What A Day - A Variant: Age Of Omicron

Episode Date: November 30, 2021

Over the last 24 hours, world leaders and health officials had more to say about the Omicron variant, even as we wait for more scientific information to come out. The World Health Organization said in part that Omicron poses a “very high” global risk, and multiple countries have imposed controversial travel restrictions. President Biden made his first remarks about Omicron yesterday and emphasized that people should get fully vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.And in headlines: Jack Dorsey stepped down as Twitter’s CEO, leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro took the electoral lead in Honduras, and new evidence showed Chris Cuomo used his connections to gather info for his brother Andrew Cuomo’s defense team.For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Tuesday, November 30th. I'm Gideon Reznik. And I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And this is What A Day, where we're still supporting Matthew McConaughey and his race to be governor of acting. Yes, he said that he's out of the Texas race, but we would still like to see him in the great big governor's mansion called Hollywood, California. Just sign in laws that say lights, camera, action. You know what I mean? I do know what you mean.

On today's show, Jack Dorsey steps down as Twitter's CEO, plus the leftist presidential candidate in Honduras has the lead in early election results. But first, we have more on the latest on the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Ever heard of it? No. Over the last 24 hours, world leaders variant of the coronavirus. Ever heard of it? No. Over the last 24 hours, world leaders and health officials had more to say about it, even as we wait for more scientific information to come out.

Here's Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization yesterday. We shouldn't need another wake-up call. We should all be wide awake to the threat of this virus. But Omicron's very emergence is another reminder that although many of us might think we're done with COVID-19, it's not done with us. That is not the best thing to hear. Gideon, can you say a little bit more about what else the WHO had to say? Yeah, so they put out this so-called, quote-unquote, technical brief on Sunday getting into the variant and what they know a little bit more. And they said in part that Omicron poses a, quote-unquote, very high global risk. Now, there's a lot more to it. The warning to member states was essentially that the many mutations that scientists have detected in the variant, quote, may confer immune escape potential and possibly transmissibility advantage.

In common English, that means it might be better at evading vaccines and natural immunity and might be better at being transmitted. But again, there are lots of ifs and mights here in the early days. They mentioned that much is still unknown at the moment to that point, namely some of the very questions that we were discussing with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on yesterday's show. How easily does this spread? Is there actually vaccine evasion? Does it result in differences in illness? How do current treatments work against it? We're probably going to know a lot more about all of that in the next week or two. Yeah, so it seems like clarity is coming, but we don't have it quite yet. So given all of that uncertainty, Gideon, what are the WHO advised countries to do?

Yeah, so for one thing, to amp up the surveillance and sequencing efforts, the very thing that allowed South Africa to identify Omicron in the first place and quickly alert the world. Additionally additionally to accelerate vaccination campaigns, particularly among vulnerable populations. The WHO also re-emphasized testing and tracing as a vital tool to track Omicron, and that's one that has kind of fallen by the wayside in some places where the pandemic had seemed like it was beginning to wind down. They also said that they were planning to issue more travel guidance in the days to come. Yeah. So can you talk a little bit more about what other travel restrictions have

emerged in just the last day or so? It really is a lot. To name just a few because they're changing pretty rapidly. Switzerland said that on Monday, all travelers who arrive from a country in which Omicron has been detected would need to quarantine for 10 days. Then Japan joined some of the more restrictive nations like Israel and Morocco in banning all foreign travelers. Australia delayed the reopening of its borders for two weeks to get a chance to study Omicron more in depth. And also, as we talked about yesterday, right, the policy of travel restrictions more broadly is becoming more controversial. It is. Officials at WHO and some public health officials in South Africa continue to criticize these bans. The WHO specifically mentioned that they could have the unintended consequence

of actually keeping countries from alerting other nations to discoveries they might make. Malawi's president went a step further, calling the bans, quote unquote, Afrophobia. Wow. Yes. So this is a lot, a lot of information. Let's circle back to the U.S., where cases of Omicron have not yet been identified, though Canada announced on Sunday that cases had been detected there. So President Biden made his first remarks about Omicron yesterday. What exactly did he say? He said, basically, don't panic. This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic. We have the best vaccine in the world, the best medicines,

the best scientists, and we're learning more every single day. Love to hear that. Thanks, Spidey. Right. So he also emphasized that people should get fully vaccinated and that people 18 and older who were fully vaccinated before June 1st get a booster shot. And that's a little bit new, right, on the booster recommendation. So what does the CDC have to say about that? Yeah. So overall here, the CDC is strengthening its recommendations on boosters to say that all American adults, quote, should get one. That means if you are 18 and older and six months past full vaccination with Pfizer or Moderna, they're saying you should get a booster. And if you're two months past J&J,

that is the recommendation as well. So they had previously said that certain categories of adults, quote, unquote, may get one if they want. But this subtle change in language seems to reflect the growing concerns about Omicron. There's also reporting that Pfizer is going to seek authorization for a booster for 16 and 17 year olds to expand the pool more. Okay, so that makes sense. So then what else did Biden have to say about it? A lot of the same stuff that we have been hearing throughout all this, you know, people should wear masks in indoor public settings. And here's what Biden had to say when asked about the possibility of mitigation efforts like lockdowns.

Are lockdowns off the table? Yes, for now. Why is that? Well, because if people are vaccinated and wear their mask, there's no need for lockdown. So Biden also said that the administration was working with vaccine manufacturers on the possibility of new shots that could be tailored to the variant. But given what is currently known, that might not be necessary. We're expecting to hear more on Thursday about a broader plan for the winter when Biden visits the National Institutes of Health. Well, the good news is if you tell people in America to wear their masks, they will do it.

So I guess we're out of the woods on that one. So let's go back to South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified. Can you tell us a little bit more about what we've learned there? Yeah, there's a lot of different pieces here. So for one thing, an epidemiologist in South Africa said on Monday that children under two years old represented a pretty significant chunk of new cases and hospitalizations, although there is some lack of clarity as to whether that is due to Omicron or Delta, with the hope that scientists can get more info in the coming days. Also, the New York Times talked to some South African public health officials who said that there is still not enough information to answer some key questions

that we've been bringing up about transmission and severity. Though there has been a considerable rise in hospitalizations in Pretoria over the past couple of weeks, even as it remains clear if that is from Omicron, they're kind of monitoring this as they go. So a lot to keep track of here and a lot more still to learn, of course. Yeah, thank you for that, Gideon. I feel like there's a lot that we're hearing. It's hard to sort through all the noise. And obviously, there are still a lot of questions, but this is helpful. Yes, I hope so. I certainly left with more questions for sure. So we're going to have our eyes on all of that. But that is the latest for now. We will be back with some headlines. Headlines.

New evidence shows that CNN anchor Chris Cuomo used his powerful journalistic connections to gather information for his brother, Andrew Cuomo's defense team behind the scenes. He is still employed. Yesterday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released several damning text messages between Chris and former Andrew Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa. In their conversations, Chris insisted that he help prepare the former New York governor's response when sexual harassment allegations first surfaced earlier this year. He still has his job. DeRosa also asked Chris to find out what journalist Ronan Farrow was planning to write about Andrew in a then unpublished piece. Chris Cuomo did not immediately respond to requests for comment,

but CNN issued a statement yesterday regarding the documents saying, quote, we will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days. I love that statement. It is so vague. Yep. So much assurance. Early polling results from the Honduras presidential election show leftist candidate Xiomara Castro as the racist frontrunner with more than half of the vote.

Polls closed Sunday night after Honduras showed up in record numbers with the highest voter turnout the republic has seen in decades. As of recording this, Castro has 53% of the votes compared to her opponent, Nasre Asfora, who lags behind with only 39%. The stakes are high in this election as the results will decide who will replace the current and deeply unpopular president, Juan Orlando Hernandez. For the past eight years, Hernandez has drawn heavy criticism from the public for his authoritarian policies and alleged drug trafficking. If elected, Castro will be the first woman president of the Republic of Honduras and the first candidate to be democratically elected on an openly socialist platform. We won't know the results for days,

but according to the Associated Press, both parties have already claimed victory for their candidates. The best part about being a candidate is just claiming victory, you know? Yeah, you win if you participate, I suppose. That's true. Everybody gets a participation trophy. Yes.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is stepping down as the company's CEO effective immediately, and I have some personal news I would like to share. The 45-year-old known for his long beard, love of Bitcoin, and staunch opposition to eating a traditional number of meals per day made the surprise announcement yesterday morning. He posted a screenshot of his resignation to Twitter that said, quote, I decided to leave Twitter because I believe the company is ready to move on from its founders. For the past few years, investors criticized Dorsey for

not being focused enough on Twitter. He is also the CEO of another public company, the digital payment app Square. And Dorsey was nearly ousted last year by shareholders who wanted a new CEO. The social media company's chief technology officer, Perag Agrawal, will take over Dorsey's position and Dorsey will remain on the board until his term expires next year. Twitter is in the midst of a revamp and recently launched a slew of products, including subscription-based newsletters and live audio. In what's been called the most British winter emergency of all time, 61 relative strangers got snowed into a pub for three days straight in the company of an Oasis cover band.

It all began last Friday when the unsuspecting Britpop fans gathered in Yorkshire's Canhill Inn to see Noasis, love the name. Before the show ended, three foot high piles of snow had blocked the exits and the roads outside weren't safe to travel, creating the conditions that would lead them to listen to live renditions of this song for the next 72 hours. Wow. I think I could do three days of that song. I think I'd be fine.

I think I'd love it. I think so too. Yeah, I would have a great time. In addition to being entertained by the band, the inn's general manager, Nicola Townsend, said people passed the time by watching Mamma Mia, singing karaoke, and staying on their strong British brand by enjoying roast dinners. A snowplow had cleared out the pub's exits by yesterday morning, but people were emotional as they said goodbye, having formed strong bonds in their English ice prison. Meanwhile, all of Britain could be trapped in their own homes without liquor this Christmas.

The country's Wine and Spirit Trade Association warned that there aren't enough drivers to meet the demand of alcohol deliveries in the UK, which could lead to a shortage on black and tans, gin and tonics, and the popular British cocktail called the Queen's Medicine. So heads up to our mates across the pond. Dry January could be coming early this year. Hearing reports that Liam Gallagher responded to both stories by saying, fuck, that is bollocks. That's a great joke. Thank you. Thank you very, very much. And those are

the headlines. One more thing before we go. Do you have strong opinions about what a day to go with that strong cup of coffee in your hand? Well, now is your chance to let us know. They better be nice. Leave us a review and tell us what you want to hear. We really appreciate the feedback and can't wait to read what you submit. Five stars, please. It's only fair. Only fair.

Or six. Give us six stars if you can. If you can. That is all for today. And if you're into reading and not just instructions for how to make a queen's medicine like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. So check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe. I'm Josie Duffy Rice.

I'm Gideon Resnick. And do a U.S. tour. Noasis. I wonder if noasis means that Noel is somehow involved. What if Noel started his own Oasis cover band? What if? That's my mind blowing up, folks. Truly.

Shattered. Incredible. What a day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance, Jazzy Marine, and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our executive producers are Leo Duran and me, Gideon Resnick. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.