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COVID-19 live updates: Omicron will be dominant variant in US ‘very soon,’ Fauci says

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 802,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Dec 16, 8:04 am
Omicron will be dominant variant in US ‘very soon,’ Fauci says

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, warned Thursday that omicron will become the dominant variant of the novel coronavirus in the United States “very soon.”

“It has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread,” Fauci, the chief medical advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.

“It has what we call a doubling time of about three days and if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being omicron, very soon it’s going to be the dominant variant,” he explained. “We’ve seen that in South Africa, we’re seeing it in the U.K. and I’m absolutely certain that’s what we’re going to be seeing here relatively soon.”

Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged Americans to “absolutely” get vaccinated against COVID-19, if they haven’t already, and to also receive a booster shot when they become eligible.

“At this point, we don’t believe you need an omicron-specific boost,” he added. “We just need to get the boost with what you got originally for the primary vaccination.”

Dec 16, 6:14 am
France to ban non-essential travel with UK over omicron surge

France announced Thursday that it will ban non-essential travel to and from the United Kingdom due to the country’s surge in cases of the omicron variant.

Starting Saturday, France will require people to have “a compelling reason” to travel between the two countries. Travel for tourism or work will not be allowed. French citizens, however, can return to France, according to a statement from the French prime minister’s office.

All travelers from the U.K. will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken less than 24 hours before departure. Upon arrival in France, they must self-isolate for a week, but that period can be ended after 48 hours if they test negative for COVID-19 again.

The new rules apply to people regardless of their vaccination status.

“Faced with the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom, the Government has chosen to reinstate the need for an essential reason for travel from and to the United Kingdom, and to strengthen the requirement for tests on departure and arrival,” the French prime minister’s office said in the statement Thursday. “The Government is also calling on travelers who had planned to visit the United Kingdom to postpone their trip.”

Dec 16, 4:24 am
Indonesia confirms 1st case of omicron variant

Indonesia announced Thursday its first confirmed case of the omicron variant.

The case was detected in a janitor who works at the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital of Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta, according to a statement from Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

The hospital’s cleaning staff are routinely tested and the results for three people were positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 10. Those samples were then sent to a genome sequencing lab, which identified the omicron variant in one of the samples on Wednesday, according to the statement.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has also identified probable cases of omicron among five travelers who were in quarantine — two Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the United Kingdom and the United States, and three foreigners from China. Their test samples are being sequenced and the results will be known in a few days, according to the statement.

The health minister urged Indonesians “not to panic and to remain calm,” and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they haven’t already.

“The arrival of new variants from abroad, which we identified in quarantine, shows that our defense system against the arrival of new variants is quite good, we need to strengthen it,” Sadikin said. “So it’s normal to stay 10 days in quarantine. The goal is not to make it difficult for people who came, but to protect the people of Indonesia.”

Dec 15, 4:46 pm
Forecast: US could see up to 845,000 deaths by early January

Forecast models used by the CDC suggest weekly death totals and hospital admissions will rise over the next four weeks.

The U.S. could reach a total of 845,000 deaths by Jan. 8, according to the forecasts from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst.

The COVID-19 Forecast Hub team monitors and combines forecasting models from the nation’s top researchers. They then create an ensemble, usually with a wide cone of uncertainty. Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician who runs the forecasting model, told ABC News Wednesday that he doesn’t think the forecasts included omicron in their predictions because the majority of data isn’t publicly available yet in a format that can be easily incorporated into a model.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 15, 4:20 pm
US cases up 45% in the last month

The U.S. is now reporting nearly 118,000 new cases each day — up by 45% in the last month, according to federal data.

Daily COVID-19-related hospital admissions have leapt by 46% in the last month.

Maine and New Hampshire are now averaging more new cases than at any other point in the pandemic, according to federal data.

New Hampshire currently holds the nation’s highest case rate, followed by Rhode Island, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Cyndi Lauper among stars bringing Christmas cheer to hospital patients via virtual concert

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

For more than 20 years, the non-profit Musicians On Call has worked to bring live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities nationwide. This year, the charity has rounded up some of music’s biggest names, including Cyndi Lauper, to participate in their second annual virtual concert, Hope for the Holidays.

The virtual concert, presented by Citi, was made exclusively for hospital patients, their families and frontline caregivers. Besides Lauper, other stars participating with either performances or special messages include Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Norah Jones, Reba McEntire, Michael Bublé, Billy Porter and many more.

The concert will be available on-demand for patients and their caregivers to enjoy throughout December. Among the highlights of the presentation is Lauper singing “Home for the Holidays.”

Jeff Garlin out at ‘The Goldbergs’ following HR investigation into on-set behavior

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

ABC’s long-running sitcom The Goldbergs lost cast member George Segal last year when the veteran actor passed away, and now it has lost its patriarch.

Jeff Garlin has reportedly exited the show, following “multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations,” according to Deadline.

The trade noted Garlin’s exit was “effective immediately,” and was a “mutual” decision between Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, and all other parties.

Garlin had about one more shooting day scheduled for the show’s ninth season, the trade reported, noting his schedule earlier in the season had been deliberately “reduced” during the investigation.

Garlin recently denied to Vanity Fair that he’d been fired from the show, and threw cold water on the notion of an investigation into his unspecified conduct. “We have a difference of opinion, Sony and myself,” said the actor, who plays high-strung Murray Goldberg on the sitcom and who also stars on Curb Your Enthusiasm as Larry David‘s manager.

“My opinion is, I have my process about how I’m funny, in terms of the scene and what I have to do. They feel that it makes for a quote ‘unsafe’ workspace. Now, mind you, my silliness making an unsafe workspace — I don’t understand how that is…” Garlin insisted. “I am always a kind and thoughtful person. I make mistakes, sure. But my comedy is about easing people’s pain. Why would I ever want to cause pain in anybody for a laugh? That’s bullying. That’s just uncalled for.”

Deadine reports it’s not known how Garlin’s exit will be addressed on the show. A tenth season has been in the cards, as The Goldbergs remains a strong performer for ABC. It’s also unknown whether this will affect Garlin’s tenure on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Ben Affleck responds after “insensitive” comments seemed to blame ex-wife Jennifer Garner for his drinking

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After an interview on Sirius/XM’s The Howard Stern Show made headlines for all the wrong reasons, Ben Affleck tried to set the record straight on Wednesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!

During the chat with Stern, Affleck talked at length about his career, his failed marriage to Jennifer Garner, and his battle with alcoholism, during which he said he “probably still would have been drinking” were he still with Garner. The pair were married from 2005 to 2018.

“Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped,” the 49-year-old actor told Stern. “I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”

The comments led fans to drag Affleck online, with some using the hashtag #TeamGarner.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday night, Affleck responded, saying of Garner, “I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first,” but the headline “just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy.”

The Tender Bar star also commented, “I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom.” Affleck shares daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 12, and 9-year-old son Samuel with the former Alias star.

Affleck insisted that the headline-grabbing drinking comment was taken out of context, and is, “the exact opposite of who I am.”

He insisted, “It hurts my feelings, man!”

Jewel wins ‘The Masked Singer,’ drops EP featuring Lady Gaga, Katy Perry covers

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jewel is the Queen…and the winner of season six of Fox’s The Masked Singer.

The multi-platinum-selling singer was revealed as the “Queen of Hearts” on the show Wednesday night, and she’s now released an EP of cover versions she performed on the show, including “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, “La Vie en Rose” by Édith Piaf, and “Bird Set Free” by Sia.

In a statement, Jewel said she enjoyed being on the show because she was “able to pull from all genres and all eras, which a person rarely gets to do.” She added, “That is why I was inspired to release all the songs I chose; I had so much fun interpreting these songs that I wanted to share them!”

Speaking to Billboard, Jewel said she agreed to go on The Masked Singer because she was looking for “opportunities that let me check a lot of boxes.”

“The first one has to be it can’t take too much time from my son’s life. I obviously needed to raise my profile if I was going to do it and promote new music,” she explained. “And the third box is it has to be creatively fun and interesting for me. So the Masked Singer, I know it sounds odd, but it was a great fit for me for all those reasons.”

Plus, she noted, “It let me focus on something that I’ve never been able to focus on the entire 25 years of my career: just showing my technical ability.”

Jewel also told Billboard that she also has a new album coming out next year called Freewheelin’ Woman, followed by a tour.

Here’s the track listing for Jewel’s Queen of Hearts EP:

“Born this Way” — Originally performed by Lady Gaga
“La Vie En Rose” — Originally performed by Édith Piaf
“River” — Originally performed by Bishop Briggs
“She’s Got You” — Originally performed by Patsy Cline
“Bird Set Free” — Originally performed by SIA
“What’s Going On” — Originally performed by Marvin Gaye
“Firework” — Originally performed by Katy Perry

Charlie Puth reveals he has COVID-19: “I’m not feeling amazing”

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Charlie Puth has tested positive for COVID-19.

The singer revealed his diagnosis on social media Wednesday night, saying he’s “not feeling amazing” but is on the mend.

“Hey everyone. I tested positive for Covid this morning,” Charlie wrote on Twitter. “I’m not feeling amazing but I think the worst is behind me. I write you this update, feeling like complete a**, in hopes that you will be safe and careful this holiday season. Love you and I’ll speak to you very soon.”

Charlie was double vaxxed, having revealed earlier this year that he received his second vaccine shot.

“I got my second shot today feeling a little wooooozy and loopy,” he wrote back in May.

Hey everyone. I tested positive for Covid this morning. I’m not feeling amazing but I think the worst is behind me. I write you this update, feeling like complete ass, in hopes that you will be safe and careful this holiday season. Love you and I’ll speak to you very soon.

— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) December 16, 2021

Flavor Flav says he was Kim Kardashian’s “birthday gift” to Pete Davidson

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Flavor Flav is shedding some light on how that picture of him with Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson and Kris Jenner came to be. Turns out Flav was a gift from Kim to her rumored beau, Pete.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the rapper said, “When it comes down to Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian, first of all, to me, that is family…And the whole night I was so honored to be in their presence.”

“One thing that I could say is Pete Davidson loves himself some Flavor Flav. Everything he does is, ‘Flavor Flav this, Flavor Flav that, Flavor Flav this, Flavor Flav that.’ So Kim said, ‘OK, well, for your birthday, you are going to have Flavor Flav.’ She sent for me and that’s how I ended up there,” Flav explained, adding, “I was the birthday gift.

Davidson turned 28 last month and celebrated his birthday with the group in Palm Springs. In posts shared to social media, the foursome donned matching plaid pajamas, which further fueled romance rumors between the SKIMS founder and SNL cast member.

“When it comes down to Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian’s relationship, only them two know it best,” Flav expressed when asked about the two’s relationship. “They just invited me into the circle, but I really don’t know the full [story].”

“And plus besides, that’s Kim and Pete, man. I would rather them tell about their situation than me,” he added. “But I’m grateful to them that they gave me the opportunity to be the first to publicize the picture with both of them together.”

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Americans avoiding health care in pandemic over cost concerns

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted Americans’ perceptions of health care, and not for the better, according to a new survey.

Nearly half of Americans say the pandemic has worsened their perceptions of the U.S. health care system, with many describing it as “broken” or “expensive,” according to the West Health-Gallup survey released this week, the largest survey conducted on U.S. health care since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high price of health care was a major factor, with a staggering one-third of Americans intentionally delaying or declining medical care over cost concerns.

In the midst of a pandemic, 14% of people with COVID-19 symptoms reported that they didn’t seek medical care because they worried they wouldn’t be able to afford it, a Gallup poll from April 2020 found.

In the new survey, nearly all sectors of society reported deep concerns about the health care system, including the insured and uninsured, wealthy and poor. The pandemic has also raised awareness of the unequal impact on Black, Hispanic and other non-white groups.

The survey found nearly three out of four Americans believe that their household pays too much for the quality of health care they receive, and an estimated 58 million U.S. adults find health care costs to be a major financial burden for their families.

One survey respondent, a white, Republican woman in her 60s, told researchers, “It’s hard when you have three or four kids and you’re trying to juggle the cost, and you’re deciding should I go to the emergency clinic or can we wait another day.”

Avoiding treatment due to rising costs is a problem facing both poorer and richer Americans. Around 34% of people with household incomes of less than $24,000 reported not seeking care in the prior three months due to cost. Twenty percent of people in high-income households (earning more than $120,000 annually) reported the same.

One in five U.S. adults reported they or a member of their household had a health problem worsen after postponing their medical care due to concerns about cost.

“Postponing care is only going to create higher costs in the long run,” said Dr. Blythe Adamson, founder of Infectious Economics LLC and affiliate professor at the University of Washington. “If we’re detecting cancer later on, that patient will have worse outcomes and more expensive care.”

The West Health-Gallup survey found that 60% of Americans reported the pandemic has made them more concerned about unequal access to quality health care services. Among Black Americans and Hispanic Americans, this concern was higher at three-fourths and two-thirds, respectively.

“We get brushed aside, African Americans, a lot of times,” said one survey respondent, a Black, Democrat woman in her 40s. “Things that we say, we feel it gets brushed off, they’re not really taking it seriously, like, oh, she’s just complaining again or it’s not serious, that kind of thing.”

Essential workers, who have lower income on average, continue to face greater COVID-19 risks than those with higher-income, more Zoom-friendly jobs.

“We continue to see low-income workers having high COVID-19 exposure at their job and not having insurance,” Adamson said. “These people are more likely to be hospitalized and thrown into bankruptcy.”

While some Americans have benefited from expanded access to telemedicine, inequities remain.

While other countries have government-backed health care, the US still relies on a mix of public and private health care insurers, which can create confusion and unequal pricing, according to Adamson.

Plus, as Adamson pointed out, “There are still many low income people that don’t have reliable internet, smartphones or computers that they can use in a telemedicine visit.”

Collectively, the survey shows that the pandemic appears to have worsened people’s views on the U.S. health care system.

“What’s changed in people’s minds is value in health care. Are we really getting a good value for every dollar we’re spending on prevention, on treatments, on hospitalization in this system?” Adamson asked.

Many of the challenges of the existing health care system were exposed under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our current system is unsustainable, especially for the poor,” Adamson said.

Nicholas Nissen, M.D., is an author, host of the “Brain Health with Dr. Nissen” podcast and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Report: NeNe Leakes dating new man three months after losing husband to cancer

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Months after losing her husband to cancer, NeNe Leakes appears to have found a new boo.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum is dating businessman Nyonisela Sioh, who owns a couture suit company in Charlotte, North Carolina, sources tell TMZ. Sioh, who is originally from Liberia, was reportedly introduced to NeNe by Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow RHOA alum Cynthia Bailey.

Although it’s unclear how long the pair have been dating, Sioh did make an appearance at NeNe’s surprise birthday party that her son threw for her in Atlanta. Several pictures from the party show the reality star standing next to her new beau, who’s rocking a gray full beard and lavender suit.

NeNe’s possible new romance comes more than three months after she lost her husband, Greg Leakes, to cancer. They were married for 20 years.

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Alwyn Cashe set to become first Black recipient of Medal of Honor for service in post-9/11 war on terror

December 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Thursday is set to award the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest military award for valor — to three U.S. soldiers for their service during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, the first Black service member to be honored for heroic actions during the war on terror launched after the 9/11 attacks.

Cashe suffered fatal injuries while serving in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Salah Ad Din Province, according to the White House. He will be honored posthumously.

Cashe died 16 years ago at the age of 35 and his widow, Tamara Cashe, is set to accept the award on his behalf during a ceremony at the White House.

Cashe’s sister Kasinal Cashe-White recalled her brother as “very rambunctious,” a “daredevil” and “a good kid all around.”

She told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday that receiving the Medal of Honor “means everything” to the family.

“We lost our brother. He can’t be replaced. But this award means that his name his legacy will go down in history,” she said.

Cashe grew up in Oviedo, Florida, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1989 after graduating from Oviedo High School. He was deployed in the 1991 Gulf War and served in Korea and Germany before being deployed to Iraq in 2005 while serving as a a platoon sergeant in the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Asked how she feels about Cashe being the first Black soldier to receive the highest award for valor for service during the war on terror, Cashe-White said her brother “earned” the honor through his actions.

Biden will also posthumously honor Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, an Army Ranger who died at 32 years old during a 2018 firefight in Afghanistan, as well as Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee, a Special Forces soldier who fought off Taliban suicide bombers in Afghanistan in 2013 and is set to attend the ceremony, according to the White House.

Each of the service members demonstrated courage and gallantry by putting their own lives on the lines to aid their comrades and the actions that led them to receive the honor, a White House press release said.

When the vehicle that Cashe was commanding became engulfed in flames during an attack, his uniform caught fire and he sustained severe burns while extinguishing the flames and rescuing his fellow soldiers, according to the White House. Even after sufering injuries, he repeatedly approached the vehicle and helped four soldiers escape while being targeted by live fire.

“Despite the severe second and third degree burns covering the majority of his body, Sergeant First Class Cashe persevered through the pain to encourage his fellow Soldiers and ensure they received needed medical care,” the White House said. “When medical evacuation helicopters began to arrive, he selflessly refused evacuation until all of the other wounded Soldiers were first evacuated.”

Celiz, who died of wounds he received in combat on July 12, 2018, in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province, was attacked while leading an operation to disrupt attacks against the U.S. and allied forces and saved six live through his actions, the White House said.

His wife, Katie Celiz, told ABC News in an interview Wednesday that her husband was a “family man” who had an “amazing relationship” with their daughter.

“Chris believed in putting his men and his mission first,” she said. “Chris believed that we should always do good, whether it was the easy thing to do or not.”

During the operation he “voluntarily exposed himself to intense enemy machine gun and small arms fire” to help the U.S. and its allies reach safety and to administer aid to a wounded soldier, the White House said.

After he was hit himself, he signaled for the aircraft to depart without him.

“His selfless actions saved the life of the evacuated partnered force member and almost certainly prevented further casualties among other members of his team and the aircrew,” the White House said.

Plumlee, who spoke with ABC News on Wednesday, is also being honored for his heroic actions while serving in Afghanistan.

While responding to an explosion on the U.S. base, he fought off 10 Taliban suicide bombers dressed in Afghan National Army uniforms and came under fire several times, according to the White House. He placed himself in harms way by leaving cover to protect his base and helped render first aid to a wounded soldier, carrying him to safety.

“Without cover and with complete disregard for his own safety, he advanced on the superior enemy force engaging multiple insurgents with only his pistol,” the White House said.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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