Here is a look at some of today’s coronavirus-related UK front pages:
OBSERVER: Minister faces fury over mass Covid outbreak at state agency #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/E0povZ9fJY
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: PM under pressure to act now on quarantine hotels #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/qzSwODQOlS
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: ‘Don’t break rules once you’ve had the vaccine’ #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/m0fy4dc65z
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY: ‘I am tired of having to tell families their dad is dead’ #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/baHlbHPYH2
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
SUNDAY EXPRESS: Van-Tam: Let’s stay patient #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/eam6yQQISh
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Top schools: we can jab all teachers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Ce4pzmXMre
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 23, 2021
Vaccinated may still pass virus on, says England deputy chief medical officer
Coronavirus vaccines may not fully prevent people from passing the virus on to others and people who have had the jab should still continue to abide by lockdown restrictions, the deputy chief medical officer for England said.
PA Media: Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said that if those who have been vaccinated begin easing off because they are protected, they are potentially putting at risk those further down the priority list who still need inoculation.
His warning came as the latest Government figures showed the number receiving the first dose of the vaccine across the UK has passed 5.8 million, with a record 478,248 getting the jab in a single day.
The Observer view on government support for low-paid to halt spread of Covid-19
Exactly a year after the Chinese city of Wuhan went into the world’s first coronavirus lockdown, the Covid-19 death toll continues to mount. In the UK, we are losing more than 1,200 people a day to the virus and the total number of people who have died is almost 100,000. Countless people have lost someone they loved to this disease. It is a national tragedy whose scale would have been unthinkable in early 2020.
Most governments have been struggling to contain this virus. The new variant circulating in the UK, thought to be 30-70% more infectious, and which scientists think might be more deadly, poses new challenges as the vaccine gets rolled out. But our government has repeatedly made serious errors that have resulted in a higher-than-necessary death toll.
The government’s consistent hesitancy in taking swift action to contain the spread of the virus has cost lives. It imposed a national lockdown too late last March, again left it too late last autumn, and went ahead with relaxing restrictions in the run-up to Christmas against the advice of many scientific experts. It should have introduced a national lockdown more quickly in light of the growing evidence that the new variant was more infectious. The prime minister’s reluctance to make difficult decisions – together with a lack of cabinet competence that has manifested itself in the shambolic roll-out of test and trace, for example – has proved lethal:
Leading vaccine experts have backed the government’s decision to delay the second dose for up to three months, after doctors warned that the strategy was proving “ever-more difficult to justify”.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, has suggested that the UK has become “increasingly isolated internationally” by deciding that the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be delayed, and called for a maximum delay of six weeks. However, several prominent scientists backed the government’s plan to maximise the number of people receiving their first dose.
The Guardian’s Michael Savage, Robin McKie and James Tapper report:
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 12,257 to 2,134,936, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.
The reported death toll rose by 349 to 51,870, the tally showed.
Thailand on Sunday confirmed 198 new coronavirus cases, taking its total number of confirmed infections to 13,500, Reuters reports.
Seven of the new infections were imported, a coronavirus taskforce told a briefing. One additional coronavirus-related death was recorded, bringing total fatalities to 73 since the outbreak began last year.
Australia reports zero new local cases
There were no new locally acquired Covid-19 cases recorded across Australia on Sunday, while four new infections were reported in hotel quarantine in NSW and Victoria, AAP reports.
Health Minister Greg Hunt believes new immunisation figures show Australians have faith in the TGA to provide expert advice and ensure the safety and efficacy of all vaccines provided to the community.
Immunisation rates for five-year-olds are now beyond the aspirational target of 95% coverage, reaching 95.09% in the December quarter of 2020 and exceeding the World Health Organisation estimated international average of 86 per cent.
“Reaching our target of 95% supports herd immunity to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases,” Mr Hunt said in a statement on Sunday.
“These figures show Australians have both the capacity and the will to lead the world in taking up Covid-19 vaccines, as they recognise how important vaccination is, and how it protects and saves lives.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at five years old have the highest rates of immunisation in the country at 97.25%.
At the same time, Australia’s seasonal influenza vaccination program continues to provide increasing numbers of vaccines to Australians of all ages.
Updated
New Zealand records first Covid community case in two months
A 56-year-old woman has tested positive for Covid-19 in New Zealand, after being released from government managed isolation following two negative tests.
It is the first community case in the country since 18 November. It came as neighbouring Australia, which had also been hailed for its success in battling coronavirus until a recent spate of community cases, recorded zero cases of local transmission across the country on Sunday.
The woman in New Zealand who tested positive arrived in Auckland on 30 December after travelling in Spain and the Netherlands for four months. She returned two negative Covid tests while staying in government-managed isolation at the Pullman hotel, having arrived from London.
The woman was released from the Pullman on 13 January and travelled around south Northland with her husband, visiting as many as 30 locations, including popular holiday spots, AirBnbs, and shops.
In the last week, the woman began experiencing very mild symptoms, including muscle aches. Having returned two negative tests the woman did not suspect Covid-19 until she returned a positive test late on Saturday.
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the woman and her husband were now in self-isolation in their home south of Whangarei, and the woman did not require hospital care.
Updated
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden share hopes for end to Covid on first call
Boris Johnson has had his first call with Joe Biden since the new US president entered the White House on Wednesday. Downing Street said Johnson congratulated Biden on his inauguration and that the two leaders looked forward to “deepening the close alliance” between their nations.
After the call, the prime minister tweeted: “Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening. I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19.”
Great to speak to President @JoeBiden this evening. I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Y4P3G74PPz
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 23, 2021
A No 10 spokesperson said the prime minister warmly welcomed Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization. “The prime minister praised President Biden’s early action on tackling climate change and commitment to reach net zero by 2050,” the spokesman said:
In the UK, ministers are at the centre of an explosive row over their failure to protect workers from Covid-19 as the Observer reveals the largest workplace outbreak of the virus has taken place at a top government organisation.
More than 500 cases have been recorded at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s offices in Swansea, where employees claim people with symptoms were encouraged to return to work while vulnerable workers have had requests to work from home turned down.
The revelation places the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, under pressure to explain how such an outbreak could have happened in an agency where the strictest workplace rules are supposed to apply:
Australia on track to receive vaccine from February, says treasurer
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg insists Australia is still on track to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from February, as new figures suggest people are more than happy to get their jab, Australian Associated Press reports.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is due to approve the Pfizer vaccine, and others Australia has signed up to, in the coming weeks.
“We are not about to cut corners,” Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
He said Australia is not in the same position as the US and UK where there are tens of thousands of cases each day with many lives lost.
“We have the virus under control here in Australia,” the treasurer said.
“But we do want to roll out the vaccine, that’s why the TGA’s is going through its normal processes and we are still on track to receive this Pfizer vaccine, mid to late February.”
Calls from adults worried about a child’s welfare to the NSPCC’s helpline have jumped by 50% over the course of the pandemic, the charity has said.
PA Media: NSPCC said it was now receiving more than 30 calls a day from grown-ups worried that a child is living with domestic abuse, up 53% from pre-pandemic levels.
The charity warned the situation is likely to get worse as lockdown continues, and is calling for the UK Government to make extra provisions for child victims in its Domestic Abuse Bill.
The bill, hailed as a piece of landmark legislation, has had its second reading and is due to begin the committee stage on Monday.
The NSPCC is calling for an amendment that would legally oblige all local authorities to fund community-based recovery services for child victims.
People who experience domestic abuse in childhood can experience difficulty learning, depression, eating disorders and addiction as they go through adolescence into adulthood.
The charity fears that without a statutory obligation, budgets for community-based support could be diverted to fund services such as refuges.
When the bill becomes law, councils will have to ensure all those who become homeless as a result of domestic abuse are prioritised for emergency housing.
The NSPCC wants funding for community-based services - such as those that provide counselling to help child victims of domestic abuse to recover - also enshrined into law.
It is also calling for adequate funding for local agencies so they can meet all their obligations once the bill becomes law.
PA Media reports that, according to a group of scientists, it could be necessary in the future to vaccinate domestic animals such as cats and dogs against Covid-19 to curb the spread of the virus.
Coronavirus can infect a wide range of species including cats, dogs, mink and other domesticated species, experts from the University of East Anglia, Norwich-based research facility the Earlham Institute and University of Minnesota have said.
In an editorial for the journal Virulence, they wrote that continued evolution of the virus in animals followed by transmission to humans “poses a significant long-term risk to public health”.
“It is not unthinkable that vaccination of some domesticated animal species might... be necessary to curb the spread of the infection,” they said.
Last year, Denmark’s government culled millions of mink after it emerged that hundreds of Covid-19 cases in the country were linked with coronavirus variants associated with farmed mink.
Egypt to start Covid-19 vaccination campaign: Sisi
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Saturday that Egypt would start rolling out a mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign the following day with the Chinese-made Sinopharm jab, AFP reports.
“We are starting a vaccination drive tomorrow beginning with healthcare workers followed by those suffering from chronic diseases and later the elderly,” Sisi said in brief comments after unveiling several development projects in Port Said.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, received its first batch of the Sinopharm vaccines in December.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Hala Zayed said Egypt would also receive 40 million doses, mostly of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab, via the Gavi vaccine alliance, with the aim of inoculating 20 percent of its more than 100 million strong population.
Egypt has registered over 160,000 novel coronavirus infections, including more than 8,850 deaths.
Health officials have warned that low testing rates mean the real number could be at least 10 times higher.
In December, the UK reported a Covid-19 variant of concern, commonly referred to as the B117 variant, which appeared to be more transmissible. Since then, scientists have established that B117 is somewhere between 50% to 70% more transmissible than other variants. If more people are getting sick, there is more pressure on health systems, and in the UK health services are so overloaded a country-wide lockdown has been enforced.
While many scientists say B117 does not appear more deadly, researchers on the UK government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group found it may increase the death rate by 30% to 40%, though their sample size was small and they said more research is needed. With B117 now detected in more than 50 countries, understanding the variant is urgent.
But other variants of concern have also been identified, including in California, South Africa and Brazil.
So exactly what is a variant, and how many are there? And why are some variants of more concern than others?
Answers at the link below:
And what a year it has been. In just over a month’s time, I will have been liveblogging international developments in the coronavirus pandemic for eight hours a day, every day on the global blog – which has been running non-stop around the world almost uninterrupted for more than a year.
This time last year, I was living in Beirut, having just returned from reporting on the bushfires in Australia.
Where were you at the end of January 2020? Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Updated
Monday marks one year since first cases in Australian state of New South Wales
In Australia, the state minister for health in New South Wales has noted that Monday will mark a year since the state confirmed its first four cases of coronavirus.
Today marks a week with no new local cases confirmed in the state:
Tomorrow is one very challenging year since NSW had first 4 Covid19 cases. But today, with incredible support of our community (testing)& stellar work of front line @NSWHealth (inc⭐️Tracers),@nswpolice @NSWHPathology it is one week since our last local transmission of Covid19.
— Brad Hazzard (@BradHazzard) January 24, 2021
Summary
Here is a summary of the key developments from the last few hours:
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The US is nearing 25m cases. I’ll post a summary shortly. For now, the US is nearing an astonishing 25 million cases of coronavirus – a quarter of the global total and one in every thirteen people in the country. There are currently 24,985,689 confirmed infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
- UK to quarantine arrivals from high-risk countries – reports. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to force travelers from countries where there is a high risk of Covid to go into quarantine for 10 days after arriving in Britain, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday.
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Three infections linked to Australian Open confirmed as UK strain. Coronavirus infections linked to the Australian Open are continuing to emerge, with a further three non-players - two men in their 30s and one in his 50s confirmed to have the highly contagious UK strain of the virus.
- Mainland China confirmed 80 new coronavirus cases on 23 January, down from 107 cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Sunday. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said 65 of the new cases were local infections. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 92 from 99 cases a day earlier. The total number of confirmed cases in Mainland China now stands at 88,991, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.
- A possible community case of Covid is being reported in the northernmost New Zealand province of Northland. The “probable” case is in the community, a ministry of health spokesperson said, rather than a managed isolation facility. The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.
- It has been a year since the Wuhan lockdown. The Chinese city of Wuhan marks one year since the start of its traumatic 76-day coronavirus lockdown. On 23 January 2020, Wuhan shocked the globe by confining its 11 million anxious citizens to their homes, starting a cycle that would spread across the world. But China largely brought its outbreak under control and Wuhan is nothing like the ghost town of a year ago, with traffic humming, sidewalks bustling, and citizens packing public transport and parks.
- Hong Kong and Oslo tightened measures. Thousands of people in one of Hong Kong’s poorest and most densely packed districts have been ordered to stay in their homes. Norway’s government, meanwhile, has imposed the strictest restrictions seen in the region of the capital, Oslo, since March after the discovery of the British variant in a retirement home.
- A French lockdown ‘likely’. A French government source has told AFP that “the hypothesis of confinement is more and more likely,” citing projections of a surge in cases due to the more transmissible British strain.
- Fabric masks still work, said the WHO. The World Health Organization says it has no plans to change its guidance recommending fabric face masks as new coronavirus variants spread because the mutated strains are transmitted in the same way. The statement comes after Germany and Austria made medical masks mandatory on public transport and in shops, allowing only surgical or FFP2 masks rather than fabric.
- There is a shortage of vaccines in Brazil. Brazil has just started its vaccination campaign but scientists are already warning the hard-hit country will quickly run out of doses and even syringes, some blaming the government for the shortages.
Possible community case in New Zealand
An update on New Zealand now, where a possible community case of Covid is being reported in the northernmost province of Northland.
The “probable” case is in the community, a ministry of health spokesperson said, rather than a managed isolation facility.
The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.
The last case of covid-19 in the community was recorded in Auckland on November 18 and contained within a matter of days after central Auckland was shut down.
Overall less than 2000 people contracted coronavirus in 2020, and 26 people died. New Zealand is pursuing an elimination strategy towards the disease.
Mexico’s Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed 20,057 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 1,470 additional fatalities, bringing the country’s total to 1,752,347 cases and 149,084 deaths, Reuters reports.
The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Mainland China reports 80 new cases vs 107 a day earlier
Mainland China confirmed 80 new coronavirus cases on 23 January, Reuters reports, down from 107 cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Sunday.
The National Health Commission, in a statement, said 65 of the new cases were local infections. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 92 from 99 cases a day earlier.
The total number of confirmed cases in Mainland China now stands at 88,991, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.
No new local cases in Australian state of Victoria
Victoria has recorded its 18th straight day without a local coronavirus case as the state’s residents enjoy greater freedom to gather indoors, AAP reports.
The zero cases recorded on Saturday - as well as one case in Victoria’s hotel quarantine system - came from just under 12,000 tests.
Only 30 active coronavirus cases remain in the state.
It comes as more visitors are allowed in Victorian households, with the indoor gathering limit at homes doubled from Saturday from 15 to 30.
The smaller limit on home gatherings had been introduced on New Year’s Eve as the state battled a cluster linked to a Black Rock Thai restaurant.
More Victorians stranded interstate will also be able to return home, thanks to a further easing of interstate border restrictions.
Updated
UK to quarantine arrivals from high-risk countries – reports
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to force travelers from countries where there is a high risk of Covid to go into quarantine for 10 days after arriving in Britain, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday.
Via Reuters: Travellers from Brazil and South Africa, and neighbouring countries, will be met on arrival and escorted to hotels to quarantine, under plans being discussed by UK ministers, the Daily Mail said.
Johnson favoured a more targeted approach than making all air passengers go into quarantine, said the report, which added that the quarantine decision would be taken on Monday.
Britain has recorded more than 3.5 million Covid infections - the fifth-highest in the world - and nearly 96,000 deaths.
Three infections linked to Australian Open confirmed as UK strain
Coronavirus infections linked to the Australian Open are continuing to emerge as the states and territories continue their run of no new locally acquired cases.
Victorian authorities on Saturday reported one new case linked to the Open, a man in his 20s who is not a player.
A further three non-players - two men in their 30s and one in his 50s - have meanwhile been confirmed to have the highly contagious UK strain of the virus.
Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria said all three had been in hard lockdown since they landed in Melbourne.
“The residents arrived in Melbourne on a dedicated Australian Open charter flight on 15 January and returned their first positive tests on 15, 17 and 18 January,” a spokesperson said.
There are 10 active cases linked to the Open and 970 people associated with the tournament in quarantine.
A possible outbreak of Covid-19 is being reported in New Zealand, in the northernmost province of Northland.
The probable case has emerged in the community, but is NOT a probable case of community transmission, according to the New Zealand Department of Health.
The outbreak - if confirmed - is said to be related to a person recently released from a managed isolation facility, the New Zealand Herald reports.
The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.
Updated
Australian state of New South Wales confirms zero local cases
New South Wales has recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Sunday and three in hotel quarantine. It brings the number of new cases listed in Australia today to four, all in hotel quarantine, after Victoria reported one new case in Melbourne’s quarantine hotels. Queensland has recorded no new cases on Sunday.
Health officials in NSW have urged people to get a Covid-19 test if they have any cold or flu symptoms, however mild, after just 11,344 tests were conducted in the 24-hours to 8pm last night – well below the daily target of 30,000 tests.
Authorities say they have also detected fragments of the virus in sewage tests at the Warriewood and North Head treatment plants,. The former covers about 70,000 people in the Northern Beaches area, and the latter has a catchment of 1.3 million people from a large chunk of Sydney extending north of the Parramatta River from Western Sydney to Manley.
NSW Health said the detection “likely reflects known recent confirmed cases in those areas,” but urged anyone living in those areas to get tested if they had any symptoms.
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.
I’ll be bringing you the latest developments from around the world, with a focus on Australia, for the next few hours.
I’ll post a summary shortly. For now, the US is nearing an astonishing 25 million cases of coronavirus – a quarter of the global total and one in every thirteen people in the country. There are currently 24,981,398 confirmed infections, with
In Australia, meanwhile, the states of New South Wales and Victoria have recorded zero local cases. We’re awaiting the numbers from Queensland.
And three infections in hotel quarantine linked to the Australian Open have been confirmed to be the UK strain of the virus.
As always, you can say Hi (or shout at me) on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
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