Bethesda, Md.-based Revelar Biotherapeutics and Twist Bioscience from South San Francisco announced their bispecific antibody, RBT-0813, neutralizes both the Omicron and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 in studies with the live virus.
The United States reported nearly 1 million new coronavirus infections on January 3, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous U.S. peak set one week earlier as the spread of the Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing.
The Biden administration is finalizing contracts for 500 million rapid COVID-19 tests that it plans to distribute for free to Americans who request them, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on January 4.
The Omicron variant was estimated to be 95.4% of the coronavirus strains circulating in the United States as of Jan. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on January 4.
More evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants and resulting in a “decoupling” in some places between soaring case numbers and low death rates, a World Health Organization official said on January 4.
Thousands of U.S. schools delayed the scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus pushed COVID-19 cases to record levels.
The Omicron coronavirus variant is better at circumventing vaccinated peoples’ immunity than the Delta variant, according to a published Danish study, helping explain why Omicron is spreading more rapidly.
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe.
The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, with Paris canceling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square.
The risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant of coronavirus is about one-third that of the Delta variant, according to British analysis of more than a million cases of both types in recent weeks.
