Mexico has recorded 9,796 confirmed coronavirus cases and an additional 596 fatalities. This brings the total number of cases to 3,655,395 and the overall death toll to 276,972.
Brazil has recorded 17,756 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 676 deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry said.
The country has registered more than 21 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 596,122.
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AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine shows 74% efficacy in large US trial
AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated 74 per cent efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease, increasing to 83.5 per cent in people aged 65 and older, according to results of the company’s US clinical trial published today.
This data looked at more than 26,000 volunteers in the United States, Chile and Peru, who received two doses of the vaccine spaced about a month apart, Reuters reports.
Dr Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University and one of the study’s investigators, said of the overall result: “I was pleasantly surprised.
“It was also highly protective against severe disease and hospitalisation.”
There were no cases of severe or critical symptomatic Covid-19 among the more than 17,600 participants who got the vaccine.
This compares with eight such cases among the 8,500 volunteers who got the placebo.
There were two deaths in the placebo group, but none among those who received the vaccine.
There were also no cases of a rare blood clotting side effect called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia that has been linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Alabama lawmakers are set to approve a plan to use $400 million (£298 million) from Covid-19 relief funds to build three new prisons, AP reports.
The House of Representatives voted 74-26 for the $1.3 billion construction plan and 75-25 to use $400 million from the state’s share of American Rescue Plan dollars to help pay for the construction.
The bills now move to the Alabama Senate, reports AP.
However, the proposal has been slammed by state Democrats, who argued it will not solve the prison problems and said the state has needs in health care and education that could be helped by the $400 million.
(1/2) I'm deeply disturbed that the State of Alabama is considering a plan to use $400 million of COVID-19 aid from the American Rescue Plan to build prisons, especially as the virus rages on in our state!
— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) September 28, 2021
The lone Democrat in Alabama’s congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, wrote on Twitter that she is disturbed her state is using the pandemic money for prisons, “especially as the virus rages in our state.”
“To be clear, the current state of the Alabama prison system is abhorrent, but the use of Covid-19 relief funds to pay for decades of neglect is simply unacceptable,” she said.
The Department of Justice last year sued Alabama, saying male inmates in the state live in prisons “riddled with prisoner-on-prisoner and guard-on-prisoner violence.”
The European Union will extend a mechanism to monitor and potentially limit the export of Covid-19 vaccines from the bloc until the end of 2021 instead of the current deadline of the end of September, Reuters reports.
Earlier this week, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, had said it would propose such an extension.
However, initially not all governments supported it as EU vaccination campaigns have been advancing quickly and there are no longer any shortages of shots compared to the first half of the year.
Uncertainty about the need to secure booster shots as new variants of the coronavirus emerge had convinced all governments to retain some control over exports, an EU official said.
The Washington Post reports on the child care crisis fuelled by the pandemic which is preventing people returning to work in the United States.
The profession is down 126,700 workers from pre-pandemic levels, according to employment data.
As the economy reopens, however, the lack of child care is hampering efforts for some parents to find work or return to work.
Fueled by the pandemic, the child-care crisis is keeping moms out of work https://t.co/UvwsqrmmWd
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 29, 2021
Brazil hospital chain accused of hiding Covid deaths and giving unproven drugs
One of Brazil’s biggest healthcare providers has been accused of covering up coronavirus deaths, pressuring doctors to prescribe ineffective treatments, and testing unproven drugs on elderly patients as part of ideologically-charged efforts to help the Brazilian government resist a Covid lockdown.
Prevent Senior, a health maintenance organization with a chain of hospitals and more than half a million members, is currently in the crosshairs of a congressional inquiry into Brazil’s coronavirus crisis and the highly controversial response of President Jair Bolsonaro.
Last month a group of whistleblowing doctors handed a 10,000-page dossier to investigators containing a series of incendiary allegations against the São Paulo-based firm that caters to senior citizens.
The dossier contained claims that elderly patients had been used as “human guinea pigs” for the testing of unproven Covid “remedies” without full consent being given.
A group of paediatricians has said that wearing marks in schools “significantly” reduces the spread of coronavirus.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said the rise of the delta variant and school starting have dramatically increased the risks children face during the pandemic, in court documents submitted in the federal lawsuit against Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
AP reports the AAP and its Iowa chapter filed a brief on Tuesday with the federal court judge who is considering the lawsuit filed last week by 11 parents of Iowa children and the disability rights group The Arc of Iowa.
It is seeking to reverse a Republican-passed measure that Reynolds signed into law in May that prohibits school boards from imposing mask mandates in schools.
The AAP said in the document filed with the court that their review of the research and the experiences of the front-line pediatric practitioners “prove beyond any doubt that universal mask policies in schools significantly reduce the spread of Covid-19 in school populations.”
The group said the prevalence of paediatric Covid-19 has skyrocketed since the school year began, with 20 per cent of all child cases since the beginning of the pandemic diagnosed between 13 August and 16 September.
The document said more than 5.5 million child Covid-19 cases have been reported in the United States as of 16 September.
Iowa has reported more than 56,000 child cases, the group said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he is due to speak to Boris Johnson over the “unfortunate situation” of the UK imposing severe restrictions for travellers arriving from South Africa.
The UK has placed South Africa on its coronavirus “red list”, forcing travellers into expensive hotel quarantine on arrival.
AFP reports that Mr Ramaphosa told a news conference:
On the issue of the UK putting us on a red list, I think this is the most unfortunate situation that we have been subjected to. I’m due to speak to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
However he said they would not be seeking to penalise the UK for the measures, adding:
We don’t have the need to retaliate...because the UK is an important trading partner to South Africa, one of the very important ones.
We should rather engage, and through our engagement we hope we will find a solution.
Updated
AP reports on how some US health care workers on the Covid-19 frontline are being issued with panic buttons in case of assault and removing their scrubs before going out in public for fear of harassment.
Across the country, doctors and nurses are dealing with hostility, threats and violence from patients angry over safety rules designed to keep the virus from spreading.
Dr Stu Coffman, a Dallas-based emergency room physician said: “A year ago, we’re health care heroes and everybody’s clapping for us.
“And now we’re being in some areas harassed and disbelieved and ridiculed for what we’re trying to do, which is just depressing and frustrating.”
Cox Medical Center Branson in Missouri started giving panic buttons to up to 400 nurses and other employees after assaults per year tripled between 2019 and 2020 to 123, a spokeswoman said.
One nurse had to get her shoulder X-rayed after an attack.
Some hospitals have limited the number of public entrances. In Idaho, nurses said they are scared to go to the grocery store unless they have changed out of their scrubs so they aren’t accosted by angry residents.
Dr. James Lawler, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where some doctors have received online threats said: “It’s just another added pressure on health workers who have already been experiencing a lot of stress.”
Summary of recent developments
-
Latvia has reported 1,203 new coronavirus cases – the country’s highest daily figure since February. It is the first time infections have crossed the threshold of 1,000 since May.
-
There have been 1,847 new coronavirus cases in Lithuania over the past 24 hours, the country’s statistics office has said – the highest number of cases since early January.
- The number of Covid fatalities recorded in Scotland hit the highest level since February last week, with 165 deaths registered that involved Covid-19, 30 more than the previous week.
-
Slovenia has temporarily suspended use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine while it investigates the death of a 20-year-old woman. Health minister Janez Poklukar said the benefits of receiving the vaccine “continue to outweigh the risks”.
- Singapore has reported 2,268 new cases - its highest number since the pandemic began. Its previous highest daily increase was 2,236 reported on Tuesday.
- The UK has reported 36,722 new cases, an increase on Tuesday figure of 34,256. It also report 150 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
-
Merck & Co’s experimental oral Covid-19 antiviral drug molnupiravir is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, the company has said following laboratory studies.
- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is in advanced talks with vaccine manufacturers to purchase further vaccine doses for its members after reaching a deal with Sinovac to buy 8.5 million vaccine doses for 2021 and some 80 million doses next year.
- Cuba reported 5,617 new cases – the first time since July that the island has reported fewer than 6,000 new cases. It also reported 48 more deaths from the virus.
That’s all from me for today – my colleague Jane Clinton will be here soon to take you through the next few hours. Thanks for reading along.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory to drive up vaccination figures among people who are pregnant, have recently been pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
As of 18 September, just 31% of pregnant people have been fully vaccinated before or during their pregnancy, the CDC said its data showed.
The agency in August called on pregnant people to take up a vaccine based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage. Its recommendations are in line those from organisations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
The CDC said in addition to risks of severe illness and death for pregnant people, there is an increased risk of preterm birth in COVID-19 infected individuals.
In its latest advisory, the health agency cited data showing around 97% of pregnant people hospitalised with coronavirus were unvaccinated.
Updated
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is in advanced talks with vaccine manufacturers to purchase further vaccine doses for its members, Reuters reports.
The region recorded more than 26,000 COVID-19 related deaths last week – more than any other global region.
PAHO has reached a deal with Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac to buy 8.5 million vaccine doses for 2021 and some 80 million doses next year, said PAHO assistant director Jarbas Barbosa. PAHO is expecting to sign new agreements soon to buy vaccines from other suppliers for 2021 and 2022, according to director Carissa Etienne.
More than a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Americas. But while 35% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated, Etienne stressed that coverage has not been equal.
Haiti has vaccinated less than 1% of its population, while Canada, Chile, Uruguay, and Puerto Rico have fully vaccinated over 70% of their people. A further 10 countries and territories in the region have yet to vaccinate a fifth of their populations.
Health authorities in Greece have recorded a further 2,187 coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 653,535.
The National Organisation for Public Health said 44 patients have died from Covid-19, raising the total death toll to 14,795.
There were 323 intubated patients on Wednesday. A positivity rate of 1.1% was found in the 198,080 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
Updated
Merck & Co’s experimental oral Covid-19 antiviral drug molnupiravir is likely to be effective against known variants of the coronavirus, the company has said following laboratory studies.
Jay Grobler, head of infectious disease and vaccines at Merck, said that as the drug does not target the spike protein of the virus, which is where the variants differ, the drug should be equally effective as the virus continues to mutate. Instead, it targets an enzyme needed for the virus to replicate.
Research shows molnupiravir is most effective when administered early on.
The first study is expected to finish in early November.
With audiences expected to flock to sold-out screenings of No Time to Die opens on Thursday, the Guardian’s science correspondent Hannah Devlin asks experts about the risks involved in a trip to the cinema:
Updated
The EU’s drugs regulator will decide on Monday whether to approve Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster vaccine, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.
However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is not expected to give precise guidance on who should receive it if it approves the jab.
If the EMA backs the vaccine, the bloc would join the United States, the UK and Israel in deploying boosters, despite a lack of scientific consensus that they are necessary.
“On 4 October the EMA will deliver an opinion on the need for Pfizer boosters for the general population,” EMA’s head Emer Cooke told EU lawmakers in an internal meeting on Tuesday, according to minutes of the discussion seen by Reuters.
More than a dozen EU countries have already began rolling out boosters without the agency’s backing.
Italy has reported 63 coronavirus-related deaths against 65 on Tuesday, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 3,212 from 2,985.
Coronavirus in Italia, il bollettino di oggi 29 settembre: 3.212 nuovi casi e 63 morti https://t.co/t1816GpJGm pic.twitter.com/qDQ2gMYExP
— Corriere della Sera (@Corriere) September 29, 2021
Italy has registered 130,870 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after the UK and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.67 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid - not including those in intensive care - stood at 3,317 on Wednesday, down from 3,418 a day earlier.
There were 23 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 19 on Tuesday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 450 from a previous 459.
Cuba has reported 5,617 new cases. This is the first time since July that the island has reported fewer than 6,000 new cases. It also reported 48 more deaths from the virus, bringing Cuba’s total Covid death toll to 7,378.
#28Sept NOTA INFORMATIVA @MINSAPCuba #COVID19:
— Presidencia Cuba (@PresidenciaCuba) September 29, 2021
➡️Nuevos casos: 5 617
➡️Activos: 30 986
➡️Total: 872 425
⏺️Recuperados: 834 004
⏺️Evacuados: 2
⏺️Retornados: 55
⏺️Estables: 30 565
⏺️Fallecidos: 7 378
⏺️Críticos: 123
⏺️Graves: 298#FuerzaCuba #Cuba🇨🇺 https://t.co/czth7lj0uK
UK reports 36,722 new cases and 150 deaths
The UK has reported 36,722 new cases, an increase on Tuesday figure of 34,256. It also report 150 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. This is 17 fewer than the death toll announced on Tuesday.
The number of new patients admitted to hospital in the last seven days with Covid is 5,173.
The #COVID19 Dashboard has been updated: https://t.co/XhspoyTG79
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) September 29, 2021
On 29 September, 36,722 new cases and 150 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported across the UK.
48,797,579 people have now received the 1st dose of a #vaccine
44,833,280 have received a 2nd dose. pic.twitter.com/L09d0VQ2bp
United Kingdom Daily Coronavirus (COVID-19) Report · Wednesday 29th September.
— UK COVID-19 (@UKCovid19Stats) September 29, 2021
36,722 new cases (people positive) reported, giving a total of 7,771,294.
150 new deaths reported, giving a total of 136,525. pic.twitter.com/wkXb8OUbZZ
Updated
Singapore reports record rise in infections
Singapore has reported 2,268 new cases - its highest number since the pandemic began. Its previous highest daily increase was 2,236 reported on Tuesday. The authorities also reported eight new deaths from the virus.
More context from Reuters:
A recent rise in cases after the relaxation of some Covid measures has prompted Singapore to pause further reopening. More than 80% of its population has been vaccinated against the virus.
From this week, Singapore tightened some curbs such as limiting social gatherings to two people and making work from home a default.
Updated
South Africa’s health ministry misappropriated of millions of dollars during the coronavirus pandemic, a report has said, accusing senior officials of corruption and fraud.
The report by the Special Investigating Unit, released by President Cyril Ramaphosa, found wrongdoing by former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize and others, according to AP. Mkhize resigned last month.
It said the minister interfered in the procurement process to award a Covid contract worth $10 million to close associates, who later made payments for Mkhize and his family’s benefit, the report said. The money was partly used to renovate one of Mkhize’s homes and to buy a vehicle for his son.
The company in question, Digital Vibes, was linked to Mkhize’s former communications advisor and his former personal assistant. It was awarded the contract to consult on the health department’s Covid-19 communications strategy.
Members of the opposition have called for Mkhize to be removed from parliament, where he remains a lawmaker.
Updated
Serbia has reported a further 8,171 new coronavirus cases and 45 deaths – the second consecutive day in which cases have exceeded 8,000.
Wednesday’s figures take the country’s cumulative caseload to 934,440, while the death toll stands at 8,187, according to Serbian newspaper Danas.
There are currently 6,241 patients in hospital, of which 243 are on respirators, and there have been a further 24,847 tests in the last 24 hours.
Around 41.7% of Serbia’s population is fully vaccinated, according to OurWorldinData.
The French government plans to extend the country’s Covid health pass requirement until next summer, the government’s spokesman has said.
“What we will propose to the parliament is to maintain for several more months, until the summer, the possibility of using it,” Gabriel Attal told reporters after being asked about the state of emergency and use of a health pass to gain access to venues such as restaurants, bars and cinemas.
The health pass requirement is in force across France until 15 November. From 30 September, over-12s will be required to show their pass to enter venues including cafes, restaurants and museums.
YouTube is to remove videos that spread misinformation about all vaccines, as it steps up a crackdown on harmful content posted during the coronavirus pandemic.
From Wednesday, the video streaming site, which has already banned Covid jab falsehoods, will take down content that claims any approved vaccine is dangerous and causes chronic health defects. Under previous guidelines, the platform demoted – effectively hiding from view – videos that spread misinformation about non-Covid vaccines or promoted vaccine hesitancy.
Slovenia temporarily halts use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Slovenia has temporarily suspended use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine while it investigates the death of a 20-year-old woman.
Health minister Janez Poklukar said the benefits of receiving the vaccine “continue to outweigh the risks”.
Administration of the vaccine will be paused until experts examine whether there is a link between the woman’s death from a stroke and the vaccine she had received two weeks earlier, Poklukar said in a statement reported by the AP news agency.
It comes after the government signed off a purchase of 100,000 J&J doses from Hungary in response to the growing demand for the single-dose vaccine. Slovenian authorities have recommended the vaccine to all adults.
Slovenia has seen a rise in infections in recent weeks, similarly to much of central and eastern Europe. Nearly 48% of the country’s 2 million people are fully vaccinated – a lower proportion than in many other EU states.
Around 1,200 people living in Hanoi’s inner district of Thanh Xuan have been allowed to return to their homes after they were required to quarantine at university dormitories on the outskirts of the city for two months.
According to the Hanoi Times, evacuation was intended to reduce population density and curb the spread of coronavirus in the area, which has seen nearly 600 cases confirmed in the last month.
The Thanh Xuan district military command instructed residents to continue to obey coronavirus restrictions and monitor their health.
Hanoi relaxed some of its restrictions last week, no longer requiring the use of travel passes within the city and allowing and a wider variety of shops and services to operate until 9pm.
Weekly Covid deaths in Scotland reach highest level since February
The number of Covid fatalities recorded in Scotland hit the highest level since February last week, with 165 deaths registered that involved Covid-19, 30 more than the previous week.
National Records of Scotland, the government statistics agency, said 124 people died in hospitals last week, with the overall total for recorded Covid fatalities since the start of the pandemic in Scotland now at 10,991.
Only 28 of the deaths registered between 20 and 26 September involved patients under 65: 109 were amongst people over 75.
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, told MSPs on Tuesday the current spike in hospitalisations was showing signs of subsiding but ministers admit hospitals in Scotland will remain under intense pressure until next year.
Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health and social care secretary, said in a parliamentary answer that NHS Scotland would remain on an emergency footing until at least 31 March 2022. Yousaf has already drafted in the British Army to help staff non-urgent ambulances.
“Whilst we are beginning to see a reduction in the numbers of new Covid cases, the last few weeks have been enormously difficult and our health and care services are continuing to deal with a challenging combination of issues,” Yousaf told Emma Harper, a Scottish National party MSP.
“With the continued increased demands on services across health and social care, we must ensure that the vital services provided by our NHS are protected as we move into a challenging winter period.”
Meanwhile Public Health Scotland, another government agency, disclosed for the first time that more than a quarter of patients with Covid were hospitalised for other illnesses or injuries earlier this year.
After months of calls for ministers to produce these figures, Scot Gov agency Public Health Scotland reveals that up to 1 in 3 "Covid" admissions this year were patients in hospitals due to other illnesses, and not primarily because of the virus pic.twitter.com/QBRd25pJKm
— Chris Musson (@ChrisMusson) September 29, 2021
The percentage of those hospitalised primarily because of Covid varied from as few as 66% in April 2021 to 78% in January, when the second peak was at its height in Scotland.
Updated
Lithuania records largest caseload since January
There have been 1,847 new coronavirus cases in Lithuania over the past 24 hours, the country’s statistics office has said – the highest number of cases since early January.
The office also confirmed 14 Covid-related deaths, according to public broadcaster LRT. One of the patients who died was fully vaccinated.
A further 6,900 people have been vaccinated over the past 24 hours, including 2,722 who have received an initial jab.
In the UK, experts have said vaccine hesitancy and children returning to schools are key factors behind soaring case rates in Kettering, Northamptonshire, which has the highest Covid-19 case rate in the country.
In the week running to 23 September, Kettering had 960.8 cases per 100,000 people, substantially higher than the national average of 350.9 and nearly double the number of cases from the previous week.
The nearby towns of Corby and Daventry also have among the highest case rates in the country.
Experts have partly attributed the rise to the return of children to the classroom, and said as schools in the Midlands started term earlier, it could be a sign of what’s to come for the rest of England.
In the east Midlands, one in 49 children aged 10-14 tested positive for Covid in the last week, and in the week leading up to 25 September, one in 24 children aged 10-14 caught Covid-19 in Kettering.
Other than London, rates for 10-14s are well above 1000/100k in all regions. In the East Midlands, 1 in 49 in this age group have tested positive in the last week. Schools in the Midlands went back earlier, so this region may simply be a sign of what's to come elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/2jFw2ipj08
— Colin Davis (@ProfColinDavis) September 27, 2021
It is thought these infections are being passed on to adults as areas around the country start to see a steep rise in cases among 40- to 44-year-olds.
The east Midlands is also the only part of the country starting to see a rise in cases among 70- to 74-year-olds.
Low vaccine take-up has also been cited as a factor with 83% of over- 16s in Kettering having had their first Covid jab, and 77% having had both – nationally 89.7% of people have had their first dose, and 82.4% have had their second.
Updated
Latvia registers highest number of cases since February
Latvia has reported 1,203 new coronavirus cases – the country’s highest daily figure since February. It is the first time infections have crossed the threshold of 1,000 since May.
A total of 985 cases were in unvaccinated patients, or those who are not fully vaccinated, while 218 were fully vaccinated, according to public broadcaster LSM.
The cumulative number of cases recorded since the start of the pandemic stands at 157,083. A further six patients died, taking the country’s toll to 2,706.
In the country of 1.86 million, almost 841,000 people have been fully vaccinated against Covid.
Updated
Russian President Vladimir Putin end his period of self-isolation later today ahead of his meeting with Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan, the Kremlin has said in a statement reported by Reuters.
Earlier this month, Putin said he would have to spend “a few days” in self-isolation after dozens of people in his inner circle at the Kremlin tested positive for coronavirus.
“Cases of the coronavirus were detected in my inner circle. Not just one or two but several dozen people,” Putin said, making the announcement via video link in mid-September.
Putin is holding in-person talks with Erdoğan in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Wednesday. The talks are expected to focus on Syria.
Authorities have taken precautions to shield the Russian leader, who has been vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V jab, requiring foreign leaders, journalists and officials to self-isolate before meeting with Putin.
Updated
I’m handing over now to my colleague Clea Skopeliti who will have the Covid news for the rest of the day
Here’s a summary of this mornings news
- A “significant” proportion of people infected with Covid will have symptoms for months afterwards, research suggests.
- Almost half of British workers are close to burnout after putting in extra hours throughout the pandemic, research suggests.
- The Covid lockdown led to an increase in bicycle thefts in Scotland according to research done for the BBC.
- As restrictions are removed across much of Europe, Covid deaths and cases are continuing to rise in Russia.
- Human rights groups are questioning increasing vaccine mandates in Zimbabwe – warning that the policy will penalise the poor.
- Vaccine mandates for government employed workers are increasing around the world – with Costa Rica now ordering that all state workers will have to be fully vaccinated.
- The Spanish government has lifted more Covid restrictions, announcing that crowds can return at 100% capacity outdoors and up to 80% indoors.
- The strict and ongoing lockdown in Vietnam is causing shortages among big brands, including Apple’s iphone 13 and Nike and Gap products.
- In the US, senior basketball players who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season.
- Pfizer have submitted initial trial data for their Covid-19 vaccine for use in five- to 11-year-olds and said they would make a formal request to US regulators for emergency use in the coming weeks.
- In eastern Europe, where Covid cases are rising and vaccination rates lower than across the EU, another crisis is brewing the AFP agency reports. The fight against HIV has been seriously hampered by the Covid pandemic.
- A study will consider whether vitamin A can help those who have lost their sense of smell after having Covid-19.
Updated
'Significant' proportion of those infected with Covid will have symptoms for months, Oxford University research suggests
A “significant” proportion of people infected with Covid will have symptoms for months afterwards, research suggests.
Research out today from Oxford University states that 37% of people had at least one long-Covid symptom diagnosed in the three- to six-month period after Covid-19 infection. The most common symptoms were breathing problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, pain and anxiety/depression.
The symptoms were more common in those who were hospitalised and slightly more common in women.
This study investigated long-Covid in more than 270,000 people recovering from Covid-19 infection, using data from the US-based TriNetX electronic health record network.
The debate continues around what long covid is and how distinct it is from other post-viral fatigue symptoms.
Earlier this week, Prof Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford, said long Covid was “more complicated than people assume” and that “the incidence is much, much lower than people had anticipated”.
His comments followed data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which suggests that half of people suffering from long Covid may not have it.
Updated
Almost half of British workers are close to burnout after putting in extra hours throughout the pandemic, research suggests.
Westfield Health said its survey of 1,500 workers indicated that people who have been working from home for the last 18 months are more likely to feel at risk than those who have been going to the office.
Dave Capper, the chief executive of Westfield Health, said: “The findings from our research paint a worrying picture about the toll the pandemic has taken on workers’ mental health.
“With nearly two-thirds of employees working more hours during the pandemic and one in five working an extra five to 10 hours a week, it’s not surprising that burnout is on the horizon for so many.
“There’s a real immediacy to this issue. One in four say they’re less than a week from burnout, and more than half of workers are threatening to vote with their feet and find roles that value and protect their mental health.”
Updated
The Covid lockdown led to an increase in bicycle thefts in Scotland according to research done for the BBC. The number of bikes reported stolen in Scotland rose by nearly 20% during lockdown, figures show.
There has been a big increase in people cycling over the past 18 months and this has been followed by a rise in thefts. BBC Scotland reports that there is evidence that organised crime gangs are targeting pedal and e-bikes worth thousands of pounds.
Police Scotland says it has put extra resources into tackling the problem.
Figures released to BBC Scotland under freedom of information laws show that, on average, only one in 10 bike crimes is solved every year.
Updated
Russia reports record daily deaths for second day in a row
As restrictions are removed across much of Europe, Covid deaths and cases are continuing to rise in Russia. Today they have 857 new coronavirus-related deaths, the most in a single day since the pandemic began and the second day in a row it has set that record.
The government coronavirus task force also reported 22,430 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours.
Updated
Human rights groups are questioning increasing vaccine mandates in Zimbabwe – warning that the policy will penalise the poor.
The Zimbabwe government is now requiring its half a million employees to have the jab. The Associated Press reports that the strategy is worrying human rights groups.
Critics say that, unlike in richer countries that have made use of mandates, Zimbabwe’s rollout isn’t up to the task. Vaccination centres sometimes run out of supply, and poor urban townships and rural areas have often been starved of doses in recent months.
What’s more, they say, it’s cruel to put at risk the livelihoods of people who are some of the world’s most vulnerable and already suffering during the pandemic.
“The Zimbabwe government should first focus on making sure that vaccines are equally available to all people without any obstacles before considering making them mandatory,” said Dewa Mavhinga, southern Africa director for Human Rights Watch.
But the government, known for being authoritarian, appears ready to double down. It already requires vaccines at places of worship and has suggested extending the mandates to public buses — a critical mode of transportation for the country’s poor.
Those measures would effectively make the vaccine a requirement for the vast majority of Zimbabwean adults.
Some have waited hours on end only to be told the vaccination center was closing early because of limited supplies or a lack of staff. People eligible for second shots have also complained of being turned away from centers giving preference to those seeking first doses.
Around 15% of Zimbabwe’s 15 million people are fully vaccinated — well above the overall African rate of 4% but far from the government’s goal of 60%.
Mutasa’s organization, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, is fighting mandates for workers in court, one of the only organizations in the country to be publicly opposed to them. Mandates will cause “carnage”, he said.
Dr. Agnes Mahomva, the chief coordinator of the government’s Covid-19 response, defended mandates, saying they are aimed at “protecting everyone” and arguing they remain voluntary in a way.
“If one doesn’t want to be vaccinated, no one is going to come to their house to grab them and vaccinate them,” she said.
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Vaccine mandates for government employed workers are increasing around the world – with Costa Rica now ordering that all state workers will have to be fully vaccinated. Private companies will be able to mandate vaccination for their own employees, the Costa Rican health ministry said in a statement.
Approximately 40% of the population has been fully vaccinated but big gaps remain, as almost 30% of Costa Ricans have not received even a single shot.
The Social Security Fund, which runs Costa Rica’s public hospital system, has since February required immunisation against Covid-19 for all its workers.
On Monday, the University of Costa Rica, the country’s biggest university, also announced a vaccination mandate.
The health authorities did not outline the consequences for employees who refuse to take a vaccine, saying “it will be the employer’s responsibility to take measures according to the country’s legislation and institutional regulations”.
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Spain lifts restrictions to allow 100% capacity in outdoor venues
The Spanish government has lifted more Covid restrictions, announcing that crowds can return at 100% capacity outdoors and up to 80% indoors.
Several European countries have begun lifting restrictions in recent days as vaccination rates rise, but economies are not expected to return to normal immediately. Spain has put in place provision for furlough payments to stay for several months.
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The strict and ongoing lockdown in Vietnam is causing shortages among big brands, including Apple’s iphone 13 and Nike and Gap products.
Factories in Vietnam are a major source of global clothing and other consumer goods but have been hit hard by restrictions on movement in the past 18 months.
The AFP agency reports that in a fabric mill east of Hanoi, Claudia Anselmi – the Italian director of Hung Yen Knitting & Dyeing, a key cog in the supply chain of several European and US clothing giants – worries daily if the factory can keep the lights on.
Its output plunged by 50% when Vietnam’s latest devastating virus wave first struck in spring, and it faces perpetual problems securing the yarn it needs for its synthetic material.
“At first we were lacking people (to work) because everyone was stuck at home,” said Anselmi, whose company’s fabric is later used in swimwear and sportswear for customers including Nike, Adidas and Gap.
Now, “travel restrictions have jeopardised all logistics in and out … this has created long, long delays,” she told AFP. “We only survive if we have the stock.”
While lockdowns are gradually loosening across the country as infections steadily decline, millions of Vietnamese have been under stay-at-home orders for months.
A complex web of checkpoints and confusing travel permit regulations have made life impossible for truck drivers and businesses trying to move goods across, as well and in and out of, the country.
The delays and restrictions are a major headache for foreign businesses, many of which have pivoted to south-east Asia from China in recent years.
Nike – which warned last week it was struggling with shortages of its athletic gear and cut its sales forecasts – pointed the finger at Vietnam, among others, saying 80% of its factories in the south and nearly half of its apparel plants in the country had shut their doors.
The sports colossus sources about half of its footwear from the communist country.
Although some factories were able to set up a system where staff could eat, work and sleep on site to get around lockdown restrictions, Vitas said that the cost was prohibitive for many.
Japan’s Fast retailing, which owns the popular Uniqlo brand, also blamed the situation in Vietnam for hold-ups on sweaters, sweatpants, hoodies and dresses, while Adidas said supply chain issues – including in the country – could cost it as much as €500m ($585m) in sales by the end of the year.
Even with the prospect of lockdowns easing, many are fretting over the long-term impact on Vietnamese manufacturing, with Nike and Adidas admitting they were looking to temporarily produce elsewhere.
Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, deputy general director of Maxport Vietnam, whose 6,000 workers churn out activewear for the likes of Lululemon, Asics and Nike, told AFP the firm had “been very worried” about clients withdrawing orders - even though it was one of the lucky few to have navigated recent brutal months largely unscathed.
Without foreign customers “our workers would become jobless”, she said.
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In the US, senior basketball players who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season ESPN is reporting.
The restrictions include having to eat separately from vaccinated players.
ESPN said that, as per the NBA’s health and safety protocols released to teams on Tuesday, vaccinated players will only be tested if they show symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case.
But unvaccinated players will have to undergo daily testing prior to entering a team facility, participating in team-organised activities, or interacting with other players and coaches.
Unvaccinated players will not be allowed to dine in the same room as other players, and must be given a locker as distant as possible from other players.
Unvaccinated players will also have to remain at their residence, or the team hotel during road trips, outside game time except for team and essential activities such as taking children to school or buying groceries.
They will also have to quarantine for seven days if they are a close contact while vaccinated players will only have to do so in “unusual circumstances”.
The report said face masks were mandatory for all players for the 2021-22 season, which starts on 19 October.
Vaccination is not mandatory but 90% of NBA players already are, the Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports in July.
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers said he was initially “very sceptical” about the vaccine but decided to take it after doing his research.
“I don’t talk about other people and what they should do,” James said. “I don’t think I personally should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and livelihoods.
“I know that I was very sceptical about it but after doing my own research I felt like it was best suited for me and my family and my friends.”
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Pfizer have submitted initial trial data for their COVID-19 vaccine for use in 5 to 11 year olds and said they would make a formal request to U.S. regulators for emergency use in the coming weeks.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said earlier this month it would look to complete its data review for this age group as quickly as possible, likely in a matter of weeks rather than months. That could mean an authorization of the shot for children by the end of October, sources have told Reuters.
The vaccine, which is already authorised for 12 to 15-year- olds and fully approved for ages 16 and up, induced a strong immune response in the target age group in a 2,268-participant clinical trial, the companies said earlier this month.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for the 12-15 age group roughly a month after the companies filed for authorisation. If the same timeline is followed for this application, younger children could start receiving their shots as soon as late October.
In eastern Europe, where Covid cases are rising and vaccination rates lower than across the EU, another crisis is brewing the AFP agency reports. The fight against HIV has been seriously hampered by the Covid pandemic.
Bulgaria and Romania are both former eastern bloc countries, and in 2019, 76% of Aids cases diagnosed in Europe were in the east, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
“It is obvious that the number of contaminations has increased since the start of the pandemic”, Alina Schiau from the Romanian anti-Aids Association told AFP.
As coronavirus took hold, hospitals closed to non-Covid patients, says Davron Mukhamadiev, regional health and care coordinator for Red Cross Europe (IFRC).
Quarantine requirements, travel restrictions and reduced access to rapid testing and diagnostic services all undermined efforts to roll back HIV/Aids, he said.
UNAids data shows 140,000 new infections in eastern Europe and central Asia in 2020, compared with 170,000 in 2019, which experts attribute to a dramatic slowdown in screening, not a drop in cases.
In 2020, for example, Romania managed to screen only 234,420 people for HIV/Aids – down nearly a third from 334,410 the previous year.
It is a similar story in neighbouring Bulgaria. Regional health centres were “overwhelmed and hardly ever did any HIV testing during Covid”, said Alexander Milanov, programme director at the country’s National Patients’ Organisation.
The pandemic has disrupted supply chains and the transport of medicines, exacerbating historic shortages in countries such as Romania despite huge scientific strides that have dramatically improved outcomes for HIV patients in rich nations.
The HIV/AIDS crisis in Romania dates back to the communist years.
About 11,000 children born in the 1980s under the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu were infected as a result of contaminated or unsterilised syringes or transfusions with untested blood.
Romania’s health ministry did not respond to an AFP request for a comment.
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Study to consider whether vitamin A can treat loss of smell after Covid
A study will consider whether vitamin A can help those who have lost their sense of smell after having Covid-19.
The 12-week “Apollo trial”, run by the University of East Anglia, will treat people who have experienced smell loss or an altered sense of smell as a result of viral infections with nasal drops containing the vitamin, the University of East Anglia (UEA) said in a statement.
The university said research from Germany had shown the potential benefit of the vitamin, and its team “will explore how this treatment works to help repair tissues in the nose damaged by viruses”. The researchers hope the study “could one day help improve the lives of millions around the world who suffer from smell loss, by returning their fifth sense”.
It comes after a study by an international group of smell experts, published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology in April, advised against using steroids to treat smell loss and instead suggested “smell training”.
Prof Carl Philpott from the UEA’s Norwich Medical School said the method “aims to help recovery based on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise itself to compensate for a change or injury”.
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Good morning, I’m Harriet Grant taking over from Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you Covid-related news from around the world for the next few hours.
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It has been 30 years since the last new class of antibiotic was introduced to the market. All the existing drugs are essentially variations on a theme: they kill bacteria, in similar ways. Some burst cells walls, others block DNA replication.
But the bacteria are swiftly evolving to survive those chemical attacks – and as they survive, they become virulent superbugs. Without new antibiotics, by 2050 the death toll from drug-resistant infections is projected to reach 10 million people a year, making the coronavirus pandemic seem almost quaint.
This is why scientists at Plymouth University have been searching the cold, dark abyss of the north Atlantic – where they have found sponges that contain powerful molecules capable of killing those superbugs.
Kerry Howell, professor of deep-sea ecology, and her colleagues have been carefully collecting specimens of these plant-like animals, bringing them back to the lab and testing pulverised extracts against stubborn, disease-causing bacteria. Among the deep-sea molecules, they are finding promising bactericidal novelties:
In the UK, bosses from chains including Nando’s, Starbucks and Prezzo have been drafted in to advise the government on its plans to boost the hospitality sector after the easing of lockdown this summer.
Amid mounting concern over staff shortages and supplies across the economy, ministers said the group of executives would help to identify and oversee actions that the government could take to smooth the post-pandemic recovery for pubs, hotels, cafes and restaurants.
Meeting for the first time on Wednesday, the council will include industry leaders from 22 hospitality firms and trade bodies, including UK Hospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, Burger King, and Deliveroo.
It comes as venues continue to be hampered by lower levels of footfall in town and city centres despite the easing of most pandemic restrictions, delivery disruptions, a lack of available workers, and rising costs:
Unvaccinated United Airlines staff face losing jobs
United Airlines said on Tuesday nearly 600 US-based employees faced losing their jobs after failing to comply with the carrier’s vaccination policy.
In early August, the company became the first US carrier to require Covid vaccinations for all domestic employees, requiring proof of vaccination by Monday.
The carrier said it would start on Tuesday the process of firing 593 employees who decided not to get vaccinated.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision but keeping our team safe has always been our first priority,” chief executive Scott Kirby and president Brett Hart told employees in a memo.
The workers can save their jobs if they get vaccinated before their formal contract termination meetings, the company officials said.
United has received requests for vaccine exemptions from employees for religious and medical reasons. Those employees account for less than 3% of the airline’s 67,000 US workforce, United officials said.
The company had plans to put employees who received religious exemptions on temporary, unpaid personal leave from 2 October. Those plans, however, have been put on hold until 15 October because of a lawsuit challenging the policy.
Excluding those who have sought an exemption, United said more than 99% of US-based employees have been vaccinated.
A company spokesperson said the airline plans to hire about 25,000 people over the next few years, and vaccination will be a condition of employment for all new hires.
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New Zealand cases jump sharply
New Zealand’s daily Covid cases have jumped sharply to 45 – more than five times the previous day’s number. The rise comes after several days of about 12 cases a day, and around a week after the Auckland region lifted its strictest lockdown restrictions.
“This is a big number. It’s a sobering number. I don’t think anybody who’s involved in this process would be celebrating a number like the one we’re seeing today,” said the Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins.
“But the fact that such a significant proportion of those are known contacts or household contacts does point a little bit to the nature of this particular outbreak that we’re now dealing with in the way it’s concentrated in larger households.”
The director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, said a number of the cases had been expected by health officials – much of Auckland’s outbreak is spreading through large family groups. Thirty-three of the new cases were known household or close contacts of existing cases. Of these, 26 were household contacts, and 12 came from two households. Twelve cases were unlinked.
Tess McClure reports from Christchurch with Eva Corlett in Wellington:
Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coronavirus coverage.
New Zealand’s daily Covid cases jumped sharply to 45 on Wednesday – more than five times the previous day’s number. The rise comes after several days of about 12 cases a day, and around a week after the Auckland region lifted its strictest lockdown restrictions.
Meanwhile in the America, United Airlines said on Tuesday nearly 600 US-based employees faced termination after failing to comply with the carrier’s vaccination policy. In early August, the company became the first US carrier to require Covid vaccinations for all domestic employees, requiring proof of vaccination by Monday.
More on these stories shortly. In the meantime, here are the other key recent developments:
- Scotland will delay the enforcement of vaccine passports by introducing a two-week grace period for venues, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
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In England, more than one in 10 secondary school pupils and over a third of school staff who had coronavirus have suffered long Covid symptoms, the latest figures suggest.
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The head of the UN has called on rich countries to step up efforts to protect workers hit by the Covid-19 pandemic with an additional $1tn (£736bn) injection of funds to avoid a twin-track recovery that widens the gap with the world’s poorest nations.
- A chair will be appointed by Christmas to the UK public inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic and sessions should take place around the country, Boris Johnson has told the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group.
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Turkey will “never” close schools again despite the recent rise in coronavirus infections, its health minister Fahrettin Koca said today.
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New Covid infections in Romania rose by a record high of 11,049 in the past 24 hours, its government said on Tuesday.
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In the US, a federal appeals panel has said New York City can mandate teachers be vaccinated against Covid.
- Pakistan is to start vaccinating children aged 12 and above after a decline in Covid deaths across the country.
- Australians will be able to test themselves for Covid at home from November using rapid antigen test kits bought from chemists or online, health authorities have announced.
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