News Round-Up

• “Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to no longer lead investigation after revelation of Christmas event in his office” – Cabinet Secretary Simon Case removes himself from his role in heading the probe into claims of parties being held in Downing Street and other Government buildings last year in alleged breaches of Covid lockdown rules, reports Sky News.
• “Fewer Covid patients are being admitted to hospital in South Africa” – Health Minister Joe Phaahla said 1.7% of cases were hospitalised during the second week of the current wave. For comparison, he said it was 19% in the second week of Delta, reports MailOnline.
• “They may not realise it, but the lockdown sceptics have won the Omicron war” – It’s now too late to impose a new lockdown. The variant is spreading much too fast for that to make any difference, says Juliet Samuel in the Telegraph.
• “A response to Curtis Yarvin on the pandemic” – Neoreactionary blogger Curtis Yarven has recently doubled-down on his support for ‘zero-Covid’, with the arguments and talking points he expresses challenged by Dr. Noah Smith in his latest Substack update.
• “Always winter, never Christmas: life in the bio-security state” – “The people of this country, whose ancestors gave their lives in the preservation of liberty, will be further moulded into the bio-security state,” writes Luke Perry, who examines the continuous intensification of Covid restrictions in Bournbrook Magazine.
• “Bosses call for financial support as Covid rips through companies” – “Business leaders have called on the Government to move quickly to restore confidence amid the rapid spread of Omicron and fears that a large number of workers will call in sick, creating further disruption to supply chains,” reports the Times.
• “Chris Whitty: Prepare for another 18 months of Covid chaos” – England’s Chief Medical Officer said he expects a universal jab to be ready at some point in mid-2023. But he admitted that in the meantime, ministers will have to rely on a mix of social curbs and boosters, reports MailOnline.
• “It’s time to abolish ‘emergency’ Covid powers” – “We need to claw back all the power seized by various institutions in the name of emergency. When that’s done, we need a searching inquiry into how the power was exercised,” writes Glenn Reynolds in the New York Post.
• “Restaurants face food waste mountain as cancellations soar over Omicron fears” – Hospitality industry struggles with drop-off in custom as Covid concerns lead to scrapping of festive plans, reports the Guardian.
• “Why Omicron may not lead to a surge in hospitalisations” – “For the moment there is little sign of a bulge in hospitalisations – and every reason, from the South African experience, to hope that the outcome will not be nearly as gloomy as last night’s press conference would suggest,” writes Ross Clark in the Spectator.
• “Horseshoe crabs could go to extinct because their blood tests vaccines” – U.S. scientists drain the horseshoe crabs of their blue blood for up to eight minutes and are returned to the wild, but data shows up to 30% of the creatures die shortly after, reports the Mail.
• “Premier League clubs want festive shutdown to tackle Covid crisis” – “A number of Premier League clubs are pushing for a festive firebreak shutdown as they fight to contain the Covid crisis in top-flight football,” reports the Times.
• “Presenting the case for Vitamin D” – “Vitamin D can improve immune functioning and suppress the inflammatory cytokine response, particularly important for Covid, while low vitamin D levels predispose us to increased risk of respiratory tract infections and pneumonia,” writes HART.
• “Thousands protest Covid rules as New Zealand marks 90% vaccine rates” – “Thousands marched in New Zealand’s capital Wellington on Thursday to protest against Covid vaccine mandates and lockdowns,” reports Reuters.
• “Fauci says Christmas parties can go ahead – for now” – Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that fully vaccinated people “could still enjoy a social gathering generally in a home”, but advised people to be careful in large indoor public spaces, reports the Mail.
• “‘I can’t get a single present’: millions in U.S. barely scraping by amid holidays” – As of November, 15.6 million workers in the U.S. are still affected by the economic downturn caused by lockdown restrictions, reports the Guardian.
• “Australia cricket captain Pat Cummins escapes hotel quarantine on charter plane” – “The special treatment accorded Cummins might jar with England’s players, who had to serve two weeks of quarantine on the Gold Coast at the start of the tour,” reports the Times.
• “Switzerland to hold referendum on outlawing mandatory vaccinations” – “Switzerland is set to hold a referendum on whether all mandatory vaccinations should be banned. The Swiss Freedom Movement association collected 125,000 signatures, 25,000 more than required to trigger the vote,” reports MailOnline.
• “No, both sides of the culture war are not as bad as each other” – The woke oppose freedom, the anti-woke champion it. There is no moral equivalence, writes Patrick West in Spiked.
• “Don’t cancel Christmas again” – Dr. Roland Salmon speaks to Talkradio about why the Government must not cancel Christmas again: “I don’t think personal restrictions have delivered anything in public health terms. The impact of lockdown on the data is less dramatic than our mathematically inclined colleagues predict.”