Meta, the parent company of Facebook, will require staffers to have received a COVID-19 booster shot to be able to work from its US offices, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Meta had already said that US office employees would have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when they returned to the office, but beginning March 28th, theyll also need proof of a booster vaccine, Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed to The Verge. The company is also delaying its full office reopening until March 28th, pushing back a return that had been previously set for the end of this month.
Not all Meta employees will have to return to the office on March 28th. Those who want to come back can defer their return by three to five months, a policy that was first announced in December. The company is also letting staffers request to work remotely full time. Employees will now have until March 14th to decide if they want to come back to the office, defer their return, or request full time remote work, Clayton said.
The changes are being announced as COVID-19 case counts are surging across the US, forcing companies and organizations to shift their plans for in-person gatherings. The rising cases caused many companies to pull their physical presences from this years CES, and the conference itself was closed a day early. Last week, both the Grammy Awards and the Sundance Film Festival announced changes; the Grammys have been postponed due in part to concerns about the omicron variant, while Sundance canceled the in-person programming for its 2022 event.
Other big tech companies have also recently shifted their office reopening plans. Apple indefinitely delayed its return to work in December, pushing back a previously-set February 1st reopening. Google had planned to keep in-office work voluntary until today, January 10th, but the company pushed that back in December, saying it would wait until 2022 to make more return to office plans. Microsoft gave up predicting an office reopening date in September, and Amazon announced in October that it would let individual teams decide when they would return to offices.
I think were all going to get it. Its just a matter of time.
How many times have you heard a friend or family member say that in the last few weeks? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed its isolation guidelines. Is it any wonder that some people appear to be letting their guard down, and dining out in crowded restaurants as a highly contagious variant blazes its way through schools, social venues and households?
So what if you have tested positive for omicron, the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Now, what? Can you go about your business in the knowledge that you have the COVID-19 antibodies and youre less likely to test positive for the coronavirus again anytime soon? Should you be as afraid of omicron as, say, delta? Some people are taking unnecessary risks.
Have you heard of omicron parties where people get together with others who are infected with omicron in order to get the milder infection? asks Dr. Gregory Poland, who studies the immunogenetics of vaccine response at the Mayo Clinic. Were experiencing what were experiencing because of virus behavior and human behavior. Human behavior is the only thing we can control, and weve ceded that.
Thank God omicron is a less severe illness.
Epidemiologists are weighing the significance of the latest omicron wave, the publics response to it, and wondering how if at all it could change the course of the pandemic. Theyre breathing a sigh of relief that the omicron variant appears to be less severe, but beyond that the world is once again playing Russian Roulette with a virus that is finding new ways to survive.
Aaron Glatt, chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau, is more optimistic than Poland. We are seeing many, many more people getting infected, but thank God omicron is a less severe illness. Were seeing less hospitalizations, less ICU admissions, less intubations and less death. Thats as a proportion of new cases, now a daily average of 737,415, up 203% over two weeks.
Omicron may be proving less severe than delta, but its rapid infection rate is still creating a high number of very sick Americans. The high rate of contagion has also led to a 36% increase in deaths over the last two weeks to a daily average of 1,653 fatalities. The hospitalization rate has risen 83% over the last two weeks to reach a daily average of 135,559, per to the New York Times daily tracker.
Another worry: While children still have the lowest rate of hospitalization of any group, pediatric hospitalizations are at the highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic, Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said. Sadly, we are seeing the rates of hospitalizations increasing for children zero to four, children who are not yet currently eligible for COVID 19 vaccination.
Public-health advisers obviously advise against throwing caution to the wind, and going out and mixing socially with other people indoors with no masks and little social distancing and not only because of the impact people taking time off work would have on the economy. Ideally, the less potential for omicron to spread, the less likely there will be for new strains to pop up, Glatt told MarketWatch.
Among the latest variants discovered was IHU in France, which is thought to have come from Cameroon. It has not been marked as a variant of interest, variant of concern or variant of consequence by the World Health Organization. But it is a portentous sign that the world is a far from the end of the pandemic. We long ago gave up the opportunity to eradicate this, Poland told MarketWatch.
First, some potential good news. Research led by Alex Sigal, a researcher at the Africa Health Research Institute and associate professor at University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, found that omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant. The study was a small project with just over a dozen patients. It was published last month, and has not yet been peer-reviewed.
We long ago gave up the opportunity to eradicate this.
The increase in delta variant neutralization in those infected with omicron may result in a reduced ability of delta to re-infect them, the research suggested. Along with emerging data indicating that omicron, at this time in the pandemic, is less pathogenic than delta, such an outcome may have positive implications in terms of decreasing the COVID-19 burden of severe disease.
If omicron does prove to be less pathogenic, then this may show that the course of the pandemic has shifted, Sigal said in a statement. Omicron will take over, at least for now, and we may have less disruption of our lives. However, thats a big if and perhaps an even bigger maybe, infectious disease doctors contend. It does not preclude more variants finding their way across the world.
Now, the bad news. The spread of the virus opens up the possibility of more variants, and in this viral game of whack-a-mole the next one may be worse than the last. It has more of a chance of doing so in the unvaccinated, the immunocompromised, the elderly and other vulnerable populations. Given its transmissibility, we have been very fortunate that omicron wasnt more deadly.
Paul Sax, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Womens Hospital, wrote on Twitter TWTR, +1.73% that vaccination helped enormously: It boggles the mind to contemplate what would have happened if omicron had encountered a completely immunologically naive population, and efficiently replicated in the lung like other variants.
The omicron wave could provide a wall of immunity for the more vulnerable people. It certainly has the potential to infect many people and that could be a positive thing, at least they have immunity against COVID-19 or the omicron strain, Glatt said. That could theoretically bring us closer to herd immunity, and get around those who are not vaccinated.
Thats only a theory, and a tough one to prove at that. Herd immunity the idea that once a high proportion of a population has contracted or been vaccinated against a disease, the likelihood of others in the population being infected is drastically reduced remains tantalizingly out of reach even with 62% of the U.S. population fully vaccinated.
Heres one take on increasing a societys immunity, if not reaching herd immunity: Takeshi Arashiro, an infectious disease researcher at Japans National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, and his fellow researchers, published a study that has not yet been peer-reviewed suggesting that countries that saw infections from other variants may have been spared the worst of the omicron wave in 2022.
Its not clear how long you are protected from getting sick again.
Theres a catch. A key tenet of achieving herd-immunity is the separation of those at a lower risk of dying from the higher-risk group people over 70 and with pre-existing conditions. As the lower-risk group contracts the virus, immunity spreads in the so-called herd, lowering the risk for those in the higher-risk group. The real world is notoriously unpredictable, and not a neat laboratory setting.
Ultimately, asymptomatic spreading is another Achilles heel and complicates any herd-immunity strategy where infected people are kept separate from the more vulnerable. The latter group, in reality, cannot remain house bound and without contact with anyone who is not considered vulnerable for months possibly years or however long it takes to reach the critical herd-immunity level.
And it would take 70% of the population or over 200 million people to recover from the virus, according to the Mayo Clinic. This number of infections could lead to serious complications and millions of deaths, especially among older people and those who have existing health conditions, the Mayo Clinic wrote. The health care system could quickly become overwhelmed.
As WHO points out, nor does herd immunity by infection account for the possibility of reinfection with the omicron or delta variants and, as mentioned, the emergence of new, unknown variants. Its not clear how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19, the Mayo Clinic says. Even if you have antibodies, you could get COVID-19 again.
Read next: COVID-19 vs. the flu. If you test negative on an antigen test, dont assume its a common cold or influenza. Heres why
This weekend, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded contracts to Atlantic Trading, LLC (Austin, Texas) and Medea Inc. (Pleasanton, California), purchasing a combined total of 27 million over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits. This effort supports the presidents plan to deliver 500 million free at-home COVID-19 tests to the nation in response to the Omicron variant.
The DoDs Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) led this effort in partnership with DoDs Defense Assisted Acquisition Cell (DA2), Army Contracting Command, and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The procurement was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act to supply critical medical resources to the nation.
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In the 2020 election cycle, many campaigns in Texas went fully virtual as the coronavirus pandemic, then a new and uncertain threat, bore down on the state. They held virtual rallies, phone banks and fundraisers, trading in clipboards and walking shoes for webcams and microphones.
As the weeks went on, though, Republicans resumed in-person campaigning and managed to stave off a massive Democratic offensive in November. Democrats later admitted that their decision to suspend door-knocking and other in-person activities hurt them.
Now, nearly two years later and with a new COVID-19 variant surging across the state, Democrats appear set on avoiding the same mistake. Few, if any, Democratic campaigns have gone fully virtual, and many are pressing forward with in-person campaigning while taking some precautions.
Like everyone else across the globe, we are keeping a close eye on the Covid-19 Omicron Variant and assessing the risks associated with this surge, Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Angelica Luna Kaufman said in a statement. However, there is a lot at stake this midterm election and in-person campaigning will be a critical component to engaging voters and winning these races.
She emphasized the country is not in the same situation as we were in 2020. Vaccines are widely available, and people are well-practiced in how to stay safe in public.
Still, the omicron variant looms large, and the campaign trail has not been immune to it. Some forums are still being held virtually, and candidates, staffers and volunteers are having to deal with the logistical challenges that come when one of them tests positive amid the fast-spreading variant.
Since the arrival of the omicron variant late last year, Texas has seen an unprecedented surge in daily caseloads, as well as the positivity rate, or the ratio of cases to tests. Hospitalizations are well on their way to previous peaks.
All the while, Texas lags behind most other states in its vaccination rate, with 57% of people fully vaccinated as of Sunday.
Democrats continue to argue they are the more responsible party when it comes to public health. They say Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, needs to give local officials more independence to fight the pandemic, though he has ignored the demands for months, holding firm on his executive orders prohibiting mask and vaccine mandates. He is especially unlikely to change his mind as he approaches a contested GOP primary for reelection in which his pandemic management has been a top issue.
Of course, virtually nothing has changed on the campaign trail for Abbott and other Republicans in the primary, whose campaign stops look much like they did prior to the pandemic.
Democrats most celebrated candidate this cycle, gubernatorial contender Beto ORourke, has been regularly campaigning in person since launching his bid in November. He has been holding larger events outside, and his campaign asks attendees to wear masks and encourages them to be vaccinated. The campaign has made rapid testing available to attendees at some events.
Speaking with Texans one-on-one is at the heart of our campaign, ORourkes campaign manager, Nick Rathod, said in a statement. After holding 70 events in 30 cities during the first weeks of our campaign, we remain committed to meeting Texans where they are and will continue to closely follow public health guidelines.
ORourkes first campaign event since omicron began surging in Texas was Saturday in El Paso. Attendees were told masks are strongly encouraged regardless of vaccination status and that they would be provided for those who need them. On event sign-up pages, attendees were also told that by attending, you understand and accept the risks associated with COVID-19.
ORourkes campaign is already block walking, though those who volunteer to do so have to sign a COVID-19 Block Walk Safety Agreement Form. Among other things, the form requires volunteers to wear masks when not eating or drinking and maintain their distance from voters at all times possible.
ORourke was among the Democrats who lamented the partys refusal to campaign in person ahead of the 2020 election. He had been deeply involved in the fight for the Texas House majority through his Powered by People group, which shifted virtually all its activities online because of the pandemic. Writing to supporters days after Republicans swept Texas in the election, ORourke said one of the lessons was nothing beats talking to voters eyeball to eyeball and that there is a safe way to do this, even in a pandemic.
A state Democratic Party autopsy that came out months later also cited the lack of in-person-campaigning as a top factor, saying it hurt our ground game.
Kendall Scudder, a Democratic state House candidate who had called for reform at the state party after the disappointing 2020 election, said COVID-19 was a real problem for Democrats to navigate back then, but we started using it as an excuse to not have to campaign, and we are not going to do that again.
Scudder has been campaigning in person for an open seat in the Dallas area, with some precautions. He said his campaign has trained canvassers by telling them, You knock, you step about 10 feet back, if you can get off their porch, get off their porch.
I think people are receptive to it, that youre giving them space but youre also working your butt off, Scudder said. For Democrats, he added, Priority No. 1 is safety. We are not interested in getting people sick. But priority No. 2 is making sure that Democrats are actually winning elections so we can make meaningful change so we can try to eradicate coronavirus.
The pandemic changed the 2020 election beyond just forcing campaigns to reconsider in-person activities. Abbott postponed the May primary runoffs to July and extended the early voting period for the November election. Those decisions by Abbott, which he issued through executive order, drew pushback from some in his own party, who claimed including in unsuccessful lawsuits that he overstepped his authority.
In any case, this years March 1 contests are very unlikely to see such tweaks due to the pandemic, especially with the deadline for overseas ballots to go out coming up in a matter of days. An Abbott spokesperson, Renae Eze, said in a statement for this story that there are no plans to make further changes for the March primaries.
In the meantime, Democratic candidates in some of the states most closely watched races are leaving little doubt about their commitment to in-person campaigning.
Ruben Ramirez is running for the 15th Congressional District, an open seat anchored in the Rio Grande Valley that is expected to be the most competitive congressional race during the general election in Texas. He said in a statement he knows his community expects you to show up to earn its vote.
Im excited to continue campaigning in person, knocking doors, and holding events with my neighbors in South Texas from now until November, Ramirez said.
At a minimum, candidates are showing a flexibility about campaigning that reflects the reality of the long-running pandemic. Kaufman, the spokesperson for the state Democratic Party, said Democrats are actively campaigning both virtually and in person and we feel we can keep people healthy while getting them to the polls.
From the beginning, we were very clear about the fact that we were campaigning during an ongoing pandemic, said Regina Monge, the campaign manager for Jessica Cisneros, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in the primary again. We are monitoring the situation closely. No matter how the methods of campaigning change as we learn more from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], our priority will be reaching voters where they are while keeping our community safe.
Cisneros spent three days touring the district in person after Christmas, as the omicron surge was taking off. She had been slated to visit 15 cities.
Over the last weekend, the first one since the New Year holiday, candidates social media accounts were filled with images of them campaigning in person. Some of the pictures resembled the pre-pandemic campaign trail.
James Burnett, a candidate for a new Texas House district in suburban Houston, was out block walking and getting a grateful reception, according to a Facebook post showing the candidate meeting with voters while wearing a mask.
Looking forward to seeing you at your door! Burnett wrote.
Disclosure: Facebook has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
With omicron infections surging around the world, many countries are changing their coronavirus testing guidelines to better deal with the new variant and the huge number of cases it is causing. Here's what you need to know
By Clare Wilson
Lateral flow tests may be less likely to detect the omicron variant
George Clerk/Getty Images
Even if you have had three doses of coronavirus vaccine, a positive lateral flow test (LFT) result means you are infectious to other people because virus protein is present in large quantities in your nose or throat. For that, the virus must be actively multiplying inside your cells.
However, PCR tests continue to give positive results for days to weeks after an infection, because they can detect tiny quantities of the viruss genetic material, which arent necessarily infectious.
Many countries have lessened their restrictions for people with covid-19 since the start of the surge caused by the omicron variant. In the UK, the isolation period for infected people has been cut from 10 days to seven as long as you get a negative result on two LFTs, also known as rapid antigen tests. These must be done on days six and seven, and carried out at least 24 hours apart. People should remain cautious around others and avoid those who are vulnerable, though.
In the US, the isolation period has been cut to five days for people who have no symptoms or whose symptoms are on the wane, although you should still wear a mask around other people for a further five days. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it has no plans to follow suit, and that the situation in the two countries is different. In the UK, the isolation clock begins on the day of a positive test or the first day of symptoms, whichever is first. In the US, it starts on the first day of a positive test and, because these can take several days to access, day five is likely to fall later on in the progression of an infection.
Symptoms may not reflect how much virus is present in a persons throat or nose they could have replicating virus but no symptoms and vice versa. Theres huge variation in the length of infection, and huge variations in viral load, says Al Edwards at the University of Reading, UK.
The UKHSA estimates that between 10 and 30 per cent of people will still be positive at day six and that 5 per cent of people will still be positive at day 10, although the guidance says you no longer have to isolate on day 11, no matter what your LFT results show.
In the UK, people who test positive by LFT will no longer need to take a follow-up PCR test, a temporary change coming into effect on 11 January. This is because background levels of covid-19 are so high with about 1 in 15 people infected in the last week of December that a positive LFT result is currently less likely to be false.
No. Anyone in the UK with covid-19 symptoms but a negative LFT result must still take a PCR test to rule out an infection, because LFTs have too high a rate of false negatives telling someone they are covid-19 free when they really are infected to rely on them if you have symptoms. There are several reasons why LFTs are prone to false negatives, including people failing to swab their nose or throat properly and failing to mix the swab well with the testing fluid, says Edwards. LFTs are only able to detect large amounts of virus.
Opinions differ. The UKHSA says initial investigations suggest that LFTs are as sensitive to omicron as they are to the delta variant that was predominant in most countries until December, although it is continuing further tests. But the US Food and Drug Administration has said LFTs may be less sensitive at detecting omicron.
It is possible that LFTs that only involve swabbing the nose may be more likely to give false negative results for omicron, because some studies have suggested that this variant is more likely to reach high levels in saliva before it does in nasal mucus. One very small US study put online last week suggests that in omicron infections, virus levels peaked in saliva one or two days before they did in nasal mucus, although this analysis included only five people.
Omicron might be exacerbating that differential, where you have your throat and your salivary specimens turning positive earlier, says Michael Mina at US testing company eMed. A study from South Africa also found that saliva swabs were generally more sensitive than nasal swabs for omicron, whereas it is the opposite pattern for the delta variant.
Opinions differ there too. In the UK, LFTs made by Innova instruct users to take throat and nasal swabs, while others only use nasal swabs. In the US, only nasal LFTs are available, so people are less used to taking throat swabs. If at all possible, put your swab in both your throat and nasal cavities, Deenan Pillay at University College London said at last weeks meeting of Independent SAGE, an independent group of scientists in the UK. If the swabs are shorter, stick your fingers in more to get to the back of the throat.
But Edwards says people should only use tests exactly as instructed. If you change the way you use a test, it doesnt meet the manufacturers requirements. [Lower levels in the nose] are probably not going to make that much difference to how accurate the tests are. Most people will be either not infected or will have tons of virus. We should stick to doing tests the proper way.
More on these topics:
Two Australian presenters were recorded calling Novak Djokovic a "lying, sneaky a***hole".
In leaked hot mic footage 7News Melbourne presenters Rebecca Maddern and Mike Amor questioned the legitimacy of his positive COVID test.
Here's a transcript of the audio, reported by Metro.
Rebecca Maddern: Whatever way you look at it, Novak Djokovic is a lying, sneaky a***hole.
Mike Amor: Yeah hes an a***hole. He is an a***hole.
RM: Like whatever way you look at it.
MA: Yeah.
RM: Its unfortunate that everybody else stuffed up around him.
MA: Thats it. I mean, hes an a***hole.
RM: Like, to go out when you know youre COVID positive- Well, I dont think he was even COVID positive.
MA: He gave a bulls*** f***ing excuse, didnt he, fell over his own f***ing lies, which is what happens, right? Thats what happened.
RM: And him now ticking that he didnt go to Spain, its just like
MA: Yeah, but I think hes gonna get away with it.
RM: Well he is gonna get away it, but hes
MA: I think most fair-minded people would say the blokes an a***hole. Did they do the right thing by him? I dont know.
RM: No, I dont think so.
MA: They f***ed it up. Thats the problem, isnt it?
RM: I dont think anything was gained by putting him in an immigration hotel.
MA: No I dont think so, but the trouble is, how do you justify a person who is on the same plane with him who also has
RM: He cant justify it. But the fact is life is never fair. Some people fly first class and some people do you know what I mean? Its never fair.
MA: Yeah, but that poor Czech girl that was f***ing sent home, hunted down and sent home.
Avery County Government would like to share that Avery County Emergency Management and the Health Department are working with local officials, Cannon Hospital, Avery County School System, 911 Communications, EMS Ambulance Services, and fire and rescue to ensure and protect the health and well-being of Avery County citizens.
For the latest updates click here for the NCDHHS state web site, for information.
Health officials continue to encourage good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. These are the best preventive measures for this virus. These include covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently with soap and water, staying home when you feel sick or when you have a fever and cleaning surfaces with sanitizing cleaners.
The Avery Health department began vaccines on 1/12/2021 9668 first doses administered as of December 24,2021 9054 (52.0%) fully vaccinated Avery citizens as of of December 24,2021
The County of Avery's top priority is and always will be the safety and security of the county while providing the best service available. While it has been necessary to make some changes to the county's services please know that we will resume all regular services as soon as possible.Update 7/30/2021Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. announced that state government would begin verifying vaccination status of its workers. Employees not vaccinated are required to wear a mask and be tested at least once a week. Todays announcement comes as North Carolinas latest upswing in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is driven by unvaccinated North Carolinians.
Until more people get the vaccine, we will continue living with the very real threat of serious disease, and we will continue to see more dangerous and contagious variants like Delta, said Governor Cooper.Click Here for the FAQ Document
Update 6/29/2021Declaration Of A Local State Of Emergency - This is an update of the original Emergency Ordinance
Update 5/14/2021Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. shared an update on the states COVID-19 progress. Following yesterdays guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that fully vaccinated individuals can safely do most activities without wearing a mask or the need to social distance from others, the state will remove its indoor mask mandate for most settings. Additionally, the state will lift all mass gathering limits and social distancing requirements. These changes are now in effect as of 1:30 PM today.Click Here for the FAQ Document
Update 5/14/2021 Avery County governmental offices are now open, except the senior center they will resume regular services soon.Senior Center Schedule
The Avery County Senior Center will continue offering Drive-Thru Meal Service at the Center.; Clients can drive to the side door of the dining area and pick up a hot meal. Clients must be registered to receive meal, and are asked to call and RSVP (not required) to help with headcount. Home delivered meals will continue as scheduled. For more information, call 828-733-8220
Filing For Unemployment Insurance Benefits Due To COVID-19
This is a link to an adobe document from the office of NC Senator Thom Tillis.Reboot Your Small Business During COVID-19Avery County Chamber Of Commerce Disaster Relief InformationNew website available from VISIT NC and others to assist in the re-opening of hospitality type business and industry for North Carolina. Please share with any and all. Spread the word!!https://countonmenc.org/ [countonmenc.org]NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery for Small Business WebsiteNew Grant Program Accepting Applications to Help Businesses and Nonprofits Hurt by COVID-19
Travelling restrictions for Sweden
A Covid certificate is needed for foreign nationals in order to travel to Sweden. The certificate shows that a person has been tested negative, has been vaccinated against, or recovered from Covid-19.
From 28 December all travellers over the age of 12 need to presenta negative Covid-19 testwhen arriving in Sweden, regardless of which country you are travelling from and regardless of whether you have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Antigen tests and PCR tests (NAAT test) are allowed as a test, which can be up to 48 hours old when entering Sweden.
Those who enter Sweden from abroad are also recommended to take a Covid-19 test on arrival in Sweden. This applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, even if they have had Covid-19 in the past six months. This also applies to those who have shown a negative test in connection with the entry. Children under pre-school age are exempt.
There is a ban on non-essential travel to Sweden from countries outside the EU/EEA until 31 January 2022. A number of countries are exempt from the entry ban.
For more information about the Covid certificate, travel to Sweden and a list of the countries that are exempt from the entry ban, please visit krisinformation.se: International travel restrictions and the FAQ page of the Swedish Government.
You can also use Re-open EU, an official website of the European Union, that provides information on the various measures in place, including on quarantine and testing requirements for travellers, the EU Digital Covid certificate to help you exercise your right to free movement, and mobile coronavirus contact tracing and warning apps. The information is updated frequently and available in 24 languages.
As of 1 December, organizers of public gatherings or public events can choose that everyone who participates in the event must show proof of vaccination if the event is indoors and more than 100 people participate. If the participants do not need to present proof of vaccination, special infection control measures must be taken by the organizers. For more information, please visit krisinformation.se: Current rules and recommendations and folkhalsomyndigheten.se: Covid-19 infection control measures as from 22 November and 1 December.
As of 8 December, The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhlsomyndigheten) recommends the following:
Those running a venue serving food and drink are responsible for ensuring that the premises are designed so that crowding can be avoided. Read more at krisinformation.se: New measures to reduce the spread of infection.
As of 23 December, the following applies:
Read more at krisinformation.se: New measures against Covid-19.
Please keep yourself informed of the different regulations that may apply in different countries for travelling from Sweden.
Please noteThis page is based on information from the Swedish authorities. We strive to keep it updated with the latest changes, but as this kind of information may be due to change quickly and may also differ for parts of the country, you need to check what applies by visiting the links of this page as well as the relevant authorities in the country you are travelling from. Please note that Visit Sweden accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.
The number of hospitalized young children infected with the coronavirus rose precipitously last week to the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data released on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The increase was observed in children who were 4 and younger, who are not eligible for vaccination, and the data included children who were admitted to hospitals for reasons other than Covid.
The rise may be partly explained by the surge of Omicron cases, which affects all populations, and the spread of other respiratory infections.
But the data do not show a similar steep rise in coronavirus infections among hospitalized children of other ages, and federal health officials were considering the possibility that Omicron may not be as mild in young children as it is older children.
Children infected with the variant are still at much less risk of becoming severely ill compared with adults, and even young children seem less likely to need ventilators than those admitted during previous surges, doctors said.
We have not yet seen a signal that there is any increased severity in this age demographic, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the C.D.C.s director, told reporters at a news briefing on Friday.
More than four in 100,000 children ages 4 and younger admitted to hospitals were infected with the coronavirus as of Jan. 1 double the rate reported a month ago and about three times the rate this time last year.
By contrast, the rate of hospitalized 5- to 11-year-olds with Covid was 0.6 per 100,000, roughly the same figure reported over past many months.
Dr. Walensky noted that only 16 percent of children from 5 to 11 had been fully vaccinated, and she urged everyone who was eligible for vaccines and boosters to receive them as soon as possible.
Sadly, we are seeing the rates of hospitalizations increasing for children 0 to 4, who are not yet currently eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, she said. Its critically important that we surround them with people who are vaccinated to provide them protection.
The rise has been noticeable at a number of regional medical centers. The hospitalizations of young children now are blowing away our previous Delta wave at the end of the summer, early fall, which had been our highest prior to that, said Dr. Danielle Zerr, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at Seattle Childrens Hospital.
Experts are typically cautious about interpreting an increase in pediatric hospitalizations as a sign that a variant is particularly severe in children relative to adults. There were similar fears about the Delta and Beta variants, but the rise in pediatric hospitalizations then turned out to be more a consequence of the contagiousness of the variants.
This time, too, at least part of the increase in cases is a reflection of Omicrons surge across all age groups. The nation is now recording roughly 600,000 cases on average per day, about one in five of them in children.
The more kids that get infected, the more youre going to have kids who are going to be sick enough to be hospitalized, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chair of the committee on infectious diseases at the American Academy of Pediatrics and a physician at Stanford University.
Jan. 9, 2022, 3:48 p.m. ET
At Seattle Childrens Hospital, for example, about 21 percent of children are testing positive for the coronavirus, compared with the average of about 1 percent and a high during the Delta wave of about 3 percent.
That is just a game changer, Dr. Zerr said of the more recent figures.
Doctors may be quicker to admit a young child than an adult with similar symptoms, and that may account for some of the rising rates in young children. But some experts said the increase this time might be too steep to be explained only by the usual factors.
One alternative hypothesis for the rise may be that young children are particularly vulnerable to infections in the upper airway exactly where Omicron is thought to be more concentrated in comparison with other variants.
Theyre smaller, their airways are smaller, Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said of young children.
It does seem reasonable in a disease that if it looks like its affecting the upper airway more, that they would be more impacted, she added. They are more at risk for that for longer, prolonged cases, as well as the hospitalization that can come along with a more severe case.
That may explain why more hospitalized children aged 4 and younger have tested positive for the coronavirus throughout the pandemic than those 5 and older. Its also why young children are more vulnerable to other pathogens, like respiratory syncytial virus, and to having the seal-like cough associated with croup.
For parents of young children, the numbers add another layer of worry as they wait for vaccines to become available.
Alicia Henriquez, a public-school teacher in Chicago, has three children, two of them younger than 5. Her younger children Maxi, 4 and Sofia, 2 are both infected with the coronavirus, but Maxi has no symptoms at all, and Sofia has only a cough.
Still, Ms. Henriquez said she was monitoring their symptoms carefully. You dont know if your child is going to end up in the hospital or not, so I think you still have to be careful, she said.
The C.D.C.s new data were collected by Covid-Net, the agencys hospitalization surveillance network, which includes 14 sites and covers about 10 percent of the U.S. population. The rates are likely to be underestimates because of the lack of availability of tests, according to the agency.
Many children who become severely ill have other conditions or have weak immune systems. Those kids are definitely at high risk right now, Dr. Maldonado said. Were seeing more of them now than we were before.
Dr. Julie Binder, a gastroenterologist in Philadelphia, has two daughters under 5. Her older daughter, Annie, 4, has an undiagnosed medical condition that results in some very bizarre reactions to viruses, Dr. Binder said. After a viral infection landed Annie in the hospital two years ago, she had complications for months.
Dr. Binder and her husband have been adamant about maintaining as normal a life for Annie as possible, even during the pandemic. But they have kept her home from day care the past couple of weeks to shield her from the post-holiday spike in infections.
Hearing this information, Im certainly glad that I did, Dr. Binder said of the data released on Friday. I would have felt much more comfortable through this wave right now if she had been vaccinated.
A coronavirus vaccine is not yet available in the United States to children under 5, and is unlikely to be for a few more months. But many older children are also still unvaccinated.
Fewer than 25 percent of children from 5 to 11, and just over 60 percent of adolescents from 12 to 17, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
If youre really worried about your child getting sick, you should be vaccinating your child, Dr. Maldonado said. Its the easiest thing we can do right now to keep our kids healthy.
As of Oct. 31, about one in three children hospitalized with Covid was obese. Still, about half had no other known medical conditions, according to data collected by the C.D.C.
We asked readers who are immunocompromised, along with their family members, to share their pandemic experience and their outlook for the year ahead. Their responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
I feel like Im required to be my own epidemiologist. Theres not enough known about Covid and people on B-cell inhibitors. Im trying to give myself the grace to be imperfect in figuring this out, and to give other people space to do their own risk calculations. But its not always easy. You dont want to always be arguing for your right to not be killed by other peoples decisions. I assume Ill wear a mask for the rest of my life. It actually feels empowering to admit to being immunocompromised although it also feels like its taken two years for people to be able to have some understanding of what that means. Adria Quiones, New York, N.Y.
I have been on immunosuppressants for nine years as a result of a bone-marrow transplant. I feel left behind by friends who are moving on with their lives, free to socialize in their vaccinated bubbles, and who fear being near me since they do not want to risk infecting me. I fear I will lose my identity and individuality and continue to shrink into anonymity. Risk-free options do not exist for me, and I do not see them coming anytime soon. Shari Kurita, Oakland, Calif.
I have serious lung disease and until vaccination was locked away in my house like Rapunzel. The pandemic cost me my relationship, social life and livelihood. Since being vaxxed, Ive been able to get out and about, see friends and family, even attend a few concerts. I flew to New York over Thanksgiving without ill effects. Ive figured out ways to teach private music lessons safely. Now, with Omicron spreading so fast, Im back in lockdown. Ill be wearing a mask in public spaces for the rest of my life. I doubt Ill have the same parade of private students through my living room again. T.P., Los Angeles
How do you describe the feeling of suddenly being trapped? It feels worse when I realize theres nothing holding you back except the selfishness of others. I could go to the movie theater when cases are low, but if just one jerk comes in and refuses to wear their mask, I could potentially end up in the hospital. I could go on dates and be careful, but if my date is careless, I could bring it home to my also-immunocompromised mom. It was a relief for me when things got worse and Governor Newsom reimposed the mask mandate because at least Im safer when Im out at a store. Daniella Gruber, Orange County, Calif.
Having cancer in a pandemic has, at least for now, turned me into a wary misanthrope. Neighbors I used to greet cheerily on the elevator, or acquaintances I see on rare trips to the grocery, are sometimes unmasked even indoors when signs are posted. They really dont care if I die is a recurrent thought, and I fear Ill never return fully to my openhearted self. Ann Bancroft, Coronado, Calif.
