The latest on the Omicron variant

Covid-19 cases among children are still considered “extremely high,” the American Academy of Pediatricians reported Monday. For the week ending Dec. 2, there were at least 133,022 new cases among children — that’s about 2,000 more new cases than the week before.

Children represented more than 22% of all new Covid-19 cases for the past week, the Academy said.

Since the start of September, nearly 2 million children have gotten sick with Covid-19. This marks the 17th week in a row 100,000 or so children have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

It’s still less likely for children to be hospitalized with Covid-19 compared to adults, but in the states that report hospitalizations by age, kids made up between 1.7% and 4% of those who needed to be treated at the hospital for Covid-19, a number that has been consistent throughout the pandemic.

Deaths also account for a small percentage of total cases. Six states reported zero child deaths from Covid-19. In states reporting death by age, 0% to 0.03% of all child Covid-19 cases resulted in death, according to the academy. But 974 children have died from Covid-19 in the United States since the start of the pandemic. That’s 24 additional deaths since last Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children ages 5 and older are now eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine. Children are still the least vaccinated of any age group. 

Starting Friday, France will close nightclubs for four weeks and heighten mask-wearing for primary school children due to a fifth wave of Covid-19, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in an address to the nation. 

Castex said a lockdown or curfew would have been a "disproportionate" measure. Instead, the French government is calling on the country to “take it easy” regarding social interactions “until the end of year festivities.”

France will also implement stricter sanitary measures in primary schools, which will involve mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing, Castex said, adding that there has been “strong spreading” of the virus in those under 12. 

French children under 12 are currently not eligible for vaccines but shots will be made available to more vulnerable children starting Dec. 15, Castex said. Preparations are underway to open up vaccinations to all children ages 5 to 12 from around Dec. 20, provided scientific advice supports such a move, French Health Minister Olivier Veran added.

Those aged 65 and up will be able to get a booster dose of the vaccine without an appointment, the prime minister added.

Veran said that 25 cases of the Omicron variant had been identified in France so far. Of these, 21 were cases linked to Southern Africa, with four understood to be contact cases within France, he said.

The Covid-19 positivity rate in South Africa has jumped by 24% since the Omicron variant was detected two weeks ago, according to the latest data from the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases Monday.  

There were at least 6,381 confirmed cases out of 24,159 tests conducted in the past 24 hours, representing a positivity rate of 26.4% and the highest percentage positive cases of the Omicron variant. 

The positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested.

There was a significant jump from Nov. 22 when 312 cases were detected out of 13,473 tests conducted, making for a positivity rate of 2.3%. 

Monday's seven-day moving average (21.1%) is 2.3% higher than that of Sunday (18.8%). 

A high number of tests has not always correlated in a high positivity rate as figures from Dec. 1 show. Out of 51,977 tests conducted in the 24 hours leading up to Dec. 1, a positivity rate of only 16.5% was recorded.  

An additional nine Covid-19 related deaths were recorded Monday by the South African National Department for Health. 

At least 70% of Monday's new cases were detected in the Gauteng province where the Omicron variant has been detected in significant levels since late November. 

Nepal has detected its first two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the country's ministry of health and population said on Monday.

The two people were identified as a 66-year-old foreign national and a 71-year-old local citizen, the ministry said in a statement. The local citizen was infected after meeting with the foreign national, who recently arrived in Nepal, the statement also said.

Both people are currently in stable condition and in isolation, the ministry's statement added.

All private sector employers in New York City will now be required to implement a Covid-19 vaccine mandate by Dec. 27, the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced Monday.  

Public sector workers were already subject to vaccine mandates.  

This new move, announced on MSNBC, means everyone who works in the city will now be subject to a vaccine mandate.  

Children, ages 5 to 11 in New York City, will now also be required to show proof of at least one shot before being allowed access to indoor dining, fitness and entertainment, the mayor announced. 

Adults will now be required to proof of two vaccinations for those areas.  

The mayor said he is confident the mandates will hold up in court.  

“Our health commissioner has put a series of mandates in place. They have won in court, state court, federal court every single time. And it's because they're universal and consistent. And they're about protecting the public right now from a clear and present danger,” de Blasio said.  

The mayor is set to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. ET.

President Biden announced Dec. 2 new measures aimed at curbing the pandemic.

All inbound international travelers will be required to test within one day of departure for the United States starting Monday.

All flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET Dec. 6 must abide by a new CDC testing order, which was posted Thursday evening.

This new testing time frame will apply to everyone, "regardless of nationality or vaccination status," the plan outlined on the White House website says.

Documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days is also accepted.

Through Sunday, Dec. 5, vaccinated travelers are required to test within three days of their departure. There is a requirement for foreign travelers arriving in the United States to be fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Americans and legal permanent residents are allowed to enter the country with a test taken within one day of departing for the United States. The new rule will make the testing time frame one day for everyone.

Biden also announced that the federal mask mandate requiring travelers to wear masks in airports, on planes and on other modes of public transportation such as trains and buses has been extended through March 18.

Here are some more key things to know: 

Read more about the new requirements here.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a US travel ban on South Africa and several other African countries is being reevaluated every day.

He said the US was aware of the hardship the bans have placed on the countries.

Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said the ban was put in place when the US was "in the dark" and just learning about a surge in cases in South Africa due to the Omicron variant and added the ban was meant to provide time to assess the situation. 

The United States barred entry to travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, but the variant has now been identified in dozens of countries and several US states.

Many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, India and Russia, as well as the European Union, have also imposed new travel restrictions because of the Omicron variant.

"Now, as you mentioned, as we're getting more and more information about cases in our own country and worldwide, we're looking at that very carefully on a daily basis. Hopefully we'll be able to lift that ban within a quite reasonable period of time," Fauci told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted malaria programs in many high-risk countries, leading to an increase in malaria cases and deaths in 2020, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

WHO’s new report estimates there were 241 million malaria cases in 2020 – an increase of 14 million from 2019. It also estimates there were 627,000 malaria deaths globally in 2020 – 69,000 more than in 2019. The report links 47,000 of the deaths to disruptions in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2020, WHO said. About 80% of deaths in the region were among children younger than 5.

A new detail has emerged in the story of a 50-year-old man who tried last week to pass off a silicon arm as his own at a Covid-19 vaccination clinic in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting inoculated, in northern Italy.

The man is a dentist.

The doctors' association in the Italian town of Biella confirmed his occupation without giving further detail.

"When we learned that it was a dentist enrolled in our local association, we felt deep indignation. All doctors and dentists have given a lot in these 2 years of pandemic, dealing with the health requirements of citizens with self-denial and a spirit of service, even putting their own existence at serious risk," the doctors' association added. 

Read the full story here.