Omicron, Delta could infect people simultaneously, top doctor warns
Omicron and Delta coronavirus strains could potentially infect people simultaneously or spawn a more dangerous variant, an expert has warned.
Coronavirus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Coronavirus. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Moderna’s top doctor has warned that Omicron and Delta coronavirus could potentially “double team” people, infecting them simultaneously.
Speaking at a British parliamentary committee, the company’s chief health officer Paul Burton told the world not to take Omicron lightly, calling it a “real threat”.
Dr Burton also warned that if Omicron and Delta were to coexist for an extended time, people could become infected with both strains.
“There’s certainly data, there have been some papers published again from South Africa earlier from the pandemic when people — and certainly immunocompromised people — can harbour both viruses,” he said.
“That would be possible here (in Europe), particularly given the number of infections that we were seeing.”
Dr Burton said dual infections could also lead to the formation of a more dangerous variant.
“It certainly gives an opportunity for the two viruses to combinate, to share genes and swap genes over,” he said.
“There are 50, 60, 70 thousand cases of Delta a day in some European countries, including the UK. To bring Omicron into that background of Covid is concerning.”
Dr Burton warned that, contrary to popular belief, Omicron was a “severe disease”.
Moderna is conducting research on the level of protection its vaccine offered against Omicron.
The vaccine manufacturer is expected to know by the end of the week whether mRNAs jabs are less effective against the new variant.
But Dr Burton said Moderna would need until at least March 2022 to start distributing a vaccine that specifically targets Omicron.
MELBOURNE NIGHTCLUB PATRONS IN QUARANTINE
More than 700 people have been ordered into quarantine after Victorian health officials confirmed an Omicron case visited two popular Melbourne nightclubs.
A person with the strain visited Sircuit Bar, Fitzroy, between 9pm and midnight and The Peel Hotel, Collingwood between 11.30pm and 3am on Friday night, the Department of Health said in a statement.
It comes as the state recorded four more local cases of Omicron on Wednesday – a total of 10 in Victoria.
Anyone who visited either of these venues at these times is considered a close contact who must isolate immediately.
People who are fully vaccinated must quarantine for seven days. Those who aren’t double-dose vaccinated will need to quarantine for two weeks.
It follows a mass outbreak of Covid-19 cases in NSW believed to be linked to an event at a Newcastle nightclub last week.
OMICRON NIGHTCLUB OUTBREAK SPREADS TO QLD
Queensland has recorded six new locally acquired cases of Covid-19, one of which had visited a Newcastle nightclub that was later confirmed as an Omicron hotspot.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath confirmed two of the new cases were being treated as the Omicron variant.
One was a person who visited Newcastle’s Argyle House nightclub.
“In both of these cases we are awaiting genomic sequencing to come back,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Ms D’Ath said the second case of concern had visited a hotspot in Newcastle, before flying to Brisbane and then Townsville.
Another previously reported case from the UK also tested positive to the Omicron variant in hotel quarantine.
Ms D’Ath said the six cases had visited a number of sites across the state and had been infectious for up to six days.
“Places such as Goondiwindi, Wide Bay, Townsville, Gold Coast and Brisbane South have all reported these cases,” Ms D’Ath said.
The new cases come after widespread mockery of a decision to force two planes of passengers into quarantine for Christmas.
Just two days after the Sunshine State opened its borders, dozens of flight passengers aboard at least two Virgin flights to Brisbane and Townsville have been asked to isolate after being deemed close contacts of someone with the virus.
It is believed the case is a passenger from Newcastle, which is at the centre of a mass nightclub cluster linked to the Omicron strain.
Passengers on VA1105 from Newcastle to Brisbane and VA375 from Brisbane to Townsville have been asked to isolate for 14 days – with tourists forced into hotel quarantine – regardless of negative results or their vaccination status.
The decision has been widely derided and a source of anxiety for anyone looking to fly into the state for the summer, with visitors now facing two weeks of quarantine if a single person on their flight is positive.
“Flights have been going between NSW and Vic for months – has there been a single superspreader event on a flight relating to a Covid case?” ABC’s 7.30 host Leigh Sales wrote on Twitter.
“What is the basis of Qld locking up planeloads of vaxxed people for Christmas without warning or precedent?”
There are also nine new exposure sites in Goondiwindi as well as new sites in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.
A man with the Omicron variant was confirmed on Tuesday as one of the four new cases to arrive in quarantine.
25 NEW OMICRON CASES IN NSW
NSW recorded 25 new cases of Omicron on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total number of cases of the new variant to 110.
It comes as the state recorded 1360 new Covid-19 cases and one death in the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday, the highest number of new infections recorded in NSW since early September.
A woman in her 90s died at the Gillawarna Village Aged Care Facility in George’s Hall. She had received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.
NSW Health said it was likely that the “overwhelming majority of the cases in Newcastle” are the Omicron variant.
It comes as a raft of restrictions eased across NSW on Wednesday, with some of the most significant changes around mask wearing and QR code check ins.
JOYCE LIKELY TO HAVE OMICRON
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is likely to have been infected with the Omicron strain while in the United Kingdom.
Mr Joyce dialled into Australian morning television on Monday – using his microwave to prop his phone up – from his Washington DC hotel room where he is quarantining after his Covid-19 diagnosis.
He was on a 10-day trip to London and Washington DC to talk cybersecurity and AUKUS when he noticed slight symptoms. He was tested within hours of arriving in the United States after contracting the virus in the UK.
While he says American health authorities “don’t really care” what strain he has, the British are seeking to clarify whether it is Omicron.
“They tell me I haven’t got Delta and I haven’t got the original version of Covid. They have not determined what I have got (but it’s) probably Omicron,” he told Sunrise.
“In America they don’t really care so much what strain you’ve got, it’s whether you have got it or not, but England wants to know what I’ve got because of the people I was talking to (there).
“What they can tell me is that I have a high virus load, which is very comforting, but if you ask how I feel – I feel fine.”
Mr Joyce said the way he was feeling was proof that vaccinations worked and urged Australians to prepare for a future where Covid was highly unlikely to ever go away.
“If you’ve had your two vaccines and the new booster, you might get sick. I was double vaccinated and I got it so that is pretty good,” he said.
“I think in the end, it’s going to be endemic. It will get out and people are going to get it.
“The better protection you have got, the safer you are. The benefit I have got is the marrow in my bones is producing the capacity, the antibodies to deal with it.”
It comes as Australia on Sunday confirmed the window between a second jab and booster shot would be reduced to just five months, meaning millions of Australians will be eligible to roll up their sleeves again before the end of the year.
The Moderna vaccine will now be offered as a booster shot in addition to the Pfizer dose, and both can be administered irrespective of what vaccine a person received as part of their first B
Before receiving a Moderna booster himself, Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday said Australia was “well prepared” to provide booster doses over the coming months.
NSW HAS 536 CASES; NIGHTCLUB CLUSTER EXPLODES
Infections from a NSW nightclub have spiked with a further 60 revellers testing positive to Covid-19 after the venue was exposed to “high transmission” of the virus, causing a superspreading event.
A total of 84 people who attended The Argyle House in Newcastle on Wednesday December 8 have now tested positive, prompting NSW Health to update its advice for the nightclub.
“All 680 people who checked in using the QR code to attend the venue from 9pm on Wednesday December 8 to 3am, 9 December have been assessed as close contacts and must immediately get tested and isolate for 7 days,” NSW Health said in a statement.
NSW Health is appealing for anyone who did not check in using the QR code to urgently get tested and isolate, and for the community to ensure other potential attendees are aware of this advice.
It is believed up to 700 people including household contacts and family members are now isolating.
“Everyone should remain vigilant when celebrating with family, friends and colleagues and should not attend any social functions if they have any symptoms,” NSW Health said.
The outbreak is linked to the “ultimate RnB” party boat cruise on Sydney Harbour on December 4 where at least three people tested positive to the Omicron strain.
NSW Health believes some of the guests at that party then travelled to Newcastle and attended the nightclub, with 24 people testing positive to Covid-19.
A number of the infections are likely to be the Omicron variant, according to NSW Health.
While it is not yet clear how many cases from the nightclub have the Omicron strain, NSW recorded nine new confirmed cases of the variant on Monday.
“More cases of Omicron are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed,” NSW Health said.
NSW recorded a total of 536 new cases on Monday, with 171 people admitted to hospital and 24 in intensive care.
Health authorities have confirmed a NSW resident infected with the Omicron variant has become the first to be hospitalised with that particular strain.
NSW Health confirmed the new case of Omicron in hospital in its daily Covid update on Sunday.
More cases of the new strain are expected to be identified following the completion of genomic sequencing.
Of the population aged over 16, 94.8 per cent have had their first vaccine, while 93.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile for the population aged between 12 and 15, 81.4 per cent have had one dose, while 77.7 per cent have had two.
VIC DROPS AFRICAN QUARANTINE REQUIREMENT
The Victorian government scrapped the 14-day hotel quarantine requirement for arrivals from eight southern African countries of concern from 11.59pm on Sunday.
It will mean that fully vaccinated people who come to Victoria after having been in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique will only need to follow the same rules that apply to international travellers from other countries.
If fully vaccinated, or if aged under 12 and 2 months, they must self-quarantine at home or private accommodation for 72 hours, get tested within 24 hours of arriving, get tested again between days five and seven after arriving, and observe restrictions on entering sensitive settings.
The Department of Health on Sunday afternoon confirmed there had been no new cases of the Omicron variant in Victoria.
There remain three confirmed cases in total across the state, including one person – a returned traveller – who was previously identified with the Omicron variant while in hotel quarantine.
The other two cases sat together in the same row on a flight that landed in Melbourne from Dubai on November 30.
Genomic sequencing is also underway to confirm the variant for seven other probable cases who have tested positive for Covid-19.
The first known Omicron infection, also known as the B.1.1.529 strain, was first detected in Botswana on November 9 this year.
COVID SCARE AT AACTA AWARDS
A food and beverage operator has been diagnosed with Covid-19 after working at the Sydney Opera House during the AACTA Awards, putting many high-profile celebrities on alert.
The event was attended by stars including Baz Luhrmann, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Sarah Snook and Rachel Griffiths.
The employee was working at the venue during the event on Wednesday and also on Thursday.
“The Sydney Opera House has been advised that an employee of a food and beverage operator … has tested positive for Covid-19,” a spokesperson said on Saturday.
“A thorough cleaning of affected areas has been carried out and we are taking all necessary steps as required by NSW Health.
“The Opera House currently has a number of measures in place, in line with our Covid safety plan, and our commitment to the health and safety of everyone on our site.”
Anyone who attended the site on the relevant dates is not required to take any action unless advised by NSW Health via the Service NSW check-in notifications.
A South Eastern Sydney Local Health District spokesperson also confirmed the employee worked at the Sydney Opera House while infectious.
NSW Health has identified the venue as “low risk” and authorities are investigating.
“People who attended the venue during the times that the employee was there are not considered close or casual contacts, but must monitor for symptoms,” the spokesperson said.
“The staff member has been tested and is in isolation until they receive a negative result.
“The variant has not been determined to be Omicron.”
#BREAKING: The #AACTA red carpet has been listed as a covid-19 exposure site @SBSNewspic.twitter.com/yr5p8evHYF
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) December 10, 2021
– with Emily Cosenza, Rhiannon Tuffield and Courtney Gold
Originally published as Omicron, Delta could infect people simultaneously, top doctor warns
Join the conversation
State’s big move on cutting-edge vaccines
One Aussie state has revealed its next move on a major vaccine development project – which promises to change the way it responds to future health challenges.
Read more
$1.1m plan to overhaul Long Covid, chronic fatigue care
Guidelines to treat the 750,000-plus Australians who have Long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome are more than two decades old. See the plan to fix them.
Read more