• A pre-print paper compares vaccine-induced neutralization titers against different variants of SARS-CoV-2, including Omicron and an early strain, called Victoria. The researchers used serum from fully vaccinated clinical trial participants, given coronavirus vaccines from Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer BioNTech. They found “…a substantial fall in neutralisation titres.…with evidence of some recipients failing to neutralise at all,” saying an increase in breakthrough infections is likely. Source
• A pre-print report used data modeling to estimate Omicron’s potential consequences in the UK; its authors warn that “…Omicron has the potential to cause substantial surges in cases, hospital admissions and deaths in populations with high levels of immunity, including England. The reintroduction of additional non-pharmaceutical interventions may be required to prevent hospital admissions exceeding the levels seen in England during the previous peak in winter 2020–2021,” adding that “The consequences of Omicron will become clearer as more evidence emerges.” Source
• In Denmark, which has the highest number of Omicron cases in the EU, all positive PCR tests are screened for variants. Since 22 November, the country has reported 1,280 cases of Omicron, and they are doubling every second. Nearly 75 percent of cases occurred in fully vaccinated people. Source
• After peaking at $484.47 per share in August 2021, Moderna’s stock price is dropping, amid promising results for oral antivirals from Merck and Pfizer, the company’s ongoing patent dispute with the US government and its disappointing mRNA flu vaccine. Source
• Britain’s Health Security Agency reports that Omicron is three times more likely to be transmitted between household members than Delta. Source