January 18 coronavirus pandemic and Omicron variant news

Less than 0.2% of Covid-19 deaths in the United States have been among children, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children account for about one in five (22%) people in the US population overall, but about one in every 645 Covid-19 deaths and one in every six Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

There have been about 1,100 deaths and about 8.3 million cases among children, according to CDC data.

More than three-quarters of Covid-19 deaths have been among seniors, including more than a quarter that have been among people age 85 and older.

There have been more than 200,000 Covid-19 deaths among people age 85 and older, who represent about 2% of the US population overall, CDC data shows. Comparatively, there have been less than 400 Covid-19 deaths among children under 5, who represent about 6% of the US population overall.

New York City schools are going to remain open, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

While discussions are underway with teacher union leadership with regards to a remote option for very sick children while they are in quarantine, Adams said, in no uncertain terms does it signal that any launch of a remote learning tool would become an option for students to remain home.

"Our exploration of anything remote is to target those children who are infected and we want to isolate them,” Adams said.

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks said that they have not announced a remote learning option, but added they are "exploring the possibilities of the expansion of a remote learning option.” 

Meanwhile, officials continue to be pressed on school attendance which was at about 75% on Friday. The chancellor said school attendance was at 68% prior to the winter break and is steadily increasing.

The mayor said officials are “digging down” into the numbers to find children who are not in school and have not tested positive for Covid-19, and determine if there is any assistance school officials can give them to come back to campus.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams exclaimed “good news” in the city’s battle against the Omicron variant, saying the level of cases in the city are declining, and touted that the city just surpassed 16 million vaccine doses administered.

“We’re managing it in a real way,” Adams said, adding “we're going to win, because were resilient, and because, I say over and over again, because we are New Yorkers.”

The numbers still remain at a very high level, but the city is see a leveling off, he said.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is under 20,000, which is less than half of the peak of nearly 43,000 average new cases a day earlier in January, according to Dr. Dave Chokshi, the commissioner of the New York City health department.

Hospitalizations are starting to decrease, down from about 6,500 on Jan. 11 to about 5,800 Sunday, Chokshi added.

However, the high case numbers mean community transmission is still widespread, Chokshi said, reinforcing the need for vaccination.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted no one informed him that an outdoor drinks party held in the garden of his residence, 10 Downing Street, was a potential breach of Covid-19 restrictions.

“Nobody warned me that it was against the rules … because I would remember that,” Johnson emphasized.

“If I had my time again, I would not have allowed things to develop in that way,” Johnson said, adding he would have asked the group gathered outside on May 20, 2020, to come indoors or told them “this isn't the right way to do things.”

Johnson continues to receive backlash from politicians and the public alike over several parties allegedly held at his residence which are the subject of an inquiry led by Sue Gray, the second permanent secretary to the cabinet office.

At an interview Tuesday, Johnson insisted that he could not fathom that “we would have gone ahead with an event that people were saying was against the rules,” adding that he did not see the email sent by his private secretary inviting recipients to bring their own alcohol to the Downing Street garden.

This counters a claim made by Johnson's former aide, Dominic Cummings, in a blog post Monday that he would swear under oath that the prime minister was warned about the true nature of the drinks party. 

The prime minister continued to place the focus on Gray, saying she “should be given the space to get on and conclude her inquiry,” urging everyone with memories of the events to speak to her. 

He added that it is “not for me to decide who she is going to interview,” when responding to a question as to whether Cummings should be part of the process. 

The prime minister also refused to comment on whether he would resign from his position if the inquiry finds that he misled the UK Parliament.

He stressed that “we need to see what the report says,” adding that “we can't anticipate what the conclusion of this inquiry will be.”

Correction: An earlier version of this post included the wrong title for Sue Gray. She is the the second permanent secretary to the cabinet office.

Many Americans can now get at-home Covid-19 tests at no cost through their private insurance. They can obtain the tests from pharmacies, retailers and online vendors.

The program, which began Saturday, is part of the Biden administration's effort to increase access to testing around the US.

But some people are having trouble getting the free tests and many Medicare enrollees are discovering that they don't qualify.

If you've tried to obtain home Covid-19 tests at no cost, share your story with us. You could be featured in an upcoming story.

Hong Kong authorities say they will euthanize around 2,000 small animals -- including all hamsters in pet shops -- due to concerns around Covid-19 transmission.

On Tuesday, officials said they found 11 hamsters from the Little Boss pet store in the city had tested preliminary positive.

The animals were imported from the Netherlands in two batches, one on January 7 and one on December 22, according to Dr. Leung Siu-fai, director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation.

Generally, health authorities have said that the risk of transmission from animals to humans is possible, but low.

Environmental samples taken at the shop's warehouse, where the small animals are held, also confirmed traces of coronavirus, officials said.

Authorities have asked the shop to hand over all its small animals, including hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs, and for people who purchased hamsters after December 22 to hand over their animals to be tested and euthanized.

In addition, pet shops selling hamsters have been asked to hand over the animals. The import of all small animals into the city has been suspended and all pet shops selling hamsters have been asked to suspend operations immediately. These pet shops can reopen once all their small animals have been tested and their results found to be negative, authorities added.

Officials said Tuesday they will also review quarantine measures for imported small animals, including possible testing before and upon arrival.

There have been documented Covid-19 cases in animals who likely caught the virus from humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but there is less evidence to suggest the possibility of animal to human transmission.

In November 2020, Denmark said it found a mutated strain of the coronavirus among its mink population that had spread to humans. In response, the government announced the culling of 17 million mink to stop its spread. 

Hong Kong's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says they are "shocked and concerned" over the decision to ​euthanize more than 2,000 small animals, adding that it "did not take animal welfare and human-animal bond into consideration." 

The Vatican's Secretary of State,

Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Peña Parra, the substitute, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in isolation, the Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni said on Tuesday.

Parolin has "very mild" symptoms and Peña Parra is asymptomatic, Bruni added.

The Smithsonian Institution announced it will reduce the hours of operation for its museums and the National Zoo until further notice, citing staffing shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Starting Tuesday, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be open five days a week.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, the Renwick Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of African Art, the Arts and Industries building, and the National Zoo will move to a Thursday – Sunday schedule, operating only four days a week.

The National Air and Space Museum, the National Postal Museum and the Anacostia Community Museum will be closed to the public all together.

The only museums remaining open seven days a week are the Smithsonian Institution Building – also known as “The Castle” – and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Hospitals in Oklahoma City are overwhelmed, with no ICU beds or inpatient beds available as the Omicron coronavirus variant causes a surge of new hospitalizations.

Staff shortages are also biting, according to an open letter from the chief medical officers of the four major Oklahoma City healthcare systems published Monday.

“Our emergency departments are overflowing. Our caregivers are still strong, but they are exhausted. Even these heroes can't keep up much longer,” said the letter signed by the chief medical officers of INTEGRIS Health, Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, Oklahoma University Health hospitals and SSM-Health St. Anthony.

On Monday morning, 107 patients were waiting for beds in Oklahoma City emergency rooms, according to the letter.

There were 12,841 new cases of Covid-19 in Oklahoma Monday, bringing the total of active cases in the state to 110,244, according to the latest numbers from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. This makes for a 7-day rolling average for new cases of 10,642.

In addition, the letter cited hundreds of co-workers in quarantine, or unable to come to work because of children out of school, which has “crippled our already limited staff.”

The letter encouraged the public to go to community testing locations rather than the emergency room for Covid-19 testing, in order to leave the emergency department for very sick people.

The letter also called on the public to be kind to healthcare workers.

“Violence against health care workers is at an all-time high,” the letter said. “Our caregivers are wounded from this two-year battle and are being asked to work under unconscionable conditions. Please be kind and patient with them.”

CNN has reached out to the Oklahoma State Department of Health for comment.