There was something of a global panic attack last month when the World Health Organization labeled the new strain of the COVID-19 virus emerging in South Africa a "variant of concern." That designation earned the strain a name—Omicron—and a pandemic-weary planet that was still fighting to stay ahead of the Delta variant suddenly faced yet another battle with yet another member of the SARS-CoV-2 family. There are only 24 letters in the Greek alphabet; how many of them would we have to go through before the pandemic would at last be brought to heel?
Barely a week later, however, there are tentative signs that things may not be as bleak as they seem.
The first encouraging indications, as The New York Timesreports today, come out of South Africa. The virus is spreading fast there, but health care workers in hospitals in Pretoria and elsewhere are so far finding that people infected with the new strain are showing less severe symptoms than those infected with earlier versions. Part of that may be due to South Africa's relatively young population, which means that a smaller share of people are susceptible to serious disease in the first place. Whatever the reason, in some cases the infection is so minor as to be incidental, as patients hospitalized for unrelated reasons learn their status only after a routine test.
More good news was reported in a study published in OFS Preprints, which found that Omicron has some genetic features similar to those found in the common cold virus. That suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may be mutating into less severe variants that will make it more of an endemic nuisance than a pandemic killer. Experts caution that it's too early to say if that is indeed the direction Omicron is taking, since it's unclear if the cold-like genetic material affects the mutation's virulence.
Then too there was the announcement from drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline that its new antiviral drug, sotrovimab, is effective against all 37 identified mutations in the spike protein of Omicron. The findings are pre-clinical and have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, but the early results are encouraging.
Still, not all of the Omicron news is good. As the Guardian reports, researchers have discovered "stealth versions" of the variant that can't be detected with traditional PCR tests, making it much harder to track and trace—to say nothing of simply identifying and treating the sick. What's more, mild or not, the Omicron variant spreads fast and is expected to become the dominant strain in Europe within as little as a few weeks.
Barely a week after Omicron entered the lexicon, it's still far too early to say exactly which direction the new variant will take. But two years after the start of a pandemic that few people suspected would last so long, we know how to read the early signs of severity, and when it comes to Omicron, it appears that this time we might just catch a break.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
More than 580 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this afternoon, of which more than 471.7 million doses have been administered, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 60% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 266.4 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 5.2 million people have died. On Dec. 6, there were 585,320 new cases and 6,497 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 49.2 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 789,000 people have died. On Dec. 6, there were 192,881 new cases and 1,379 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Dec. 7, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Facing rising infection rates, the European Union has approved mixing and matching different types of vaccines for both initial vaccinations and booster shots, the Associated Press reports. The European Medicines Agency, which oversees such matters, said in a statement that this approach works especially well with boosters, providing protection that is "as good as or better than" sticking with the same type of vaccine. Allowing mixing and matching can give the continent more options in mounting vaccination campaigns as it tries to head off the spread of the Omicron variant.
Wall Street appears to be developing its own form of COVID-19 immunity, as stocks have been recovering faster and faster after each pandemic-related plunge, The New York Times reports. Not only has every dip in market value been shorter than the one before it, each recovery has driven shares to greater and greater highs. The recoveries have been aided by the U.S. Federal Reserve's steps to cut interest rates and keep capital flowing, as well as steady progress on vaccines and treatments.
The pandemic has been hard on the mental health of all age groups, but Generation Z—people born between 1997 and 2015—appear to be getting hit the hardest, according to a new survey conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago. In a sample group of 3,764 people, those between ages 13 and 24 consistently scored higher than Millennials and Gen Xers in reporting pandemic-related stresses—particularly those linked to pursuing education and careers, finding romantic partners, having fun, maintaining mental health and in staying in touch with friends.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday tightened testing requirements for visitors to the U.S., requiring them to receive a negative test no more than one day before traveling. The move comes in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant and applies to all travelers regardless of their vaccination status. The CDC also recommends—but does not require—that travelers be tested again three to five days after arrival in the U.S.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was sicker with COVID-19 than previously thought, with dangerously low blood oxygen levels shortly after it was announced that he had contracted the virus in October 2020, according to a new book by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as reported by CNN. At one point, his blood oxygen plunged to 86%, well below a healthy level of 95% to 100%. It was that reading that prompted former White House physician Dr. Sean Conley to urge that Trump be rushed to the hospital. Trump's true blood oxygen levels were not reported at the time, with Conley saying only that his numbers had "transiently" dipped below 94%.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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