during the Christmas season. The hospitality sector was rattled after Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said at a Downing Street press briefing on Wednesday that people should consider cutting back socialising around Christmas due to…


Omicron to Be Dominant Variant in EU by Mid-January

BRUSSELS—Omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the European Union’s 27 nations by mid-January, the bloc’s top official said Wednesday amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is well prepared to…


Lab Tests: Eli Lilly, Regeneron Antibody Therapies Lose out Against Omicron

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—German researchers have found that COVID-19 therapies developed by Eli Lilly and Regeneron lose most of their effectiveness when exposed in laboratory tests to the Omicron variant of coronavirus, likely reducing treatment options if the new variant prevails. Two groups of Germany based scientists separately found that protection from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir’s antibody cocktail…


Capitol Report (Dec. 15): WHO Says Omicron Spreading Faster Than Any Other Variant

With 60 percent of Americans now fully vaccinated, CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases are again soaring. States have reinstated new mandates and restrictions. Pfizer says its treatment pill can cut the risk of hospitalization by 89 percent. With the world bracing for a possible outbreak of the new Omicron variant, we speak to Dr. Scott Atlas, a…


Must We Segregate the Unvaccinated From the Vaccinated?

Governments around the world have encouraged and enforced a new form of segregation based on vaccine status. This is not only dangerously inhumane; there is no scientific basis for this. There seems to be an underlying presumption here that the unvaccinated are unclean (regardless of natural immunity) and their presence will spread disease. What if, however, existing…


Fauci: No Need for Omicron-Specific COVID-19 Vaccine Booster at This Time

Early data indicate that there’s no need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster that specifically targets the Omicron virus variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, the same day the World Health Organization said vaccines may be less effective against the variant. “Our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for…


Canada Issues Travel Advisory as Omicron Fears Rise

The federal government is advising Canadians against non-essential travel to foreign countries amid concerns about the Omicron variant. Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement at a press conference on Dec. 15. “To those who were planning to travel, I say very clearly—now is not the time to travel. The rapid spread of the…


Apple Makes Masks Mandatory at US Retail Stores

Apple Inc. will require all customers and employees to wear masks at its U.S. retail stores, the iPhone maker said on Tuesday. Last month, Apple had scrapped its mask mandate for customers at more than 100 of the company’s about 270 stores across the United States, according to Bloomberg News, as coronavirus cases declined. “We…


Oil Prices Slip 1 Percent on Bets That Crude Supply Growth Will Exceed Demand

MELBOURNE—Oil prices fell for a third day straight on Wednesday on growing expectations that supply growth will outpace demand growth next year, even though the Omicron coronavirus variant is not seen curbing mobility as sharply as earlier COVID-19 variants. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 82 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $69.91 a…