Editor’s note: This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Wednesday, December 22, as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Click here to see all the most recent news about the pandemic, and click here to find additional resources.
A Houston man in his 50s who tested positive for the latest COVID-19 variant before dying could be the first omicron-related death reported in the country. Public health officials said the man was not vaccinated, had previously been infected with the coronavirus and had underlying health conditions that made him particularly vulnerable. State and county officials renewed calls for people to get fully vaccinated and boosted as the best protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death, including illness caused by omicron.
Meanwhile in Washington, health officials are urging people to get a booster shot if eligible as omicron cases continue to rise in the state and elsewhere. Here’s how to get a vaccine or booster near you. While hospitalization and death rates remain consistent, health officials are warning of a difficult winter brought on by influenza and omicron during a time when hospitals are already strained.
We’re updating this page with the latest news about the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the U.S. and the world. Click here to see previous days’ live updates and all our other coronavirus coverage, and here to see how we track the daily spread across Washington.
Vice President Kamala Harris was exposed to the coronavirus
Vice President Kamala Harris was exposed to the coronavirus by a staff member who was close to her throughout the day Tuesday and later tested positive, Harris’ spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Harris tested negative for the coronavirus Wednesday after learning of the exposure, officials said. She will be tested again Friday and Monday, in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Yesterday, Monday and every day last week, this staff member tested negative for COVID-19,” Symone Sanders, Harris’ spokeswoman, said in a statement. “This staff member is fully vaccinated and boosted and did not experience symptoms. Others who were in close contact with this staff member are being contacted and will be advised to get tested.”
White House officials said Monday that President Joe Biden had also been in close contact with a staff member who later tested positive. Since the encounter, Biden has tested negative twice, including once Wednesday morning.
New function for at-home test results added to Washington state’s COVID exposure app
Washington state has introduced a new feature on its COVID-19 exposure notification app allowing those who test positive with an at-home test to anonymously let others know of a potential exposure, the state Department of Health confirmed Wednesday.
The DOH launched the app, WA Notify, in November 2020 to alert users of coronavirus exposures using Bluetooth technology to detect proximity to other phones. In theory, if someone who has enabled these notifications tests positive, they can anonymously notify other users who have been within 6 feet of them.
Now, the app will also take at-home test results into consideration — a significant step as holiday gatherings and the recent spread of the omicron variant push a spike in demand for rapid at-home tests.
According to company spokespeople, Bartell Drugs, Walgreens and CVS are all seeing high demand for the testing kits, with Walgreens even implementing a four-item purchase limit on at-home tests.
Omicron less likely to put you in the hospital, studies say
Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version.
Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines. Sheer numbers of infections could still overwhelm hospitals.
Still, the new studies released Wednesday seem to bolster earlier research that suggests omicron may not be as harmful as the delta variant, said Manuel Ascano Jr., a Vanderbilt University biochemist who studies viruses.
“Cautious optimism is perhaps the best way to look at this,” he said.
An analysis from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team estimated hospitalization risks for omicron cases in England, finding people infected with the variant are around 20% less likely to go to the hospital at all than those infected with the delta variant, and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for a night or more.
Britain’s top archbishop says getting COVID vaccine is ‘how we love our neighbor’
As the omicron variant spreads rapidly worldwide in the lead-up to Christmas, the Church of England’s most-senior cleric offered an unwavering pronouncement: Getting the coronavirus vaccine and booster is a moral issue.
“Go and get boosted; get vaccinated. It’s how we love our neighbor," Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said in an interview with the British station ITV on Tuesday.
The archbishop’s statement comes as scientists in Britain are pushing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to order tougher restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to climb. In the last seven days, over 600,000 new cases were recorded in the U.K. — an increase of more than 50 percent, according to The Washington Post’s COVID tracker. On Monday, Johnson said he had no plans to implement new rules.
The archbishop also said in a radio interview, however, that parishioners should still go to church on Christmas and wear a mask.
“I would say it’s a necessity; the worship of God is a necessity,” Welby said.
State health officials confirm 2,098 new coronavirus cases
The state Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,098 new coronavirus cases and 30 new deaths on Wednesday.
The update brings the state's totals to 809,600 cases and 9,755 deaths, meaning that 1.2% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, according to the DOH. The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
In addition, 44,460 people have been hospitalized in the state due to the virus — 39 new hospitalizations. In King County, the state's most populous, state health officials have confirmed a total of 182,765 COVID-19 diagnoses and 2,127 deaths.
Since vaccinations began in mid-December, the state and health care providers have administered 11,687,162 doses and 62.5% of Washingtonians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to vaccination data, which the state updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Providers are currently giving an average of about 38,796 vaccine shots per day.
The DOH says its daily case reports may also include duplicate test results, results assigned to the wrong county, results that are reported for today but are actually from a previous day, occasional false positive tests and other data discrepancies. Because of this, the previous day’s total number of cases plus the number of new daily cases does not add up to the new day’s total number of cases. State health officials recommend reviewing the dashboard's epidemiologic curves tab for the most accurate representation of the state's COVID-19 spread.
Case drop may show South Africa’s omicron peak has passed
South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.
Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations. But they are offering one tantalizing hint — far from conclusive yet — that omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike.
South Africa has been at the forefront of the omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store.
After hitting a high of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide on Thursday, the numbers dropped to about 15,424 on Tuesday. In Gauteng province — South Africa’s most populous with 16 million people, including the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria — the decrease started earlier and has continued.
Early use of convalescent plasma reduced hospitalizations, raising hopes for treating omicron variant, scientists say
Convalescent plasma may be another tool to help prevent coronavirus infections sparked by the omicron variant from turning severe if patients receive it soon after developing symptoms, according to data presented Tuesday.
The treatment, which contains a bounty of disease-fighting antibodies, could expand doctors’ repertoire for fighting the now-dominant variant that resists many treatments. Convalescent plasma — taken from blood donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19 — could join the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab and soon-to-be authorized antiviral drugs as an important therapy for people who become ill.
Scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine published findings showing that giving plasma early during the course of illness reduced hospitalization by half in a clinical trial that spanned June 2020 to October 2021. The results, published on the preprint website MedRxiv, support the early use of antibody-rich convalescent plasma to prevent hospitalization in patients not yet critically ill.
Small business owners rally in Seoul to protest virus curbs
Hundreds of small business owners rallied in South Korea’s capital on Wednesday, calling for the withdrawal of a curfew and tough coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities.
The protesters pumped their fists in the air and chanted, “Guarantee the right to live!” and “Scrap restrictions on business operations!”
Some jeered when a lawmaker took the podium to explain aid packages proposed by the governing party presidential candidate. But no major violence or clashes with police erupted.
Under current social distancing guidelines, up to 299 people are allowed to join rallies but all must be fully vaccinated.
On Saturday, South Korea reimposed its toughest social distancing rules to try to control a record-breaking surge of the coronavirus. Most new cases in South Korea are still the delta variant, but health officials say the new omicron variant could become the dominant strain in a few months.
The restored curbs include a ban on private gatherings of five or more people, a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants, coffee shops and karaoke venues, and required proof of vaccination for entry to restaurants and other businesses.
French kids line up to get vaccine shots as omicron spreads
France started vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds with health risks earlier this month and expanded it to all children in that age group Wednesday as part of accelerated vaccination efforts.
As of early December, more than 1,000 in every 100,000 children in France aged 6-10 were infected with coronavirus, according to government figures. Currently, 145 children are hospitalized for severe illness due to COVID-19 and 27 children are receiving medical treatment in intensive care units, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday on BFM television.
France registered 72,832 new cases Tuesday and has 16,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19, among the highest numbers in Europe.
France has shut down nightclubs and banned New Year’s Eve fireworks and other mass end-of-year celebrations, including concerts.
Austria tamps down New Year’s Eve parties to fight omicron
Austria announced a slate of new restrictions Wednesday aimed at slowing the spread of the omicron variant, including closing restaurants earlier and imposing stricter entry requirements for people from countries where the variant is already dominant.
Austria is in a better position than many other European countries when it comes to confronting the new variant. Facing a massive surge of infections in November, the country imposed a three-week lockdown to bring its daily case numbers down.
As a result of those restrictions, which ended for vaccinated people on Dec. 12 but remain for those who have not been vaccinated, case numbers are still dropping.
The new restrictions mean restaurants must close at 10 p.m., including on New Year’s Eve and people were urged to rethink their New Year’s plans and celebrate only in small groups.
EXPLAINER: What to do if you test positive for COVID-19
You’ve tested positive for COVID-19. Now what?
The short answer for those in the U.S.: Stay home and avoid others. Tell the people you’ve been in close contact with that you tested positive. And if you have trouble breathing or develop other serious symptoms, see a doctor immediately.
COVID-19 diagnoses have been soaring since the recent arrival of the omicron variant. That means Americans should prepare for the possibility that they or someone they plan to see will suddenly be diagnosed with an infection.
Hospitals scramble as antibody treatments fail against omicron
Hospitals, drug companies and Biden administration officials are racing to address one of the omicron variant’s biggest threats: Two of the three monoclonal antibody treatments that doctors have depended on to keep COVID-19 patients from becoming seriously ill do not appear to thwart the latest version of the coronavirus.
The one such treatment that is still likely to work against omicron is now so scarce that many doctors and hospitals have already run through their supplies.
Monoclonal antibodies have become a mainstay of COVID treatment, shown to be highly effective in keeping high-risk patients from being hospitalized. But even as infections surge and omicron becomes the dominant form of new cases in the United States, some hospitals have begun scaling back the treatments, fearing they have become suddenly useless.
Minnesota Gov. Walz, family test positive for COVID-19
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has tested positive for COVID-19, along with his wife and teenage son, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.
Walz said in a statement that the three of them tested positive on Monday after his son began experiencing mild symptoms over the weekend. The governor and first lady Gwen Walz remain asymptomatic.
All three have been vaccinated, including Walz who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine in March and the Moderna booster in October. They will quarantine for 10 days, Walz said
Israel says it will become first nation to offer fourth coronavirus vaccine dose
In what it’s calling a global first, Israel’s Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that it will offer a fourth coronavirus vaccine shot to citizens 60 and older and other at-risk groups as concerns about the omicron variant proliferate.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he ordered the government to immediately prepare for distributing fourth doses.
The Health Ministry’s advisory committee recommended a fourth dose to people 60 and older, those with compromised immune systems, and health-care workers. It required all eligible recipients to have gone four months since their third dose.
Pfizer pill becomes 1st US-authorized home COVID treatment
U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus.
The long-awaited milestone comes as U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all rising and health officials warn of a tsunami of new infections from the omicron variant that could overwhelm hospitals.
The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster, cheaper way to treat early COVID-19 infections, though initial supplies will be extremely limited. All of the previously authorized drugs against the disease require an IV or an injection.
An antiviral pill from Merck also is expected to soon win authorization. But Pfizer’s drug is all but certain to be the preferred option because of its mild side effects and superior effectiveness, including a nearly 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease.
“The efficacy is high, the side effects are low and it’s oral. It checks all the boxes,” said Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic. “You’re looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group — that’s stunning.”
Omicron casts a new shadow over economy’s pandemic recovery
Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole.
The Rockettes have canceled their Christmas show in New York. Some London restaurants have emptied out as commuters avoid the downtown. Broadway shows are canceling some performances. The National Hockey League suspended its games until after Christmas.
A heightened sense of anxiety has begun to erode the willingness of some people and some businesses to carry on as usual in the face of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has fast become the dominant version of the virus in the United States.
Holiday air travel remains robust. Many stores and restaurants are still enjoying solid sales. And omicron has yet to keep audiences away from movie theaters in significant numbers.
At the same time, no one knows yet what omicron will ultimately mean for the health of the Western economies, which have endured a wild ride of downturns and recoveries since early 2020.
California to require booster shots for healthcare workers
California will require health care workers to get a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, pledging to make sure hospitals are prepared as a new version of the disease begins to spread throughout the state.
California already requires health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a directive that took effect in September and has since led to the firing or suspension of thousands of people. Now it will join New Mexico as at least the second state to require booster shots for health care workers.
Newsom made the announcement on his personal Twitter account. His office declined to give more details, including how many workers would be affected and whether frequent testing would be allowed as an alterative. Newsom has scheduled a news conference in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.
“California will require healthcare workers to get their booster,” Newsom said. “With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared.”
As COVID fueled the drug crisis, Native Americans hit worst
As the pandemic ravaged the country, deaths from drug overdoses surged by nearly 30%, climbing to a record high.
The drug crisis has also diversified from an overwhelmingly white affliction to killing people of color with staggering speed.
The death rate last year was highest among Native Americans, for whom COVID-19 piled yet more despair on communities already confronting generations of trauma, poverty, unemployment and underfunded health systems.
AP sources: NHL to withdraw from Olympics after COVID surge
The NHL is not sending players to the Beijing Olympics over concerns that the pandemic will disrupt the league’s ability to complete a full season.
Two people with direct knowledge of discussions told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the league informed the NHL Players’ Association it was exercising its right to withdraw from the Beijing Games because there was a material disruption to the season.
The people spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because an announcement had yet to be made. An announcement was expected Wednesday.
The decision is an abrupt turnaround from September, when the NHL, union, International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation struck a deal to put the best players in the world back on sports’ biggest stage after they skipped the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The fast-spreading omicron coronavirus variant forced the scrapping of those plans.
2021 on track to surpass last year as nation’s deadliest
U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year.
It’s too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won’t be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year’s record number of deaths by at least 15,000, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s death statistics.
Last year was the most lethal in U.S. history, due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC report being released Wednesday shows 2020 was actually even worse than the agency previously reported.
The report presents a final tally for last year of about 3.384 million U.S. deaths, about 25,000 more than a provisional count released earlier this year.
Anderson said it’s likely that the nation will see more than 3.4 million deaths in 2021. Other experts said they think deaths for the year will end up either about the same as in 2020, or higher.
China orders lockdown of up to 13 million people in Xi’an
China on Wednesday ordered the lockdown of as many as 13 million people in neighborhoods and workplaces in the northern city of Xi’an following a spike in coronavirus cases.
State media reported that city officials ordered all residents to stay home unless they had a pressing reason to go out and suspended all transport to and from the city apart from special cases.
The order was to take effect at midnight and last indefinitely.
One person from each household will be permitted out every two days to buy household necessities, the order said.
Xi’an on Wednesday reported 52 new locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus over the previous 24 hours.
Catch up on the past 24 hours
If you’re vaccinated and boosted, how should omicron affect your plans? With no clear playbook yet, health experts are talking about what's known and how to balance the risks and rewards. If you haven't gotten a booster yet, Washington health leaders are urging you to act "immediately" — but that's easier said than done. Here's help finding a vaccine or booster.
The omicron threat is pushing the University of Washington into remote learning for the start of the winter quarter, after coronavirus infections there doubled in a week.
One person caught the coronavirus. China locked down 200,000 of their neighbors.
On the bright side, South Africa’s drop in new cases may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron surge has passed its peak. Scientists are watching closely to understand what may be in store for the rest of the world.
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