This blog is closing now. Than ks for reading - but you can follow all the pandemic developments at our new blog here:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/26/covid-live-news-france-and-italy-see-record-daily-cases-australias-omicron-outbreak-spreads
A summary of today's developments
- Cases are continuing to rise in Australia. New South Wales recorded a record 6,394 cases, while Victoria recorded 1,608 new Covid cases. The NSW health minister has urged residents to reconsider whether they need to call an ambulance or go to hospital due to staff furloughs, warning everyone in the state was likely to be infected with Omicron.
- Testing centre delays were still hitting Australian states and territories, with some reaching capacity before opening on Boxing Day.
- France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
- Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day, Reuters reports. New cases reached 54,762 compared to 50,599 a day earlier, the health ministry said.
- Record cases are being reported in Ireland and in China, where authorities are imposing strict lockdowns to contain the outbreaks. Local transmission is rising in China and its Xi’an province is now allowing only one member of a household to leave their home for necessities every two days.
- More than 5,400 flight cancellations have thrown the Christmas travel schedule into chaos. Omicron has meant airlines could not staff flights. A quarter of cancelled flights were in the United States.
- New Covid measures in England could be in place until late March under measures examined by the UK government’s scientific advisers, including a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors, in line with the Step 2 restrictions in place in England earlier this year
- India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has announced vaccinations for children under 15 and booster jabs for healthcare and frontline workers.
- The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal, making up almost two-thirds of cases since Wednesday. Schools, bars and clubs are closed until 10 January.
- There were queues at vaccination centres in England, kept open in some areas to allow walk-in appointments as the government encourages booster shots to counter the surge caused by the Omicron variant.
- The Nigerian president’s top media aide Garba Shehu said on Saturday that he has tested positive for coronavirus and was in isolation.
In east Congo, a suicide bomber has struck a restaurant in the city of Beni killing at least five people as well as himself, Reuters reports.
Fourteen people were injured in the attack including two local officials.
It is the latest violent attack in a region where Congolese and Ugandan forces last month launched a campaign against suspected Islamists.
In a statement, the regional governer’s spokesperson Général Ekenge Sylvain said:
The suicide bomber, prevented by security guards from entering a crowded bar, activated the bomb at the entrance of the bar.
The ADF did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.
In the US, a male surfer has been killed in an apparent shark attack in California on Christmas Eve.
Local police say they responded to the report of a man “unresponsive” on the beach after being pulled from the water early on Friday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Morro Bay beach goers have been told to avoid the water for the next 24 hours.
The Los Angeles Times has reported the victim is believed to be a 31-year-old body boarder.
“PCR tests”, Hazzard says with a sigh:
We’re now getting something in the order of 130,000 to 160,000 test as day and that on the face of it sounds good, but then we need to consider why are people being tested and why are we putting the stressors on our pathology system?
Well, of course, in many cases, it is forced upon us by direction from health, or because other states, South Australia, Queensland, and so on, are insisting on PCR tests for travel...I certainly send again the message to those states that getting PCR tests is putting an enormous pressure on our pathology system and minimising the capacity for proper clinical PCR tests...as health minister I strongly implore them to review that situation as soon as is possible.
It comes with 2,000 staff currently furloughed in NSW, putting “enormous pressure” on the hospital system. Hazzard says “think carefully” before you ask to call an ambulance or need to go to hospital, a disturbing indictment on the state of the health system as a result of rapidly rising Covid cases.
Updated
'We’re all going to get Omicron', NSW health minister says
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard is up. He says “we’re all going to get Omicron”, so the best present you can give someone is getting vaccinated:
Bottom line here is that we would expect that pretty well everybody in New South Wales at some point will get Omicron, we’re all going to get Omicron, and if we’re all going to get Omicron, the best way to face it is when we have full vaccinations including our booster. The challenge for us in the state is to make sure that our health system can cope with that oncoming virus that is so transmissible...and generally what we’re finding, though, in the early stages...is that Omicron is not as severe in terms of its impact on individuals.
That is a huge plus for all of us, but quite clearly it does impact on those who are unvaccinated, the majority of people who are in intensive care in New South Wales and requiring health staff to be looking after them, putting them at risk also, are people who have not been vaccinated. So the unvaccinated are taking more places than perhaps should be or actually - no, they’re taking more places than they should be in our ICUs simply because they have chosen not to be vaccinated.
Updated
Perrottet acknowledges the long queues for Covid tests across the state.
Testing numbers remain incredibly strong...but I just want to make the point again in respect of testing - if you do not feel unwell, if you are not required to be tested and have not been directed so by New South Wales Health, or you are not travelling interstate and that is a requirement, there is no need to be tested.
What we can’t have are people sitting in testing queues which takes away from people who are unwell and who need that test because we want to get those tests back as quickly as possible...we have been working very closely with the other state premiers to move away from PCR testing to rapid antigen tests for those people who are travelling interstate, and I appreciate the Queensland premier’s movement there to bring that...but in the meantime there’s still going to be pressure on the system...I know there are long queues right across our state, so if we can help with that, if you do not feel unwell, if you are not advised by New South Wales Health, there is no need to receive a PCR test. You are taking spot in the queue from somebody who needs a test.
The NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has been providing a Covid update this morning. He thanks “everybody across the state” for “amazing sacrifices” people are making over the Christmas period, including the thousands in isolation on 25 December.
Those inconveniences will continue, but the efforts that we make will ensure that we keep our state safe and I have the strong view that New South Wales is in a very good position and we will stand tall during this difficult time and as case numbers continue to increase, more sacrifices will need to be made...but those rules are in place to keep our community safe and we’ll continue to do that as we move through this next phase of the pandemic.
He says “there will be challenges” as NSW moves to the next stage of the pandemic, “but we will get through it”.
On Christmas Eve, we hit 95% first dose. What an amazing achievement from the efforts that everybody has made across our state. We...never believed we would reach that rate. When you go back months ago to be in a position now where we have one of the highest vaccination rates not just in the country, but globally, ensures that as we open up we’re able to do so as safely as possible.
Back in Australia, Tasmania has detected 44 new Covid cases overnight. It is a slight jump on yesterday’s 33 cases, which brought active cases on the island to 113.
An employee at the Royal Hobart Hospital tested positive to the virus on Christmas Eve. There is one person being treated in hospital and none in intensive care.
44 new cases of COVID-19 in Tasmania #covid19tas
— Monte Bovill (@MonteBovill) December 25, 2021
Updated
Scientists have declared the eruption on Spain’s La Palma officially over, Reuters reports.
After nearly 100 days since the Cumbre Vieja volcano began to spew out lava, rock and ash, the eruption was declared over on Saturday. The volcano went quiet on 13 December but authorities held off until Christmas Day to give the all clear.
Canary Islands regional security chief Julio Perez told a news conference: “what I want to say today can be said with just four words: The eruption is over”.
In Myanmar, women and children are among dozens who have been reported killed in a Christmas Eve massacre.
Myanmar government troops rounded up and shot dead at least 38 villagers, a charity and other outlets report, with fighting remaining intense near the village.
Purported photos of the aftermath of the massacre in eastern Mo So village have spread on social media, sparking outrage against the military that took control of the state in February. A witness said victims of the attack had fled fighting between the army and armed resistance groups.
Two Save the Children workers remain missing, with confirmation their private vehicle was attacked and burnt out. In a statement, the charity said “the military reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burned their bodies”.
Updated
Covid-19 testing lines across Australia are reaching capacity on Boxing Day as soon as they open.
As of 9am Sunday morning, all of the ACT’s testing clinics were closed or at capacity an hour after opening.
In New South Wales, a Covid testing line at Port Macquarie was closed at 7.30 am after reaching capacity, with a more than six hour wait before the centre opened.
Huge queues were also forming in Sydney, with drive through testing clinics shutting as record Covid cases were detected. Randwick mayor Dylan Parker told channel 9 people were waiting “all day” to receive a test.
I know someone who showed up in line at 8.30am and they didn’t get out until 4pm on Christmas Day...it’s just not good enough.
Rocked up at Herston to do the government mandated 5 day PCR test for interstate arrivals and the centre had closed 20 minutes after it opened. Seems no one expected it to be this busy. The traffic marshal told me “you won’t get a test today buddy.” #covid19qld @SBSNews
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) December 25, 2021
Updated
In Australia’s capital territory, rising numbers of Covid cases including the Omicron strain have seen authorities tighten visitor restrictions to health facilities.
No visitors will be able to enter a health facility unless in “exceptional circumstances”.
From today (26 December), Canberra’s health facilities will tighten visitor restrictions. No visitors will be able to enter a health facility unless in exceptional circumstances such as end of life, birthing or for paediatric care. pic.twitter.com/G3QfuJZaum
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) December 25, 2021
Updated
Australian case numbers on the rise
In Australia, New South Wales has recorded another record number of infections today, with 6,394 cases reported. More than 5% of today’s tests came back positive. There have been an additional 70 hospitalisations overnight, but ICU rates remain steady.
Victoria has recorded 1,608 new cases, a slight dip on yesterday’s numbers. There are 374 people being treated in hospital, and there have been two deaths. It comes as cricket fans begin to stream in to Melbourne’s MCG for the first day of the Ashes Boxing Day test.
The World Health Organization back in 2020 set a 5% positivity rate benchmark. Across the pandemic, Australia has never come close to this (until now). https://t.co/TYcK56UApO
— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) December 25, 2021
Updated
The Nigerian president’s top media aide Garba Shehu said on Saturday that he has tested positive for coronavirus and was in isolation.
Shehu, who is in his late 50s, is in the immediate circle of 79-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari. “I can only confirm that [I am] infected by Covid-19 and on treatment in isolation,” Shehu said. Several local newspapers reported that some of Buhari’s aides and top officials have contracted the virus, including information minister Lai Mohammed, Reuters reported. A presidency spokesman declined to comment on whether any other official or minister was infected and whether Buhari, who received a booster dose on Tuesday, has been tested.
Updated
UK cabinet ministers vying to succeed Boris Johnson have been warned by Tory colleagues that they will damage their chances unless they stridently oppose further Covid measures, as MPs called for New Year’s Eve restrictions to be ruled out.
With ministers expected to meet as soon as Monday to discuss whether additional measures are needed to protect hospital capacity, several Conservatives said that they would be watching those emerging as leading contenders to replace Johnson should he step aside before the next election.
The news comes after it emerged government scientific advisers had modelled the impact of implementing so-called “step 2” restrictions from Tuesday.
Such measures would see an end to indoor gatherings, limited outdoor gatherings, and bars and restaurants only able to serve outdoors.
The modelling suggested that restrictions could reduce deaths by 18% if kept in place until mid-January or 39% if retained until the end of March.
Updated
Updated
Australians face a day of festive leftovers, Boxing Day sales and surging Covid-19 infections with the national daily case total expected to pass 10,000.
Christmas Day coronavirus numbers across the country hit 9,993, a figure expected to be eclipsed on Sunday, the Australian Associated Press reported.
In New South Wales, a record record 6,288 cases were reported with thousands of people in isolation or separated from family.
It was a similar story in Queensland where 765 new infections were counted, 151 of them of the Omicron variant. The mark was 176 higher than the state’s previous record set on Friday.
Victoria avoided setting a new record on Saturday but another 2,108 people tested positive for the virus, ruining festive plans as they and their close contacts were forced to isolate.
South Australia recorded 634 new cases with 12 patients in hospital, two of them in intensive care units.
Some 33 cases were diagnosed in Tasmania, while the Northern Territory reported 19 cases, 10 of which were interstate arrivals.
Western Australia recorded two new local Covid-19 infections on Christmas Day, both linked to a French backpacker who arrived in the state from Queensland.
The cases bring the total number of community infections in WA to seven, after five cases were reported on Friday.
Pope Francis has called for dialogue to counter the isolation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, as billions around the world marked a second Christmas under the shadow of the coronavirus.
In his traditional Urbi and Orbi Christmas Day blessing, the pope told the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican that “our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried; there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together.
“On the international level, too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue,” said the 85-year-old Argentine pontiff.
“Yet only those paths can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all.”
In a time of pandemic, Pope Francis also asked God to “open hearts to ensure that necessary medical care - and vaccines in particular - are provided to those peoples who need them most,” AFP reports.
A summary of today's developments
-
France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
- Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day, Reuters reports. New cases reached 54,762 compared to 50,599 a day earlier, the health ministry said.
- Record cases are being reported in Ireland, Australia’s New South Wales and in China, where authorities are imposing strict lockdowns to contain the outbreaks. Local transmission is rising in China and its Xi’an province is now allowing only one member of a household to leave their home for necessities every two days.
- More than 5,400 flight cancellations have thrown the Christmas travel schedule into chaos. Omicron has meant airlines could not staff flights. A quarter of cancelled flights were in the United States.
- New Covid measures in England could be in place until late March under measures examined by the UK government’s scientific advisers, including a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors, in line with the Step 2 restrictions in place in England earlier this year
- India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has announced vaccinations for children under 15 and booster jabs for healthcare and frontline workers.
- The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal, making up almost two-thirds of cases since Wednesday. Schools, bars and clubs are closed until 10 January.
- There were queues at vaccination centres in England, kept open in some areas to allow walk-in appointments as the government encourages booster shots to counter the surge caused by the Omicron variant.
An update to an early story. US airlines cancelled more than 900 flights on Saturday, the second straight day of massive cancellations as surging Covid-19 infections have sidelined some pilots and other crew members.
A total of 913 Christmas Day flights, including domestic flights and those into or out of the country, were cancelled, up from 690 on Christmas Eve, according to a running tally on flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.
Around 1,110 flights were delayed, Reuters reports.
Updated
Record sales are expected this Boxing Day in Australia with shoppers tipped to splurge more than $20bn during the summer sales period.
The Australian Retailers Association has estimated people will spend $21bn in the post-Christmas sales through to mid-January. Some shoppers are preparing to shrug off Covid concerns and visit CBDs and major shopping centres. However, online purchases are expected to surge this year. The ARA said it expected total sales to exceed last year because people could or would not spend their money on overseas travel during the Covid pandemic.
Updated
France sees record daily high of Covid cases
France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
Health authorities said the number of Covid patients in intensive care went up by 28 to 3,282, Reuters reports.
The country has also reported a total of 123,531 Covid-19 related deaths in hospital, up by 84.
- This post was amended on 26 December 2021 to give France’s correct cumulative death toll, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Updated
Israel has ordered 100,000 units of Pfizer Inc’s anti-viral Covid-19 pill Paxlovid for people aged 12 and older at risk of severe illness, an official said.
Channel 12 TV said the country’s prime minister Naftali Bennett agreed the deal in a phone conversation with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
The first oral and at home treatment for Covid-19, Paxlovid was nearly 90% effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in patients at high risk of severe illness, according to data from Pfizer’s clinical trial, Reuters reports.
Recent lab data suggests the drug retains effectiveness against the Omicron variant, it said.
In his national address, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said: “From the point of view of precaution, the government has decided that healthcare and frontline workers should start getting a precaution dose.”
India has reported a swift rise in Omicron cases, with the number reaching 415 overall across 17 states.
Modi’s government has been accelerating its vaccination campaign, administering at least one dose to 88% of the eligible 944 million population, while 61% have taken both doses.
He also urged citizens to continue to wear facemasks and follow other Covid-19 protocols, Reuters reports.
Some further data from Italy. Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 8,892 on Saturday, up from 8,812 on Friday.
There were 106 new admissions to intensive care units, against 102 on Friday, Reuters reports.
The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,071 from a previous 1,038.
Some 969,752 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 929,775, the health ministry said.
Italy sees third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases
Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day, Reuters reports.
New cases reached 54,762 compared to 50,599 a day earlier, the health ministry said.
The number of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 144 from 141 on Friday.
Italy has registered 136,530 deaths linked to Covid-19 and has reported 5.57 million cases to date.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has announced new vaccination pushes in an address to the nation as he told citizens to stay cautious but not panic.
Modi said vaccinations would be extended to children aged 15 and over from Jan 3, while from the week after booster jabs will be given to healthcare and frontline workers as well as those vulnerable because of health conditions.
The Omicron coronavirus variant vigorously continued its viral march across the US on Christmas Day, throwing many winter holiday celebrations into turmoil.
Airlines canceled over 2,000 flights on Friday, with more than 600 within, into or out of the US, stranding passengers after short-staffed carriers were hit by pilot and flight attendants reporting infections. Hundreds more cancellations were anticipated for Saturday.
The global tally of cancelled flights exceeded 5,400 trips over the weekend.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted 888 flights entering, leaving or inside the US were canceled on Saturday, up from 690 on Friday.
Christian churches were disrupted, with many canceling in-person congregations, while others planned outdoor services or a hybrid of online and in-person worship, including requirements to wear masks and show proof of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Comedian Sarah Millican has led a campaign to help keep people connected during Christmas, offering entertainment, distraction and someone to speak to for anyone feeling lonely or isolated.
Social media users have enthusiastically responded with pictures of their breakfasts and pets under the hashtag #JoinIn.
I am very lucky to have so many people who are kind to me
— George The Stourbridge Junction Station Cat (@TheStourbridge) December 25, 2021
I know that this time of year can be difficult for many
Please don’t feel alone.
You can #JoinIn for some friendship & company #Christmas2021 #CatsOfTwitter pic.twitter.com/udKNqXeJbt
Just over a year ago, Anna-Jane Casey was forced to abandon the Covid-shuttered West End to deliver hundreds of parcels in a second-hand van. She was overjoyed to find herself back on stage this Christmas in one of theatreland’s most star-studded and critically acclaimed shows: Cabaret.
But productions are at the mercy of Omicron, with the highly transmissible Covid variant ripping holes in casts and backstage staff daily, so Casey’s triumphant return to the West End has been put on hold.
“Cabaret had to come off [last week] because there are about four to five cast members ill,” she said from her home in Kent. “It’s hit so many different departments: the dressers in the wardrobe department … our automation and sound and lighting. We’ve got a lot of cases across the board – and we’re a new production so the understudies aren’t ready to step in yet.”
Cabaret – which stars Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley in a revival of the 1960s musical about the Nazi-menaced nightlife of the Weimar republic – is not the only theatrical casualty of the wave of infections sweeping the capital. Last week more than 70 performances of 31 shows were axed, including Moulin Rouge, Mamma Mia! and Matilda.
“Up until about four days ago, 2021 was rocking along just fine. But we seem to be back where we were last year,” said Casey, who has appeared in shows including Chicago and Billy Elliot. “Producers are losing money hand over fist. Our producers are being unbelievably generous and paying us while we are not working but I don’t know how long that will last.”
How do you forecast the future of the British economy during something as unpredictable as a pandemic? The Guardian’s Economics editor Larry Elliot spoke to Richard Hughes about just how they have tried to do that over the past year and what they’re learning over at the Office for Budget Responsibility.
We spend a lot of time talking to public health experts, to epidemiologists, to [England’s chief medical officer] Chris Whitty and to Sage advisers. We start by saying: what’s the outlook for the virus? How effective are the vaccines? What are the prospects of having to reimpose Covid restrictions? Because all of that dictates the near-term economic outlook.
...
When you are hit with an enormous shock, you gather information from wherever you can get it.
The Queen looked back on a year marked by personal, as well as national, grief in her Christmas Day message – the first since the loss of her husband – yet strived to strike a more hopeful tone for the year to come.
As a second year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic drew towards its end, the 95-year-old monarch said she could understand the feelings of all those who have lost loved ones, having been bereaved herself in April. Nevertheless, she looked forward becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee – 70 years on the throne – in 2022.
“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why,” the Queen said in her annual televised address.
Two more members of the K-pop boy band BTS have tested positive after the group returned to South Korea from performances in the United States.
Rapper RM and singer Jin joined their bandmate Suga, who tested positive on Friday.
The concerts in Los Angeles were their first in-person performances in the country since the start of the pandemic, which forced them to call off their biggest ever world tour last year.
All three members of the group, which has spearheaded a global craze for K-pop, had been double-vaccinated.
Scientists who have become familiar faces during the course of the pandemic have taken to Twitter on Christmas Day. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and lead researcher of the Covid Symptom Study app, shared an impressive model of a church made from lateral flow tests.
A merry lateral flow Xmas and festive greetings to everyone ! https://t.co/AwKnyQgVzj
— Tim Spector (@timspector) December 25, 2021
From Stephen Reicher, professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of government advisory body the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group:
Here's to everyone,
— Stephen Reicher (@ReicherStephen) December 25, 2021
who has put up with the worst of times
who has sacrificed so much to keep each-other safe
who has shown solidarity and care and concern
and so provided a glimpse what the best of times could be like
A toast on Christmas day
To all of us! pic.twitter.com/Tk7mRT2STl
From Dr Zubaida Haque, a member of Independent Sage and former interim director Runnymede Trust:
Merry Christmas to you all!! It’s been another gruelling year. Some of us have lost loved ones and many of us have experienced other challenges and struggles. But we’ve made it through. *Together*. You’re all awesome. Really proud you. Hope you have a safe and happy holiday🎄🎄
— Dr Zubaida Haque (@Zubhaque) December 25, 2021
Kit Yates, senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath, writes:
Shout out to all the NHS staff working on the front line on Christmas Day.
— Kit Yates (@Kit_Yates_Maths) December 25, 2021
You folks are my heroes.
We all owe you so much.
From University College London infectious diseases expert Dr Neil Stone, who is working on the ward on Christmas Day:
Have a happy and HEALTHY Christmas!
— Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) December 25, 2021
I will be spending today working on the ward with my fantastic team @uclh
#NHS #MerryChristmas2021
And finally a Christmas Day message from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
The @WHO family and I wish all who celebrate a healthy & happy #Christmas Day! I know this is a challenging time for many. No matter where you are, may this holiday overflow with the gifts of kindness and health. Let it usher in an era of harmony and renewal. pic.twitter.com/L5axJcdPtU
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 25, 2021
Ireland reports highest daily Covid cases
Ireland recorded 13,765 new cases on Saturday, more than 2,500 more than its previous record of 11,182 cases just yesterday. Approximately 83% of reported cases are believed to be the Omicron variant.
As of 8am this morning, there are 378 people in hospital with the virus and 87 people in intensive care with Covid.
The Department of Health said “large volumes” of case numbers are anticipated over the coming period.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK will be forced to self-isolate on Christmas Day after a record 122,186 tested positive for Covid, the highest daily figure since the pandemic began.
If you are self-isolating at Christmas and feeling alone, you’re far from the only one. You can join the comedian Sarah Millican’s #JoinIn Twitter hashtag on Twitter and speak to others in your position.
Now in its 11th year, #JoinIn is a space for people who have not chosen to be alone but find themselves on their own on Christmas Day.
Updated
The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal, one of the countries with the highest Covid vaccination rates worldwide, officials said.
“The Omicron variant is already dominant in Portugal,” the General Directorate of Health said, “accounting for 61.5% of cases on December 22.”
On Friday, Portugal recorded 11 deaths and 12,943 cases – a record since 29 January.
Schools, bars and clubs are closed until 10 January, with people told to work from home and face masks mandatory indoors.
Germany recorded 22,214 new cases, compared with 35,431 the day before, officials said. A further 157 deaths were recorded.
The latest figures came after health authorities admitted they are struggling to trace the contacts of people infected with Covid. In an interview published yesterday, Ute Teichert, chair of the Federal Association of Doctors in the Public Health Service, said “comprehensive followup [of Covid cases] is almost no longer taking place at the moment.”
In some German states including Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Hamburg, contact tracing has been completely suspended as officials focus on recording the “numerous coronavirus infections”, she added.
Thousands of people across England will receive a Christmas Day booster jab as the vaccination effort continues in the face of record case rates.
Queues have been spotted at pharmacies as people wait for their “jingle jabs” with appointments available in locations in London, Manchester, Swindon and Eastbourne. Vaccination clinics in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are closed today.
NHS England has thanked staff who are working or volunteering on Christmas Day. In a tweet, it said: “From vaccinators to volunteers, porters to paramedics, midwives to mental health practitioners, and all other essential workers – thank you to everyone who is working over the festive period!”
Meanwhile, the government says it will be sending millions of text messages on Boxing Day urging people to “get boosted now”.
The message will say: “Every adult needs a Covid-19 booster vaccine to protect against Omicron. Get your Covid-19 vaccine or booster.”
Updated
Malaysia has detected its first local case of the Omicron variant, officials have said. In a briefing today, the country’s health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, said the case was reported in the Borneo state of Sarawak on Christmas Eve.
The individual, a 38-year-old Chinese national, is fully vaccinated and has not travelled abroad recently, he added. The cause of the infection is not known and investigations are ongoing.
Malaysia has a total of 62 Omicron cases, about half of which are from Saudi Arabia, followed by five from the UK, four from Qatar and three from the US.
Updated
New Covid measures in England could be in place until late March under measures examined by the UK government’s scientific advisers, Press Association reports.
The modelling by experts from Warwick University considered a package of measures including a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors, in line with the Step 2 restrictions in place in England earlier this year.
The research, published on Christmas Eve by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (Spi-M-O), looked at imposing Step 2 restrictions on either 28 December or New Year’s Day and keeping them in place until 15 or 18 January or 28 March 28. A summary read:
A reduction in mixing equivalent to half that of Step 2 results in only a very small reduction in severe outcomes compared to Plan B alone.
Step 2 has a much larger effect, reducing the number of deaths up to 31st May by 39% (24-54%) if kept in place from 28 December until 28 March , and 18% (12-27%) if kept in place until 15 January.
The work was completed before the latest data suggesting the Omicron variant may produce less severe illness than the Delta strain.
Updated
Australia's most populous state records highest ever daily cases
New South Wales has recorded its highest ever Covid daily caseload, with 6,288 new infections announced today – by far the highest number of cases in any Australian state since the pandemic began.
Record Covid cases were reported across Australia on Christmas Day as overwhelmed testing clinics were forced to close and tens of thousands of people spent the holiday in isolation.
Covid transmission also continued to surge in Victoria, where authorities announced 2,108 new Covid-19 infections and six deaths from the virus.
Queensland announced a daily record of 765 new cases, with the state’s health minister, Yvette D’Ath, declaring “this virus is everywhere now”. D’Ath confirmed 151 of those cases had the Omicron variant.
Updated
The leading Catholic in England and Wales, the archbishop of Westminster, has urged the government not to reintroduce restrictions on churches amid record Covid-19 infection rates.
Data published on Thursday, suggesting the Omicron strain might cause less severe illness than the previously dominant Delta variant, has fuelled speculation in Westminster that Boris Johnson will resist imposing further restrictions in England after Christmas.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols said it was clear that large spaces such as churches were “not places where we spread the virus”. He told the BBC prior to midnight mass at Westminster Cathedral:
I would sincerely appeal that they do not again consider closing churches and places of worship.
He added:
I think this country has shown that people can make good judgements themselves.
We’re at that point of saying we understand the risk. We know what we should do. Most people are sensible and cautious. We don’t need stronger impositions to teach us what to do.
It comes after a further 122,186 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were recorded in the UK as of 9am on Christmas Eve, another record daily figure, while 137 people died within 28 days of testing positive.
Read the full article here:
In Bethlehem, the city where Christians believe Jesus was born, thousands usually pack the streets during the Christmas period. On average, Bethlehem welcomed 3 million visitors a year before the pandemic, with Christmas alone drawing 10,000 people to the city’s hotels, around half from abroad.
But Israel, which controls all entrances to Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, has barred its borders to foreigners in an effort to rein in infections from Omicron. In Manger Square, numbers were noticeably lower as Covid fears overshadowed celebrations for a second straight year.
“It’s very strange,” said Kristel Elayyan, a Dutchwoman married to a Palestinian, who came to Bethlehem from Jerusalem told Agence-France-Presse, adding:
Before (the pandemic), you had a bunch of people coming in from different countries to celebrate Christmas, and now you know that everybody who is here is probably not a tourist.
Last year, Bethlehem curtailed celebrations sharply with a virtual tree lighting and just a handful of visiting scouts. This year, the celebrations were more vibrant - but still a fraction of their usual size.
One shop owner, Victor Epiphane Tabash, said it was his 57th Christmas behind the counter. For him, as for many shopkeepers around Manger Square, “there is nothing to say about Christmas”.
He said he kept his business alive during the pandemic by exporting because no customers came to buy in person. He compared the pandemic to two previous Palestinian uprisings, or intifadas, adding:
We have lived through the intifadas, wars. But the coronavirus is worse.
Updated
Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture has confirmed its first infection with the Omicron variant, officials said. The case was a result of possible community transmission as the infection route was unclear, its governor Seitaro Hattori said.
New Omicron infections were also detected in the Kyoto prefecture and came a day after community transmissions of the variant were found in another western city of Osaka on Friday.
In Tokyo, 38 new cases were recorded today, marking the eighth consecutive day for the number of new cases to exceed that of the previous week.
The number of people getting their first jab of a Covid vaccine in England rose by around 46% in the week up to 21 December, figures by the UK’s Department for Health and Social Care show.
In total, 221,564 first doses were administered in England in the week of 15-21 December, a 46% increase from the previous week. The total number of people getting a second dose was 279,112, a 39% jump from the week before.
The largest increase was seen among young people, with an 85% increase in first doses for those aged 18 and 24 and a 71% increase in first doses for those aged 25 to 30, PA reports. In the week up to 21 December, more over 60s had had a first dose than during any seven-day period since early June.
Updated
China reports highest number of cases in four months
Officials in China are rushing to contain outbreaks in several regions, including the north-western city of Xi’an where 13 million residents have been under lockdown since Thursday.
Of the 140 new infections reported today, 87 were locally transmitted, according to officials, compared with 55 a day earlier.
In Xi’an, households have only been permitted to send one member outside every two days to purchase necessities. The city has recorded 330 locally transmitted symptomatic cases since the first case was reported on 9 December.
Cases from Xi’an have so far spread to five other cities including Beijing, according to state media. China is on high alert for new infections as it prepares to hold the Winter Olympics in February in Beijing.
Updated
The first doctor to alert South African authorities about the Omicron variant says India will see a surge in cases driven by the strain but the infection may be mild in most people as in South Africa.
The Times of India quotes Dr Angelique Coetzee as saying existing vaccines will definitely control the contagion but unvaccinated people “will potentially spread the virus 100%”, adding:
I believe it will be difficult [for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to end soon]. I presume it will become endemic.
India will see a surge in Omicron-driven Covid-19 cases and simultaneously there will be a high-positivity rate. But hopefully the majority of the cases will be as mild as what we are seeing here in South Africa.
Christmas travel chaos as airlines cancel more than 4,500 flights
Passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline companies cancelled more than 4,500 flights, according to a flight tracking website.
A surge of cancellations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came as the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant meant carriers were unable to staff their flights.
The website of the flight tracking firm FlightAware showed that 2,175 flights around the world had been scrapped on Christmas Eve, a typically heavy day for travel. Around a quarter of those were in the US. Another 1,779 flights were scrapped worldwide on Christmas Day, along with 402 more that had been scheduled for Sunday.
The bulk of the cancellations came from five firms, with China Eastern cancelling 474 journeys, while Air China scrapped 188. United cancelled 177 flights, Air India 160 and Delta called off 150.
Read the full article by my colleague Clea Skopeliti here:
A United States Navy warship has delayed its deployment to South America because of a Covid outbreak among its crew, officials said.
The USS Milwaukee, which deployed from Mayport, Florida, on 15 December will remain in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where it had stopped for a scheduled visit, Associated Press reports.
In a statement, the Navy said the ship’s crew is “100% immunised” and that all of those who tested positive for Covid-19 have been isolated on the ship away from other crew members.
Early last year a major military outbreak of the virus saw the USS Theodore Roosevelt sidelined in Guam for nearly two months, and more than 1,000 of the 4,800 crew members tested positive. One sailor died, and the entire crew went through weeks of quarantine in a rotation that kept enough sailors on the ship to keep it safe and running.
Morning summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s rolling coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Léonie Chao-Fong. Here’s a rundown of everything you might have missed.
- Passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline companies cancelled more than 4,500 flights, as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant meant carriers were unable to staff their flights. Around a quarter of those were in the United States.
- The Chinese city of Xi’an, home to 13 million people, reported an increase in daily Covid-19 infections as the country’s latest hotspot entered its third day of lockdown. China as a whole reported 140 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday, an increase of 62% from 87 cases the day before, its health authority said.
- One in 35 people in England had Covid last week, new figures show, with 1.7 million people testing positive across the UK – the highest number on record so far. In London, hospital admissions due to Covid have nearly doubled week-on-week, the latest figures show. Across England, 1,246 admissions were recorded on December 22, up 55% week-on-week and the highest number for a single day since February 16.
- Ministers could meet as soon as Monday to determine whether new restrictions are needed in England over the new year amid growing concerns that soaring Covid cases could hit public services.
- France reported a record 94,124 new daily Covid-19 infections on Friday while the number of people hospitalised for the disease reached a seven-month high at close to 16,200, according to official data. The seven-day moving average of new cases also reached a new record of 66,417, a total that has tripled in just one month.
- People in South Africa without Covid symptoms will no longer have to test or self-isolate if a contact tests positive, the government announced on Friday. Additionally, South Africans will be offered a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine from Friday after the health regulator approved its use for the general public.
- The US will next week lift the travel ban imposed on several southern African nations when the Omicron variant of Covid was first detected, AFP reports. The ban applied to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Please do get in touch with me on Twitter or by email if you have anything to flag you think we should be covering.
Updated
