Coronavirus Watch: South Africa finds omicron 'highly transmissible'

The new omicron variant is substantially more contagious and reduces the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, but people who are fully vaccinated are still largely protected against severe disease, according to a study from South Africa released Tuesday.

USA TODAY's Karen Weintraub reports the new study from South Africa's largest private health insurer shows that two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – which provided over 90% protection against infection with the original version of the virus – is only 33% protective against omicron.

Full vaccination continues to provide 70% protection against severe disease, which seemed to hold up across high-risk groups, though protection declined somewhat in people over 60 and even more in those over 70.

It's Tuesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news to know:

• Despite an 83% surge in new cases across Africa due to the delta and omicron variants, the region is seeing fewer deaths compared to previous surges, the WHO said in a new report.
• The Air Force discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
• How many people who get COVID-19 show no symptoms?It's more than 40%, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.
• An experimental antiviral drug from Pfizer reduced hospitalization or death among high-risk people by 89%, according to a final analysis of a previously released study conducted by the drugmaker.
• Bipartisan members of Congress were expected to hold a moment of silence Tuesday evening for the 800,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. The U.S. has logged more deaths than any other country across the globe, according to WHO data, though health experts say global counts are likely undercounts.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 50.1 million COVID-19 cases and 798,800 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 270.9 million cases and more than 5.3 million deaths. About 72% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 61% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 84% have received at least one shot, and about 72% are fully vaccinated.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck