Tech:NYC Digest: November 29

Tech:NYC Digest: November 29

November 29, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Monday, November 29, 2021

In today’s digest, what we know about the Omicron variant, the ‘when, not if’ question on its arrival in NYC, and how companies can start preparing now.

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By the numbers:

  • New positive cases statewide: 6,147 

    • New positive cases, NYC: 1,216 

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 1.8 percent

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress:

    • Percentage of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 90.3 percent 

    • Percentage of total population with at least one dose: 77.5 percent

Today’s latest:

Over the holiday weekend, we started getting a stream of updates on the latest coronavirus variant: Omicron. Here’s more on what we do (and don’t) know about it.

  • First detected in South Africa, the Omicron variant has now been reported in at least 15 countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated it a “variant of concern.”

  • Most recently, the first two cases in North America were confirmed on Sunday in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, just north of New York state. (NBC News)

While the variant has yet to be detected in the US, public health officials from City Hall to the White House today warned it’s only a matter of time before Omicron cases are found at home.

  • Beginning today, the US is prohibiting travel from eight countries in southern Africa, and a growing list of most European Union countries and others are reinstating travel restrictions. A list of restrictions is being updated here.

Here’s the reaction in New York so far:

  • NYC issued an updated mask advisory this morning “strongly recommending” all New Yorkers, including those fully vaccinated, wear a mask at all times in indoor public settings (grocery and retail stores, office lobbies and common areas, etc). (Gothamist)

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency ahead of an expected winter surge in cases, many of which could now be Omicron-related. The declaration goes into effect Dec. 3. (NBC News)

  • While residents wait to hear more information about the current vaccines’ effectiveness against Omicron, public health officials are underscoring the importance of getting the booster shot as additional protection. (NBC News)

Scientists are cautioning against panic as Omicron’s threat is still being evaluated — Dr. Fauci said it would likely take two more weeks before we have fuller data. (New York Times) Here’s what we do know:

  • On transmissibility: There isn’t reliable evidence yet of Omicron’s speed or spread, but early reports indicate it has similar mutations to other variants. 

  • On severity: Data on severity is even more scant, but there’s currently no indication it causes more severe illness than the Delta or other variants. Anecdotally, South African doctors report patients infected with Omicron have “very mild” symptoms. (CNBC)

  • On immunity: Preliminary evidence suggests those who have had COVID-19 in the past may be more easily reinfected with Omicron. Public health officials do expect current vaccines to retain some degree of effectiveness against Omicron, but precisely how much will take more time to clarify.

In related reading:

  • 3 Questions We Must Answer About the Omicron Variant (New York Times)

  • Can I Still Travel to Europe? Your Virus Restriction Questions, Answered (New York Times)

  • How vaccine-makers plan to address the new COVID-19 omicron variant (NPR)

The Omicron variant certainly isn’t welcome news for tech companies — and especially for the human resources and operations teams that have been preparing for an early 2022 RTO date.

US companies are so far responding with a mix of concern and confusion, but also patience. (Wall Street Journal)

  • Some executives are assessing the risk internally, discussing options with the health and compliance advisers they’ve retained throughout the pandemic.

  • Others are holding off on making any changes or company-wide announcements until more is known.

The ‘wait and see’ approach seems to be most common among tech companies, many of which remain fully or mostly remote.

  • If data over the next two weeks indicates Omicron acts similarly to the Delta variant, companies will feel more assured to reinstate the same safety measures and workflows they created when Delta spread rapidly in the US earlier this spring.

If Omicron turns out to have a significant public health impact, companies may need to — once again — reconsider their return-to-office plans. (Forbes) Some concerns companies will have to consider:

  • Employees are likely to push back on commuting to an office — Omicron could compound the COVID-related transit risks employees already face.

  • If Omicron proves more transmissible, the current “fully vaccinated” label may not be enough. Companies may need to require proof of a recent booster shot for employees to be considered to have enough protection.

  • Employers may need to address new legal liabilities — broad OSHA vaccine mandates intended to take effect in January may need to be reworked if the vaccines prove less effective against Omicron.

Has your company adjusted plans due to the Omicron variant, or sent any internal communications addressing it? If so, we’re eager to hear about it.

  • Benitago, a New York City-based startup that creates and acquires e-commerce brands, raised $325 million in Series A funding. CoVenture led the round and was joined by HSBC. (Forbes)

  • Mycelial, a New York City-baed edge native computing platform, raised $3.8 million in seed funding. Crane Venture Partners led the round. (PR Newswire)

  • Updater, a New York City-based home relocation platform, raised $60 million in new funding via convertible note. Second Company Ventures and other insiders participated in the round. (BusinessWire)

  • November 30: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on Your Idea/Prototype from a VC, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures partner Charlie O’Donnell. Register here.

  • December 6: Virtual: Crypto and Institutional Investors, with Anchorage co-founder and president Diogo Mónica, Paxos head of strategy Walter Hessert, and Canvas Ventures principal Grace Isford. Hosted by Protocol. Register here.

  • December 7: Virtual: 2022 Predictions in Tech: The Roaring 20s, with Tribeca Venture Partners partner Brian Hirsch, Eniac Ventures partner Hadley Harris, 645 Ventures partner Nnamdi Okike, and Work-Bench partner Jessica Lin. Hosted by Tribeca Venture Partners and Fenwick. Register here.

  • December 9: Virtual: Building in the Open, with Cockroach Labs CEO Spencer Kimball, Solo.io CEO Idit Levine, Timescale CEO Ajay Kulkarni, and others. Hosted by Work-Bench. Register here.

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