Southern California has its first confirmed case of the new omicron coronavirus variant, Los Angeles County public health officials confirmed Thursday evening, a day after the country’s first case was confirmed in San Francisco.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a Thursday statement that the individual returned to the area after traveling to South Africa, via London, on Nov. 22. The infection, health authorities said, was most likely travel-related.

The new variant, which has sent scientists scrambling to assess it severity, has been confirmed in about two dozen countries so far, but was first identified in South Africa. The L.A. County case came the same day as several others in the U.S., first in Minnesota and then in Hawaii and Colorado — and five in the New York City area.

The circumstances of those cases seemed to suggest the variant has begun spreading.

The San Francisco, Minnesota and Los Angeles County cases are all believed to be travel related, with both of the California patients having recently traveled to South Africa; the San Francisco patient returned from South Africa the day the L.A. County one traveled there. The Minnesota person had traveled to New York recently.

While much remains unknown about this variant, it may spread more easily than others, including the delta variant — the coronavirus mutation that preceded omicron — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization has listed it as a variant of concern.

“CDC has been actively monitoring and preparing for this variant,” the federal health agency said in a statement after the Minnesota case was confirmed. “CDC has expanded its capacity for genomic sequencing over the past nine months and we have more tools to fight the variant than we had at this time last year.”

The CDC’s statement referred, in part, to the vaccines that are now available.

The Minnesota and California people who tested positive for the omicron variant were all vaccinated.

The Los Angeles County resident who tested positive for the omicron variant was fully vaccinated — the people from San Francisco and Minnesota were also vaccinated — and was self-isolating, health officials said. The person’s symptoms are improving without medical care. A small number of close contacts also have been identified and all have tested negative and had no symptoms so far, officials reported.

Cases: The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals surged past 600 Saturday, amid concern over another possible autumn and winter surge in infections and the presence of the new omicron variant in Los Angeles County.
There were 610 COVID patients at county hospitals as of Saturday, up from 572 Friday, according to the latest state figures. Of those, 146 were in intensive care, up just one from Friday. Also Saturday, the county reported 2,307 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths associated with the virus, raising its cumulative totals to 1,534,720 cases and 27,442 fatalities since the pandemic began.

The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1% as of Friday.

Meanwhile, a rapid-testing site opened at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday to offer free — but voluntary — COVID-19 tests for arriving international passengers. The COVID-19 testing at the Tom Bradley International Terminal is being offered strictly on a voluntary basis, since there is no federal requirement for inbound passengers to be tested.

The county Department of Public Health on Friday reported another drop in the rate of infections among the homeless, with only 44 new cases for the week ending Nov. 14, compared with 63 the week of Oct. 11.

Just hours after announcing plans for the airport testing facility Thursday, the county confirmed the first local case of the omicron variant, which was designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization recently, and by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.
The variant first was detected in South Africa, and it now has spread to dozens of other countries, and multiple U.S. states. The first U.S. case was confirmed Wednesday in San Francisco.

The local omicron patient confirmed late Thursday afternoon is a Los Angeles County resident who returned to the area Nov. 22 after traveling to South Africa via London. The infection was deemed to be “most likely travel related.” The unidentified patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and has symptoms that are improving, health officials said. The person’s close contacts all have tested negative.
It is still unclear whether the variant is more highly transmissible than other forms of the virus, or if it causes more severe illness or can evade the protection offered by current vaccines. But its rapid spread in South Africa has raised alarms, particularly ahead of the winter holiday season and accompanying travel and gatherings.

According to the latest county figures, of the more than 6.1 million fully vaccinated people in the county, 80,445 have tested positive, or about 1.32%. A total of 2,680 vaccinated people have been hospitalized, for a rate of 0.044%, and 503 have died, for a rate of 0.008%.
So far, 83% of county residents ages 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 74% are fully vaccinated. Of all eligible residents ages 5 and older, 76% have received at least one dose, and 68% are fully vaccinated.

Black residents continue to have the lowest rate of vaccination, with just 55% having received at least one dose. The rate is 60% among Latino residents, 73% among White residents and 82% among Asians.

The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals fell back below 600 Sunday, declining from 610 the day before to 595, according to the latest state figures.

Of those patients, 146 were in intensive care, unchanged from the day before.

The latest numbers come amid concern over another possible winter surge in infections and the presence of the new omicron variant in Los Angeles County. The county reported 1,642 new coronavirus cases and four additional deaths associated with the virus Sunday, in numbers that likely reflect weekend reporting delays.

The county has logged 1,536,351 cases and 27,446 deaths since the pandemic began.

The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1% as of Friday.

The latest numbers came two days after a rapid-testing site opened at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday to offer free — but voluntary — coronavirus tests for arriving international passengers. The rapid testing at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which will provide results before passengers leave the airport, is being offered strictly on a voluntary basis, since there is no federal requirement for inbound passengers to be tested.

President Biden’s plan for winter

President Biden laid out a new pandemic strategy today as the country confronts a worrisome new variant and a potential winter surge. The plan is aimed at keeping the economy, workplaces and schools open, according to senior administration officials.

The plan includes hundreds of vaccination sites aimed at families and a campaign to push for booster shots for all adults.

There are also two new changes that may be especially important for Americans as they begin to travel and gather for the holidays: testing requirements for international travelers and insurance reimbursement for at-home coronavirus tests.

Here’s what the changes mean for you.

Travel testing requirements. The Biden administration shortened the time frame for international travelers to the U.S. to take and present a negative Covid test to 24 hours from 72 hours. The new rules apply to foreigners coming to the U.S. and Americans returning home, and are expected to take effect next week.

While the new 24-hour window adds another layer of preflight stress, results for antigen tests are normally available within a few hours, so it should be possible to take a test and get the results within the prescribed period.

The U.S. stopped short of imposing a mandatory seven-day quarantine on arrivals, and it did not upgrade its standard for an acceptable Covid test to a P.C.R. test, which can take significantly longer to produce results.

There is no testing requirement for flying domestically, although Biden did extend the current mask mandate for people on airplanes, trains and buses, and in terminals and transit hubs, through mid-March.

At-home tests. Under the plan, Americans with private insurance would be reimbursed for at-home tests. For those who lack insurance, the administration intends to distribute an additional 15 million tests to community health centers and rural clinics.

Testing is a key because experts envision a future where Americans are able to test themselves as soon as they exhibit symptoms. Then, if they are positive, they would go into quarantine and seek treatment. Early testing is important because the antiviral treatment works best just after the onset of symptoms.

It was unclear how many tests a person could be reimbursed for buying, or how the reimbursement would work. Federal agencies plan to issue guidance for insurers by Jan. 15.

Private insurers already cover the cost of coronavirus tests administered in doctor’s offices and other medical facilities. (Here are five tips for avoiding surprise coronavirus test bills.)

While the president’s plan comes a day after the first Omicron case was discovered in the country, many experts predict a surge in the U.S. over the winter, regardless of whether the new variant spreads widely. The country has been reporting an average of more than 80,000 new coronavirus cases a day over the last few weeks. Six months ago, the average was roughly 12,000 new cases a day.

A new generation of Covid-19 treatments will soon be available, and they matter more than many people realize.

They have the potential to substantially reduce hospitalization and death. And they are likely to be effective against the Omicron variant, many scientists believe, even if Omicron makes the Covid vaccines weaker at preventing infections. As Dr. Monica Gandhi of the University of California, San Francisco, told me, the treatments are “a huge deal.”

In the simplest terms, they can help turn Covid into a more ordinary respiratory disease, similar to the common cold or flu, rather than one that’s killing about 1,000 Americans a day and dominating daily life for millions.

Two treatments are on the way — one from Pfizer and one from Merck — and they will have both medical and psychological benefits. Not only can they reduce serious Covid illness, but they can also reduce Covid fears and help society move back to normalcy, lessening the pandemic’s huge social and economic side effects.

Both Pfizer’s and Merck’s treatments are pill regimens that people take for five days after a positive Covid test. The pills prevent the virus from replicating inside the body and are broadly similar to treatments that revolutionized H.I.V. care in the 1990s.

The Economy: From the Pasadena Star-News: Uneven COVID recovery seen: Strength, resilience and diversity helping prevent more serious economic downturn, study finds.

Southern California has reclaimed 70% of the jobs it has lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the region’s ongoing recovery will be fraught with labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, equity gaps and inflation, according to a new forecast.

The report, prepared by some of the region’s top economists, was released Thursday during the 12th annual Southern California summit, “From Inclusive Recovery to Inclusive Growth.” The online event was sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments.

The strength, resilience and diversity of Southern California’s economy helped prevent a more serious downturn, the study said, but the region is still more than a half million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic total despite having added 1.21 million over the past 19 months.

“On the plus side, Southern California’s role as a supply chain leader has never been more important,” association President Clint Lorimore said in a statement. “We’re also seeing remarkable advances in technology and innovation across multiple industry sectors.”

Still, the region’s tourism industry was essentially shut down for months. That, coupled with severe staffing shortages, has hurt retailers, restaurants, manufacturers, trucking operations and small businesses.

Speaking Thursday, Dee Dee Myers, senior adviser and director for the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development, said the state is working to help unclog the supply chain gridlock. The backlog has slowed the movement of goods through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a result of labor shortages and increased consumer demand.

The backup has often left hordes of container ships waiting near the ports to unload their merchandise.

“The governor has issued an executive order that asks the state to access land for additional container storage,” Myers said.

UC Riverside professor Karthick Ramakrishnan said inclusion and equity among minorities and underrepresented communities are increasingly important as Southern California regains its economic footing.

“It gets worse over time and is harmful for overall economic growth,” he said. “There is a reduction in human capital investments through education, a reduction of homeownership and adverse health outcomes and associated costs.”

The report’s economic outlook and challenges vary from county to county:

• Los Angeles County employment is projected to grow by about 91,000 jobs a year from 2020 through 2025, adding a total of roughly 457,000. But most will be lower-paying postions that require a high school diploma or less. Beyond that, housing has become increasingly out of reach for many, and Black and Latino households are more likely to struggle with poverty than their White and Asian counterparts.

• Chapman University predicts that Orange County will add 100,000 jobs between the second quarter of 2021 and the end of the year, bringing total county employment to 98% of what it was in the first quarter of 2020. The county’s largest industries as of August were professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality and manufacturing. Only 17% of residents were able to afford a median-priced existing home in the county, which topped $1.1 million in June and remained above $1 million through August, the report said.

• The Inland Empire (San Bernardino and Riverside counties) will see its economic recovery driven largely by the strength of its logistics, health care and construction industries. If current trends hold, this year will see a gain of 69,027 jobs — more than offsetting the 65,692 lost in 2020.

Jobs and unemployment: US job growth slowed sharply last month, raising questions about whether the Federal Reserve will pursue a more aggressive approach to scaling back its stimulus programme.

Employers in the world’s largest economy added just 210,000 jobs in November, well below economists’ forecasts of 550,000.

America’s unemployment rate tumbled last month to its lowest point since the pandemic struck, even as employers appeared to slow their hiring — a mixed picture that pointed to a resilient economy that’s putting more people to work. The government reported Friday that private businesses and other employers added just 210,000 jobs in November, the weakest monthly gain in nearly a year and less than half of October’s gain of 546,000.

But other data from the Labor Department’s report painted a much brighter picture. The unemployment rate plummeted from 4.6% to 4.2% as a substantial 1.1 million Americans said they found jobs last month.

The U.S. economy still remains under threat from a spike in inflation, shortages of labor and supplies and the potential impact of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. But for now, Americans are spending freely, and the economy is forecast to expand at a 7% annual rate in the final three months of the year, a sharp rebound from the 2.1% pace in the previous quarter, when the delta variant hobbled growth.

Employers in some industries, such as restaurants, bars and hotels, sharply slowed their hiring in November. By contrast, job growth remained solid in areas like transportation and warehousing, which are benefiting from the growth of online commerce.

Travel and Tourism: Tourism businesses that were just finding their footing after nearly two years of devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being rattled again as countries throw up new barriers to travel in an effort to contain the omicron variant.
From shopping districts in Japan and tour guides in the Holy Land to ski resorts in the Alps and airlines the world over, a familiar dread is rising about the renewed restrictions.

Meanwhile, travelers eager to get out there have been thrown back into the old routine of reading up on new requirements and postponing trips

Less than a month after significantly easing restrictions for inbound international travel, the U.S. government has banned most foreign nationals who have recently been in any of eight southern African countries. A similar boomerang was seen in Japan and Israel, both of which tightened restrictions shortly after relaxing them.

Though it is not clear where the variant emerged, South African scientists identified it last week, and many places, including the European Union and Canada, have restricted travel from the wider region.

For all the alarm, little is known about omicron, including whether it is more contagious, causes more serious illness or can evade vaccines.
Still, governments that were slow to react to the first wave of COVID-19 are eager to avoid past mistakes. The World Health Organization says, however, that travel bans are of limited value and will “place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.” Other experts say travel restrictions won’t keep variants out but might give countries more time to get people vaccinated.

London-based airline easy-Jet said Tuesday that renewed travel restrictions already appear to be hurting winter bookings, although CEO Johan Lundgren said the damage is not yet as severe as during previous waves. The CEO of SAS Scandinavian Airlines said winter demand was looking up, but now we “need to figure out what the new variants may mean.”