That’s it for our blog today! We’ll be taking a short break before returning to you a little later on with all the key developments.
Stay tuned for all our coronavirus news here.
Singapore says healthcare system risks being ‘overwhelmed’ as virus surges
Singapore’s healthcare system is at risk of being “overwhelmed” by surging coronavirus infections, government officials warned Wednesday, a day after the city-state expanded quarantine-free travel as it shifts its approach to dealing with the pandemic.
The health ministry reported 18 deaths on Wednesday - Singapore’s highest toll in a single day - and 3,862 more cases, just shy of the record 3,994 tallied the day before.
“At the current situation, we face considerable risk of the healthcare system being overwhelmed,” Lawrence Wong, co-chair of a government task force fighting Covid-19, said before the new figures were released, AFP reports.
Wong, who is also the finance minister, said nearly 90% of isolation beds in hospitals have been filled and more than two-thirds of intensive care unit beds are occupied.
Singapore has reported more than 158,000 coronavirus cases and 264 deaths.
Hi I’m Samantha Lock reporting from Sydney, Australia, and I’ll be giving you a summary of the latest developments before we close the blog for today.
- The British Medical Association says the “time is now” for the government to enact ‘plan B’ in England to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by growing numbers of coronavirus cases. The doctors’ trade union believes not taking action over England’s growing Covid cases is “wilfully negligent”.
- Excess AstraZeneca vaccines may go to waste in Australia. None of the current 7m surplus doses has been earmarked for foreign aid, with the volume of supply available to Pacific neighbours declining to just 26,500 last week. Former AMA president, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, condemned “a very good vaccine going to waste”, as declining public take-up causes stock held by suburban GPs to pass expiration dates.
- Lithuania’s biggest news portals said they were switching off public comments on their articles about Covid-19 vaccines in an effort aimed at curbing conspiracy theories.
- Poland is facing an explosion of coronavirus cases that may need drastic action, the health minister has said after the country recorded more than 5,000 daily new infections for the first time since May.
- The UK health secretary says daily Covid cases could hit as high as 100,000. Sajid Javid said the government always knew that winter would bring problems and that Covid hospitalisations are already approaching 1,000 a day.
- New York city announces all municipal workers – including refuse workers, police officers and firefighters – must be vaccinated or be put on unpaid leave.
- Hundreds of anti-vaccine protesters took to the streets of Sofia today to demonstrate Bulgaria’s new Covid pass requirement.
US children aged five to 11 years old are expected to be offered the Covid vaccine within weeks. Laying out plans for its distribution, the White House said the age group would soon be able to get the vaccine at their doctor, pharmacy or maybe at school.
- Latvia is the first country to reimpose lockdown in Europe’s new Covid wave. The Baltic state once seen as coronavirus success story announced a month of restrictions including curfew.
Vaccination is 90% effective at preventing deaths from the Delta variant of Covid-19, according to research.
The data, released by the University of Edinburgh, was gathered using a Scotland-wide Covid surveillance tool.
Figures show the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 90% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab 91% effective in preventing deaths in people who have been double vaccinated but who have tested positive for coronavirus in the community.
The study is the first to show across an entire country how effective vaccines are at preventing death from the Delta variant, which is the most dominant form of Covid in the UK.
Updated
Brazil has registered 15,609 new coronavirus cases and a further 373 deaths, the country’s health ministry said.
The country has recorded over 21.6 million cases overall and more than 604,000 deaths.
Updated
The British Medical Association has said the “time is now” for the government to enact plan B in England to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by growing numbers of coronavirus cases.
The doctors’ trade union believes that not taking further action will be “wilfully negligent” by ministers and a failure to learn the lessons from the report last week by the Commons health and science committees into the government’s handling of the pandemic.
Infections have been rising sharply since the start of October but the government is resisting introducing the extra restrictions set out in its winter plan such as masks, vaccine passports and advice to work from home.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is still assessing the Russia-designed Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, according to an update on the WHO’s website.
“As with other candidate vaccines, WHO continues to assess Sputnik V vaccines from different manufacturing sites and will publish decisions on their EUL (emergency use listing) status when all the data are available and the review is concluded,” WHO told Reuters.
It said it has restarted the assessment process for the Russian vaccine and that it is awaiting the “completion of rolling submission”.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which promotes Sputnik V abroad, said a group of WHO inspectors is due to visit Russia shortly “to round up all necessary inspections and paperwork on Sputnik V”.
Updated
The US Food and Drug Administration authorised booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, and said Americans can choose a different jab than their original inoculation as a booster.
The decision paves the way for millions more people in the United States to get the additional protection with the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus causing breakthrough infections among some who are fully vaccinated, Reuters reports.
The agency previously authorized boosters of the Pfizer vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech at least six months after the first round of jabs to increase protection for people aged 65 and older, those at risk of severe disease and those who are exposed to the virus through their work.
Updated
The latest Covid developments in Australia:
The US administered 410,189,737 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 496,915,265 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Those figures are up from the 409,438,987 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Oct. 19 out of 495,844,635 doses delivered.
The agency said 219,381,466 people had received at least one dose while 189,709,710 people are fully vaccinated as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Despite Delta being more transmissible than earlier Covid-19 variants, in Australia few children and adolescents who get the virus have severe symptoms, and schools should only be closed under exceptional circumstances, research from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has found.
However, the analysis reveals children and adolescents living with some pre-existing health conditions, including obesity, and those living in disadvantage, low socioeconomic or those with minority ethnic status have an increased risk of severe disease.
They found ventilation is important and mental health surveillance is needed across both primary and secondary schools.
“In Early Childhood Education Centres [ECEC] and school settings, transmission is largely seen between adults and from adults to children,” the report said. “Although child-child transmission also occurs, the highest risk of transmission remains within households.”
Updated
Lithuania’s biggest news portals said they were switching off public comments on their articles about Covid-19 vaccines in an effort aimed at curbing conspiracy theories.
Some 71% of adults in the eurozone country of 2.8 million people are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 - a higher rate than many of its neighbours in central and eastern Europe.
But infection rates have surged in recent days.
“We are showing solidarity with the state and society with the common effort to disable the unfounded misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers,” Arnas Marcinkus, head of the Association of Online Media in Lithuania, told AFP.
Updated
Doctors at a Welsh health board described being “scared to come to work” due to serious concerns over patient safety, according to a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
The report, seen by the Guardian, highlighted an “unsafe culture” at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, with problems including non-specialist doctors routinely being left to handle the emergency care of children, despite not having appropriate training.
Responding to the report’s findings, Dr James Calvert, medical director at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “It is important to remember that the Royal College of Physicians’ visit and report was made during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has significantly disrupted the delivery of our health services.
“We were already aware of all the concerns outlined in the report and we were working on solutions to the issues raised and we are continuing to do so.”
Here's a summary of the latest developments...
- Poland is facing an explosion of coronavirus cases that may need drastic action, the health minister has said after the country recorded more than 5,000 daily new infections for the first time since May.
- The UK health secretary says daily Covid cases could hit as high as 100,000. In a press conference, Sajid Javid said the government always knew that winter would bring problems and that Covid hospitalisations are already approaching 1,000 a day.
- Singapore recorded 18 new Covid deaths today - the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic - and 3,862 new cases. A recent surge in cases has led to social restrictions being extended by a month.
- In the UK, 49,139 new people tested positive for Covid today and 179 people died. The latest government figures also show that 869 new patients were admitted to hospital on Saturday.
- A Brazilian senator has formally presented a report recommending criminal charges against president Jair Bolsonaro over his Covid-19 response.
- Russian president Vladimir Putin urged Russians to show “responsibility” by getting vaccinated as he ordered a week-long workplace shutdown.
- The mayor of New York city, Bill de Blasio, has announced that all municipal workers – including refuse workers, police officers and firefighters – must be vaccinated or be put on unpaid leave.
- US five- to 11-year-olds are expected to be offered the Covid vaccine within weeks. Laying out plans for its distribution, the White House said the age group would soon be able to get the vaccine at their doctor, pharmacy or maybe at school.
- Kenya today lifted a nationwide coronavirus curfew for the first time since March 2020. Announcing the news, president Uhuru Kenyatta said that infection rates had fallen to less than 5% of tests each day coming back positive.
- The UK government has no plans to bring in its winter Covid “plan B” for England, Downing Street has said. A No 10 spokesman said they would continue to monitor the latest figures but that hospital admissions and deaths were still “substantially lower” than earlier this year.
- Morocco has announced a ban on flights to and from the UK because of Covid. The suspension – which was confirmed by the country’s largest airline, Royal Air Maroc, today – will begin at 11.59pm. Flights to the Netherlands and Germany will also be banned.
That’s it from me for today. Handing over now to my colleague Nadeem Badshah. Thanks for reading.
Poland is facing an explosion of Covid cases that may need drastic action, says health minister
Poland is facing an explosion of coronavirus cases that may need drastic action, the health minister has said after the country recorded more than 5,000 daily new infections for the first time since May.
Central Europe has seen a renewed surge of Covid cases in recent days amid fears over low vaccination rates.
Around 61% of adults in Poland are fully vaccinated - below the EU average of about 74%, reports Reuters.
The prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said booster doses would become available to all adults over the next few weeks.
“Those over 18 who had their last dose at least six months ago will be able to get another dose,” he said in a Facebook post.
Earlier in the day, the health minister, Adam Niedzielski, warned that Poland had been hit by “an explosion of the pandemic” over the last two days.
“We have increases from week to week of 85% and over 100%,” Niedzielski said. Daily cases, he said, could rise to “well above” 5,000 next week.
“We will want to observe if this trend continues for a few days, and maybe we will have to take drastic measures,” Niedzielski said. He added that while another lockdown is currently not under discussion, measures being considered include stricter enforcement of existing rules, indoor masks and social distancing.
Poland, which has a population of around 38 million, today reported 5,559 new Covid cases and 75 deaths.
Here’s Guardian political editor Heather Stewart’s report on the UK health secretary’s latest comments:
UK daily Covid cases could hit 100,000, says health secretary
UK health secretary says daily Covid cases could hit as high as 100,000.
In a press conference, still underway, Sajid Javid said they always knew that winter would bring problems and that Covid hospitalisations are already approaching 1,000 a day.
He said the government wants to “redouble” efforts to vaccinate people and urged people to encourage others to get vaccinated. “Please take this huge step to protect yourself and to protect your loved-ones.”
He also mentioned the new variant, AY4.2. He claimed there was no indication it poses a greater threat but that future variants could do.
More on the UK politics blog with Kevin Rawlinson:
Hundreds of anti-vaccine protesters took to the streets of Sofia today to demonstrate Bulgaria’s new Covid pass requirement.
It comes after the government announced that the Covid-19 “green certificate” would be needed to enter restaurants, theatres and shopping centres.
Protesters said the move impeded on their freedoms and was a way of forcing people to get vaccinated, reports Reuters.
“The vaccination should be purely voluntary. Tomorrow many people would not be able to go to work,” said Kostadin Kostadinov, a strong opponent of coronavirus vaccines and leader of a nationalist party, which has not won seats in parliament so far. Activists from another small nationalist party were also at the protest, the agency reports.
Latvia is the first country to reimpose lockdown in Europe’s new Covid wave. Pjotr Sauer in Moscow reports:
Latvia has announced a month-long Covid-19 lockdown after an unprecedented surge in infections, becoming the first country in Europe to reimpose far-reaching restrictions amid a new wave of cases in countries across the continent.
The Baltic country has one of the highest rates of new Covid cases relative to population in the world, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after successfully keeping the virus at bay for months.
“Our health system is in danger … The only way out of this crisis is to get vaccinated,” the prime minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, said on Monday evening at an emergency government meeting. He said the country’s low vaccination rate was to blame for the surge in hospital admissions.
Only 57% of the 1.9 million Latvians are fully vaccinated, well below the EU average of 74%. The government imposed a month-long night-time curfew, from 8pm to 5am, this week and closed schools and all non-essential shops.
“I have to apologise to the already vaccinated,” Kariņš said, adding that only essential manufacturing, construction and critical jobs would be allowed to continue in person.
The Czech government will require restaurants to check customers’ Covid status as part of a raft of new measures after infections rose to their highest level since April (see also 08:10).
Two-thirds of adults in the Czech Republic, which has a population of 10.7 million, are fully vaccinated - below the EU average of 74%, reports Reuters.
Daily cases have more than doubled in a week to 3,246 yesterday.
The government, which lost an election this month and is set to hand power to a coalition of opposition parties in the coming weeks, said restaurants and clubs will have to check Covid certificates and mandate masks at all indoor events and in workplaces.
So far 41% of people have been vaccinated across Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) said today.
PAHO director, Carissa Etienne, said the coverage had not been evenly distributed across the region, reports Reuters.
Kuwait has lifted all Covid-19 restrictions for vaccinated people, the prime minister, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, announced today.
He did not give further details in the televised announcement, but a cabinet spokesman said that Kuwait airport would resume full operations from Sunday, Reuters reports.
For updates on UK health secretary Sajid Javid’s 5pm press conference, follow the UK politics blog:
Singapore records 18 new Covid deaths - highest daily death toll since start of pandemic
Singapore recorded 18 new Covid deaths today - the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic - and 3,862 new cases.
A recent surge in cases has led to social restrictions being extended by a month (see also 13:06).
The record death toll comes despite over 80% of Singapore’s population being vaccinated.
UK government daily figures show 49,139 new Covid cases and an additional 179 deaths
In the UK, 49,139 new people tested positive for Covid today and 179 people died.
The latest government figures also show that 869 new patients were admitted to hospital on Saturday.
The weekly figures show that cases and deaths are significantly rising.
Between 14 and 20 October, 320,594 people tested positive - a 17.2% increase on the previous 7 days.
During the same period, 954 people died with Covid - a 21.1% rise on the previous week.
The latest vaccination data shows that as of yesterday, 86.1% of people aged 12 and up had been given their first dose and 79% their second.
It comes after the UK yesterday recorded 223 deaths - its highest daily death toll since March.
Updated
Here's a summary of the latest developments
- A Brazilian senator has formally presented a report recommending criminal charges against president Jair Bolsonaro over his Covid-19 response.
- Russian president Vladimir Putin urged Russians to show “responsibility” by getting vaccinated as he ordered a week-long workplace shutdown.
- The mayor of New York city, Bill de Blasio, has announced that all municipal workers – including refuse workers, police officers and firefighters – must be vaccinated or be put on unpaid leave.
- US five- to 11-year-olds are expected to be offered the Covid vaccine within weeks. Laying out plans for its distribution, the White House said the age group would soon be able to get the vaccine at their doctor, pharmacy or maybe at school.
- Kenya today lifted a nationwide coronavirus curfew for the first time since March 2020. Announcing the news, president Uhuru Kenyatta said that infection rates had fallen to less than 5% of tests each day coming back positive.
- The UK government has no plans to bring in its winter Covid “plan B” for England, Downing Street has said. A No 10 spokesman said they would continue to monitor the latest figures but that hospital admissions and deaths were still “substantially lower” than earlier this year.
- Morocco has announced a ban on flights to and from the UK because of Covid. The suspension – which was confirmed by the country’s largest airline, Royal Air Maroc, today – will begin at 11.59pm. Flights to the Netherlands and Germany will also be banned
Switzerland’s government has said it will not ease its remaining Covid restrictions due to the unacceptably high risks of another wave of cases.
Under the existing rules, people have to show Covid status certificates to enter bars, restaurants and indoor spaces and events.
The government had discussed removing the requirement but today said it would keep it in place for now and reassess in mid-November, reports Reuters.
The government said:
With schools reopening after the autumn break, the cooler season ahead, stagnating case numbers, the highly contagious Delta variant and a relatively low level of immunisation, it concluded that the risks are still too high for easing restrictions at present.
To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by another wave of infections, it intends to maintain the current certificate requirement for the time being and reassess the situation in mid-November.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein have recorded nearly 860,000 infections and more than 10,800 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Approximately 62.5% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Senate report recommending criminal charges against Bolsonaro over Covid response formally presented
A Brazilian senator has formally presented a report recommending criminal charges against president Jair Bolsonaro over his Covid-19 response.
He is accused of bungling Brazil’s response to the pandemic and driving the country’s death toll to the second-highest in the world, reports the Associated Press.
The report, by Senator Renan Calheiros, is based on six months of work by the committee investigating the government’s management of the pandemic and was made available on the Senate’s electronic system Wednesday.
It calls for Bolsonaro to be indicted on a series of charges, from charlatanism and inciting crime all the way up to crime against humanity.
Putin urges Russians to show 'responsibility' by getting vaccinated
Russian president Vladimir Putin urged Russians to show “responsibility” by getting vaccinated as he ordered a week-long workplace shutdown (see also 13:13).
During a televised meeting, AFP reports, he said “the main aim is to protect the lives and health of our citizens” and that the surge in cases was linked to the country’s “unfortunately” low vaccination rates.
Putin said he was surprised by how many Russians were refusing the vaccine, including some of his “close friends”.
“It’s strange. People with a good education, scientific degrees … I just don’t understand what is happening.”
Calling on Russians to get vaccinated, he said: “Please, show responsibility.”
Today, the country recorded over 34,000 new virus cases and a total of 226,353 fatalities – the highest death toll on the European continent.
Updated
All New York municipal workers must be vaccinated or be put on unpaid leave
The mayor of New York city, Bill de Blasio, has announced that all municipal workers – including refuse workers, police officers and firefighters – must be vaccinated or be put on unpaid leave.
They have until 1 November to get their first vaccine dose and jail workers on Rikers Island will have until 1 December.
“We’ve got to end the Covid-era. Our police officers, our EMTs, our firefighters, all our public employees – a lot of them come in very close contact with their fellow New Yorkers,” he told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“They need to be safe. Their families need to [be] safe, but we also need to reassure all New Yorkers that if you’re working with a public employee, they’re vaccinated. Everyone’s going to be safe.”
.@NYCMayor announces vaccine mandate for New York City workers.
— City of New York (@nycgov) October 20, 2021
Read more: pic.twitter.com/EoScxvAXd9
Updated
US five- to 11-year-olds expected to be given Covid vaccine within weeks
In more on the vaccination of children aged five to 11 in the US (see also 13:38), the White House has said the age group will soon be able to get a Covid vaccine at their doctor, pharmacy or maybe at school.
It comes as the Pfizer vaccine is expected to be authorised for use on younger children within weeks, reports Reuters.
Over the next two weeks, federal regulators will meet to assess the benefits of giving vaccines to younger children following studies into their safety.
Within hours of it being formally approved – which is expected to happen after a Centres for Disease Control and Prevention advisory meeting on 2-3 November – doses will be shipped to vaccine providers around the country with smaller needles for children and administered within days.
Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 coordinator, said: “We’re completing the operational planning to ensure vaccinations for kids ages five to 11 are available, easy and convenient.”
Updated
Vaccine situation in UK 'concerning', says Royal College of GPs
The head of the Royal College of GPs has warned that Britain’s vaccination progress is “concerning”.
Prof Martin Marshall, the head of the professional body, said the country’s immunity is “waning” and that vital booster shots are not being distributed fast enough.
He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One:
We know that immunity is waning. Six months after you receive the second vaccination we know that immunity is – in some cases – considerably less, it will be different for different people.
We know that the number of people who are eligible for a booster vaccination is about 30 million people – that’s mostly people over the age of 50, health and care workers and some people at risk.
But, he added:
Only 3.8 million people have received a vaccination so far.
We know that the booster vaccination is incredibly important in order to protect individual patients and indeed to protect the NHS during a winter that we expect to be really difficult, not just with Covid but with flu and other infections as well.
He said GP surgeries should not be required to administer most of the vaccinations because they “simply don’t have the capacity to do that”.
He also said that “much stronger messaging from the centre” is needed to highlight the importance of getting boosters and where and how to get them.
Updated
Kenya lifts coronavirus curfew for first time since March 2020
Kenya today lifted a nationwide coronavirus curfew for the first time since March 2020.
Announcing the news, president Uhuru Kenyatta said that infection rates had fallen to less than 5% of tests each day coming back positive, reports Reuters.
“It is now time to shift our focus from survival to co-existing with the disease,” he said, in a televised address to mark a national holiday.
Churches and other religious institutions can now increase their capacity from one third to two thirds, he said, but people should still obey other rules, including wearing face masks.
“We are not yet out of the woods and we must therefore continue to observe the containment measures...to sustain the gains we are making and guarantee the full re-opening of our economy,” he said.
Kenya, which has a population of 54 million, has recorded 252,199 Covid cases and 5,233 Covid deaths since the start of the pandemic.
So far, it has received 7.5 million vaccine doses and 4.5 million people have had at least one dose.
Updated
More on Morocco’s UK, Germany and the Netherlands flight ban from PA (see also 13:23):
Morocco is banning flights to and from the UK due to rising coronavirus case rates.
Airlines cancelled several flights between the countries on Wednesday ahead of the suspension coming into effect at 11.59pm.
Latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control show that the North African nation’s weekly rate of reported coronavirus cases on 14 October stood at just 10.4 per 100,000 people.
The current rate in the UK is 445.5 per 100,000 people.
EasyJet, which cancelled a flight from Gatwick to Marrakech on Wednesday, told passengers: “As we’ll be unable to fly to Morocco in order to operate any return flights after today, we’ve taken the decision to cancel your flight with us today.”
British Airways cancelled a flight from Heathrow to the same destination.
The flight ban will affect families in England and Wales who booked half-term holidays in Morocco for next week.
Morocco’s National Office of Airports said the policy will remain in place “until further notice”.
The country is also banning flights to and from Germany and the Netherlands.
Updated
More from Downing Street on UK government Covid plans. PA Media reports:
Downing Street has said there are no plans for a further Covid-19 lockdown in England.
A No 10 spokesman said: “We have set out our autumn and winter plan in terms of ‘plan A’ and ‘plan B’, and we continue to look at the latest scientific data.
“There isn’t any proposed plan for any further lockdowns. We are sticking to the autumn and winter plan we have set out.”
Updated
White House today expected to unveil plan to vaccinate 28 million more children
The US will today unveil its plan to vaccinate millions of children aged five to 11 after it is approved for use in younger children, NBC News reports.
The Biden administration is reportedly setting up vaccination clinics in partnership with 100 to 200 children’s hospitals across the country to get as many children vaccinated as possible before the US holiday season.
The White House Covid-19 response team is scheduled to hold a press conference at 8.45am ET.
The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing Pfizer and BioNTech’s application seeking approval of a two-dose vaccine for younger children. It is due to meet a panel of outside advisers on 26 October.
If it is approved, around 28 million additional children in the US would become eligible for the vaccine.
Updated
UK government has no plans to bring in 'plan B' for England, says Downing Street
The UK government has no plans to bring in its winter Covid “plan B” for England, Downing Street has said.
A No 10 spokesman said they would continue to monitor the latest figures but that hospital admissions and deaths were still “substantially lower” than earlier this year, PA Media reports.
The spokesman said:
The important thing is that is the fact that our vaccination programme has has been successful in breaking the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths.
Our focus remains on ensuring ensuring we get boosters out to those who are eligible.
Updated
Morocco bans flights to and from UK, the Netherlands and Germany due to Covid
Morocco has announced a ban on flights to and from the UK because of Covid, reports Sky News.
The suspension – which was confirmed by the country’s largest airline, Royal Air Maroc, today – will begin at 11.59pm.
Flights to the Netherlands and Germany will also be banned.
Updated
Putin approves week-long workplace shutdown in Russia as Covid deaths surge
Russian president Vladimir Putin has approved a week-long workplace shutdown in Russia from 30 October to 7 November due to surging Covid-19 deaths.
Speaking at a televised meeting with government officials, Reuters reports that Putin said that some regions of the country may shut down earlier.
It comes amid a growing sense of urgency as authorities across the country are met with reluctance to get Sputnik V, the Russian-made vaccine.
As Singapore reopens to international travel (see also 08:46), here’s more on the planned extension of coronavirus restrictions.
The government said today that the measures, which include limiting social interactions and dining out to two people, will be in place for around a month longer, reports Reuters.
It comes after Singapore’s daily cases hit a record 3,994 yesterday.
Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, will hold a Downing Street press conference at 5pm on booster vaccinations and the work of the antivirals taskforce, reports the Press Association.
UK government resists calls from NHS boss to bring in 'plan b'
The UK government has refused to bring back coronavirus restrictions, known as “plan b”, after cases rose to their highest level since March - despite calls from an NHS boss to take immediate action.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health bodies, has warned “we risk stumbling into a winter crisis” unless measures are brought in straight away (see also 07:46).
Taylor called for ministers to immediately bring in plan b - and create a “plan c” of even tougher restrictions in case b does not prove to be enough.
He said the NHS is preparing for what could be “the most challenging winter on record” and urged the public to “show extra support for the NHS” by behaving safely.
He added:
It is time for the Government to enact plan b of its strategy without delay because without pre-emptive action, we risk stumbling into a winter crisis.
Also, health leaders need to understand what a ‘plan c’ would entail if these measures are insufficient. The government should not wait for Covid infections to rocket and for NHS pressures to be sky high before the panic alarm is sounded.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said the government doesn’t “feel that it’s the time for plan b right now” - measures which include requirements for face masks and vaccine passports in nightclubs and crowded venues in England.
Kwarteng told BBC Breakfast the government is not “waiting and watching” as those figures rise.
He said:
We’re simply trying to analyse the data as we see it and come up with the right policies. Now, that’s something which could change but, at the moment, we think that the course that we’re plotting is the right one.
However, he said it is a “good thing” for people to wear masks in public spaces.
England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said masks and ventilation are important as “Covid-19 cases are rising and winter is drawing closer.”
“Ventilation, masks in crowded indoor spaces and hand-washing remain important,” he added.
Updated
According to the latest count by AFP, coronavirus has killed at least 4,910,200 people globally since the start of the outbreak in December 2019.
The countries with the most new deaths of people from Covid, its analysis found, were the US (1,850 people), Russia (1,028) and Romania (574).
People who are vaccinated against coronavirus are extremely unlikely to die of the disease unless they are very old or already severely sick, a new Italian study has found.
The research by the National Health Institute (ISS) found the average age of vaccinated people who died was 85 and that on average they had five underlying illnesses, reports Reuters.
The average age of death for those who were not vaccinated was 78 and with an average of four pre-existing conditions.
Among the vaccinated, heart problems, dementia and cancer were all higher.
The study, undertaken between 1 February and 5 October 2021, looked at the medical records of 671 unvaccinated Covid deaths and 171 fully vaccinated Covid deaths.
During the period of review there were 38,096 coronavirus deaths in Italy.
A surge in coronavirus deaths in Romania has left funeral directors struggling to keep with demand for coffins and burials, reports Reuters.
It comes as infections and deaths yesterday hit a new daily high and Covid is killing one person every five minutes.
One funeral home owner tells the news agency that demand for his services and across the industry has risen by 50%.
Here’s an extract from Octav Ganea and Luiza Ilie’s report:
As an unprecedented surge in Covid-19 fatalities engulfs Romania, funeral home owner Sebastian Cocos is struggling to source coffins and keep up with a faster pace of burials.
But for him, nothing brings home the scale of what is currently the world’s deadliest epidemic more than the mourners who keep returning.
“There were families who buried up to four people in two weeks, and that is not easy,” he told Reuters.
Based in the central city of Ploiesti, Cocos is also president of a national funeral home association...
And he has a stark message for the majority among his compatriots who remain unvaccinated.
“There is no comparison for ... what is going on now,” said Cocos, who has been in the business for 12 years. “I recommend to everyone that they get vaccinated, otherwise they will end up in our hands.”
Across the European Union, 74% of the adult population have been fully inoculated. In Romania that figure is 36%, the second lowest in the bloc after neighbouring Bulgaria, and for those over 80 it is just 20%.
Those numbers reflect a history of distrust in Romanian state institutions as well as underdeveloped rural infrastructure and weak vaccine education in the EU’s second poorest nation.
New York city reportedly plans to mandate Covid vaccines for all municipal workers
All municipal workers in New York city will have to be vaccinated against coronavirus or potentially lose their jobs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Bill de Blasio, New York’s outgoing mayor, is expected to announce an order today that workers must get their first dose by 29 October, according to the newspaper.
The move would reportedly impact 160,500 workers, 71% of whom are either fully or semi vaccinated.
The mayor’s Covid vaccine mandates have prompted protests outside City Hall in recent months. All school staff are already required to be vaccinated.
Slovakia has recorded 3,480 new Covid cases - its highest since March.
The number of patients in hospital with the virus also rose to its highest level in months, exceeding 1,000 for the first time since May. On Tuesday there were 1,040 people in hospital with coronavirus, 113 of whom were in intensive care.
Of the new infections found on Tuesday, the health ministry said 71% of people were unvaccinated, reports Reuters.
Slovakia, which has a population of 5.5 million, has one of the European Union’s lowest vaccination rates. To date just over half the adult population has been fully vaccinated.
Hi, I will be looking after the blog for the next few hours. Please get in touch with any tips or suggestions: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk
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Today so far
- The Russian government task force reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. That brought the total death toll to 226,353 — by far the highest in Europe.
- Soaring infections have prompted the Russian cabinet to suggest declaring a non-working week to stem contagion. Moscow is urging businesses to have at least a third of workers working remotely.
- Poland is also seeing a continued steep rise in Covid cases. Today it has reported over 5,000 new cases for the first time since May. Of the new cases confirmed on Wednesday, the most — 1,249 — were in the eastern province of Lubelskie, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
- The Czech Republic reported 3,246 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, with numbers rising above the 3,000 level for the first time since late-April.
- Singapore welcomed its first travellers under an expanded quarantine-free programme this morning, marking a big step towards the aviation hub restoring its international links, despite a sharp rise in its domestic Covid-19 cases.
- Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has ruled out any further lockdown measures this year in England, despite rising Covid numbers, and calls from healthcare professionals to implement the government’s own stated “plan B” of reintroducing some attempts to stem transmission. Kwarteng said “I think the conversation about travel restrictions and more lockdowns is completely unhelpful.”
- Chief executive of the NHS confederation Matthew Taylor said “The question is do we need to act? And I would say the overwhelming evidence is we do need to act, and then the question is, is it better to act early and take measures which don’t stop the economy working, or do we wait, wait for things to get worse, and possibly risk having to take more severe measures?”
- Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS hospitals, ambulance, community and mental health services, has told the Guardian “hard decisions” may have to be made about which patients to prioritise if Covid cases continue to rise.
- Israel has confirmed a case of the AY.4.2 variant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus previously reported in some European countries. Authorities detected it on an 11-year-old boy trying to enter the country at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
- Chicago police superintendent David Brown said overnight that 21 officers have been placed on “no pay status” for refusing to comply with the city’s order to disclose their Covid-19 vaccination status. Brown said that the refusals have not affected staffing.
- Covid-19 vaccinations will become compulsory for most Western Australian workers, including teachers and supermarket staff, by the end of the year. The premier, Mark McGowan, said the drastic step is necessary to prepare the state for community transmission of the virus.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government is aiming to ease Covid-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants next week as infections continue to decline.
- Beijing is beginning to offer some of its residents Covid-19 booster jabs as the Chinese capital gears up to host the Winter Olympics in February. At least three districts of Beijing, Chaoyang, Dongcheng and Tongzhou, are starting to offer the shots to residents over 18 years old, joining at least 18 provincial-level regions in China’s booster shots drive.
That is your lot from me, Martin Belam, for the day. Miranda Bryant will be here shortly to continue bringing you the latest coronavirus news from around the world. My colleague Andrew Sparrow has our UK politics live blog for today, and that is being dominated by those rising Covid numbers in England and the government’s decision to seemingly guarantee to take no further action. You can find that here. I’ll be back tomorrow. Take care and stay safe.
Vladimir Isachenkov brings us this latest dispatch from Russia for Associated Press, where coronavirus deaths have surged to another daily record, and soaring infections have prompted the cabinet to suggest declaring a non-working week to stem contagion. Moscow is urging businesses to have at least a third of workers working remotely.
The government taskforce reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. That brought the total death toll to 226,353 – by far the highest in Europe.
Deputy prime minister Tatyana Golikova has suggested introducing a non-working period starting 30 October and extending through the following week, when four of seven days already are state holidays. The proposal is yet to be authorised by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The daily coronavirus mortality numbers have been surging for weeks and topped 1,000 for the first time over the weekend amid sluggish vaccination rates, lax public attitude toward taking precautions and the government’s reluctance to toughen restrictions. About 45 million Russians, or 32% of the country’s nearly 146 million people, are fully vaccinated.
Even though Russia in August 2020 became the first country of the world to authorise a coronavirus vaccine and vaccines are plentiful, Russians have shown hesitancy about getting the shots, a skepticism blamed on conflicting signals sent by authorities.
Until now, the Kremlin has ruled out a new nationwide lockdown like the one early on in the pandemic that dealt a heavy blow to the economy and sapped Putin’s popularity, empowering regional authorities across the country’s 11 time zones to decide on local restrictions, depending on their situation.
Many of Russia’s 85 regions already have restricted attendance at large public events and limited access to theatres, restaurants and other venues. Some have made vaccinations compulsory for certain public servants and people over 60.
In Moscow, however, life has continued as usual, with restaurants and movie theatres brimming with people, crowds swarming nightclubs and karaoke bars and commuters widely ignoring mask mandates on public transportation even as ICUs have filled in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said unvaccinated people over 60 will be required to stay home. He also told businesses to keep at least a third of their employees working remotely for three months starting 25 October.
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Poland records over 5,000 new cases for the first time since May
Poland is recording a continued steep rise in Covid cases. Today it has reported over 5,000 new cases for the first time since May.
Yesterday, the country reported 3,931 cases, which health minister Waldemar Kraska described as an 85% week-on-week increase. Polskie Radio reports:
Poland on Wednesday reported 5,559 new coronavirus infections and 75 more deaths related to Covid-19, bringing the country’s total number of cases during the pandemic to 2,950,616 and fatalities to 76,254.
Of the new cases confirmed on Wednesday, the most—1,249 – were in the eastern province of Lubelskie, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
The latest deaths in Poland’s coronavirus outbreak are 54 people with pre-existing medical conditions and 21 others who died directly because of Covid-19, the health ministry said.
The Polish health ministry announced on Wednesday morning that 3,811 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals nationwide, 329 of them on ventilators, with a further 134,740 people quarantined for possible coronavirus exposure.
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Russia sets another new record for daily Covid deaths
Reuters are carrying Russia’s latest Covid figures, and the country has again set a record for the number of deaths in a 24 hour period, and has nearly matched the record daily caseload.
There were 1,028 deaths and 34,073 new cases.
As the country gradually begins to impose some more anti-Covid measures, there was discussion in parliament yesterday of potentially imposing a stay-away-from-work week commencing 30 October.
Israel reports first sighting of AY.4.2 variant of Delta coronavirus strain
Israel has confirmed a case of the AY.4.2 variant of the Delta strain of the coronavirus previously reported in some European countries, the health ministry said.
“The variant AY.4.2. that has been discovered in a number of countries in Europe has been identified in Israel,” a ministry statement said late Tuesday.
An 11-year-old boy arriving from Europe was the carrier, the ministry said, adding that the case was identified at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
Agence France-Presse report that the boy was quarantined and no further contacts have been discovered, the ministry said.
Andrew Sparrow has launched our UK politics live blog for the day, and understandably he will be picking up the baton of that story of UK minister Kwasi Kwarteng ruling out a future lockdown even as case numbers in England rise. So, if it is UK news you want to follow, you need to head over here …
I’ll be continuing here with the latest coronavirus developments from around the globe.
A quick update from Russia here, before getting the latest figures on the Covid surge that the country is experiencing. Moscow Times is reporting two potentially significant developments overnight:
- Yesterday Moscow’s mayor announced plans to reintroduce remote work, mandatory vaccinations for service workers and other measures.
- Prime minister Mikhail Mishustin has backed plans for a nationwide non-working week starting 30 October. The proposal was put forward by deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova during a televised government meeting. Mishustin said the strict measures – effectively a paid vacation or orders for workers at non-essential businesses to stop going into their place of work – were “now necessary”.
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In the UK, Labour’s opposition shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Bridget Phillipson has also been interviewed on Sky News. She said there was “cause to be concerned” over the growth of Covid cases in England.
She criticised the government’s communication messages to the public, and its previous delays in acting on evidence of rising numbers, saying:
I think what the public often want is for the government to set a clear direction, so it’s not just left to individuals to decide what’s right, but that we get a sense from government around what’s most effective and the prime minister should be doing that this week.
I think it’s always better to try and get ahead of problems before they escalate, and I am concerned about the increasing case rate, so anything we can do now to make sure that we don’t see the virus run out of control I think is to be welcomed.
I mean, sadly, that isn’t how we’ve seen things, of course, on a range of measures. Sometimes the government, it feels to me, is playing catch up. So, I think, always better to try and get ahead, trying to plan ahead.
Phillipson also questioned the wisdom of Kwasi Kwarteng ruling out any future lockdown this morning, reminding us that last year the government promised Christmas in England would see no new restrictions, only to have to execute a u-turn a couple of days before the festivities.
Singapore opens up international travel amid record new cases
Singapore welcomed its first travellers under an expanded quarantine-free programme this morning, marking a big step towards the aviation hub restoring its international links, despite a sharp rise in its domestic Covid-19 cases.
Singapore Airlines flights from Amsterdam and London arrived on Wednesday under the so-called vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) programme.
From this week, the lanes will be extended to vaccinated arrivals from Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain and the US, who can enter Singapore without quarantine if they pass Covid-19 tests. However, on Monday the US advised citizens against travel to Singapore.
Travis Teo reports for Reuters from Singapore that even as travel opens up, a recent rise in cases has prompted tighter measures locally, including limiting social gatherings to two people and only allowing vaccinated people to enter malls. Mask-wearing is also mandatory, with some violators fined or even jailed for breaching Covid-19 regulations.
Singapore saw a record 3,994 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, having recorded more than 3,000 daily infections in recent days. Over 80% of the 5.45 million population vaccinated.
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21 Chicago police officers put on 'no pay status' over Covid vaccines
Chicago police superintendent David Brown said overnight that 21 officers have been placed on “no pay status” for refusing to comply with the city’s order to disclose their Covid-19 vaccination status. Brown said that the refusals have not affected staffing.
Associated Press report Brown, who disclosed that three members of his own family who he described as “anti-vaxxers” have died of complications from the virus in recent weeks, said he is simply trying to protect officers and the public from harm.
“This virus is no different than the gunfire we take as cops …” he said. “It would go against our oath to take this virus into (residents’) homes.”
Though the police department lags behind all other city departments in complying with the city’s requirement to report vaccination status, Brown said that more police department employees had entered their status in recent days. Currently, 67% of the police department’s employees have entered their vaccination status, of which 82% are fully vaccinated, Brown said.
The dispute between the union and city has been escalating with both sides taking the matter to court.
Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has accused the police officers’ union and its president of spreading misinformation about the reporting process, which asks for vaccination status and allows for a temporary window of regular Covid-19 testing at the employee’s own expense until vaccines can be administered.
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Also doing the media round in the UK today talking about Covid and vaccination is Prof Paul Moss, who is professor of haematology within the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham. On Sky News, he described the most recent numbers as “a little disappointing”, and also had this to say about vaccines and immunity:
It’s about a year now since we’ve had the vaccines. It is time to reappraise what they’ve achieved, and what they’ve achieved is phenomenal. As you know, over the last year the number of deaths they’ve saved – and hospitalisations – is remarkable.
What we’re seeing is that the antibody levels after the second vaccine are waning, There’s some evidence we’re seeing about a four-to-fivefold fall after the second vaccine over several months, and we are seeing slight increase in breakthrough infections. But what’s relatively reassuring is protection against very severe illness and death remains very high.
He did raise this issue though too – that perhaps the best case scenario that scientists and politicians had hoped for with the vaccines has not materialised.
I think what is interesting is none of these vaccines are providing what we thought would be neutralising immunity. And so we are seeing that we can get reinfected with this coronavirus and that is something that will have to live with society around the world.
I would say reinfection can occur, but it’s all about the severity, and the tendency with these coronavirus infections, when you get them a second or third time, they’re less severe because you’ve built up immunity, not just antibodies, but all the cellular immunity, which is remarkably effective against the different variants. So the message is do get your boosters. And you know I think that will provide very good protection against severe disease.
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Czech Republic reports over 3,000 new cases for first time since April
The Czech Republic reported 3,246 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, with numbers rising above the 3,000 level for the first time since late-April.
The number of cases recorded during Tuesday was more than double the amount seen the same day a week ago.
Reuters report that health ministry data showed hospitalisations had risen to 620 as of 19 October, up from 249 at the start of October, with 102 people in intensive care.
Cases and hospitalisations are still well below peak levels seen in early 2021 and at the end of last year when the worst of the pandemic hit. The Czech government was due to discuss the rise in cases and possible measures at a meeting on Wednesday.
NHS exec: 'hard decisions' may have to be made about prioritising patients
Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS hospitals, ambulance, community and mental health services, has told the Guardian “hard decisions” may have to be made about which patients to prioritise if Covid cases continue to rise.
She said: “Trust leaders are looking on anxiously as the number of Covid cases, hospital admission rates and patients on ventilators steadily increases.
“It is vital that the government and national NHS leaders keep a close watch on these figures and act quickly and decisively to prevent any surge that could place overwhelming pressure on the NHS, particularly as we head into winter. This should include activating ‘plan B’ in the Covid winter plan, if needed.”
She added: “It is important to recognise that as Covid-related pressures intensify, this could impact on the NHS’s ability to bear down on the care backlog. Trust leaders understand only too well the importance of minimising any delays for planned treatment. But if other pressures continue to escalate they will have to take hard decisions about priorities.”
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Adam Finn, who is on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation, has been on BBC Breakfast in the UK and said that there is no denying there has been a “real increase” in coronavirus cases. PA Media quotes him saying:
It feels like everyone has gone back to normal habits. I suspect – but I don’t know – most people are not doing lateral flow tests and, as a result, we’re seeing more infections than ever throughout the whole pandemic.
These vaccines are extremely good at stopping you ending up in hospital but their ability to stop you getting the infection at all or passing it on are modest. It by no means solves the problem. If we want to see the figures go down we need to do more than that. It really is time people realise we can’t just go back to normal.
He also questioned the public’s commitment to preventative measures like wearing masks, saying:
My observation is that we look sideways at each other and copy behaviour, and it makes people stand out if they are wearing a mask. If I go into a supermarket now I’m one of a few wearing masks, most people go with the flow and we’re not being told not to.
He said hospital admissions and deaths “will continue to where we can’t cope any more and we will be back to the bad old days of being asked to stay at home”.
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NHS chief: 'overwhelming evidence is we do need to act' on plan B in England
Chief executive of the NHS confederation Matthew Taylor has been on Sky News in the UK, and he had a strong message in support of the government taking steps towards “plan B” and take some action to avert a healthcare crisis over the winter. He said
The question is do we need to act? And I would say the overwhelming evidence is we do need to act, and then the question is, is it better to act early and take measures which don’t stop the economy working – but I recognise they are inconvenient – or do we wait, wait for things to get worse, and possibly risk having to take more severe measures.
So, the elements of plan B enable us to carry on with our lives, carry on with the economy, but to do so in a way which produces the risk. And after all, most of the measures in plan B are measures that other countries in Europe are continuing to enact, and they have lower infection rates than we do.
He painted a bleak picture of the healthcare service during the winter, saying:
The government said that the criteria for determining whether or not we enacted elements of plan B was the position of the health service, and the health service is facing a perfect storm.
Winter is always tough for the health service for various reasons. We have got thousands of Covid patients in hospital, and it looks like those numbers are rising in line with the rising infection rate. And we’ve also got the huge pent-up demand that’s built up over the last 18 months.
Every health service leader I speak to says that they are right at the edge, and we already missing important targets on waiting times, in emergency departments, missing ambulance response targets, missing targets on the waiting list. And that’s a situation in the middle of October. We know that things are almost inevitably going to get worse.
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Vaccine mandate to be introduced for most workers in Western Australia
Away from the UK for a moment, Covid-19 vaccinations will become compulsory for most Western Australian workers, including teachers and supermarket staff, by the end of the year.
The premier, Mark McGowan, said the drastic step is necessary to prepare the state for community transmission of the virus.
It will be rolled out across three groups representing 75% of the WA workforce.
“It is proportionate and reasonable, and is aimed at preparing Western Australia safely for the inevitable community transmission,” McGowan told reporters on Wednesday.
The first group includes port, transport and freight workers, health and aged care staff, police and fly-in, fly-out mining workers.
Community workers, fire and emergency services employees, abattoir and meat processing workers and prison staff are also on the list. They must receive their first dose by 1 December and be fully vaccinated by 31 December.
The second group includes staff at supermarkets, groceries, restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as childcare, public transport and construction workers. They must get their first dose by year’s end and second by 31 January.
Read more here: ‘The time is now’ – Western Australia to mandate Covid vaccines for most workers
UK minister on possible future lockdown in England: 'I would rule that out'
On Sky News, the UK business minister Kwasi Kwarteng has ruled out a future lockdown in England. Asked about Prof Stephen Reicher of Sage’s call for a “plan C” and a new lockdown, Kwarteng said:
No, I would rule that out. Clearly, throughout this process there have been people saying the lockdown was unnecessary, and there’s been other people saying we should continue to lock down. We’ve really plotted a path between those two extremes. I think it has worked. And that is one of the reasons we’ve got the fastest growing economy in the G7.
He was also questioned about whether there might be a reintroduction of travel and holiday restrictions. Again he suggested not:
I don’t think so. Look, I think the conversation about travel restrictions and more lockdowns is completely unhelpful. We’ve had a huge job of work getting the vaccine rolled out to the point that we can reopen the economy. That was the main thing we were focused on this year. That has worked, and what we want to do is manage the situation as it is. We don’t want to go back into lockdown.
Here’s a reminder of the latest data on Covid in the UK, which yesterday saw the highest level of Covid deaths since March. There have been over 1 million new Covid cases reported in the UK in the last 28 days.
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UK business minister Kwasi Kwarteng was asked on Sky News about walk-in booster jab centres being left idle, as people are waiting to be contacted by the NHS before taking up a booster jab. He said:
Let me be very clear about that. I think that people who are eligible for a booster, particularly people over the age of 50 and other vulnerable groups should be taking up the booster jab, because that’s clearly the best way to protect themselves and their families and people they care about, and the wider community.
It should be noted that the NHS website currently specifically asks people to wait to be contacted.
Minister: 'we’re going to have to live with' Covid numbers in England
Here’s some of the quotes from UK business minister Kwasi Kwarteng on Sky News this morning, where he has been asked about government intentions to introduce the so-called “plan B” in England amid rising numbers. On booster jab uptake, he said:
That’s something that we really need to address, and as you know it’s open to everybody over the age of 50 and also vulnerable people. And I would urge people who can to take the booster jab, because the vaccination rollout has been the most successful thing we’ve done, and it’s allowed the economy to open up.
On the rising case numbers and the UK recording its highest Covid deaths since March, he said:
It’s a situation that we’re concerned about. You’ll remember at the beginning of the year, we had hundreds, if not thousands a day, but mostly that hasn’t happened. And as the health secretary said, it’s something we’re going to have to live with and I think we are managing the situation.
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Tokyo intending to relax restrictions on bars and restaurants – reports
Reuters have this from Japan this morning, that the Tokyo metropolitan government is aiming to ease Covid-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants next week as infections continue to decline, the Jiji news service has said.
The easing could be announced as early as Thursday and would apply to businesses that are certified as following anti-infection measures, Jiji reported, citing informed sources.
Representatives for the Tokyo government did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.
Tokyo and much of Japan lifted Covid-19 emergency measures on 1 October that had been in place for almost six months. Even so, restaurants and bars in the capital have been asked to halt alcohol sales by 8pm and close by 9pm.
New daily cases in Tokyo dropped to 29 on Monday, the lowest since June last year. Infections have fallen dramatically from a wave of more than 5,000 a day in August that strained the capital’s medical infrastructure.
Sixty-seven per cent of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated, and the government is planning to roll out booster shots this winter. At the same time, authorities are planning to use a combination of vaccination certificates and Covid-19 tests to further ease curbs and reopen the economy.
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As a reminder, if the UK government were to implement the so-called “plan B” to deal with rising Covid numbers in England, the levers they have said they have at their disposal are:
- The public told clearly and urgently about the need to exercise caution over Covid.
- Face coverings made a legal requirement in some settings.
- Work from home if possible directive to be reinstated.
- Government might make Covid vaccine certificates mandatory in some settings.
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Hello, it is Martin Belam here joining you from a very dark and wet London this morning. The UK media round will feature business minister Kwasi Kwarteng. I expect he will get quite a grilling over Covid case rises in England and whether the government is going to bring back any restrictions. I’ll bring you those quotes as I get them.
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Beijing rolls out Covid-19 booster shots
Beijing is beginning to offer some of its residents Covid-19 booster jabs as the Chinese capital gears up to host the Winter Olympics in February, Beijing News reports.
At least three districts of Beijing, Chaoyang, Dongcheng and Tongzhou, are starting to offer the shots to residents over 18 years old, joining at least 18 provincial-level regions in China’s booster shots drive, according to the outlet.
Eligible residents need to have finished their original Covid-19 vaccination at least six months ago, according to the announcement.
China has fully vaccinated more than 1 billion people – more than 78 % of the population – as of mid-September, according to the National Health Commission.
But there are concerns over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines against the Delta variant.
Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics under strict rules that will see athletes live and compete in a “closed loop” and only Chinese spectators will be allowed to watch events.
Competing athletes must be vaccinated or face 21-day quarantine upon entry into the country.
Covid case fare-ups have been reported as of Tuesday in seven provincial-level regions in China in the past three days.
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Welcome back to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be reporting from Sydney, Australia, to bring you all the latest developments.
Just months after the Delta variant wrecked havoc across the world, a newly detected offshoot has been identified and is reportedly on the rise across England. Identified as as AY.4.2, the strain is “on an increasing trajectory”, according to a briefing from the UK Health Security Agency. With two mutations in its spike protein, the virus is more easily able to enter cells.
Meanwhile, ministers in the UK are being urged to implement sweeping “plan B” winter measures to curb the sharp rise in Covid infections or the efforts to tackle a backlog of 5 million patients could be derailed.
The head of the NHS Confederation gave the warning as the UK recorded 223 Covid deaths, its highest since March alongside one of the highest weekly rates of new reported cases in the world. Infections have been rising sharply since the start of October but the government is resisting introducing the extra restrictions set out in its winter plan such as masks, vaccine passports and advice to work from home.
- In the US, federal regulators are expected to authorise the mixing and matching of Covid booster doses this week. The upcoming announcement by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to come along with authorisation for boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.
- Ministers must urgently implement sweeping “plan B” winter measures or derail efforts to tackle the backlog of five million patients, the head of the NHS Confederation has warned as the UK recorded its highest daily Covid death toll since March.
- The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, should face murder charges for his role in the country’s “stratospheric” coronavirus death toll, a draft report from a senate inquiry into Brazil’s Covid crisis has recommended.
- New Zealand authorities search for a Covid-positive quarantine escapee.
- The US homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, who is vaccinated, tested positive for Covid on Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security said.
- Without a Covid-19 vaccination, reinfection could occur every 16 months as immunity erodes over time, studies suggest. In England, people are increasingly reporting catching Sars-CoV-2 for a second or even third time.
- Covid vaccine appointments for children will be bookable from next week in England. The rollout of jabs has been extended for 12- to 15-year-olds, Downing Street confirmed.
- The South African drug regulator has rejected the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, citing some safety concerns the manufacturer wasn’t able to answer.
- The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine is 93% effective in preventing hospitalisation among 12- to 18-year-olds, according to research by the US government. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention study was conducted between June and September when Delta was the most dominant variant.
- Bath and North East Somerset has the highest Covid case rate in the UK and 86% of local authority areas have seen a week-on-week rise, according to a new analysis.
- The UK government has claimed it was “not complacent” about rising coronavirus cases but that it had no plans to bring in any contingency measures yet. A spokesman for the prime minister said the plans, set out in the autumn/winter strategy, would only be brought in if there was a “significant risk of the NHS being overwhelmed”.
- Bulgaria is to make Covid passes mandatory for entry to indoor restaurants, cinemas, gyms and shopping malls amid rising coronavirus infections.
- New Zealand faces obstacles in vaccinating Māori population.
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