Active coronavirus cases jumped by 163 in two days in Ulster County and Dutchess County on Friday reported one new COVID-related death.
Here are the latest local COVID-19 statistics.
Ulster County: 944 reported Friday, up 48 from the previous day and up and up 115 the day before that. (Peak was 2,622 on Jan. 30.)
Dutchess County: 715 reported Friday for Nov. 24, up 30 from the previous day and down 9 the day before that. (Peak was 2,576 on Jan. 16.)
Ulster County: 3.8%.
Dutchess County: 3.66%
Ulster County: 20,810 confirmed cases, 19,571 recoveries, 295 deaths. (No new deaths reported Friday.)
Dutchess County: 37,627 confirmed cases, 507 deaths. (One new death reported Friday.)
Data as of Thursday from New York states online vaccine tracker.
Ulster County: 67.74% fully vaccinated, 75.7% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 84.8% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Dutchess County: 62.65% fully vaccinated, 70.6% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 80.2% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Appointments: vaccinateulster.com, bit.ly/dut-vax, bit.ly/ny-vaxme.
For online local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to dailyfreeman.com/tag/coronavirus.
MYRTLE CREEK Howard Breidenbach thought it was all a big conspiracy.
The government using a so-called coronavirus to control the people. Feeding drama. Making up numbers.
It was all a lie, he thought.
Until he forgot his own name.
The 47-year-old independent trucker from Myrtle Creek thumbed his nose at COVID-19. On July 14, something was wrong.
We thought for sure it was pneumonia, Breidenbachs wife of 29 years, Tonja, said Monday. I didnt feel very good either. When he got sick, I started feeling sick, too.
Howards condition took a drastic turn. After spending a few days at CHI Mercy Medical Center, he was transferred to the intensive care unit, but there was only so much hospital staff could do for him. He needed specialized help, and he needed it fast.
One doctor called every hospital in the Pacific Northwest trying to find an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine better known as ECMO to help serve as an artificial lung for the 47-year-old, whose condition was continuing to deteriorate.
That was very traumatic, very upsetting, Tonja said of the phone call she received in late July. He might actually die.
No such machines were available in Oregon, but the doctor at Mercy was able to locate one in Seattle at the University of Washington Medical Centers Montlake facility. Howard, in a medically induced coma, was transported to Roseburg Regional Airport and flown to Seattle.
I had no idea, Howard said of the transfer. I went to sleep in Roseburg and woke up in Seattle.
For nearly 100 days, Howard was receiving a medical treatment that temporarily draws blood from the body, provides artificial oxygenation of the blood and returns it to the cardiovascular system.
On average, the survival rate of patients on such a treatment is estimated at 30%.
Quite simply, it was Howards last chance.
Meanwhile, his wife was in quarantine in Myrtle Creek until Aug. 16, at which time she could travel to Seattle to try and see her husband.
It was horrible to see him like that, Tonja said. His chest wasnt moving, he had a tube down his throat. They said it was very important to talk to him and he was trying to communicate back, but it was awful.
They could wake him up, but it was more of a surface awakening to make sure he still had brain activity, she said.
In a coma, you can hear voices but you cant make out voices, Howard said. All I could hear was babbling. I honestly couldnt remember my name. I knew who I was, but I couldnt remember my name.
Howard and Tonja Breidenbach had big plans. They were in the process of launching their own trucking company with the goal of retiring within the next five to seven years. They had already bought the truck to get their dream off the ground and were eyeing more equipment. Now, the couple who had met in Heppner in 1990 was praying for the simple gift of another day together.
I spent a lot of time on my knees praying, Tonja said. You sure find out whats important.
Hooty B LLC, the Breidenbachs trucking company, is on permanent hold. The truck has been sold, as well as the couples home, a sale which was finalized by a thumbs-up from Howard via video call.
Howard Breidenbach is now recuperating at his Myrtle Creek home with help from his wife Tonja Breidenbach.
During his 102 days in the hospital, Howard missed his 29th wedding anniversary. He was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 27 and had his 48th birthday on Nov. 11.
He credits pulmonary specialist Dr. Luana Petre Nedita for helping save his life.
I owe her everything, and I want her to know it, Howard said.
Following Howards ordeal, he and Tonja both agreed to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
My idea was that we all get the shot and all die of cancer 10 years later, Howard said. I was wrong, and now Ive got myself to blame and am reaping my rewards.
Im 48 years old and have to have somebody take care of me. Every mental image you hold of yourself is lost.
I kept having this dream we were at the coast, and it was so real. The picture we took, it wasnt there. I just kept waking up in the same nightmare, he said.
Today, both Howard and Tonja are encouraging those who are on the fence to vaccinate or not vaccinate to get the shot.
I thought it was a scam until I got (COVID-19), Howard said. Its serious, and its real.
COVID is no joke.
Scientific experts at the World Health Organization warned on Friday that a new coronavirus variant discovered in southern Africa was a variant of concern, the most serious category the agency uses for such tracking.
The designation, announced after an emergency meeting of the health body, is reserved for dangerous variants that may spread quickly, cause severe disease or decrease the effectiveness of vaccines or treatments. The last coronavirus variant to receive this label was Delta, which took off this summer and now accounts for virtually all Covid cases in the United States.
The W.H.O. said the new version, named Omicron, carries a number of genetic mutations that may allow it to spread quickly, perhaps even among the vaccinated.
Independent scientists agreed that Omicron warranted urgent attention, but also pointed out that it would take more research to determine the extent of the threat. Although some variants of concern, like Delta, have lived up to initial worries, others have had a limited impact.
Epidemiologists are trying to say, Easy, tiger, said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This could be bad. This could be very bad. But we dont know enough to roll that tape forward.
Dr. Hanage and other researchers said that vaccines will most likely protect against Omicron, but further studies are needed to determine how much of the shots effectiveness may be reduced.
As the coronavirus replicates inside people, new mutations constantly arise. Most provide the virus with no new advantage. When worrisome mutations do emerge, the World Health Organization uses Greek letters to name the variants. The first variant of concern, Alpha, appeared in Britain in late 2020, soon followed by Beta in South Africa.
Omicron first came to light in Botswana, where researchers at the Botswana Harvard H.I.V. Reference Laboratory in Gaborone sequenced the genes of coronaviruses from positive test samples. They found some samples sharing about 50 mutations not found in such a combination before. So far, six people have tested positive for Omicron in Botswana, according to an international database of variants.
Around the same time, researchers in South Africa stumbled across Omicron in a cluster of cases in the province of Gauteng. As of Friday, they have listed 58 Omicron samples on the variant database. But at a news conference on Thursday, Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation in South Africa, said that close to two or three hundred genetic sequences of Omicron cases would be released in the next few days.
The W.H.O. called for increased surveillance of the variant and laboratory experiments to better understand its biology.
This variant did surprise us, Dr. de Oliveira said at the news conference. But the full significance is still uncertain.
Dr. de Oliveira and his colleagues asked the W.H.O. to hold an emergency meeting about the variant on Friday for two reasons: the mutations in Omicron and what appears to be an alarming spread in South Africa.
The researchers found more than 30 mutations on a protein, called spike, on the surface of the coronavirus. The spike protein is the chief target of antibodies that the immune system produces to fight a Covid-19 infection. So many mutations raised concerns that Omicrons spike might be able to evade antibodies produced by either a previous infection or a vaccine.
Dr. de Oliveira and his colleagues determined a quick way to gauge how quickly Omicron was spreading in South Africa. Although sequencing the entire genome of a virus is slow, the scientists figured out how to identify Omicron with a standard nasal swab test known as P.C.R.
Nov. 27, 2021, 11:51 a.m. ET
The tests are fast because they look for just two of the coronaviruss 29 genes the spike gene and another gene called nucleocapsid. Thanks to its new mutations, Omicron does not test positive for the spike gene. So researchers could simply look for samples that tested positive for nucleocapsid, but negative for spike.
It turned out that spike-negative samples were surging across South Africa, suggesting that Omicron had a competitive advantage over Delta, which until now had been the dominant variant in the country.
It gives us concern that this variant may already be circulating quite widely in the country, Richard Lessells, an infectious disease specialist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, said at Thursdays news conference.
Dr. de Oliveira warned that South Africa, where less than one-quarter of the population is fully vaccinated, could see a surge of hospitalizations unless the country prevented Omicron from multiplying further in superspreading events. We really would like to be wrong on some of these predictions, he said.
Countries in Europe as well as the United States and Canada have been among those banning flights arriving from South Africa and several other African nations. But Omicron has already been spotted in Hong Kong and Belgium, and may well be in other countries outside of Africa as well.
Theodora Hatziioannou, a virologist at Rockefeller University in New York, said that Omicrons distinctive mutations raise the possibility that it first evolved inside the body of someone with H.I.V., whose immune systems may have been too weak to quickly fight it off. Your responses are just not as good, Dr. Hatziioannou said.
Instead of getting cleared away in a matter of days, the virus may have lingered in that person for months, spending the time gaining the ability to evade antibodies. This virus has seen a lot of antibodies, Dr. Hatziioannou said.
Dr. Hatziioannou and her colleagues have been able to produce mutant spike proteins in their laboratory that make viruses highly resistant to Covid-19 antibodies. She said that Omicron has many mutations in the same regions of the spike protein pinpointed in their own research. The overlap is pretty striking, she said.
That overlap has Dr. Hatziioannou concerned that Omicron will be able to evade some of the antibodies that people have acquired either from vaccines or from Covid-19 infections. Some monoclonal antibody treatments wont work against Omicron either, she predicted, because the variants spike protein is protected from them.
Still, vaccines are expected to provide some protection against Omicron because they stimulate not only antibodies but immune cells that can attack infected cells, Dr. Hatziioannou said. Mutations to the spike protein do not blunt that immune-cell response.
And booster shots could potentially broaden the range of antibodies people make, enabling them to fight against new variants like Omicron. We will see, because these studies are only now ongoing, she said.
For now, theres no evidence that Omicron causes more severe disease than previous variants. And its also not clear yet how quickly Omicron can spread from person to person.
Some earlier variants, such as Beta and Mu, had evolved a strong ability to evade immune defenses. But they never became a serious threat to the world because they proved to be poor at transmitting.
Some mutations in Omicron suggest that it may indeed transmit well. Three mutations alter a region of the spike protein called the furin cleavage site, which is already known to help the spike protein attach more effectively to cells.
But Dr. Hanage said he was not yet convinced by the South African data that Omicron was running rampant across the country. I think its too early to be definitive, he said.
He found it hard to see how a variant could sweep so quickly across South Africa, even while the overall rate of daily new infections in the country remains very low. He speculated that early tests might have been hampered by some technical flaw that could be uncovered in the next few days. It feels to me like part of the puzzle is missing, he said.
It might turn out that the apparent spread of Omicron was actually just a coincidence, as has been seen with some previous variants. If a new variant happens to get swept along during a surge of cases, it will look highly contagious when it isnt.
Even so, Dr. Hanage considered a travel lockdown to be a prudent measure that could buy governments a little time to make plans for dealing with Omicron if it lives up to the worst predictions. Health leaders could use the delay to put in stronger measures for preventing transmission or boosting vaccinations, for example. But just doing it and then thinking itll be enough is not a long-term plan, he said.
Even if Omicron does prove more transmissible than other variants, Dr. Hanage said that vaccines would most likely remain vital weapons against it, both by slowing down its spread and making it more likely that people who do get sick only have mild Covid-19 instead of needing to go to the hospital.
Omicron is certainly enough to take seriously, but its not apocalyptic, Dr. Hanage said. Its not a magic virus. Magic viruses are not a thing.
JOHANNESBURGA fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus first detected in southern Africa is a global variant of concern and might pose a higher risk of people falling ill with Covid-19 for a second time, the World Health Organization said Friday, as governments around the globe restricted travel from the region.
WHO said there was also preliminary evidence that the variant, which it named Omicron after the Greek letter, was more transmissible than the Delta variant that is currently dominant world-wide, and other virus strains. Health authorities in Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong and Botswana said they had detected first cases of the variant.
Travelers walk near an electronic flight notice board displaying canceled flights at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday. Several countries have begun travel bans in response to the omicron variant. Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Travelers walk near an electronic flight notice board displaying canceled flights at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday. Several countries have begun travel bans in response to the omicron variant.
At least two people in the United Kingdom have the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the country's health secretary announced.
The cases are linked and involve travel to southern Africa, where the latest variant was first identified, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Saturday. The individuals are isolating at home.
Cases have also cropped up in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel during a relatively short period of time.
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so far has not identified any cases of the fast-spreading omicron strain, which was first detected in South Africa on Nov. 24. The vaccination rate in South Africa is roughly 35%.
The omicron variant is the first new variant of concern since the delta variant that swept through the world earlier this summer, causing an uptick in infections and deaths, particularly among the unvaccinated population. The delta strain was twice as infectious as the original COVID-19 virus.
While there are a number of studies underway to continue evaluating the omicron variant, the World Health Organization says the number of mutations in this variant is "concerning" and that it could suggest an "increased risk of reinfection."
The WHO also says that current COVID-19 tests are capable of identifying this omicron variant, which is how authorities have been able to track how rapidly the variant is spreading. But further information and studies on the variant could take "days to weeks," health officials from WHO said.
Exactly how fast the variant is spreading and whether the current vaccines available can prevent infection are still unclear. But Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR: "Let me be clear, there is no data at the present time to indicate that the current vaccines would not work."
In the meantime, people should continue to take steps to lower their exposure to infection and reduce the spread of the virus, the WHO urges. This includes mask-wearing and getting the vaccine when it's your turn to do so.
Collins also recommends that people who are six months out from being fully vaccinated get their booster shot.
This is a breaking news story. Some things reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
Aerial view taken on Oct. 29, 2021, shows parked plane on the tarmac at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam.
Arthur Van Der Kooij | ANP | AFP via Getty Images
Dutch health authorities said on Saturday they had detected 61 Covid-19 cases among people who flew from South Africa on Friday and were now conducting further testing to see whether any are infected with the recently discovered Omicron variant.
The cases were discovered among around 600 passengers who arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on two flights on Friday before the Dutch government halted air traffic from southern Africa due to concerns over the variant.
The passengers from the flights were kept separated from other travelers and those that tested positive are being kept in isolation at a hotel near the airport.
A spokesperson for the Dutch health ministry said it would not be known until later Saturday whether any of the passengers are infected with the new variant.
A spokesperson for KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France, said the airline was trying to determine what rules were in place as of Friday morning to prevent people with Covid-19 infections from boarding the flights, which departed from Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Rules on the company's website said passengers had to present a negative Covid-19 "rapid antigen" test result taken 24 hours before departure but were not required to show proof of vaccination.
A spokesperson for the health authorities in Kennemerland, the Dutch region that oversees Schiphol, said the positive cases were being analyzed by the National Institute for Health (RIVM).
Passengers on the two KLM flights said they were kept waiting on the tarmac for hours.
"Vigorous applause because there is a BUS that has come to take us ... somewhere," tweeted New York Times journalist Stephanie Nolen, a passenger on the flight from Johannesburg, during the long wait on Friday.
"Bus to a hall to a huge queue. I can see Covid testers in bright blue PPE far on the distance. Still no snacks for the sad babies," she added in a second tweet.
On Saturday, Nolan tweeted that she tested negative and was awaiting a further flight to Canada. Passengers remaining in the Netherlands are required to quarantine at home for 5 days.
The new variant has been detected just as many European countries are grappling with a surge in coronavirus cases.
The Dutch government on Friday announced the nighttime closure of bars, restaurants and most stores as it tries to curb a record-breaking wave of Covid-19 cases that is swamping its healthcare system.
The rocker, who is also a photographer, shared on his verified Instagram account that he had tested positive after arriving at Milan Malpensa airport.
"Here I am, just arrived in Milano, and I've tested positive for the second time in a month for Covid," the caption read next to photos of him at the airport. "So it's off to the hospital for me. Thanks for all your support #sohappyithurts."
In October, Adams had to pull out of a performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony after he tested positive.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's "New Day" on Friday that while he didn't want to speculate on Adams' case, "It could be that he continued to have virus in him and that he tested positive and never really got rid of the virus in his system."
"We find that when some people who are immune-compromised that they can have virus lingering on," Fauci said. "I know nothing about his medical condition so I'm really very reluctant to make any comment about it."
That version of the famed calendar includes images of several stars including Cher, Iggy Pop, Jennifer Hudson and Normani.
CNN has reached out to reps for Adams for comment.
Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University, has been speaking again to Sky News following the news conference.
Asked if she felt the PM had gone far enough, she said "we don't have enough information" yet about Omicron.
She added that "people shouldn't be too anxious" at this stage because we don't know if the new variant can "out-compete" the dominant Delta strain.
Like Sir Patrick Vallance, she says we have vaccines, boosters, rapid testing and we understand more - so we are in a better position than last winter.
She says mask wearing is a "great" measure to stop infection. Mr Johnson announced the rules on masks would be tightened - though it was his tweet during the news conference that explicitly said they would be compulsory in shops and on public transport.
Professor Sridhar suggests the PM, who has been criticised in recent months for appearing maskless in a hospital and lowering his mask during a theatre performance of Macbeth, should set a better example by masking up while out and about.
We are tracking the progress of COVID-19 vaccine candidates to monitor the latest developments.
Find out which COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and where COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials are taking place to stay up to date.
Last Updated 26 November 2021.
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