The Omicron variant is now dominant in the US

The Omicron variant causes over 73% of new coronavirus cases in the US, according to estimates posted Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The week ending Dec. 18, Omicron accounted for 73.2% of cases, with delta making up an additional 26.6%.

The week prior, ending Dec. 11, Omicron was estimated at 12.6% of circulating virus, versus Delta’s 87%. Previously, the CDC estimated Omicron accounted for about 3% that week.

The week ending Dec. 4, Omicron caused less than 1% of new cases.

Omicron is even more prevalent in certain parts of the country — making up over 95% of circulating virus in parts of the northwest and southeast.

A planned New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled over Covid-19 concerns, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted on Monday. 

A statement attached to the tweet said the planned celebration was expected to host 6,500 people in Trafalgar Square. 

“This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to reduce the spread of the virus,” Khan said. “I’m proud that we will still have an incredible broadcast spectacular to watch on our screens, which will showcase our great city to the rest of the world.”

Some context: London isn’t the first European city to cancel or amend New Year’s Eve celebrations over Covid-19 concerns. On Saturday, Paris canceled its traditional fireworks display over the Champs-Elysées Avenue to welcome the New Year due to the renewed Covid-19 surge. In Italy, Rome is among several cities which have decided to cancel New Year's festivities over Covid-19 health concerns.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged residents to get their at home tests before a “holiday run” on the kits, as Covid-19 cases increase in the state, 

During a news conference on Monday, Beshear said, “at home tests, right now, are sold in convenience stores and pharmacies but there’s going to be a huge run on them before the holidays and you shouldn’t assume that you’re going to be able to get one before this holiday.” 

Beshear also insisted that residents get vaccinated.

Kentucky is still reeling from several tornado outbursts that left at least 76 dead, according to Beshear’s latest count. No hospitals are limiting elective procedures at the moment, Beshear said, except the hospital in Mayfield, which was devastated by a tornado and currently does not have running water. 

Beshear reported the state’s first case of the Omicron variant on Friday, and assumes that the variant is probably “in every county by now.”

More than 10,300 Kentuckians received their first vaccination this weekend and more than 32,700 had a booster shot, the governor said. 

54% of Kentuckians are vaccinated according to Johns Hopkins University. 

A free drive-thru Covid-19 testing site will open on Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio. 

"The site, which is located at the W.O. Walker Building will be staffed by the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Department of Health," read a joint news release. Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals will support the community Covid-19 testing site.  

The site will open Tuesday and initially operate through Sunday of this week, but will be closed on Dec. 25, according to the release. 

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health is offering free rapid at-home antigen testing kits at many sites across Ohio, according to the release, including local health departments, public libraries, and community health centers. 

Due to a surge in Covid-19 infections and an increased demand in healthcare services, particularly in emergency departments, Greater Cleveland’s hospital systems said it will limit coronavirus testing in emergency departments to patients who are going to be admitted to the hospital, according to the release. 

On Friday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he had mobilized the state's National Guard to "help meet critical needs at hospitals and testing locations," according to a news release from his office.

The governor mobilized 1,050 members of the Ohio National Guard to "help relieve the hospital staffing strain caused by the rising number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients," according to the release. 

The Hawaii Department of Public Health has tracked at least 30 new Covid-19 cases to a local night club, according to a Sunday news release.  

The cases were tracked to concerts held at the Republik nightclub on Dec. 10 and 11, the department said. 1000 people attended the sold-out Dec. 10 concert and 900 people attended the Dec. 11 concert, according to Matty Hazelgrove, one of the club's co-founders.  

Masks and negative tests taken within 48 hours were required for each concert, Hazelgrove said.  

The positive cases were among concertgoers and staff, Hazelgrove added.  

There are currently 31 cases of the omicron variant in Hawaii, according to Brooks Baehr, Covid-19 & Pandemic Response Administrative Assistant for the department of health.  

New York’s Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said the state needs more partnership with the federal government on making sure necessary supplies, like test kits, are available.

New York state will allocate $65 million to give to counties to help them with costs associated with fighting Covid-19, such as buying masks or paying staffers working at vaccination or testing sites, Governor Kathy Hochul said. 

Additionally, the state’s homeland security department will be giving six million masks to county emergency managers to distribute within their counties, Hochul said. 

10 million more at-home test kits are expected to arrive in New York state in the coming weeks, the governor said.

Garcia said that at least five million of those tests kits are expected to arrive before the new year and will be allocated as follows:

Seven new state testing sites are expected to open next week, in addition to the state’s existing 1,800 testing sites. Also, more healthcare teams, including 30 ambulance and EMS teams, will be added to assist hospitals with patients, Hochul added. 

Quebec will implement new restrictions, closing schools, bars and casinos as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations increase, Quebec's Health Minister Christian Dubé said during a news conference on Monday.

"Regarding schools, we are closing elementary and high schools," he said. "The return to class in attendance will be on Monday, January 10."

Gyms and spas would also be closed, "with the exception of personal care," according to the health minister. 

Additionally, professional, and amateur sports performances "will have to be behind closed doors," according to Dubé, and restaurant hours would be limited from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"I know the situation is tough, but now is the time again not to get discouraged and to be strong. I ask everyone to be part of the effort again. It can make all the difference," Dubé said. 

Panama's Health Ministry said the first Omicron coronavirus case has been detected inside the country. 

"We inform the population that through epidemiological, genomic, and traceability surveillance at the national level, the presence of the new variant of the coronavirus named by the World Health Organization, Omicron, was detected," the ministry tweeted Monday.

The health ministry said the worker is isolated in the mine and had no contact with other people or other workers. The worker remained asymptomatic during the quarantine and isolation. They added that he will have another PCR test on Monday.

The spread of Covid-19, particularly the Omicron variant, might mean holiday gatherings need to be cancelled, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday.

“There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed health systems and more deaths,” Tedros said in a media briefing for Geneva-based journalists.

Tedros said this might mean cancelling in-person events, “but an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled.”

“It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later, than to celebrate now and grieve later. None of us want to be here again in 12 months’ time, talking about missed opportunities, continued inequity, or new variants.”

Some context: Stricter Covid-19 measures have come into effect across Europe, as several nations rush to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron has also been identified in at least 45 US states as of Sunday, according to state officials in their respective states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. And with the Delta variant still present, Covid-19 cases in some areas are rising. Health experts are urging people to get vaccinated or boosted to protect themselves and others before they face greater chances of infection.

You can read Tedros’ full statement here.