We’ll now be closing this live blog. Thank you all for following along with me tonight!
We’ll be starting a new live blog in a few hours, but until then, you can read up on all our coronavirus coverage from across the world here.
Evening summary
Here are the top developments over the past few hours:
- Former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings criticises government over lockdowns.
- A former hospital worker in India with no medical education is running a small unlicensed clinic to tend to patients with breathing difficulties.
- An expert climbing guide has said a Covid outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff.
- It is the first comprehensive estimate of the outbreak after official denials of a Covid-19 cluster on the world’s highest peak.
- Italy passed the 30m milestone of doses administered in its Covid-19 vaccination effort, with nearly 10 million people in the country now fully vaccinated, according to government figures.
- More than 35,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims flocked to an open-air shrine in Romania for a centuries-old procession that had been previously cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
- New coronavirus cases across the US have fallen to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns stem both severe Covid-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
- Australia has administered more than 3.5m doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, with a further 89,000 jabs delivered around the country.
- Dozens of countries have revised a proposal at the World Trade Organization for patent waivers for medical tools needed to combat the coronavirus. They have insisted that it must be broader than just vaccines, non-governmental organisations said on Saturday.
- Two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant first discovered in India as they are against the Kent strain, the UK’s health secretary has said.
- The US has administered 283,941,223 doses as of Saturday morning and distributed 357,250,375 doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The US has administered 283,941,223 doses as of Saturday morning and distributed 357,250,375 doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Those figures are up from the 281,595,351 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered by 21 May out of 354,914,965 doses delivered, Reuters reports.
The agency said 162,470,794 people had received at least one dose while 129,006,463 people are fully vaccinated as of Saturday.
The CDC tally includes the two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine.
Brazil registered 1,899 further deaths, bringing the total death toll in the country to 448,208, the health ministry said. Confirmed cases rose on Saturday by 76,490 and now total 16,047,439, the ministry said.
Two Covid-19 doses effective against variant discovered in India
Two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant first discovered in India as they are against the Kent strain, the UK’s health secretary has said.
A study by Public Health England found the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine was 88% effective against the B.1.617.2 variant two weeks after the second dose, Reuters report.
That compared with 93% effectiveness against B.1.1.7, Britain’s dominant Covid variant.
PHE added that two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were also 60% effective against the variant found in India compared with 66% effectiveness against the Kent variant.
It also said the first dose of both vaccines was 33% effective against the variant discovered in India after three weeks, lower than its 50% effectiveness against B.1.1.7.
Matt Hancock said: “I’m increasingly confident that we’re on track for the roadmap because this data shows that the vaccine, after two doses, works just as effectively (against the India variant).”
The health secretary said the new findings showed that getting both doses of the vaccine was “absolutely vital”.
He added that the data was groundbreaking and that he was hopeful the government would be able to lift more restrictions next month.
The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, this month ordered an acceleration of remaining second doses to the over-50s and clinically vulnerable people.
Updated
Dozens of countries have revised a proposal at the World Trade Organization for patent waivers for medical tools needed to combat the coronavirus. They’ve insisted that it must be broader than just vaccines, non-governmental organisations said on Saturday.
AFP report,
More than 60 countries have presented a revision of their text before the World Trade Organization on ditching intellectual property protections for Covid-19 jabs and other medical tools while the pandemic rages, according to the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity and NGO Knowledge Ecology International (KEI).
KEI published what it said was the revised text, which pushed for the waiver to be broad and long-lasting.
The WTO did not immediately verify the authenticity of the document, but a western diplomat close to the waiver discussions confirmed it was genuine and had been distributed to all WTO members.
That text said the waiver should cover all medical “prevention, treatment and containment” tools needed to battle Covid.
In addition to vaccines, it should include treatments, diagnostics, vaccines, medical devices and protective equipment, along with the material and components needed to produce them, it said.
It also said the waiver should last for “at least three years” from the date it takes effect, following which, the WTO’s general council should determine whether it could be lifted or should be prolonged.
Updated
Australia has administered more than 3.5m doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, with a further 89,000 jabs delivered around the country.
New South Wales delivered 12,485 doses in the past 24 hours, becoming another one-day record for the state. Around 5,000 of them were administered at its Olympic Park mass vaccination hub alone, AAP reports.
So far, there are only about 100 active cases of the virus in the country, with 50 of them in NSW. Five were added to the count on Saturday, all in hotel quarantine.
Updated
Malaysia has reported a further 6,320 coronavirus cases amid a recent surge in infections, as well as 50 new deaths. Saturday’s figures compare with 4,140 cases and 44 deaths a week today.
The nation reported a record high of 6,806 new cases on Thursday when it also saw its highest daily toll of 59 deaths. Taking the total number of cases since the onset of the pandemic to 505,115, Reuters reports.
A summer of love
From joining dating apps to buying contraception and sex toys, the return of physical dating has prompted Britons to get ready for what is being billed as a summer of love.
Strict rules on socialising have now been relaxed in England and Scotland, so that people from different households are able to mix indoors or even stay over. The new freedoms have caused sales of condoms, lubricants and toys to soar at Superdrug ahead of what the health and beauty chain says will be a “sexplosion” of activity.
Other companies, such as L’Oréal, the world’s biggest cosmetics group, have already suggested the misery of the pandemic will give way to another “roaring 20s” – a reference to the hedonism of the 1920s, following the first world war and 1918 flu pandemic.
Michael Henry, Superdrug’s healthcare director, said millions of people had “missed sexual connections during lockdown”. “We’re expecting a significant surge in demand for sexual health and sexual pleasure products as restrictions have been eased.”
More on the story
Updated
New coronavirus cases across the US have fallen to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns stem both severe Covid-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
As cases, hospitalisations and death dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in American largely resumed with hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White house.
However, health experts have cautioned that not enough people have been vaccinated to ultimately end the virus, leaving the potential for new variants that could extend the pandemic.
AP reports,
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020.
The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 — a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.
“As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope,” Walensky said Friday at a news conference.
Health experts credit an efficient rollout of vaccines for the turnaround. More than 60% of people over 18 have received at least one shot, and almost half are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
But demand for vaccines has dropped across much of the country. President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to convince other Americans to sign up for shots, using an upbeat message that vaccines offer a return to normal life.
White House health officials on Friday even waded into offering dating advice. They are teaming up with dating apps to offer a new reason to “swipe right” by featuring vaccination badges on profiles and in-app bonuses for people who have gotten their shots.
France’s seven-day moving average for new cases held below the 14,000 mark for the fourth day in a row, with the figures down from a peak of more than 42,000 in mid-April when the country was amid its third lockdown.
The total number of people hospitalised for the disease decreased by 444, to 19,765, dropping below the 20,000 mark for the first time since 27 October.
The death toll rose by 89, at 108,526, the eighth-biggest tally globally, but the seven-day moving average of daily new fatalities fell to 142, its lowest since 20 October.
France has been gradually loosening its lockdown since May and hopes to lift all significant restrictions by the end of June.
Since Wednesday, cafes and restaurants have served customers in outside areas, with the nightly curfew pushed back by two hours.
Updated
More than 35,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims flocked to an open-air shrine in Romania for a centuries-old procession that had been previously cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
AP reports,
The service in Sumuleu Ciuc, located in Romania’s Transylvania region, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and dates back more than 450 years. Participants were urged to observe a number of coronavirus-control measures, including wearing masks.
But for the tens of thousands of Catholics in the overwhelmingly Christian Orthodox country who attended in droves, resuming their faith’s biggest national event was a welcome step towards normality.
“After a difficult period, we can celebrate together again this year!” Csaba Borboly, council president in the predominantly ethnic Hungarian Harghita County, wrote online.
Many pilgrims wore traditional ethnic clothing, some arrived on horseback, and some traveled long distances by foot to a hilltop shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Shortly after midday, Bishop Laszlo Kerekes of Tharros celebrated mass with the sea of worshipers.
The event organisers also saw the massive religious gathering which in recent years also attracted thousands of foreign pilgrims, as an opportunity to tackle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
A no-appointment-needed “vaccination marathon” was set up near the Franciscan Church for those wishing to receive a vaccine against Covid-19.
“We wanted to create a vaccination opportunity to put an end to the pandemic for good,” Tar Gyongyi, executive manager of the health directorate in Harghita County, told Associated Press.
“This pandemic is like a dragon. Until we cut off all of its heads, it will not go away,” he said.
Among the people who rolled up their sleeves for a shot was an influential Franciscan monk, Csaba Bojte. He runs a foundation for homeless orphans, and last year he suffered from a severe case of Covid-19.
“I was in the hospital,” said Bojte, who received his vaccine after mass. “I have buried quite a few people who died of this disease. I trust our doctors and I hope this will benefit my health and I hope we can defeat this pandemic.”
Updated
The chief executive of AstraZeneca has defended the company against “armchair generals” and said its vaccine has a future.
Pascal Soriot disclosed the UK had priority access to the jab in a deal with Oxford University in return for investment and that it was only slightly less effective against the India variant than the strain identified in Kent.
The French executive, 61, told the Financial Times a new booster had performed well against other variants in animal studies and the firm is in negotiations with the UK and other governments about contracts for booster shots.
Soriot said the company’s plan of delivering the vaccine non-profit in order to repair the industry’s image had been disrupted by “bad luck” and “people misunderstanding things”.
He told the FT: “People are just trying to do their best. They’re just trying to produce a vaccine to save lives. It’s that simple.
“And then, to be criticised every day, sometimes fair criticism, sometimes by armchair generals who have opinions about everything, is really disheartening.”
More on the story here:
Reuters reports that the number of people treated in intensive care units (ICUs) in France for Covid-19 has dropped by 87 to 3,544, this is compared to more than 6,000 at the end of April, health ministry data showed on Saturday.
Italy passed the 30m milestone of doses administered in its Covid-19 vaccination effort, with nearly 10 million people in the country now fully vaccinated, according to government figures.
Two-thirds of the doses have gone to those aged over 60.
Italy was hit hard by the pandemic in early 2020 and has had 125,153 Covid-19 deaths, the highest official toll in Europe after Britain, with 128,000 deaths.
Italy has been carefully relaxing months-long restrictions since 26 April, with bars and restaurants now serving customers outdoors.
AFP reports that the latest data has been promising for the country, with health authorities on Saturday reporting 125 Covid deaths over the past 24 hours, three times less than a month ago.
The positivity rate of some 300,000 Covid tests carried out over the same period has meanwhile dropped to 1.6%, the lowest in 2021.
Updated
Mount Everest outbreak said have infected least 100 climbers and support staff
An expert climbing guide has said a Covid outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff. It is the first comprehensive estimate of the outbreak after official denials of a Covid-19 cluster on the world’s highest peak.
Lukas Furtenbac, an Austrian who halted his Everest expedition over virus fears last week, said one of his foreign guides and six Nepali Sherpa guides had tested positive.
Furtenbach told Associated Press in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu,
I think with all the confirmed cases we know now confirmed from (rescue) pilots, from insurance, from doctors, from expedition leaders I have the positive tests so we can prove this.
We have at least 100 people minimum positive for Covid in base camp, and then the numbers might be something like 150 or 200,” he said.
AP reports:
He said it was obvious there were many cases at the Everest base camp because he could visibly see people were sick, and could hear people coughing in their tents.
A total of 408 foreign climbers were issued permits to climb Everest this season, aided by several hundred Sherpa guides and support staff who’ve been stationed at base camp since April.
Nepali mountaineering officials have denied there are any active cases this season among climbers and support staff at all base camps for the country’s Himalayan mountains. Mountaineering was closed last year due to the pandemic.
Officials could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday. Other climbing teams have not announced any Covid-19 infections among their members or staff. Several climbers have reported testing positive after they were brought down from the Everest base camp.
Furtenbach said most teams on the mountain were not carrying virus testing kits, and that before his team pulled out, they had helped conduct tests and had confirmed two cases.
Most teams are still at base camp, hoping for clear weather next week so they can make a final push to the summit before the climbing season closes at the end of the month, Furtenbach said.
In late April, a Norwegian climber became the first to test positive at the Everest base camp. He was flown by helicopter to Kathmandu, where he was treated and later returned home.
Nepal is experiencing a virus surge, with record numbers of new infections and deaths. China last week canceled climbing from its side of Everest due to fears the virus could be spread from the Nepalese side.
Nepal reported 8,607 new infections and 177 deaths on Friday, bringing the nation’s totals since the pandemic began to more than 497,000 infections and 6,024 deaths.
Updated
A former hospital worker in India with no medical education is running a small unlicensed clinic, to tend to patients with breathing difficulties.
As the country has been hard hit by a second wave of coronavirus infections which has overwhelmed its health system, in the countryside, medical facilities are run-down. With few doctors and nurses on the ground, many clinics are run by people who don’t have training.
Reuters reports,
The poor health infrastructure and lack of testing means many patients do not know if they are infected with Covid-19 or just have a cold.
In Parsaul village, about 60km (40 miles) from the capital New Delhi, villager Ashok said people in his area were afraid to step out of their houses. He suspects that coronavirus had killed around 15 people nearby in recent days.
Ashok has come with a patient who had fever to the clinic run by a 52-year-old former hospital assistant who moves from one cot to another to check IV levels. Empty intravenous drips lie piled up under a brick-walled staircase.
“Patients with fever and breathing problems have increased in the last two months,” said the former assistant, who said he had been helping patients at his clinic since 1993 but did not wish to be identified as he feared a backlash from authorities.
“The people from nearby six or seven villages know me personally and trust me.” Some patients wore face masks lying on cots, while others had their faces covered with clothing.Bubli, 30, visited the clinic to get treatment for fever.
“No, she doesn’t have Covid, it’s just a fever,” Bubli’s husband told Reuters. “We are scared of Covid, but going out to a big hospital is more dangerous.”
Total infections in the country stood at 26.3 million on Saturday, the second highest in the world after the US, while the country’s total death toll was 295,525.
Updated
Mike Bird of the Wall Street Journal has tweeted about Our World in Data’s finding that China’s vaccination efforts are now outpacing that of the US.
Still doesn't seem to have landed in news discourse very firmly, but China is now vaccinating basically as fast as the US did at the very peak of its vaccination program. pic.twitter.com/WdOz0hKRfD
— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) May 22, 2021
Updated
Thailand has detected the first local cases of the coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa. Scientists said the discovery should prompt vaccination efforts to be ramped up.
Known as B.1.351, the South Africa variant carries mutations that threaten the efficacy of vaccines, several studies have shown.
In Thailand, the variant was identified in three test samples from an infection cluster that could be linked to illegal migration in the south of the country, the Covid-19 Network Investigations Alliance said in a report.
The report said:
The variant may impact human immunity response from the virus and reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine.
This does not mean that the vaccines do not work, but there must be an increase in the ratio of population receiving the vaccine.”
Thai health authorities did not immediately comment on the scientists’ findings.
Updated
Britain recorded 2,694 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, government data showed. The latest numbers mean that there were 17,410 new cases between 16 May and 22 May, a rise of 10.5% compared with the previous seven days.
A further six deaths were reported, taking the seven-day decrease to 43.1%. A total of 37.73 million people had received the first dose of a vaccine against coronavirus by 21 May, and 22.07 million people had received a second dose.
Updated
Former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings criticises government over lockdowns
Boris Johnson’s former top aide Dominic Cummings has been talking about lockdowns on Twitter and the British government’s decisions to implement them.
In a thread explaining the evidence behind lockdown and their success, he writes:
36/ So much ‘lockdown’ confusion. Obv they're ‘destructive’. But if you have to do it cos alternative is *100s of 1000s choking to death + no NHS for months for everybody else + econ sunk cos everybody hiding in terror* then earlier/harder is better for health AND econ
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) May 22, 2021
37/ If we'd had the right preparations + competent people in charge, we wd probably have avoided lockdown1, *definitely* no need for lockdowns 2&3. Given the plan was AWOL/disaster + awful decisions delayed everything, lockdown1 became necessary
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) May 22, 2021
He goes on to add that in official Covid-19 documents, the British government’s plans were ‘herd immunity by Sep,’ and blames the media for not correctly scrutinising the plans.
38/ Media generally abysmal on covid but even I’ve been surprised by 1 thing: how many hacks have parroted Hancock’s line that ‘herd immunity wasn’t the plan’ when 'herd immunity by Sep' was *literally the official plan in all docs/graphs/meetings* until it was ditched
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) May 22, 2021
39/ Yes the media is often incompetent but something deeper is at work: much of SW1 was happy to believe Hancock's bullshit that ‘it’s not the plan’ *so they didn’t have to face the shocking truth*. Most political hacks believe in 'the system'...
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) May 22, 2021
40/ In week of 9/3, No10 was made aware by various people that the official plan wd lead to catastrophe. It was then replaced by Plan B. But how 'herd immunity by Sep' cd have been the plan until that week is a fundamental issue in the whole disaster
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) May 22, 2021
Cummings’ comments come ahead of an appearance before a joint committee of MPs on Wednesday, where he will give evidence about Johnson’s role in making key decisions that critics say may have cost many thousands of lives.
Updated
Italy recorded 125 further deaths and 4,717 new cases on Saturday, the health ministry has announced. The numbers are down from yesterday’s figures of 5,218 cases and 218 deaths.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19, not including those in intensive care, were recorded at 9,488 on Saturday, down from 9,925 a day earlier.
There were 64 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 51 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 1,430 from 1,469.
About 286,603 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 269,744, the ministry said.
Hi, I’m Edna Mohamed; I’ll be taking over the blog for the next few hours. If there’s anything I miss, you can message me on Twitter or email me at edna.mohamed.casual@theguardian.com
Updated
Summary
Here are the major developments so far today:
-
People aged 32 and 33 in England are now eligible to book their vaccine appointment, the NHS has announced. People aged 33 will receive texts inviting them to book a vaccination from Saturday, and 32-year-olds will receive a message from Monday.
- A Vietnamese health ministry research centre is in talks with Russia to manufacture the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine domestically. The country is also in negotiations to buy Sputnik doses from Russia for domestic use before producing them itself.
- Dozens of countries have revised a proposal for vaccine patent waivers at the World Trade Organization, calling for other vital medical equipment such as coronavirus treatments and personal protective equipment to be included too.
- India’s coronavirus outbreak has stabilised in some parts of the country, a government official said, although daily deaths continue to reach staggering numbers. Government data showed 257,299 new cases and 4,194 deaths on Saturday. At the beginning of May, the country was reporting more than 400,000 daily infections.
-
Surge testing is being rolled out in the London boroughs of Harrow, Ealing, Hillingdon and Brent after cases were identified of the variant first discovered in India. NHS test and trace is providing additional testing and genomic sequencing in education settings and targeted areas across the four boroughs.
-
Germany will ban Britons from entering the country from Sunday after the UK was classified as a virus variant area of concern. As of midnight on 23 May, people travelling to Germany from Great Britain and Northern Ireland may only enter the country if they are a German citizen or resident.
-
Malaysia has reported a further 6,320 coronavirus cases amid a recent surge in infections, as well as 50 new deaths. Saturday’s figures compare with 4,140 cases and 44 deaths a week today.
- Scotland and Wales have sent vital medical equipment to India as the country battles a coronavirus outbreak that has overwhelmed healthcare services. Scotland sent 100 oxygen concentrators and 40 ventilators, while the country received 638 oxygen concentrators and 351 ventilators from Wales. Both shipments will be distributed by the Indian Red Cross.
That’s all from me for today – my colleague Edna Mohamed will be here shortly to bring you the latest. Thanks for reading along.
India’s coronavirus outbreak has stabilised in some parts of the country, a government official said, although daily deaths continue to reach staggering numbers.
Infections continue to spread in rural areas with poor healthcare coverage, Reuters reports.
Government data showed 257,299 new cases and 4,194 deaths on Saturday. At the beginning of May, the country was reporting more than 400,000 daily infections.
Daily numbers in states including West Bengal, and the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were on the rise, health ministry official Lav Agarwal told reporters, while cases have fallen in Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka over the last two weeks.
Amid overwhelmed heathcare systems and a shortage of vaccines, experts are concerned that the country could face a third wave in coming months.
“While it (spread of coronavirus) has stabilised in many parts of the country, and overall the burden has been lessened, we have a long way to go with this wave,” Dr VK Paul, part of a federal government panel on Covid-19 management, told a news conference.
“For the first time, we have seen that rural areas have been affected in this pandemic.”
Updated
Brazil’s rate of vaccination has fallen over the last week, according to reports in local media.
The number of first vaccine doses administered fell by 17% in the week 13-19 May compared with the previous week, the Rio Times reports. An average of 453,000 Brazilians received their first dose each day – almost 90,000 less than during the preceding period.
Meanwhile, second doses fell by 23% compared with the previous week, which recorded the highest figures for the month of May.
More than 40 million Brazilians have had an initial vaccine dose (about 25% of adults), while more than 20 million have had both shots (13%), according to the same newspaper.
Updated
The armed forces are assisting in Bolton’s surge testing efforts amid a surge in cases of the variant first detected in India:
Updated
Businesses could be significantly under-reporting the number of work-related Covid deaths to the UK government’s safety watchdog, new research suggests.
Forthcoming analysis by the TUC shows employers have notified the Health and Safety Executive of 387 work-related Covid deaths since April 2020 even though the Office for National Statistics has identified 15,263 people of working age who died from Covid over the same period.
“It is just not credible that only 2.5% of working-age Covid deaths are down to occupational exposure,” said Shelly Asquith, TUC health and safety officer. “We believe employers are massively under-reporting the number of people who have died after catching Covid at work.”
There have been 3,872 Covid outbreaks in workplaces and 4,253 outbreaks in education settings yet not a single employer has been prosecuted for breaching Covid regulations.
Dozens of countries have revised a proposal for vaccine patent waivers at the World Trade Organization, calling for other vital medical equipment such as coronavirus treatments and personal protective equipment to be included, AFP reports:
More than 60 countries have presented a revision of their text before the WTO on ditching intellectual property protections for Covid-19 jabs and other medical tools while the pandemic rages, according to the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity and NGO Knowledge Ecology International (KEI).
KEI published what it said was the revised text, which pushed for the waiver to be broad and long-lasting.
The WTO did not immediately verify the authenticity of the document, but a western diplomat close to the waiver discussions confirmed it was genuine and had been distributed to all members.
That text said the waiver should cover all medical “prevention, treatment and containment” tools needed to tackle Covid.
In addition to vaccines, it should include treatments, diagnostics, vaccines, medical devices and protective equipment, along with the material and components needed to produce them, it said.
It also said the waiver should last for “at least three years” from the date it takes effect, following which, the WTO’s general council should determine whether it could be lifted or should be prolonged.
Updated
China administered some 16.6m Covid-19 vaccinations on Friday, taking the total number of doses administered to 483.34m, according to data released by the National Health Commission on Saturday.
In comments reported by Reuters, Shao Yiming, a researcher at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday that the vaccines currently in use in China can tackle new variants spreading in India and can provide protection “to a certain extent”, based on preliminary research results.
Updated
Vaccine rollouts across the 19 Greek islands participating in a government programme to inoculate all adults with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab are progressing at contrasting speeds, according to local media.
The scheme is aiming to vaccinate permanent residents and seasonal workers by the end of May in a bid to boost tourism. Islanders can book slots across two sets of dates: 17-22 May and 23-30 May.
According to Greek daily Kathimerini, the residents of Paros, Rhodes, Mykonos, Corfu, Naxos, Aegina, Salamina and Thasos have booked up all the vaccination slots available on their islands.
On the other end of the scale, Kefalonia, Limnos, Samos, Zakynthos and Lesvos have had far lower levels of slots booked. In Kefalonia, only 54% and 24% of slots in the two appointment cohorts had been reserved, leading to government appeals to people to sign up for the vaccine.
Updated
A huge thank you to the public health professionals, NHS staff, local authorities & everyone else in Bolton, Blackburn & all areas working through the weekend to help stop the spread of the variant.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) May 22, 2021
We can all play our part by getting a test & when you get the call, get the jab.
NHS England administers more than 50m vaccine doses
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has heralded the NHS administering more than 50m vaccines in England.
Today over 50 million COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered in England.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) May 22, 2021
One of the biggest & most important national efforts in our history.
Thank you to the whole team who have made this happen. pic.twitter.com/L8PeJIrBnf
A total of 50,246,402 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between 8 December and 21 May, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses.
Updated
India’s government has ordered social media platforms to take down content that refers to the “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, AFP reports.
The government order, by the electronics and information technology ministry, highlighted government sensitivity to accusations that it has mishandled the new surge.
In it, the ministry told social media companies to “remove all the content” that refers to the “Indian variant”.
“It has come to our knowledge that a false statement is being circulated online which implies that an ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus is spreading across the countries. This is completely FALSE,” read the letter, obtained by AFP.
The ministry argued that the World Health Organization did not link any country to the B.1.617 variant.
Updated
Today more than 50 million doses of the #NHSCOVIDVaccine will have been administered across England!
— NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) May 22, 2021
Thanks to all our NHS colleagues, volunteers and everyone involved in rolling out the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history. 💉 pic.twitter.com/OjdFoUBsrT
The chief executive of AstraZeneca has defended his company against “armchair generals” and said its vaccine has a future.
Pascal Soriot disclosed the UK had priority access to the jab in a deal with Oxford University in return for investment and that it was only slightly less effective against the India variant than the strain identified in Kent.
The French executive, 61, told the Financial Times a new booster had performed well against other variants in animal studies and the firm is in negotiations with the UK and other governments about contracts for booster shots.
Roma community leaders in Hungary have said that the minority has largely been excluded from the country’s vaccination rollout.
Jozsef Radics, 53, is one of the organisers of the Vaccines for Life! campaign, a movement that aims to register Roma living in isolated communities for vaccines, AFP reports.
Organisers have been visiting Roma settlements to explain the registration process, create email addresses for those without and input their data into an official database.
“No one else is looking after us, so we have to do it ourselves,” said Radics.
“These people are disadvantaged in many ways, including lacking information and access to the internet, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the virus,” the Roma activist told AFP.
Many live in one of around 1,300 mostly-Roma settlements on the edge of Hungarian villages and towns.
Radics said that some 13,500 settlement dwellers have registered for the jab so far thanks to the campaign.
“There’s a long way to go. We look for local leaders in each community to continue the project once we leave to go to another settlement,” he said.
The Vaccines for Life! campaign has also created social media-friendly videos featuring Roma celebrities to appeal to a range of age groups.
“The government’s vaccination promotion billboards only feature white faces, so the videos provide strong Roma voices to counter the anti-vaccination voices that are common in places like this,” Radics said.
The Roma community, which makes up around 7% of Hungary’s population of 9.8 million, face widespread poverty and exclusion from mainstream Hungarian society.
Updated
A world-renowned Dutch expert in identifying scientific misconduct and error, Dr Elisabeth Bik, has been threatened with legal action for questioning the integrity of a study promoting the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19.
The case, filed with the French state prosecutor by controversial infectious diseases physician Dr Didier Raoult, has prompted hundreds of scientists from across the world to publish an open letter calling for science whistleblowers to be protected.
In March 2020, Bik published a blog post analysing a paper led by Raoult. His paper claimed the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine was effective in treating Covid infections, especially when given in combination with an antibiotic.
Bik raised questions about the paper’s methodology, including that the researchers had failed to control for confounding factors. In strong clinical trials, the control group (who are given a placebo) and the treatment group (who are given the drug) should be as similar as possible so scientists can be confident any effects are from the medication alone.
You can read the full report here:
Updated
A Vietnamese health ministry research centre is in talks with Russia to manufacture the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine domestically.
Russia’s Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology would initially send semi-finished products along with instructions to the Ministry of Health’s Polyvac Center to produce around 50 million doses a year, according to a report in online newspaper VnExpress.
Subsequently, Polyvac would produce the vaccine from scratch, the same newspaper reports.
Vietnam, which is currently only using AstraZeneca’s jab in its mass vaccination programme, approved the Sputnik V jab in March. The country is also in negotiations to buy Sputnik doses from Russia for domestic use before producing them itself.
Scotland and Wales have sent vital medical equipment to India as the country battles a coronavirus outbreak that has overwhelmed healthcare services.
A shipment of 100 oxygen concentrators and 40 ventilators supplied by the Scottish government arrived on Friday night and will be distributed by the Indian Red Cross.
The Welsh government and NHS Wales’ package of 638 oxygen concentrators and 351 ventilators reached Delhi over Wednesday and Thursday. They will also be distributed by the Indian Red Cross.
The shipments follow Northern Ireland’s Department for Health sending three surplus 18-tonne oxygen generators, plus a further 1,000 ventilators offered by the Department of Health and Social Care. The assistance packages come from surplus stocks across the UK.
Scotland’s health secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: “The coronavirus situation in India is a human tragedy. We are working with the other UK nations to help tackle the crisis by providing equipment that can be used immediately to save lives.
“Solidarity with other countries remains of key importance throughout this global pandemic and we will continue to make contributions within the international community, while tackling Covid-19 here in Scotland.”
He said that people can donate to the response effort through the British Asian Trust’s “Oxygen for India” emergency appeal, as well as the Disasters Emergency Committee, which has extended its coronavirus appeal to include India.
Eluned Morgan, the Welsh health minister, said: “Covid-19 is a global emergency and as such it is right that we are part of the global response, supporting other nations.”
Updated
Malaysia has reported a further 6,320 coronavirus cases amid a recent surge in infections, as well as 50 new deaths.
This takes the total number of cases since the onset of the pandemic to 505,115, Reuters reports.
Saturday’s figures compare with 4,140 cases and 44 deaths a week today.
The south-east Asian nation reported a record high of 6,806 new cases on Thursday, when it also saw its highest daily toll of 59 deaths.
Updated
Heathrow airport’s decision to process people arriving from red list countries in a separate terminal is “a step in the right direction” but won’t solve delays, a former Border Force chief has said.
Passengers flying from countries including Brazil, Pakistan, India, South Africa and Turkey will go through a specific arrivals facility at the west London airport from next month.
The new policy will come into effect on 1 June.
Former Border Force chief Tony Smith told BBC Breakfast: “It’s a step in the right direction. We do want to segregate people arriving from red list countries from green list countries because the processes are different.”
He said mixing arrivals from green and red list countries “makes matters worse”.
“So I do think it’s a step in the right direction by Heathrow but I’m afraid it’s not a panacea and people are still going to face delays regardless of where they come from.”
Updated
Nepal’s parliament has been dissolved for the second time in five months as political instability continues amid the country’s severe coronavirus outbreak.
Elections have been called for November, AFP reports, after neither the prime minister nor the opposition had a majority to form a new government.
Political tensions have risen as the country new faces acute shortages of oxygen and vaccines during a surge in cases.
Authorities have been reporting about 200 deaths a day, but experts say the real figure is far higher. The United Nations has launched an emergency Covid-19 appeal, saying that Nepal is at “breaking point”.
The president, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, announced in a statement: “The president... has dissolved the current House of Representatives and fixed the first phase of general elections on 12 November and the second phase on 19 November.”
Updated
Following a warning from the nursing regulator that pressure on staff could lead to a significant exodus of frontline NHS staff, five healthcare workers told Alex Mistlin about their experiences.
The pandemic itself was dreadful. We were all working flat out, extra hours, with fewer staff per patient and spending all of our time in PPE.
The pay offer is derisory. It’s like leaving a 50p tip for a £50 meal. My colleagues deserve the world. We’ve already suffered through a decade of below-inflation pay rises while expectations have only increased. What makes it worse is that a greater amount had already been agreed in the original pay deal. Are we worth less now than we were before the pandemic?
I don’t think the public realise how badly we were already struggling before the pandemic. Money for training had been taken away and we were already short-staffed. Corners were being cut just to maintain a bare-bones service and morale was rock bottom. When the Covid surge came along, it broke a lot of staff.
The spread of variants such as the one discovered in India is concerning because of the possibility of a new strain that could evade vaccines, an expert has said.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, virologist Dr Chris Smith said that experts were concerned about “the possibility of a new variant emerging that could sidestep the protection conferred by vaccination”.
Smith said: “It’s important that we’re vigilant to the appearance of new cases of these things – one of the reasons people are worried is that we still have a significant proportion of the population who haven’t been vaccinated yet.
“It could increase the number of cases, including in those who are vulnerable, and then also get into those who have been vaccinated but are not necessarily immune – not everyone who gets vaccinated is protected.
“The more variation there is, the more chances we’re going to see the vaccines stop working.”
Women who are breastfeeding are not at any risk from the vaccine, an expert has said, adding that there may even be benefits for the baby.
Prof Linda Bauld told BBC Breakfast that there was a study that found that antibodies are passed from the vaccinated mother onto the infant.
The UK continues to assess a “basket of indicators” on the coronavirus situation, rather than just hospitalisation or mortality figures, an expert has said.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, was asked why the UK’s focus has not moved away from case numbers to hospitalisation figures.
She said that experts are concerned with a “basket of indicators”.
“The reason we’re still talking about cases is because there was a trajectory of people testing positive to going into hospital, ICU, potentially mortality,” Bauld said.
She said though the government was focusing on hospitalisation and mortality figures, there are still concerns “because of unanswered scientific questions about cases leading to those outcomes”.
Updated
Germany to bar visitors from UK over Covid variants of concerns
Germany will ban Britons from entering the country from Sunday after the UK was classified as a virus variant area of concern, PA reports:
As of midnight on 23 May, people travelling to Germany from Great Britain and Northern Ireland may only enter the country if they are a German citizen or resident.
Spouses and children under 18 of a German citizen or resident can also enter, as long as the household are travelling together.
Those with an urgent humanitarian reason such as an immediate family bereavement are also able to enter. However, anyone entering the country from the UK must quarantine for two weeks on arrival, even if they test negative for the coronavirus.
Updated
Russia has reported 8,709 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, including 2,653 in Moscow, as well as a further 386 deaths.
This compares with 8,667 cases and 359 deaths last Saturday.
Russia’s official national tally shows there have been 4,992,554 cases since the pandemic began, as well as 118,125 deaths.
Surge testing deployed in four west London boroughs
Surge testing is being rolled out in the London boroughs of Harrow, Ealing, Hillingdon and Brent after cases were identified of the variant first discovered in India.
NHS test and trace is providing additional testing and genomic sequencing in education settings and targeted areas across the four boroughs, following the identification of the B1.617.2 strain.
Public Health England has classified B1.617.2 as a variant of concern.
The cases have been told to self-isolate and their contacts are being traced.
Local authorities will shortly confirm the areas where additional testing will be offered within the boroughs.
Everyone who lives, works or studies in the targeted areas, including children, are being urged to take a PCR test, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Updated
Pubs and restaurants in England are feeling a sense of “cautious optimism” after their first Friday night serving customers indoors, a business leader has said.
The UK Hospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said it would be “a long road to recovery” as many businesses continued to make losses under the current restrictions.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The first week has not been as exceptional as we had when we first opened outdoors and there was that rush to come back.
“We are looking at what the numbers will look like this weekend – that will be critical.”
Updated
Sewage samples are being tested to determine which Covid-19 variants are most prevalent across regions accounting for two-thirds of England’s population.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the programme had helped identify the need for surge testing in areas such as Bristol and Luton. On Wednesday, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said testing and vaccinations were being surged in six areas as a result of wastewater analysis.
“As infections fall and we head out of national restrictions, analysing wastewater to detect variants early on is important to help local authorities and NHS test and trace act quickly to stop variants from spreading in communities,” said Andrew Engeli, who is leading on the wastewater testing scheme at the Joint Biosecurity Centre, part of the newly formed UK Health Security Agency.
Taiwan has reported 321 new Covid-19 cases, a slight rise from the 312 infections reported on Friday, but the health minister said the trend remained stable with cases clustered in the north, in and around Taipei.
The health minister, Chen Shih-chung, also announced 400 infections over the past six days which had not been included in previous reports due to a delay following a spike in cases, according to Reuters.
He reported two new deaths, bringing the total to 17 since the pandemic began.
People aged 32 and 33 in England eligible for vaccine
Hello and welcome to today’s coronavirus liveblog. I’m Clea Skopeliti and I’ll be bringing you the latest updates from the UK and the rest of the world.
People aged 32 and 33 in England are now eligible to book their vaccine appointment, the NHS has said.
People aged 33 will receive texts inviting them to book a vaccination from Saturday, and 32-year-olds will receive a message from Monday.
NHS England will hit the milestone of delivering 50 million vaccines on Saturday, with more than 40% of adults having had both jabs.
Since eligibility was widened for under-40s just over a week ago, more than half of people between 35 and 39 have had their first shot, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said.
He added: “Today, the biggest NHS vaccination programme in history hits another milestone as we pass 50 million life-saving jabs delivered across England.”
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and national medical director for primary care, reminded people that the vaccine offer “doesn’t go away” and they can take it up at any time.
Text invitations appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’, including a web link to the NHS website to reserve an appointment.
People who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab.
Updated
