A summary of today's developments
- The Swiss medicines agency Swissmedic has approved the vaccination of children aged between five and 11 with Pfizer-Biontech’s Comirnaty vaccine. The government has also asked regional authorities to consider expanding the requirement for proof of vaccination or recovery from the virus for access to many indoor venues.
- The UK government has been “presented with some very challenging new information” about the Omicron variant and will keep restrictions “under review”, Michael Gove said after he chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee.
- Two doses of a Covid vaccine offer less protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta, with a lower level of protection seen against the new variant even after a booster jab. According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Omicron is projected to become the dominant variant in the UK by mid-December, based on current trends, while there could be more than a million infections by the end of the month – a tally that will be dominated by Omicron.
- Singapore will start vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years with Pfizer’s jab before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday.
- The UK reported its highest number of Covid cases recorded in a 24-hour period since 9 January. A total of 58,194 new cases and a further 120 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
- New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said that starting next week, face coverings must be worn inside all businesses and venues unless they have implemented a vaccine requirement, as Covid cases rise in the state.
- The University and College Union called for universities in England to move the term’s final week of teaching online to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, after outbreaks have been reported at several institutions.
- Workers at German hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes must prove that they are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid by mid-March as part of new legislation passed by the parliament.
- Nicola Sturgeon backed the advice put out on Thursday by Public Health Scotland saying that people should think about deferring work Christmas parties and avoid crowded places.
- Downing Street cancelled its Christmas party, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson confirmed. Because, well, it would be awkward not to.
- The Czech Republic made Covid vaccination mandatory for people aged 60 and over from 1 March, the government said. The obligation will also apply to health workers, police officers, firefighters and the military.
- Ghana will vaccinate returning citizens and residents against Covid upon arrival at the airport from next Monday if they have not already received shots, its health service said, amid concerns over low take-up of vaccinations.
The Swiss medicines agency Swissmedic has approved the vaccination of children aged between five and 11 with Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine.
“Clinical trial results show that the vaccine is safe and effective in this age group,” it said in a statement.
The Comirnaty vaccine is administered in two doses of 10 microgrammes three weeks apart.
An ongoing clinical trial of more than 1,500 people “shows that the Covid-19 vaccine offers almost complete protection against serious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 5 to 11-year-olds”, it said.
“Side effects tended to occur less frequently than in adolescents or adults. They included pain at the injection site and tiredness, or less frequently headache, aching limbs or fever,” the agency added.
The vaccinations were until now limited to children aged 12 or older, AFP reports.
Updated
Brazil has had 7,765 new cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours and 234 deaths, the health ministry said on Friday, Reuters reports.
The South American country has now registered 22,184,824 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 616,691, according to ministry data, in the world’s deadliest outbreak outside the US.
Updated
The US has administered 480,567,772 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 591,558,685 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Those figures are up from the 477,433,765 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Thursday out of 588,422,575 doses delivered.
The agency said 238,143,066 people had received at least one dose while 201,279,582 people are fully vaccinated as of 6:00 am ET on Friday, Reuters reports.
Updated
South African scientists said there is no sign that the Omicron coronavirus variant is causing more severe illnesses as officials announced plans to offer vaccine boosters with daily infections approaching an all-time high.
Hospital data show that Covid-19 admissions are now rising sharply in more than half of the country’s nine provinces but deaths are not rising as dramatically.
Although scientists say more time is needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion, health minister Joe Phaahla said the signs on severity were positive, Reuters reports.
“Preliminary data does suggest that while there is increasing rate of hospitalisation ... it looks like it is purely because of the numbers rather than as a result of any severity of the variant itself, this Omicron,” he said.
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The seven-day average of Covid-19 cases in the US states was up 37% and average deaths per day climbed 28%, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky said.
Initial data suggests that vaccine boosters help to bolster protection against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Walensky said at a White House briefing, Reuters reports.
Updated
You can follow the latest Covid developments in our dedicated Australia blog here:
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to confirm whether parties were held in his Downing Street flat in defiance of Covid rules during last year’s lockdowns.
The prime minister’s former adviser, Dominic Cummings, claimed on Friday that photos could come to light proving such gatherings were held. On the day that Cummings dramatically quit Downing Street in November last year, blaring music and aides chatting were heard in the No 11 residence where Johnson lives with his wife, Carrie, sources have said.
Separately, the Guardian has been told a “wine and pizza” party attended by Tory advisers was held in Downing Street after a Covid press conference during the first lockdown, in spring 2020.
No 10 said the prime minister was in his flat “solely with his family” on the evening in question and the spokesperson denied knowledge of any gathering.
As the US continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, scientists have been testing the nation’s wastewater to conduct early detection of the virus. In the past week, a team of researchers in California announced they had found traces of the variant in sewage treatment facilities across the state – suggesting that Omicron is already present in multiple cities.
The team from the Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN), a collaboration between city officials and scientists at universities including Stanford, found that wastewater in Sacramento and Merced contained evidence of the Omicron variant.
Care home residents will be allowed only three visitors and one essential care worker under updated UK government guidance announced as part of new measures to protect the sector from the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the move was “in order to balance the current Covid-19 risk and the need to keep people safe in line with clinical advice”.
It is understood the guidance will come into force from Wednesday, PA reports.
Fully vaccinated residents visiting family and friends outside the care home will be asked to take a lateral flow test on alternate days for two weeks after each outing, while those not vaccinated will have to isolate following an outside visit.
Updated
Having two doses of a Covid vaccine offers less defence against symptomatic infection from the Omicron variant than with Delta, experts have said, although a booster jab raises protection considerably.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Omicron was projected to become the dominant variant of coronavirus in the UK by mid-December, based on current trends.
It added that there could be more than a million coronavirus infections by the end of the month.
Updated
The Omicron variant has the potential to “very substantially overwhelm the NHS” and cause up to 10,000 hospitalisations a day if it is as virulent as Delta, according to a leading scientist who helped shape Britain’s coronavirus lockdown strategy.
Prof Neil Ferguson, a mathematical epidemiologist from Imperial College London, said the UK was already experiencing a “very explosive wave of infection” from the new variant. This could lead to “quite an explosive wave of hospitalisations”, depending on the severity of disease caused by Omicron, he said.
“Unfortunately, most of the projections we have right now are that the Omicron wave could very substantially overwhelm the NHS, getting up to peak levels of admissions of 10,000 people per day,” he told the Guardian.
Ferguson added that the figure could be reached “some time in January” but noted that the impact on deaths was less clear. He also added the caveat that the projection was based on assumptions around the variant’s ability to evade existing protection, and the premise that Omicron was similar to Delta in terms of the severity of disease it causes.
However, Ferguson said: “Even the best-case scenarios involve several-fold more admissions per day than we’re getting at the moment – we are at about 700 right now.”
The stark figure of 10,000 hospitalisations a day is more than double the UK’s highest daily number, with 4,582 admissions on 12 January this year.
Here is the full story: Omicron could overwhelm NHS if it is as virulent as Delta, Neil Ferguson says
Updated
Summary
Here is a quick recap of some of today’s main developments so far:
- The UK government has been “presented with some very challenging new information” about the Omicron variant and will keep restrictions “under review”, Michael Gove said after he chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee this afternoon. He told Sky News: “We know that we have the highest number of Covid infections across the United Kingdom recorded today, since 9 January. We know that the Omicron variant is doubling every two to three days in England, and possibly even faster in Scotland. We knew that 30% of reported cases in London are that variant. And of course, we only identified the Omicron variant in this country a fortnight ago. So we absolutely do need to keep everything under review, but I think the approach that we’re taking is proportionate. We recognise the importance of balancing people’s ability to get on with their lives with a need to protect against this virus, but action is absolutely required, and as new data comes in, we will consider what action we do require to take in the face of that data.”
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Two doses of a Covid vaccine offer less protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta, with a lower level of protection seen against the new variant even after a booster jab. According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Omicron is projected to become the dominant variant in the UK by mid-December, based on current trends, while there could be more than a million infections by the end of the month – a tally that will be dominated by Omicron. The vaccine efficacy data suggests that people who have had two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab 25 or more weeks ago have far lower protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta. While the data suggests about 40% protection against Delta at this time point, it suggests protection from Omicron could be less than 10%. A similar trend was seen for those who have had two doses of the Pfizer jab, with about 60% protection against Delta at 25 or more weeks since the second dose, and just under 40% protection against Omicron at the same time point – although, again, there are uncertainties around the figures. Dr Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at the UKHSA, said these early estimates should be treated with caution, but stressed “this risk is significantly reduced following a booster vaccine, so I urge everyone to take up their booster when eligible”. Nicola Davis has the story.
- Singapore will start vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years with Pfizer’s jab before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday. The dosage used for children will be one-third of that used in adults, similar to the US.
- The UK reported its highest number of Covid cases recorded in a 24-hour period since 9 January. A total of 58,194 new cases and a further 120 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
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New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said that starting next week, face coverings must be worn inside all businesses and venues unless they have implemented a vaccine requirement, as Covid cases rise in the state. The measure will be in effect from 13 December to 15 January in order to curb the spread of the virus during the holidays, when more time is spent indoors shopping and gathering, Hochul said in a statement.
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The University and College Union called for universities in England to move the term’s final week of teaching online to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, after outbreaks have been reported at several institutions. The UCU said that “a clear direction to suspend in-person activities for the final week won’t disrupt education and will prevent needless spread of Omicron amongst university communities. It will also allow essential activities such as lab-based research and medical teaching to continue on campus.” The union also wants the government to mandate the wearing of masks in classes and seminars in England when students return in the new year.
- Mulling a limited lockdown, Switzerland proposed tightening restrictions on public life in a bid to break the momentum of rising Covid cases that threaten to overwhelm its healthcare system. The government asked regional authorities to consider expanding the requirement for proof of vaccination or recovery from the virus for access to many indoor venues. Under one proposal, vaccinated individuals would additionally need to show a negative test to enter such venues as bars, restaurants and discotheques, where masks cannot be worn. Under an alternate proposal, it would entirely close such locations. Switzerland has been trying to curb public activity without resorting to another lockdown, as neighbouring Austria has done. The government said it wanted to limit private indoor gatherings to five people if one of them, including a child, was unvaccinated, while up to 30 would be allowed to gather indoors if all were vaccinated. It would also require working from home, instead of the current recommendation to do so. Should the situation worsen, the government said it would consider limiting all private gatherings to five people.
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Workers at German hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes must prove that they are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid by mid-March as part of new legislation passed by the parliament on Friday. Beyond compulsory vaccinations for certain professions from mid-March, the new legislation also allows for the country’s 16 federal states to close bars and restaurants as well as to ban large events because of high infection rates. The new law also aims to make vaccination more accessible by allowing veterinarians, dentists and pharmacists to administer them, though only for a set period of time.
- Nicola Sturgeon backed the advice put out on Thursday by Public Health Scotland saying that people should think about deferring work Christmas parties and avoid crowded places. Changing Scotland’s self-isolation rules, Sturgeon added that any household contact of a positive case should self-isolate for 10 days even if they receive a negative PCR test, while non-household contacts could leave isolation once they receive a negative PCR result. She said the country was facing “a potential tsunami of infections”, explaining that the new variant is showing “the fastest exponential growth we have seen in this pandemic so far”. It came as the Scottish government published an evidence paper on Omicron, which suggests that cases are “rising exponentially” – officials believe the doubling time is closer to two than three days, and that Omicron is going to very quickly overtake Delta as the dominant variant, maybe as early as next week.
- Downing Street cancelled its Christmas party, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson confirmed. Because, well, it would be awkward not to.
- The Czech Republic made Covid vaccination mandatory for people aged 60 and over from 1 March, the government said. The obligation will also apply to health workers, police officers, firefighters and the military.
- Ghana will vaccinate returning citizens and residents against Covid upon arrival at the airport from next Monday if they have not already received shots, its health service said, amid concerns over low take-up of vaccinations. All Ghanaians leaving the country will also be required to show proof of vaccination, the health service director general, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said in a statement, citing as reasons a rise in Covid cases and the detection of the Omicron variant. From January, proof of vaccination will also be needed to access nightclubs, beaches, sports stadiums and restaurants.
Updated
UK government shown 'very challenging new information' on Omicron and will keep restrictions 'under review', says Gove
The UK government has been “presented with some very challenging new information” about the Omicron variant and will keep restrictions “under review”, Michael Gove has said after he chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee this afternoon.
In his role as minister for intergovernmental relations, Gove headed the meeting with the first ministers and deputy first ministers of the devolved governments to discuss Covid data and coordination of the response.
Gove told Sky News:
We know that we have the highest number of Covid infections across the United Kingdom recorded today, since 9 January. We know that the Omicron variant is doubling every two to three days in England, and possibly even faster in Scotland.
We knew that 30% of reported cases in London are that variant. And, of course, we only identified the Omicron variant in this country a fortnight ago.
So we absolutely do need to keep everything under review, but I think the approach that we’re taking is proportionate.
We recognise the importance of balancing people’s ability to get on with their lives with a need to protect against this virus, but action is absolutely required, and as new data comes in, we will consider what action we do require to take in the face of that data.
The government has been presented with some "very challenging information" about the Omicron variant, says Housing Secretary Michael Gove, adding that it will consider what action is required as new data about the variant comes in.#COVID19: https://t.co/49bmNbWDH5 pic.twitter.com/eLGCTQMCiB
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 10, 2021
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency said that, based on current trends, the UK could have more than a million cases by the end of this month – a tally that would be dominated by Omicron.
The latest data also suggests that two doses of Covid vaccine offer less protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta, with a lower level of protection seen against the new variant even after a booster jab. [see 4.56pm.].
Updated
UK tests show vaccines are less effective against Omicron infection and third doses are key
Two doses of Covid vaccine offer less protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta, with a lower level of protection seen against the new variant even after a booster jab.
According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Omicron is projected to become the dominant variant in the UK by mid-December, based on current trends, while there could be more than a million infections by the end of this month – a tally that will be dominated by Omicron.
The vaccine efficacy data suggests that people who have had two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab 25 or more weeks ago have far lower protection against symptomatic infection with Omicron than with Delta.
While the data suggests about 40% protection against Delta at this time point, the data around Omicron suggests protection could be less than 10% – although there is a great deal of uncertainty over that figure given the small number of people studied and the fact that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab was largely given to older or more vulnerable people.
A similar trend was seen for those who have had two doses of the Pfizer jab, with about 60% protection against Delta at 25 or more weeks since the second dose, and just under 40% protection against Omicron at the same time point – although, again, there are uncertainties around the figures.
Dr Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at the UKHSA, said:
These early estimates should be treated with caution but they indicate that a few months after the second jab, there is a greater risk of catching the Omicron variant compared to Delta strain.
The data suggest this risk is significantly reduced following a booster vaccine, so I urge everyone to take up their booster when eligible. We expect the vaccines to show higher protection against the serious complications of Covid-19, so if you haven’t yet had your first two doses, please book an appointment straight away.
For both groups, a Pfizer booster jab raised the level of protection against both Omicron and Delta, providing about 70-75% protection against symptomatic infection for the former.
Updated
Singapore approves Covid vaccine for children ages 5 to 11
Singapore will start Covid vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday.
The Southeast Asian city-state has already vaccinated 87% of its 5.5 million population, and authorities were rushing to get children vaccinated amid concerns over rising number of paediatric Covid cases.
The dosage used for children will be one-third of that used in adults, similar to the United States.
Currently, only the Pfizer/BioNTech “Comirnaty” vaccine has been approved for children’s usage in Singapore, the health ministry added.
Singapore has also signed a new supply agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech for the Covid vaccine, it said, without specifying how many vials will be supplied.
UK reports highest number of Covid cases since early January
The UK has recorded 58,194 new cases of Covid-19 and a further 120 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
That is up from 50,867 infections and 148 fatalities in the 24 hour prior.
It is also the highest number of positive cases recorded in a 24-hour period since 59,937 were reported on 9 January.
Updated
New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, said on Friday that starting next week, face coverings must be worn inside all businesses and venues unless they have implemented a vaccine requirement, as Covid cases rise in the state.
The measure will be in effect from 13 December to 15 January in order to curb the spread of the virus during the holidays when more time is spent indoors shopping and gathering, Hochul said in a statement.
“We shouldn’t have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers’ frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet,” she added.
While 80% of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, the state has seen a recent surge in the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 46,000 residents.
Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has risen by 43% and hospitalisations have increased by 29%, state data showed.
Updated
The University and College Union has called for universities in England to move the term’s final week of teaching online to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, after outbreaks have been reported at several institutions.
UCU said that “a clear direction to suspend in-person activities for the final week won’t disrupt education and will prevent needless spread of Omicron amongst university communities. It will also allow essential activities such as lab-based research and medical teaching to continue on campus.”
Imperial College London has already moved its teaching online after widespread outbreaks of the Omicron variant have been detected.
The union also wants the government to mandate the wearing of masks in classes and seminars in England when students return in the new year.
Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary, said:
Last year, ministers moved too slowly, effectively denying there was a need to suspend in person activities while new variants developed, leading to mass outbreaks. We can avoid that situation by moving the final week online.
Staff have worked non-stop for 18 months to keep education going in the midst of the pandemic and deserve huge credit.
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With 1bn doses of Covid vaccines expected to arrive in Africa in the coming months, concern has shifted to a global shortage of equipment required to deliver them, such as syringes, as well as insufficient planning in some countries that could create bottlenecks in the rollout.
After a troubled start to vaccination programmes on the continent, health officials are examining ways to encourage take-up as some countries have had to throw away doses.
Critics have blamed hoarding of vaccine doses by a handful of western countries for a situation in which only 7.5% of people in African countries have been vaccinated – which some argue led to the emergence of the Omicron variant in southern Africa – but health experts point to a wider series of issues.
The World Health Organization says a shortage of syringes – in particular a 0.3ml syringe version required to deliver the Pfizer dose – may slow delivery, and it has stepped up technical assistance missions in 15 countries that have lagged behind.
Figures show a wide disparity in what has been achieved, with 15 countries reaching a target of 10% of the population vaccinated by the end of September, and more than half struggling to reach a third of that number.
You can read the full report from Peter Beaumont and Nick Dall here: Arrival of 1bn vaccine doses won’t alone solve Africa’s Covid crisis, experts say
Hong Kong will require inbound travellers from the US to spend seven days at a government quarantine camp, after a passenger tested positive for the Omicron variant, AFP reports.
The new rules, which comes into effect on Monday, mean travellers from the US will be subject to the highest tier of quarantine measures in Hong Kong, which has some of the strictest anti-coronavirus policies in the world.
It will make the US the first country outside of the African continent to be placed under a quarantine centre order since the Omicron variant was first detected last month.
Travellers from the US will only be allowed to enter if they are fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents and will be required to spend their first seven days at a quarantine centre with daily testing and health monitoring. Afterwards, they will need to spend another 14 days in quarantine at a hotel booked in advance.
US travellers entering Hong Kong are already required to quarantine for a total of 21 days, but under current rules, they can remain in a hotel for the duration of their isolation.
The Hong Kong government said on Friday it would tighten its rules after confirming a new Omicron case – the city’s fifth – involving a 37-year-old man arriving from the US.
Hong Kong has followed China’s lead in adopting a “zero-Covid” strategy, which has led to some of the toughest quarantine and testing measures in the world.
The policy has kept infections low but ensured the business hub has been cut off internationally for the past 21 months.
Updated
Switzerland has proposed further tightening restrictions on public life in a bid to break the momentum of rising Covid cases that threaten to overwhelm its healthcare system, saying a limited lockdown may be needed.
The government asked regional authorities to consider expanding the requirement for proof of vaccination or recovery from the virus for access to many indoor venues.
“In order to be ready should further measures be necessary, the federal council is sending two variants of proposed measures ... for consultation by 14 December,” the cabinet said. “All measures restrict social and economic life and affect not only unvaccinated but also vaccinated and recovered persons.”
Under one proposal, vaccinated individuals would additionally need to show a negative test to enter places like bars, restaurants and discotheques where masks cannot be worn.
Under an alternate proposal, it would entirely close such locations.
Switzerland has been trying to curb public activity without resorting to another lockdown, as neighbouring Austria has done.
Switzerland and tiny neighbour Liechtenstein have reported more than 1.1 million confirmed Covid infections – more than 10% of the population – and more than 11,000 deaths since the pandemic broke out last year.
The government said it wanted to limit private indoor gatherings to five people if one of them, including a child, was unvaccinated, while up to 30 would be allowed to gather indoors if all were vaccinated. It would also require working from home, compared with the current recommendation to do so.
Should the situation worsen further, the government said it would consider limiting all private gatherings to five people.
A relatively low two out of three residents are fully vaccinated, including three-quarters of the population aged 12 and above, but resistance to the jabs remains common.
More than 80% of intensive care beds are occupied, forcing some hospitals to use triage to see which patients get a spot.
While ski lifts continue to operate normally, operators on Friday introduced new capacity limits for large cabins. They also require customers to wear face masks in closed cabins and maintain physical distance in waiting areas.
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China has tightened its border with Vietnam, in the latest sign that Beijing is on high alert as case numbers rise in the south-east Asian country and the Omicron variant spreads around the world.
Authorities in southern Guangxi region have in recent days cracked down on illegal entry and detained smugglers who help unauthorised border-crossers, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday.
Local media reports said that the authorities in the Chinese region have also set up extra checkpoints along its 97km (60-mile) border with Vietnam. They have also begun 24-hour security patrols.
Cases have been on the rise in Vietnam – once seen as a rare coronavirus success story in Asia. On Thursday, the Vietnamese health authorities reported more than 15,000 infections and 256 deaths.
Earlier this week, the Chinese embassy in Hanoi urged Vietnam-based Chinese nationals to be “on alert” as the number of confirmed cases toppled 14,000 in the previous week.
As of Friday, Vietnam has recorded a total of 1,367,433 cases of infection and 27,186 deaths.
Health authorities began to dose out booster shots to residents in the southern Ho Chi Minh City, where the number of community transmission cases has risen in recent days.
Updated
Germany mandates vaccination for health care workers
Workers at German hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes must prove that they are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid by mid-March as part of new legislation passed by the parliament on Friday.
Beyond compulsory vaccinations for certain professions from mid-March, the new legislation also allows for the country’s 16 federal states to close bars and restaurants as well as to ban large events due to high infection rates.
The health minister, Karl Lauterbach, defended restrictions on unvaccinated people and the mandatory jabs for medical and nursing staff in front of the Bundestag lower house.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable that in establishments where people live, who put their trust in us to protect them, that people are unnecessarily dying because unvaccinated work there,” Lauterbach said.
Germany, in the grip of a fourth wave of infections, has a relatively low rate of vaccination compared with the rest of Europe. About 69% of the population is fully vaccinated, while at least 21% have received a booster shot, according to official numbers.
The new law also aims to make vaccination more accessible by allowing veterinarians, dentists and pharmacists to administer them, though only for a set period of time.
The Robert Koch Institute infectious disease body reported 61,288 new infections from the coronavirus and 484 more Covid-related deaths on Friday. A total of 104,996 people in Germany have died.
A survey by broadcaster ZDF found that more than three quarters of Germans were in favour of severe restrictions on unvaccinated people, while 21% did not think it was the right course.
Nearly 70% were in favour of making vaccines mandatory, a step that is supported by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and could be in practice by end-February.
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Cyprus has detected its first cases of the Omicron variant, its health ministry said on Friday.
It said three cases were isolated in the southern city of Limassol following specialised tests by Cyprus’s Institute of Neurology and Genetics.
None of those who tested positive required hospitalisation, the health ministry said. They individuals had recently travelled from abroad. No other details have yet been provided by the ministry.
Household contacts of Covid cases in Scotland must isolate for 10 days
Whilst emphasising that it is crucial to following existing guidelines on regular testing, face masks and ventilation, Nicola Sturgeon backed the advice put out yesterday by Public Health Scotland saying that people should think about deferring work Christmas parties and avoid crowded places. She said:
There is a serious risk with Omicron and we are already seeing the reality of this with parties and events with lots of people. We should all think about unnecessary contact in crowded places.
Changing self-isolation rules, Sturgeon said that any household contact of a positive case should self-isolate for 10 days even if they received a negative PCR test, while non-household contacts could leave isolation once they received a negative PCR result.
Sturgeon said that the guidance was focusing on work events “because we knew they are resulting in the rapid spread of infection”. She pointed out that there were 60 train cancellations on ScotRail today due to Covid absences, whilst 40 accident and emergency staff are now isolating because of an omicron cluster.
The bigger the event, the more those risks are very real. My advice would be to consider deferring work Christmas events.
Clinical director Jason Leitch said the attack rate of Omicron was that, if 100 people were in the room and there was a single case, at least 50 people would get it.
Updated
Michael Gove, in his capacity as minister for intergovernmental relations, will chair a meeting of the UK government’s emergency Cobra meeting to discuss Covid.
The first ministers and deputy first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will participate in the meeting, which will be held later this afternoon.
The Dutch Health Council on Friday advised the government to make it possible for children aged 5-11 to get coronavirus shots.
The council had until now only recommended that children with underlying health issues be vaccinated against Covid.
In a statement the leading advisory body said that it was making the recommendation even though most children experience mild symptoms from the virus.
“There is a risk of a serious inflammatory reaction in the vital organs. It is plausible that vaccination can prevent this,” it said.
“Vaccination also reduces the indirect health disadvantage that children experience as a result of the pandemic, for example because they are limited in going to school, sports or social contacts.”
Roughly 85% of adults in the Netherlands are fully vaccinated, but only children aged 12 and older had been eligible for the shots.
Downing Street has cancelled its Christmas party, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman has confirmed.
No 10 previously said it was the intention to have a festive bash this year.
But asked on Friday, the spokesman said:
I think we’ve made clear since the latest situation with Omicron, obviously that’s taking up great deal of time at the moment.
There’s no plans for that in Number 10.
Asked when the decision was taken, the spokesman said:
Following the decision on Plan B and the latest data that we’ve got.
My colleague Andrew Sparrow is covering all related to the No 10 Christmas party saga over on our politics live blog:
Scotland facing 'potential tsunami of Omicron infections', Sturgeon says
Nicola Sturgeon has just started her televised update on Omicron in Scotland with some sobering words and numbers: she says that the country is facing “a potential tsumani of infections”, explaining that the new variant is showing “the fastest exponential growth we have seen in this pandemic so far”.
There were 5,018 positive cases in Scotland on Friday, a sharp rise on the average of 2,800 daily cases that health officials have been reporting recently.
There were a total of 110 Omicron cases, up from just nine when the variant was first detected in Scotland on 30 November.
The Scottish government has just published an evidence paper on Omicron, which suggests that Omicron is “rising exponentially” – officials believe the doubling time is closer to two than three days, and that Omicron is going to very quickly overtake Delta as dominant variant, maybe as early as next week.
Updated
The percentage of Covid infections in England increased over the last two weeks but prevalence was steady at around 1 in 60 people in the week ending 1 December, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday.
In Wales, the percentage of cases appeared stable over the most recent three weeks, and an estimated 1 in 50 people had Covid in that same week.
In Northern Ireland, the percentage of positive cases rose over the last three weeks, with an estimated 1 in 45 people infected.
In Scotland, the percentage of infections decreased in the week ending 2 December, with around 1 in 80 people testing positive for Covid.
The ONS said it had detected a small number of infections consistent with the Omicron variant, but not enough to be able to estimate prevalence of the variant in the community.
The Omicron variant has been detected for the first time within primary schools in England.
Parents of children at the Manor community primary school in Swanscombe, Kent, have been told that Year 5 pupils would need to self-isolate at home, and were advised to get PCR tests. A mobile testing unit is on site at the school near Dartford.
A nearby secondary school, Northfleet Technology College, was reported to have an Omicron case last week.
In Portsmouth, a case of the variant has also been detected at Solent infants school.
Under the government’s latest regulations, pupils and staff in England in close contact with an Omicron case have to self-isolate for at least 10 days.
Updated
'Highly probable' Omicron will become dominant variant in Scotland
It is “highly probable” that Omicron will become the dominant Covid variant in Scotland, the Scottish government has said.
PA reports that an evidence paper published ahead of a briefing by the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, states the rate at which cases of the new variant double is between 2.16 days and 2.66 days.
It says:
Based on the data presented in this paper which is up to and including December 9, it is highly probable that Omicron will outcompete Delta and become the dominant variant within Scotland very quickly, with the potential to cause high case numbers.
As of Thursday, 13.3% of all PCR tests showed signs of the new variant.
On Thursday evening, Public Health Scotland “strongly urged” people to cancel Christmas parties after a number of Omicron outbreaks linked to festive get-togethers.
Updated
Czech Republic makes Covid vaccine mandatory for over-60s from March
The Czech Republic has made Covid vaccination mandatory for people aged 60 and above from 1 March, the government said on Friday, as it battles one of the highest infection rates in the world.
AFP reports the obligation will also apply to health workers, police officers, firefighters and the military.
“We see that people of a certain age are those most likely to be hospitalised in intensive care,” the health minister, Adam Vojtěch, said.
The new regulation has been approved just a week before a new Czech government is due to take over.
The new health minister nominee has already said he is opposed to mandatory vaccinations for seniors and wants to modify the legislation.
The Czech Republic has reported 981 Covid cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days – the second-highest infection rate, after its neighbour Slovakia.
The centre-right leader Petr Fiala, who won the general election in October, is preparing to take over as prime minister.
He is due to meet the president, Miloš Zeman, next week to agree on a date for the formal approval of his new coalition government.
Updated
People who travel to Ireland from Great Britain will be advised to undertake daily lateral flow tests for five consecutive days after arrival, the Irish government announced on Thursday night.
The tests will be in addition to the recently announced requirement that travellers to the republic have a negative PCR or lateral flow test before boarding a ferry or plane.
In a statement, the taoiseach’s office said that the first test should be taken on the day of arrival and, if any symptoms of Covid emerge or if a passenger has a positive result from a lateral flow test, they should seek a PCR test and self-isolate.
The latest restriction has been put in place to mitigate the risk of a spread of the Omicron variant from Great Britain, where the number of cases has nearly doubled in one day after a further 249 cases were confirmed.
Six cases of Omicron have been confirmed in Ireland.
Read the full story here: Travellers to Ireland from Great Britain advised to take Covid tests for five days
• This post was amended on 10 December 2021 to make clear that people travelling from Great Britain to Ireland will be advised to undertake daily lateral flow tests for five consecutive days after arrival, not required to do so as an earlier version said.
Updated
Health officials in Taiwan are investigating whether a mouse bite may have been responsible for a laboratory worker testing positive for Covid, the island’s first local infection in weeks.
The authorities are scrambling to work out how the employee at Academia Sinica, the country’s top research institute, contracted the virus last month.
Here is the full report from AFP: Mouse bite may have infected Taiwan lab worker with Covid
Ghana to vaccinate returning citizens and residents on arrival
Ghana will vaccinate returning citizens and residents against Covid upon arrival at the airport from next Monday if they have not already received shots, its health service said, amid concerns over low take-up of vaccinations.
All Ghanaians leaving the country will also be required to show proof of vaccination, the health service director general Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said in a statement, citing as reasons a rise in Covid cases and detection of the Omicron variant.
Ghana has so far administered vaccines to cover roughly 5.7% of its population of 30 million, data compiled by Reuters showed. Its newly announced vaccination requirements are among the strictest in Africa, where vaccine uptake has been slow due to lack of supply and logistical challenges.
“The current increase in cases, together with the detection of the Omicron variant among international arrivals and the expected increase during the festive season, calls for urgent actions to prevent a major surge in Covid-19 cases in Ghana,” Kuma-Aboagye said in his statement, released late on Thursday.
Ghana is holding a vaccination drive this month, and from 22 January the vaccine will become mandatory for targeted groups including government employees, health workers and students.
From January proof of vaccination will also be needed to access night clubs, beaches, sports stadiums and restaurants.
Over the last two weeks, Covid cases recorded at the Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra accounted for about 60% of total infections in the country, said Kuma-Aboagye.
Data from the airport showed that people who tested positive were three times more likely to be unvaccinated, he added.
And among 34 cases where Omicron was detected, 75% of those people were unvaccinated.
Ghana’s health service has recorded 131,246 Covid cases and 1,228 deaths since the pandemic began.
Updated
Good morning from London. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be bringing you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.com
Twitter: @lucy_campbell_
Today so far
- Germany’s new health minister, Karl Lauterbach, has defended restrictions on unvaccinated people and mandatory Covid-19 jabs for medical and nursing staff due to be passed by parliament later today. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that in establishments where people live, who put their trust in us to protect them, that people are unnecessarily dying because unvaccinated work there,” said Lauterbach to the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
- Israel will extend its travel restrictions – including its entry ban on all foreign nationals – for a further ten days, in a bid to stop further cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus entering the country. Israel has so far identified at least 21 cases of the Omicron variant, and the government says additional restrictions and incentives for vaccination may be imposed in the coming days.
- South African scientists say that they see no sign that the Omicron coronavirus variant is causing more severe illness. Hospital data show that Covid-19 admissions are now rising sharply in more than half of the country’s nine provinces, but deaths are not rising as dramatically and indicators such as the median length of hospital stay are reassuring.
- Prof Francois Balloux of the UCL Genetics Institute has posted suggesting that the emergence of the Omicron variant is an absolutely pivotal moment in the pandemic. He said “If Omicron wave turned out to be roughly equally bad in terms of hospitalisations and deaths to the previous Alpha and Delta waves, it would vindicate harsh pre-emptive interventions and likely normalise them in the foreseeable future. Conversely, if it turned out to be much milder than anticipated, I would predict the public mood to turn against harsh restrictions, with a possible major backlash against authorities.”
- Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads.
- Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect Covid-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.
- Jordan’s health ministry has announced it has identified its first two cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus. In response the kingdom announced today that all arrivals will be required to take a PCR test 72 hours before arriving in Jordan and another PCR test upon entering the country.
- Public health authorities in Ghana have introduced new travel guidelines requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 from next week.
- Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said he believes the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country appears to have peaked. Budapest has opened up Christmas markets, but only to the vaccinated or those with proof of immunity.
- New coronavirus infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the third consecutive day on Friday as hospitals are under increasing strain and authorities consider more drastic measures.
Andrew Sparrow has our UK live blog where Covid and the many scandals embroiling Boris Johnson’s government are the order of the day.
Lucy Campbell will be here shortly to bring you the rest of the day’s latest coronavirus news from around the planet. That is it from me, Martin Belam, this week. I will see you on Monday. Have a good weekend, take care and stay safe.
Updated
Alexander Winning and Wendell Roelf have a recap for Reuters of the situation in South Africa, which reported more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases yesterday.
South African scientists say that they see no sign that the Omicron coronavirus variant is causing more severe illness, as officials announced plans to introduce vaccine boosters with daily infections approaching an all-time high.
Although scientists say more time is needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion, the health minister Joe Phaahla said the signs on severity were positive.
“Preliminary data does suggest that while there is increasing rate of hospitalisation … it looks like it is purely because of the numbers rather than as a result of any severity of the variant itself, this Omicron,” he said.
Hospital data show that Covid-19 admissions are now rising sharply in more than half of the country’s nine provinces, but deaths are not rising as dramatically and indicators such as the median length of hospital stay are reassuring.
Updated
The Nobel peace prize laureates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, recognised for their fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia, will receive their awards at a ceremony in Oslo today, despite Norway’s high rate of Covid.
The ceremony at Oslo city hall will go ahead, but will have fewer guests than planned due to government restrictions put in place this week. Norway reported record daily Covid infections on Thursday.
Reuters remind us that in Sweden, where infection rates are lower than in Norway, organisers in September cancelled the in-person Nobel ceremonies for the second year running.
Instead, the 2021 laureates in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics, prizes all awarded in Sweden, received their diplomas and medals in their home countries, while the traditional Nobel lectures have all been given online.
Updated
The German health minister, Karl Lauterbach, has defended restrictions on unvaccinated people and mandatory Covid-19 jabs for medical and nursing staff due to be passed by parliament later today.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable that in establishments where people live, who put their trust in us to protect them, that people are unnecessarily dying because unvaccinated work there,” said Lauterbach to the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
The Robert Koch Institute infectious disease body reported 61,288 new infections from the coronavirus and 484 more Covid-related deaths on Friday.
Beyond compulsory vaccinations for certain professions from mid-March, the new legislation also allows for Germany’s 16 federal states to close bars and restaurants due to high infection rates.
Reuters reports that a survey by broadcaster ZDF found that more than three quarters of Germans were in favour of severe restrictions on the unvaccinated, while 21% did not think it was the right course.
Nearly 70% were in favour of making vaccines mandatory, a step that is supported by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and could be in practice by the end of February.
Updated
Traditional Christmas markets have opened in Budapest’s main squares only for people vaccinated against Covid-19, but have drawn many tourists and locals alike even as central Europe battles a renewed surge of the coronavirus.
There were no festive outdoor markets in Budapest a year ago as Hungary was in complete lockdown against the virus, before any vaccines were available.
“It’s great to have the market back. It was very depressing when I visited the square last year – it was decorated but there were no people,” said Adrienn, bundled up in a black fur coat against the subzero cold in front of the Hungarian capital’s neo-classical St Stephen’s Basilica.
Anita Komuves and Krisztina Fenyo report for Reuters from Budapest that visitors lined up at checkpoints to show their Covid-19 vaccination or immunity certificates before entering the market, as required by current regulations.
“I completely agree that only the vaccinated should be able to enter,” said Ibolya Koszegi, another local visitor. “Maybe more people should wear their masks as well. It’s very hard to keep a distance from others as there are so many people here.”
Masks are mandatory only in indoor public spaces in Hungary, and only a small fraction of visitors opted to wear them at the outdoor market as they walked around sipping tea or mulled wine. Visitors at events with more than 500 participants must show proof of vaccination or immunity after recovery from infection. Restaurants, shops, malls and schools remain open for everyone.
Updated
Andrew Sparrow has launched our UK-specific Covid and politics live blog today. You can find that here.
I will be continuing with the latest coronavirus developments from around the world.
The Jordanian health ministry has announced it has identified its first two cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus.
The health ministry’s statement, announced by state-run Petra news agency, said the first case is a Jordanian national who recently returned from South Africa and is currently quarantining in a hotel in Jordan’s capital, Amman.
According to Petra, the second case is a Jordanian national who has not recently left the country, raising fears that the omicron variant may be spreading within the kingdom’s communities. The second individual is also quarantining in a hotel in Amman.
Associated Press report that in response to the two cases, the kingdom’s National Centre for Security and Crisis Management announced today that all arrivals will be required to take a PCR test 72 hours before arriving in Jordan and another PCR test upon entering the country. The law will come into effect on Sunday and does not apply to children under the age of five.
Heathrow passenger numbers down 60% as cancellations mount
Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads.
The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels.
This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant.
“[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update.
Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect Covid-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.
The discovery, by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan, could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home.
Reuters report the scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the virus, based on previous research showing the birds had strong resistance to disease.
In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. The filters worn by people infected with Covid glowed around the nose and mouth.
The team hopes to further develop the masks so that they will glow automatically, without special lighting, if the virus is detected.
Public health authorities in Ghana have introduced new travel guidelines requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 from next week as the government tries to avert a fourth wave of infections.
Under new rules coming into effect from midnight on Sunday, travellers “will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination,” Ghana’s director-general of health services, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said.
“All Ghanaians travelling out of the country are to be fully vaccinated,” he added in a statement late Thursday, report Agence France-Presse.
The West African nation has administered just over 5.7m doses and virus cases are low. Unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents currently outside the country who intend to return within 14 days of the deadline will still be allowed in.
“However, they would be vaccinated on arrival at the airport,” said Kuma-Aboagye. Other travel requirements such as a negative PCR test prior to travel and an antigen test on arrival to Ghana remain in place.
Labour's Wes Streeting: Boris Johnson's 'dishonesty' is 'undermining trust in public health measures'
In the UK, Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “Boris Johnson, through the lies he’s told again and again and again, has stretched the boundaries of credibility”.
PA Media quote him saying: “I’m sure Boris Johnson is busy planning who he is going to throw under the bus next.
“We’ve had the resignation of Allegra Stratton, there are questions now about the prime minister’s communications director, but you know, whether it’s Allegra Stratton, Jack Doyle, Dominic Cummings, Gavin Williamson, Matt Hancock, these people who have flagrantly broken the rules and in full view of the public with no accountability, they have one thing in common and that’s the man who’s appointed them and his judgment.
“And I’m afraid it’s his untrustworthy nature, his disorganisation, his dishonesty, which is undermining trust in public health measures.”
Updated
There will be a rebellion against the new Covid measures for England in parliament from backbench Conservative MPs, but the rules will no doubt pass because the opposition, Labour, intend to back them.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “public health has always come first for the Labour Party during the pandemic. Despite the trouble the Government find themselves in, public health will still come before party politics”.
PA Media quote Streeting saying: “It is more important for all of us to get ahead of this deadly pandemic and the variant which is sweeping rapidly through our country and which threatens to overwhelm the NHS, and tempting though it might be to inflict a parliamentary defeat on the Government, that would not be the right thing to do.”
German parliament debates vaccine mandate for medical staff
German lawmakers are debating a bill today that would require staff at hospitals and nursing homes to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or risk losing their jobs.
Newly installed Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told parliament it was unconscionable that some who work with particularly vulnerable people are still not vaccinated.
Associated Press report that the bill, which is being fast-tracked and is likely to pass, is the first of two vaccine mandates being considered in Germany.
A second, more contentious bill that would make Covid-19 shots compulsory for all is being prepared and could be debated by parliament next month.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party is opposed to the universal vaccine mandate, and some members of other parties, including the former health minister in Angela Merkel’s departed government, Jens Spahn, have also said they will vote against that measure.
Updated
The UK prime minister’s now director of communications addressed staff and handed out awards at a party in Downing Street last Christmas that is now under investigation, it has been reported.
Jack Doyle, who was then deputy director of communications at No 10, addressed up to 50 people at the gathering on 18 December 2020, ITV News reported.
Doyle spoke to the press office to thank them for their work, as he did every week, and presented some awards to mark the team’s efforts, it has been claimed.
Political commentators have said Doyle’s presence at the party is significant because as director of communications he would have been behind the government’s confused messaging since the revelations of the party surfaced in the Daily Mirror.
Ministers have repeatedly told reporters they did not know what happened or if a party took place – but were sure no rules were broken.
Read more of Jamie Grierson’s report here: Boris Johnson’s senior aide ‘gave awards at No 10 Christmas party’
One way that the UK government appears to be trying to win round rebels in their own party on new Covid measures for England is to redefine what they mean. In the media round this morning in the UK small business minister Paul Scully has been attempting to say that vaccine passports are not, in fact, vaccine passports. PA Media quote him telling LBC:
There have been significant changes actually since the original Plan B was announced. So things like the so-called vaccine passports are not vaccine passports because we’ve allowed a negative lateral flow test to be included as proof to get you entry.
And that’s really significant because we want people to get vaccinated and we want people to get the booster, because that is the single biggest weapon that we’ve got against coronavirus, but we’re not mandating vaccination and we’re not cutting off entry to any of these things for people that can just have a test.
Yesterday health secretary Sajid Javid said that universally mandated vaccinations were ethically wrong.
It is small business minister Paul Scully who has been doing the media round for the government in the UK this morning. PA Media quote him telling BBC Breakfast that the government is “trying to get the balance right between not shutting the economy down” and protecting against coronavirus.
He said: “It’s going to be a bit tough, but we’re listening to businesses and we’re trying to work with them to see exactly what it’s like for them on the ground on a day-to-day basis.”
But he admitted the new regulations may be “difficult to enforce”.
He said: “I’m not expecting junior members of staff to put themselves at risk but they need to work with local authorities and indeed the police in the most egregious situations.”
In the US, two Democratic senators have resisted Joe Biden’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large businesses, illustrating problems the US president faces even within a faction of his own party, despite having the support of scientists and public health experts.
The West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, who co-sponsored the bill, and Montana’s Senator Jon Tester crossed Democratic party lines to vote yes and join 50 Republicans in their political opposition to the public health policy.
The bill is seen as a largely symbolic gesture, since it would also need to pass the Democratic-led House and would probably be vetoed by Biden. The mandate was already put on hold by a federal appeals court, and the future of the mandates will likely be decided by courts, not lawmakers.
But the vote showed the significant political problems Biden has faced in carrying out his public health policies to combat the pandemic. He has encountered virtually implacable Republican opposition – now joined by rebel Democrat senators – that has ranged from ideological concerns over how far government power can be exercised to fringe conspiracy theories and quack science.
Manchin, who is vaccinated and boosted, said the rule represents federal overreach, which is why he co-sponsored the bill. West Virginia, which has the third-highest rate of deaths from Covid in the country, and Montana, where some health systems instituted crisis standards of care, have suffered devastating surges throughout the pandemic.
Read more of Melody Schreiber’s report: Biden faces vaccine mandate pushback from own party despite support of scientists
There is a little bit more detail here of the latest press briefing on Covid in South Africa. The country reported more than 22,000 new cases on Thursday, a record during a fourth wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant but still below a peak of more than 26,000 daily cases during the third wave driven by the Delta variant.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said there were positive signs from early hospital data showing that Omicron appears to be causing mainly mild infections.
Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council, said there were far more unvaccinated people among current hospital admissions.
On the Pfizer vaccine, she said: “We are seeing this vaccine is maintaining effectiveness. It may be slightly reduced, but we are seeing effectiveness being maintained for hospital admissions and that is very encouraging.”
Israel to extend travel ban and quarantine rules for at least 10 more days
Associated Press have this despatch from Israel. They report that it will extend its travel restrictions – including its entry ban on all foreign nationals – for a further ten days, in a bid to stop further cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus entering the country.
In a statement issued by Israel’s Prime Minister, Neftali Bennett, and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, the restrictions on passengers arriving at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport will run until at least 22 December.
Under the current requirements, all Israelis returning from abroad must self-quarantine until they receive confirmation of a negative coronavirus PCR test result, while those arriving from high-risk countries are required to isolate at a state-governed quarantine hotel until they receive a negative PCR test result.
The statement also said additional restrictions and incentives for vaccination may be imposed in the coming days.
Israel has so far identified at least 21 cases of the Omicron variant.
A quick snap from Reuters here that Japan has confirmed eight more Omicron cases.
Graeme Wearden has just launched our business live blog for the day, and he is leading with some weak Covid-affected GDP figures for the UK. He writes:
The UK economy came to a near-standstill in October, raising concerns that the recovery has faltered just as new restrictions are introduced to combat Omicron.
Data just released shows that GDP grew by just 0.1% in October, much weaker than the 0.4% which economists had expected, as firms struggled with supply chain problems and staff shortages.
It leaves the economy still 0.5% below its pre-pandemic levels in February 2020.
Here’s a reminder of where the UK currently stands with Covid – with all three major measures showing a week-on-week increase.
Over the last seven days there have been 336,783 new coronavirus cases recorded in the UK. Cases have increased by 8% week-on-week.
There have been 854 deaths recorded in the last week. Deaths have increased by 0.7% week-on-week.
Hospital admissions have increased by 3.9% week-on-week. At the latest count on the UK government’s own dashboard, there were 7,347 people in hospital in total, of whom 890 are in ventilation beds.
South Africa is preparing to offer people booster doses of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines, a senior health official has said.
Reuters report the health department’s Nicholas Crisp said that Pfizer booster doses would be offered six months from a second dose and that Johnson & Johnson boosters, initially only available for health workers, would soon be available to others.
Omicron is 'ultimate lose-lose situation', says professor
Overnight Prof Francois Balloux of the UCL Genetics Institute has posted suggesting that the emergence of the Omicron variant is an absolutely pivotal moment in the pandemic. He said in a Twitter thread:
If the Omicron wave turned out to be roughly equally bad in terms of hospitalisations and deaths to the previous Alpha and Delta waves, it would vindicate harsh pre-emptive interventions and likely normalise them in the foreseeable future.
Conversely, if it turned out to be much milder than anticipated, I would predict the public mood to turn against harsh restrictions, with a possible major backlash against authorities, which might make it more difficult to decisively respond to potential future threats.
Anything in between, with the Omicron wave being bad, but not as bad as Alpha and Delta, will likely create further social divisions and entrench deep resentment among many people in the community.
The Omicron wave, (and its response to it) feels like the ultimate lose-lose-lose situation, but some outcomes still feel worse than others, either now, or in the future ...
Updated
Hello, it is Martin Belam here taking over in London from my Sydney colleague Samantha Lock. I’ll be wearing a mandatory face mask in indoor venues in England from today as those new rules come into force. Here is a reminder of the different Covid regulations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban said he believes the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country appears to have peaked.
Orban made the comment while appearing on public radio on Friday, Reuters reports.
He added that Hungary would start inoculating 5-11-year-old children against Covid-19 next Wednesday.
South Korea’s Covid cases exceed 7,000 for third day
New coronavirus infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the third consecutive day on Friday as hospitals are under increasing strain and authorities consider more drastic measures.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said that the country could be forced to take “extraordinary” measures if the virus doesn’t slow soon.
Kim said:
If it becomes clear that we aren’t succeeding in reversing this crisis situation within the next few days, the government will have no other choice but to employ extraordinary anti-virus measures, including strong social distancing.”
Officials issued administrative orders requiring hospitals around the country to designate 2,000 more beds combined for Covid-19 treatment, Reuters reports.
Kim said the government will also speed up the administration of booster shots by shortening the interval period between the second and third vaccine injections from the current four or five months to three months starting next week.
Officials tightened restrictions starting Monday, banning private social gatherings of seven or more people in the greater capital area and requiring adults to verify their vaccination status at restaurants and other indoor venues. But Kim said such measures haven’t yet showed an effect in slowing transmissions.
Deputy Health Minister Lee Ki-il said officials may further reduce the limit on social gatherings and restore business-hour restrictions at restaurants and bars that were lifted in November if things continue to look bad next week.
“We will try our best to avoid a lockdown,” Lee said during a briefing.
Summary
If you’ve just joined us welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be manning the Covid blog for the next short while before my colleagues in the UK take over.
First up, some news from Downing Street as British prime minister Boris Johnson faces a damaging revolt over planned Covid restrictions. Dozens of Tory backbenchers have threatened to rebel or abstain in fury over the proposed new plan B rules and the handling of the Christmas party scandal.
With at least 30 Conservative MPs already expected to vote against regulations on masks, home working and vaccine passports, and many more now vowing to stay away from Tuesday’s vote, the prime minister could be left relying on Labour support to win.
Countries in the European Union are expected to agree to limit to nine months the duration of Covid-19 certificates for travel around the bloc, three EU sources told Reuters.
The EU introduced Covid-19 passes in July to facilitate travel for people who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, have recovered from the disease or have a negative PCR test.
Here is a snapshot of everything you might have missed:
- Australia will begin administering Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 from 10 January.
- US regulators have expanded eligibility for booster shots to 16- and 17-year-olds amid rising concerns about the new Omicron variant.
- European Union countries are expected to agree to limit to nine months the duration of Covid-19 certificates for travel around the bloc, three EU sources told Reuters.
- Dozens of US Navy medics have deployed to New Mexico to treat a Delta variant-fuelled surge in patients as part of a military operation to treat virus hotspots across Western and Midwest states.
- Singapore has detected its first locally transmitted case of the Omicron variant in a member of staff at the city state’s airport, authorities said, warning that more Omicron cases are likely to be detected.
- The Philippines will ban entry by people who have recently travelled to Portugal.
- Early hospital data from South Africa shows less than a third of patients admitted for Covid-19 during the latest wave linked to the Omicron variant are suffering severe illness, compared with two-thirds in the early stages of the last two waves.
- Malta will return to mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor and indoor spaces as from Saturday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said.
- Germany’s vaccination advisory commission recommended the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is given to children aged five to 11 with pre-existing conditions.
- The European Union’s drugs regulator said it could make sense to administer vaccine boosters as early as three months after the initial two-shot regimen.
Updated
The UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says the number of Omicron infections in the UK is now “increasing rapidly” with emerging data from “broadly consistent” with early indications from South Africa.
Scientific experts and government officials met via video teleconference hosted by the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday.
According to minutes taken from the conference, the group said:
The spread of Omicron in the UK appears to be following a similar trajectory to that seen in South Africa; though there are many differences between the UK and South Africa it will remain important to monitor the situation there. Early verbal reports indicate that hospitalisations due to Omicron are now increasing in South Africa.
South Africa’s minister of health Dr Joe Phaahla and deputy minister of health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo will convene a virtual media briefing on the unfolding Covid situation in the nation.
The briefing is set to begin shortly and will address government efforts in the fight against Covid-19 and the national vaccination rollout programme.
We will bring you all the relevant new lines as they come in.
India has just released their daily Covid numbers.
Another 8,503 new coronavirus cases were reported over the past 24 hours.
A further 624 deaths were also recorded, according to the latest ministry of health data.
Australia’s Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, announced earlier today the decision to approve vaccination for children aged five to 11 to receive the Pfizer Covid vaccine from 10 January.
The move comes after the federal government accepted a recommendation for its use from immunisation experts.
Watch the video detailing the announcement below.
Updated
Fury over the release of a video showing Downing Street staffers joking about alleged lockdown breaches in the UK are only the latest scandal to rock British prime minister Boris Johnson’s premiership.
For days, a succession of government ministers batted away questions about whether an illegal party had been held in Downing Street last December during Covid restrictions that banned gatherings of more than 30 people. But on Tuesday night that all changed: a video emerged of Downing Street staffers appearing to joke about a party alleged to have been held inside No 10 just days earlier.
It provoked a wave of anger both within and out of parliament. Eventually Boris Johnson surfaced at prime minister’s questions to apologise for the content of the video – but also to continue to claim that no rules had actually been broken in his official residence.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Peter Walker looks back on a week of drama in which Boris Johnson also returned to the podium in Downing Street to announce new plan B coronavirus restrictions, sparking a further revolt on his own backbenches. Then, on Thursday, further questions about his judgment were raised after the Conservative party was fined £17,800 for serious donation reporting failures over the financing of the Downing Street flat redecoration.
Listen to the latest Today in Focus podcast here.
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Germany has just released some new Covid numbers.
The European nation reported another 61,288 new daily coronavirus cases for the past 24 hours and 484 deaths, the Robert Koch Institute reports.
Asian shares slipped and the US dollar held firm on Friday as traders edged away from riskier assets amid renewed concerns about Covid-19 and ahead of key US inflation data that could set direction on Federal Reserve rates, Reuters reports.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei shed 0.5%.
Overnight the S&P 500 lost 0.72% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.71%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.14% in Asian hours.
Shares and risk-friendly currencies had performed well earlier in the week, with MSCI’s regional benchmark posting its best day in two months on Tuesday, helped by indications the Omicron strain of the new coronavirus might not be as economically disruptive as first feared.
“Then, as we got towards the end of the week the fact that Europe was much more clearly moving into a sort of lockdown light and cases are going up, and Covid-19 case numbers in the US are starting to ratchet up flipped things a little bit,” said Rob Carnell, head of research Asia Pacific at ING.
“Also there is a slight sense of ‘let’s not have too much risk on the table for the weekend’. Of course, there is CPI out in the US - but I think we’ve all woken up to the fact that there is inflation in the US now,” he added.
Speaking of the United States, here is a detailed state-by-state map showing the number of confirmed Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 Americans.
Map numbers shown below are from Johns Hopkins University.
Some disturbing news has just emerged from California in the United States.
The president of California’s medical board, which issues medical licenses and disciplines doctors, says a group of anti-vaccine activists stalked her at home and followed her to her office, the Associated Press reports.
Kristina Lawson, a former mayor of Walnut Creek who was appointed to the board by former Governor Jerry Brown, was reportedly confronted by four men in a dark parking garage in what she described as a terrifying experience.
Lawson tweeted:
On Monday, I was followed and confronted by a group that peddles medical disinformation, promotes fake Covid-19 treatments, and is under investigation by Congress for stealing millions of dollars from consumers. It was a terrifying experience.”
“They watched my daughter drive herself to school and watched me walk out of my house, get in my car, and take my two kids to school.”
The medical board president said she grew concerned on Monday after she noticed the people in a white SUV parked near her home and saw someone flying a drone over her house.
The white SUV then followed her to work and parked “head-to-head” with her car in a parking garage and when she left the office building and entered the parking garage later that evening, four men jumped out of the SUV with cameras and recording equipment and confronted her, Lawson alleged.
“Instead, they ambushed me in a dark parking garage when they suspected I would be alone,” she added.
Lawson said the people identified themselves as representing America’s Frontline Doctors, led by Simone Gold, a Beverly Hills doctor who was arrested during the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol. The group criticises the Covid-19 vaccine and has been widely discredited for spreading disinformation about the coronavirus and unproven treatments.
Lawson contacted Walnut Creek Police. “Like other Californians who believe in both science and fair play, I will not be intimidated,” she said.
🧵 On Monday, I was followed and confronted by a group that peddles medical disinformation, promotes fake COVID-19 treatments, and is under investigation by Congress for stealing millions of dollars from consumers. It was a terrifying experience. /1
— Kristina Lawson (@kdlaw) December 8, 2021
Singapore reports first locally transmitted Omicron case
Singapore has detected its first locally transmitted case of the Omicron variant in a member of staff at the city state’s airport, authorities said late on Thursday, warning that more Omicron cases are likely to be detected.
The 24-year-old Singaporean woman, who works in a service role in the airport, “may have interacted with transit passengers from Omicron-affected countries,” the health ministry said in a statement, Reuters reports.
She tested preliminarily positive for Omicron as a part of the routine testing for frontline workers, it said, noting she was fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.
A second Omicron case reported on Tuesday was a traveller from Germany. Both of individuals had received vaccine booster shots, the health ministry said.
The cases are currently pending further genome sequencing to confirm the variant. Singapore had previously detected three Omicron cases, all found in overseas travellers.
The health ministry said:
Given its high transmissibility and spread to many parts of the world, we should expect to find more Omicron cases at our borders and also within our community.”
Singapore has vaccinated 96% of its eligible population and authorities are urging the public to get booster shots amid concerns over the Omicron variant.
Updated
Some Covid stats from South Korea has just landed.
The south Asian country recorded 7,022 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours.
A further 53 deaths were also reported, taking the nationwide cumulative death toll to 4,130.
A total of 83.5 % of the population has received at least one Covid vaccination dose and 81 % are fully vaccinated.
Thailand has also reported another 4,193 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours.
A further 28 deaths were also reported, taking the nationwide cumulative death toll to 4,130.
The latest Covid numbers from France are in.
An additional 56,854 new coronavirus cases have been reported over the past 24 hours.
Another 136 deaths were also recorded for 9 December.
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Hello and welcome back to our Covid blog this Friday. I’m Samantha Lock and I will be taking you through all the key developments from around the world.
Let’s dive right in with some positive news out of Australia where children aged five to 11 will receive the Pfizer Covid vaccine from 10 January, after the federal government accepted a recommendation for its use from immunisation experts. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said: “In one month from today, about 2.27 million Aussie kids aged five to 11 years will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeve and get vaccinated against Covid-19.”
In the US, more than 40 people have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, she told the Associated Press “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly coughing, congestion and fatigue.
Here’s a snapshot of some key stories:
- Cases of the Omicron variant could be spreading even faster in England than in South Africa, according to a senior scientific adviser, who warned that the variant was a “very severe setback” to hopes of bringing the pandemic under control.
- European Union countries are expected to agree to limit to nine months the duration of Covid-19 certificates for travel around the bloc, three EU sources told Reuters, but some states are concerned that such a limit could hinder travel.
- Slovakia is to give cash handouts to people over 60 who get vaccinated or have their booster shot.
- Austria’s planned vaccine mandate has a minimum age of 14, the health minister has said. The government also said holdouts face fines of up to €3,600 every three months.
- Malta will return to mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor and indoor spaces from Saturday, the health minister Chris Fearne said.
- The United States rushed millions of vaccine doses for children ages 5 to 11, but demand for inoculations for younger children has been low, more than a dozen state public health officials and physicians have said.
- The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for those aged 16 and 17.
- Early hospital data from South Africa shows less than a third of patients admitted for Covid-19 during the latest wave linked to the Omicron variant are suffering severe illness, compared with two-thirds in the early stages of the last two waves.
- Covid cases in South Africa surged by 255% in the past seven days (the Omicron variant produced a record 22,391 new cases) but there is mounting anecdotal evidence that infections with the Omicron variant are provoking milder symptoms than in previous waves (only 22 deaths were recorded).
- Germany’s vaccination advisory commission has recommended the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine be given to children aged five to 11 with pre-existing conditions.
- The World Health Organization has warned wealthy countries against hoarding vaccines for booster shots as they try to fight off the new Omicron variant, threatening supplies to poorer countries where inoculation rates are low.
- The European Union’s drugs regulator has said it could make sense to administer vaccine boosters as early as three months after the initial two-shot regimen.
- Brazil will require international travellers who aren’t vaccinated against coronavirus to quarantine for five days in the city where they arrive by plane.
- Australian children aged five to 11 will receive the Pfizer Covid vaccine from 10 January, after the federal government accepted the recommendation of immunisation experts.
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Russia’s president Vladimir Putin says that Russia will dispatch virus specialists to South Africa to establish a Covid-19 lab there after the discovery of Omicron.
- Lebanon confirmed the country’s first two cases of the Omicron variant in passengers from Africa tested upon arrival at the airport, the health ministry said.
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