DALLAS — For air vacationers, the brand new yr picked up the place the outdated one left off – with numerous frustration. By midmorning Saturday on the East Coast, greater than 2,300 U.S. flights had been canceled, in line with monitoring service FlightAware. That’s the best single-day toll but since airways started blaming staffing shortages on growing COVID-19 infections amongst crews simply earlier than Christmas. Saturday’s disruptions weren’t simply as a result of virus, nevertheless. Wintry climate made Chicago the worst place within the nation for vacationers, with 800 flights scrubbed at O’Hare Airport and greater than 250 at Halfway Airport. Southwest had canceled greater than 450 flights, or 13% of its schedule. SkyWest, which operates flights as American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Specific, grounded greater than 400 flights, or 21% of its schedule. American, Delta, United and JetBlue all scrubbed greater than 100 flights every.
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:
LISBON, Portugal — A cruise ship carrying over 4,000 individuals has been held within the Portuguese capital of Lisbon after a COVID-19 outbreak contaminated crew members, the German information company dpa reported Saturday.
German firm Aida Cruises informed dpa that it found the constructive coronavirus circumstances throughout routine well being checks and has accommodated these contaminated ashore in coordination with Portuguese authorities in Lisbon.
Portuguese media reported that 52 members of the crew of over 1,000 staff examined constructive. Not one of the almost 3,000 passengers had examined constructive. All on board had handed a screening take a look at and had been vaccinated with two doses earlier than the ship set sail from Germany.
The ship is ready for the arrival of recent crew members to proceed its journey to Spain’s Canary Islands, dpa mentioned.
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BOSTON — With COVID-19 circumstances surging simply as college students are about to return from winter break, dozens of U.S. schools are transferring lessons on-line once more for a minimum of the primary week or so of the semester — and a few warn it may stretch longer if the wave of an infection doesn’t subside quickly.
Harvard is transferring lessons on-line for the primary three weeks of the brand new yr, with a return to campus scheduled for late January, “situations allowing.” The College of Chicago is delaying the start of its new time period and holding the primary two weeks on-line. Some others are inviting college students again to campus however beginning lessons on-line, together with Michigan State College.
Many schools hope that an additional week or two will get them previous the height of the nationwide spike pushed by the extremely contagious omicron variant. Nonetheless, the surge is casting uncertainty over a semester many had hoped could be the closest to regular for the reason that begin of the pandemic.
For some U.S. college students, beginning the time period remotely is turning into routine — many schools used the technique final yr. However some concern the newest shift may lengthen properly past per week or two.
Jake Maynard, a scholar at George Washington College within the nation’s capital, mentioned he’s wonderful with per week of on-line lessons, however past that, he hopes officers belief within the booster photographs and supply a conventional school expertise.
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TOKYO — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito provided prayers for individuals who died through the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight yr for his New 12 months’s greeting on Saturday, having canceled public palace gatherings to curb coronavirus infections.
Sitting earlier than a bonsai tree along with his spouse Masako, Naruhito praised and thanked docs and different well being care staff, and expressed concern for nations missing entry to vaccines and ample hospital programs.
“By treasuring greater than ever the connections amongst individuals, sharing our ache and supporting one another, I hope from the underside of my coronary heart that we are going to overcome these exhausting occasions,” he mentioned.
Japan has recorded greater than 18,000 COVID-19-related deaths, however the tempo of deaths has fallen in current months. Naruhito additionally voiced worries in regards to the fast-spreading omicron variant.
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LAS VEGAS — The annual CES gadget conference can be three days as a substitute of 4 amid a soar in COVID-19 circumstances and the withdrawal of a few of its best-known tech presenters.
Conference organizer The Shopper Know-how Affiliation introduced Friday that CES will run from Jan. 5-7, sooner or later shorter than deliberate. The occasion nonetheless has over 2,200 exhibitors confirmed to point out off their merchandise on the Las Vegas conference, spokeswoman Jeanne Abella mentioned.
The announcement follows the withdrawal of tech giants from CES final week citing well being dangers of the omicron variant, together with cellphone carriers like T-Cell, whose CEO had been slated to ship a keynote speech.
Pc maker Lenovo and social media corporations like Twitter and Fb mum or dad firm Meta additionally canceled plans to attend. Information shops together with CNN mentioned they might cancel or scale back protection.
CES was held totally just about final yr. It will likely be a hybrid of on-line and in-person this yr, with organizers providing digital registration permitting entry to round 40 livestreamed occasions, Abella mentioned.
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TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on Friday reported greater than 75,900 new circumstances of COVID-19 in Florida.
That tally raises the 7-day common day by day to 42,600, which is twice as excessive because it was on the peak of this summer season’s surge when the delta variant fueled a surge of infections within the state.
Friday’s report marks a single-day file for the variety of new circumstances in Florida. It breaks the file set a day earlier when greater than 58,000 circumstances had been reported within the state. The omicron variant of the coronavirus has spiked in Florida and throughout the nation over the previous few weeks.
Hovering numbers through the vacation season have despatched tens of hundreds of individuals to COVID-19 testing facilities throughout Florida, leading to lengthy strains in lots of areas.
Three individuals collapsed whereas ready in line at a Tampa testing website on Friday morning.
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CARSON CITY, Nev. — Tons of of unvaccinated workers who work at public schools and universities in Nevada had been being fired Friday, a day after the state Board of Regents voted to maintain a workers vaccine mandate in impact.
The Nevada System of Increased Training Board of Regents on Thursday deadlocked 6-6 on a measure to repeal the workers vaccine mandate after which rejected a measure to push the efficient termination date again two weeks. With out majority help for a repeal, the mandate — which Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Nevada College Alliance help — remained in impact.
Increased training officers mentioned on Friday that 379 workers had been being terminated, 188 attribution workers ended their contracts and 18 extra voluntarily resigned. Staff who’re fired can search reinstatement in the event that they present proof of vaccination in January, regents mentioned.
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PARIS — Describing himself as “resolutely optimistic,” French President Emmanuel Macron has used the final New 12 months’s deal with of his present time period to precise the hope that, with vaccinations, 2022 will see the top of the coronavirus pandemic.
Macron stopped wanting saying that he’ll stand for re-election in April. He mentioned solely that he intends to proceed serving the French “no matter my place and the circumstances.”
The president appealed to the 5 million unvaccinated however eligible individuals in France to get coronavirus jabs, saying: “All of France is relying on you.”
France has misplaced 123,000 individuals to COVID-19 and new circumstances are at unprecedented ranges, surging with the extremely contagious omicron variant. France reported a file 232,200 new circumstances on Friday, its third day operating above the 200,000 mark.
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ROME — Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, has used the final New 12 months’s Eve speech of his time period take to process those that “waste” alternatives to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, calling that selection an “offense” to all those that haven’t been in a position to obtain the injection.
In a televised speech to the nation Friday night time, Mattarella, who’s head of state, famous that he was serving within the last days of his seven-year time period, with Parliament to elect his successor within the first weeks of 2022. Referring to current COVID-19 surges in Italy and lots of different nations pushed by virus variants, Mattarella famous a “sense of frustration” over the setbacks.
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ALBANY, N.Y. — Federal ambulance groups and extra Nationwide Guard members are headed for New York Metropolis, and western New York hospitals are getting extra federal assist as coronavirus circumstances and hospitalizations maintain rising.
State officers introduced the brand new deployments Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul additionally mentioned college students at state universities and the Metropolis College of New York must get coronavirus vaccine booster photographs to be on campus within the spring semester and should take a look at detrimental earlier than getting back from the vacation break.
New confirmed case counts have been breaking data by the day within the state, topping 76,500 on Thursday, Hochul mentioned at a information briefing.
A median of 53,000 New Yorkers a day examined constructive within the week that ended Thursday, in comparison with 13,000 per day two weeks earlier. Over 7,900 individuals with COVID-19 are hospitalized statewide, up 67% in per week.
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas officers on Friday requested federal support for elevated COVID-19 testing and therapy following reviews that the state is operating low on the antibody therapy that has proved handiest in opposition to the omicron variant.
In a press release, Gov. Greg Abbott mentioned the Texas Division for Emergency Administration and the Texas Division of State Well being Companies made the request.
They’re looking for federal assets for extra COVID-19 testing areas in six counties, elevated medical personnel and extra sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody therapy that has proved handiest in opposition to the more-transmissible omicron.
Abbott referred to as on the Biden administration “to step up on this battle and supply the assets needed to assist shield Texans.”
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GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Novavax Inc. mentioned it filed knowledge Friday with the Meals and Drug Administration to help clearance of its long-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine, a distinct type of shot than present U.S. choices.
Novavax mentioned the information package deal is the final requirement earlier than the corporate formally submits its emergency-use utility subsequent month to develop into the fourth U.S. COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement comes shortly after the European Fee and World Well being Group cleared use of the Maryland-based firm’s two-dose shot.
Novavax developed a protein vaccine, just like photographs used for years in opposition to different illnesses and a method which may enchantment to individuals hesitant to make use of COVID-19 vaccines made with newer applied sciences. However Novavax, a small biotech firm, confronted months of delays find producers to mass-produce its vaccine.
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ROME — Italian well being officers are warning that the speed of occupation by COVID-19 sufferers of hospital beds each in intensive care items and in common wards has surpassed the “crucial degree” nationally.
A prime Well being Ministry official, Gianni Rezza, additionally mentioned on Friday night that the incidence of circumstances is rising, with 783 confirmed COVID-19 infections per each 100,000 residents in Italy. The nation hit one other excessive for day by day new caseloads — 144,243 confirmed circumstances within the final 24 hours.
Almost 12% of some 1.234 million swab exams carried out since Thursday resulted constructive, in line with the ministry, which urged vaccinated individuals to get a booster shot if they’re eligible.
With the nation slammed by a surge of infections largely pushed by the omicron variant, the federal government banned public New 12 months’s Eve celebrations.
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DALLAS — Flight cancellations surged once more on the final day of 2021, with airways blaming it on crew shortages associated to the spike in COVID-19 infections.
By late morning Friday on the East Coast, airways scrubbed greater than 1,300 flights, in line with monitoring service FlightAware. That in contrast with about 1,400 cancellations for all of Thursday.
The remnants of the delta variant and the rise of the brand new omicron variant pushed the speed of recent day by day infections within the U.S. properly above 200,000 a day, in line with figures from Johns Hopkins College.