Summary
- Covid cases surge 23% in Americas, mostly in North America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said.
- Germany’s next chancellor seeks targeted vaccine mandate. German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday for vaccinations to be made compulsory for targeted groups.
- Scientists say a new Covid variant that carries an “extremely high number” of mutations may drive further waves of disease by evading the body’s defences.
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Italy has unveiled new Covid measures banning the unvaccinated from numerous venues, extending compulsory vaccination and expanding booster shots to all adults.
- Portugal’s health secretary today pledged to give Covid booster shots to a quarter of the population by the end of January to tackle the “pandemic storm that has not yet passed”.
- The World Health Organization director-general has declared that Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic and warned that “no country or region is out of the woods”.
- Countries should consider implementing mandatory Covid vaccination, the director of World Health Organization (WHO) Europe said today.
- France is to announce new Covid measures tomorrow as infections surge across the country.
Lions at Croatia zoo catch Covid
Two lions at the Zagreb zoo have tested positive for Covid-19 after contracting the virus from their keeper, officials said on Wednesday.
Laboratory tests on samples taken from the two animals after they had developed symptoms of the disease confirmed that they have Covid-19, Reuters reports.
The big cats, who are undergoing medical treatment, caught the infection from their keeper who was also tested afterwards and was positive, head of the zoo Damir Skok said.
“The zookeeper as well as (lions) Leo and Ayana are fine. They sneeze and cough occasionally” and are recovering, he told local media.
Covid cases surge 23% in Americas, mostly in North America
New Covid-19 cases have jumped 23% in the Americas in the last week, mostly in North America.
Both the United States and Canada are reporting increasing infection rates, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, warning that the region might be facing a relapse as in Europe.
Germany’s next chancellor seeks targeted vaccine mandate
German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday for vaccinations to be made compulsory for targeted groups, saying that fighting the coronavirus pandemic will be his top priority as he prepares to take over as chancellor from Angela Merkel.
Scholz, who is expected to replace Merkel early next month after his coalition deal with two other parties has been approved, said he would set up a crisis team at the chancellery to coordinate coronavirus policy between the federal and regional governments.
Scientists warn of new Covid variant with high number of mutations
Scientists have said a new Covid variant that carries an “extremely high number” of mutations may drive further waves of disease by evading the body’s defences.
Only 10 cases in three countries have been confirmed by genomic sequencing, but the variant has sparked serious concern among some researchers because a number of the mutations may help the virus evade immunity.
The B.1.1.529 variant has 32 mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that most vaccines use to prime the immune system against Covid. Mutations in the spike protein can affect the virus’s ability to infect cells and spread, but also make it harder for immune cells to attack the pathogen.
The variant was first spotted in Botswana, where three cases have now been sequenced. Six more have been confirmed in South Africa, and one in Hong Kong in a traveller returning from South Africa.
Read the full story here.
Hello from a rainy morning over here in Sydney, Australia.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be taking over from colleague, Miranda Bryant, for the next short while.
First up, some numbers out of Australia for you.
NSW and Victoria have released their Covid reports with NSW reporting 276 cases and no deaths. Victoria recorded 1,254 new Covid cases and five deaths.
A timber company in New Zealand is offering staff $3,000 (£1,450) to get double vaxxed, according to Radio New Zealand. The offer applies to about 400 people.
Each worker will have to meet certain vaccination requirements to qualify for a $2,000 bonus in December while the final thousand will be paid out next year, the CEO of Red Stag Timber told RNZ.
Some 69% of the total New Zealand population is has had two doses of the vaccine, 76% have had one dose.
New Zealand will reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers next year.
Updated
Two lions at the Zagreb zoo have tested positive for Covid-19 that they had contracted from their keeper, officials said on Wednesday.
AFP reported that these are the first confirmed cases of the disease in zoo animals in Croatia, an agriculture ministry statement said. The animals and the keeper were reportedly well, but sneezing.
From AFP:
Laboratory tests on samples taken from the two animals after they had developed symptoms of the disease confirmed that they have Covid-19, it said. The big cats, who are undergoing medical treatment, caught the infection from their keeper who was also tested afterwards and was positive, head of the zoo Damir Skok said.”
Brazil registered 273 new Covid-19 deaths and 12,930 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus, Reuters reports, according to data released on Wednesday by the health ministry.
In total, Brazil has reported 613,339 deaths due to Covid, the second highest in the world behind only the United States.
Here's a summary of the latest developments
- Italy has unveiled new Covid measures banning the unvaccinated from numerous venues, extending compulsory vaccination and expanding booster shots to all adults. “We are seeing the situation in bordering countries is very serious and we also see that the situation in Italy is gradually but constantly getting worse,” the prime minister, Mario Draghi, said.
- Portugal’s health secretary today pledged to give Covid booster shots to a quarter of the population by the end of January to tackle the “pandemic storm that has not yet passed”. More than 850,000 people in Portugal have already received a booster shot. Antonio Sales said 2.5 million would get the additional dose by the end of January.
- Nearly three-quarters of local authorities in the UK experienced a week-on-week rise in Covid rates in the seven days to 20 November. According to an analysis by PA Media, 74% of Britain’s 377 local authority areas saw a rise, 25% a fall and the remainder were unchanged.
- The number of people testing positive for coronavirus is on the rise in the UK, with 43,676 new cases according to the latest figures. 149 more people have died. 303,071 people have tested positive for the virus in the past seven days - a rise of 11.1%.
- Dr Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies programme, said the UK had “led the world” on how to approach measurement of pandemics.
- The World Health Organization director-general has declared that Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic and warned that “no country or region is out of the woods”.
- The Netherlands reported more than 23,700 new Covid cases – the highest since the start of the pandemic.
- The head of the EU’s disease control agency has warned that mandatory Covid vaccination is “not a magic wand” as she warned that European governments needed to take urgent action faced with a rising wave of infections.
- The Netherlands health minister has said the government will announce new Covid measures on Friday as hospitals struggle to cope with a surge in cases. “The infection rate is higher than ever before,” Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to parliament. “Hospital admissions keep exceeding expectations and we have not seen the worst yet.”
- France is to announce new Covid measures tomorrow as infections surge across the country. Spokesman Gabriel Attal said today that the government wants to strengthen social distancing and speed up vaccinations and said they are doing all they can to save the Christmas holiday season.
- Countries should consider implementing mandatory Covid vaccination, the director of World Health Organization (WHO) Europe said today. Robb Butler said that although “mandatory vaccine can, but does not always, increase uptake”, he suggested countries should start thinking about the issue.
- One in four adults in England who test positive for Covid are ignoring self-isolation rules, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The research found just 75% of respondents fully followed isolation requirements for 10 days after testing positive.
- Politicians in Italy are considering new Covid measures that could see restrictions on unvaccinated people. Prime minister Mario Draghi’s government is today discussing the details of a “super green pass” for the vaccinated.
Updated
Italy unveils new Covid measures banning unvaccinated from numerous venues, extending compulsory vaccination and expanding booster shots to all adults
Italy has unveiled new Covid measures, set to come into force on 6 December, that will ban unvaccinated people from entering venues including cinemas, restaurants and sports events (see also 15:17).
“We are seeing the situation in bordering countries is very serious and we also see that the situation in Italy is gradually but constantly getting worse,” the prime minister, Mario Draghi, told reporters after the cabinet approved the new rules.
“We want to be very prudent to try to safeguard what Italians have achieved in the last year.”
From 15 December, mandatory vaccination will be extended to include all school staff, police and the military. Healthcare workers are already required to be vaccinated.
Booster shots, currently available to people aged 40-plus, will be made available to all adults.
British prime minister Boris Johnson has said he was “personally very disappointed” that Valneva’s Covid vaccine has not been approved in the UK, reports Reuters.
It comes two months after the government cancelled a supply deal worth $1.57 billion with the French pharmaceutical company.
Valneva said it hoped for approval by the end of the year and that it was working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The MHRA said Valneva had initiated a rolling review, which was ongoing. A spokesperson told the news agency: “Due to commercial confidentiality we are unable to provide details of our review.”
Johnson said he was “personally very disappointed when we couldn’t get approval for the Valneva vaccine in the way that we had hoped”.
“What we are doing is investing massively in this country’s vaccine capability across the country so that we are prepared for the next pandemic and I very much hope that Valneva will be part of that,” he said.
Valneva said in a statement: “We regret the decision made by HMG [the UK government] to end the UK Government’s supply contract with Valneva, and remain hopeful that HMG will seek an amicable resolution.”
France reported 32,591 new Covid cases today. It was an increase on yesterday when 30,454 new cases were reported, marking the first time that the daily total had exceeded 30,000 since August.
Portugal pledges booster shots to a quarter of the population by end of January
Portugal’s health secretary today pledged to give Covid booster shots to a quarter of the population by the end of January to tackle the “pandemic storm that has not yet passed”.
More than 850,000 people in Portugal have already received a booster shot. Antonio Sales said 2.5 million would get the additional dose by the end of January.
It comes as the country, one of the world’s most vaccinated, reported 3,773 cases, a four-month daily high.
Around 87% of Portugal’s population of just over 10 million is vaccinated. But as Europe once again becomes the epicentre of the pandemic, the government is preparing to announce new rules tomorrow to limit the virus’ spread.
The prime minister, Antonio Costa, said last week the government was unlikely to bring back a lockdown and that the measures would aim to “disturb people’s lives as little as possible.”
Updated
Weekly Covid rates rising in nearly three-quarters of UK local authorities
Nearly three-quarters of local authorities in the UK experienced a week-on-week rise in Covid rates in the seven days to 20 November.
According to an analysis by PA Media, 74% of Britain’s 377 local authority areas saw a rise, 25% a fall and the remainder were unchanged.
Torridge in Devon continues to have the highest rate in the UK - with 1,030 new cases per 100,000 people - followed by Mid Sussex (849 per 100,000) and Gwynedd in Wales (848 per 100,000).
Mid Ulster has the highest rate in Northern Ireland (837 per 100,000) and Falkirk the highest rate in Scotland (544 per 100,000).
The five areas with the biggest rises in the UK were: Guildford, Eastbourne, Shetland Islands, East Hampshire and Newark & Sherwood.
Updated
Health workers from the US and the UK who have long Covid have spoken to the Atlantic about their shock at how rapidly their symptoms were dismissed by their peers.
Clare Rayner, an occupational physician, is part of a Facebook group of around 1,400 British people with long Covid who work in healthcare.
She said that for many the scepticism of other medical professionals has been “absolutely shattering”.
“That people in their own profession would treat them like this has led to a massive breakdown in trust.”
Senior doctors from Russia’s biggest hospitals have urged anti-vaccination figures to visit intensive care units and morgues to witness the deadly impact that Covid is having on the country.
In a letter signed by chief physicians from leading hospitals including in Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi, the group called on “opponents of vaccination” to see the severity of the situation for themselves, reports RFE/RL’s Russian Service.
Russia has reported record Covid deaths in recent weeks as infections surge. Only around 37% of Russia’s population of 146 million people are vaccinated.
Positive coronavirus tests on the rise in the UK
The number of people testing positive for coronavirus is on the rise in the UK, with 43,676 new cases according to the latest figures.
According to the 4pm update of the UK government’s coronavirus dashboard, 303,071 people have tested positive for the virus in the past seven days - a rise of 11.1%.
There were 149 more deaths 28 days after a positive test for coronavirus, according to the update. Overall the number of people dying over the past seven days was trending down, with the 926 total deaths 9.4% down on the previous figure.
The number of patients admitted to hospital also fell, down 11.6% over the past seven days, with 722 new admissions reported in the most recent data.
A total of 112,627,026 doses of coronavirus vaccine have now been administered, the data show. Of those, 50,827,554 have been first doses, 46,208,81 have been second doses, and 16,004,629 have been third or booster doses.
Uptake of coronavirus vaccines has been high in the UK compared to some other European countries, with 80.4% of people aged over 12 in the country having completed their two-dose course of Covid vaccinations.
Updated
Police in London trained the laser sights on their Tasers on workers at a juice bar which they had raided over suspicions of a lockdown rule-breaking party, a court has heard.
Workers at Joe and Juice in Soho were discovered by police having the after-hours party when police arrived at the premises at 3am on 7 March, according to London paper the Evening Standard.
PC Michael Trype was quoted as telling Westminster magistrates court that officers who gained entry through the front door saw a man and a woman enter from the toilets.
“Officers were equipped with Tasers and both male and female was red-dotted,” he was quoted as saying.
One worker, Isabelle Von-Erbach-Schonbery, 21, was fined £200 for breaking lockdown rules. She admitted to to police that they were “having a work gathering at the venue”, but did not pay the fine. A magistrate subsequently dismissed the charge.
The government in Slovakia has approved a two-week lockdown, amid a record rise in cases of coronavirus, according to reports.
There was speculation earlier that a lockdown would be announced after the country reported a record 10,315 new cases.
Slovakian media cited the economy minister, Richard Sulík, as saying the lockdown would be imposed, according to Reuters. There were no details on when it will come into force.
Officials had been debating whether to impose restrictions for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Slovaks after Austria implemented similar measures this week.
This is Damien Gayle taking the helm on the live blog for the next hour or so while Miranda has a break.
Updated
UK has 'led the world' on how to approach pandemic measurements, says WHO programme director
Dr Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies programme, said the UK had “led the world” on how to approach measurement of pandemics.
He told the WHO media briefing (see also 15:07): “The UK has really led the world in how to look at data, how to do excellent analytics, how to give context and get insights for disease control.”
He said that governments need to move away from “blunt percentages” to “individuals” that have been missed in terms of targeting who needs to be vaccinated.
Updated
More on Italy’s “super green pass” from Angela Giuffrida in Rome:
Updated
Asked about his view on the UK’s Covid situation, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies programme, told the WHO media briefing (see also 14:58) that there is “intense transmission” throughout Europe and the UK.
He said: “The reality is that increased transmission ... even in the context of high vaccination is going to put pressure on the system.”
He said that “to their credit”, the UK has achieved high vaccination levels, which he said “keeps pressure off the NHS”. He also praised the country’s virus surveillance.
However, he warned that there were “long term consequences” of contracting Covid, regardless of age, and that the public should “avoid exposure to the virus”.
Europe, he said, is “back at pre-pandemic levels of social mixing” – despite huge pressure on health systems and high levels of transmission.
Updated
WHO director says Europe is once again epicentre of pandemic, warning: 'No country is out of the woods'
The World Health Organization director-general has declared that Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic and warned that “no country or region is out of the woods”.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a WHO media briefing:
"While Europe is again the epicentre of the #COVID19 pandemic, no country or region is out of the woods.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 24, 2021
It’s important for all countries to surge their capacities now to ensure the right measures are in place to avert the worst consequences of any future waves"-@DrTedros
"Last week, more than 60% of all reported cases and deaths from #COVID19 globally were once again in Europe. The sheer number of cases is translating to unsustainable pressure on health systems and exhausted #healthworkers"-@DrTedros
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 24, 2021
He also warned that while vaccines save lives, they do not fully prevent Covid transmission, and in the case of Delta, vaccines reduce transmission by just 40%.
He said many countries have a “false sense of security” that vaccines have ended the pandemic and a belief that vaccinated people do not need to take precautions.
He said: “We cannot say this clearly enough: even if you are vaccinated, continue to take precautions to prevent becoming infected yourself, and to [prevent] infecting someone else who could die.”
Updated
Netherlands records highest number of daily Covid cases since start of pandemic
The Netherlands (see also 14:28) has reported more than 23,700 new Covid cases – the highest since the start of the pandemic, reports Reuters.
Updated
More on plans for additional Covid measures in the Netherlands (see also 13:46).
Reuters reports:
[Health minister Hugo de Jonge] said the government’s panel of health experts would provide fresh policy advice by Thursday and that a decision would follow on Friday.
Updated
EU disease control agency warns mandatory Covid vaccination 'not a magic wand'
The head of the EU’s disease control agency has issued a note of caution about a move to mandatory Covid vaccines, as she warned that European governments needed to take urgent action faced with a rising wave of infections.
Dr Andrea Ammon, the head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said mandatory vaccines could raise uptake, but risked intensifying rejection of vaccines.
[Mandatory vaccination] is not a magic wand. It can be effective, it can raise the vaccination rate, but it can also polarise. And among those that are right now not vaccinated, not everybody is against vaccines, but many people want this to be their own decision and not being imposed on. So it could drive people even more into rejecting vaccines.
She was speaking after the ECDC changed its guidance booster jabs for all adults, prioritising the over-40s. The new guidance is part of the ECDC’s threefold recommendation to tackle rising caseloads: increase vaccines, offer booster doses to all adults and more non-medical measures, such as wearing masks, hand hygiene, working from home and limiting contacts.
Ammon said Europe was not in a situation where there was a choice between vaccines and other measures.
So far, nearly two-thirds of the population (65.4%) and more than three-quarters of adults (76.5%) in the European Economic Area have been vaccinated.
Updated
Russia today unveiled new Sputnik vaccines - including a Covid nasal spray that president Vladimir Putin said he had taken as his booster dose.
In televised comments, Putin said that he had received his booster as an injection followed by a powder nasal spray and exercised afterwards, reports Reuters.
“That was all - I didn’t feel anything. Nothing. Today, after these two procedures, I already did some sport in the morning,” he said.
Russia developed its Sputnik V vaccine last year but the Kremlin has blamed a recent surge in cases on public reluctance to get vaccinated. October was Russia’s deadliest month so far of the pandemic.
Netherlands to announce additional Covid measures on Friday
More from the Netherlands (see 13:20) where the health minister has said the government will announce new Covid measures on Friday, reports Reuters, as hospitals struggle to cope with a surge in cases.
“The infection rate is higher than ever before,” Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to parliament. “Hospital admissions keep exceeding expectations and we have not seen the worst yet.”
Updated
Countries should prioritise sharing vaccine doses with Covax before vaccinating children, the World Health Organisation said today:
As many parts of the world face extreme vaccine shortages, countries with high coverage in at-risk populations should prioritise global sharing of Covid-19 vaccines before vaccinating children, adolescents.
Social distancing becomes mandatory in the Netherlands amid calls for tougher measures
As social distancing once again became mandatory today in the Netherlands amid soaring Covid infections, the country’s leading intensive care physician called for even tougher measures.
The country entered a partial lockdown on 13 November, under which bars, restaurants and supermarkets have to close at 8pm and people were urged to work from home.
From today, 1.5 metre social distancing was made compulsory for all adults in locations where Covid passes are not required.
Diederik Gommers, the head of the national association of intensive care units, last night urged the government to implement a tough lockdown. He said the country’s hospitals are just 10 days away from being so overloaded that intensive care doctors will have to make tough decisions about which patients get care, reports the Associated Press.
The country last week recorded a 39% rise in infections. There are currently approximately 500 Covid patients in Dutch ICUs, which reportedly have a capacity of 1,066.
He said the only way to ease pressure on ICUs is “to ensure that the admissions go down very fast. And the fastest way of reducing (admissions) is tough measures and I think that means a strict lockdown. And that includes schools because I think if you don’t close schools you don’t stop infections.”
France to announce new Covid measures as infections surge
France is to announce new Covid measures tomorrow as infections surge across the country.
Spokesman Gabriel Attal said today that the government wants to strengthen social distancing and speed up vaccinations and said they are doing all they can to save the Christmas holiday season.
They also plan to tighten regulations on using the country’s health pass.
Despite this, he said the situation is likely to worsen in the coming days. The incidence rate (infections per week per 100,000 people) is expected to rise above 200 this week.
Russia is to register a new Sputnik M vaccine for use for 12- to 17-year-olds later today, the deputy prime minister, Tatiana Golikova, has said.
The vaccine is expected to be available at the end of December, Reuters reports.
It comes as Russia has suffered a surge in Covid infections and deaths in recent weeks.
Updated
Canada has given full approval to the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the company has said.
The vaccine has been approved for those aged 18-plus, reports Reuters.
Updated
The number of Covid-related deaths in Scotland has declined for the third week in succession, confirming the most recent surge in cases, which peaked at more than 3,800 new cases a day, is tailing off.
National Records of Scotland, a government statistics agency, said there were 94 deaths last week where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, compared with 115 the previous week. Weekly fatalities data peaked during the latest wave at 167 in one week in mid-September.
Updated
Countries should consider mandatory Covid vaccination, says WHO Europe
Countries should consider implementing mandatory Covid vaccination, the director of World Health Organization (WHO) Europe said today.
Robb Butler said that although “mandatory vaccine can, but does not always, increase uptake”, he suggested countries should start thinking about the issue.
It comes after Germany’s tourism commissioner, Thomas Bareiss, said he expected vaccination to become mandatory in the country. Austria plans to make it compulsory from February.
Butler told Sky News that mandates could come at the “expense of trust and social inclusion”.
But, he added:
We believe it’s time to have that conversation from both an individual and a population-based perspective. It’s a healthy debate to have.
Updated
One in four adults in England ignore self-isolation rules after testing positive for Covid
One in four adults in England who test positive for Covid are ignoring self-isolation rules, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The research found just 75% of respondents fully followed isolation requirements for 10 days after testing positive.
It marks a fall from September, when 78% said they adhered, and a significant drop since May, when the figure was 86%.
The latest figures are based on responses collected from adults in England between 1 and 6 November.
The ONS said the attitude change between May and November was “statistically significant”.
Tim Gibbs, head of the ONS public services analysis team, said:
The latest results show that although the majority of those testing positive for Covid-19 are following self-isolation requirements, there has been a decrease since earlier this year.
It’s important that we continue to self-isolate when necessary in order to help keep everyone safe and stop the spread of the virus, especially as we are moving into the winter months.
25% of people reported carrying out at least one activity during self-isolation that did not adhere to requirements, for example, leaving the home or having visitors for reasons not permitted under legislation. pic.twitter.com/RPYrWcbJyj
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 24, 2021
Updated
Italy considers 'super green pass' and new rules that could see restrictions on unvaccinated
Politicians in Italy are considering new Covid measures that could see restrictions on unvaccinated people.
Prime minister Mario Draghi’s government is today discussing the details of a “super green pass” for the vaccinated, reports Bloomberg.
The measures, which are being debated today, would reportedly only permit those with proof of vaccination to get into venues including cinemas and theatres. But it is understood tthe rules would still allow unvaccinated people to go to workplaces after testing negative.
Governments across Europe are considering new restrictions as cases surge across the continent. Meanwhile, Austria is bringing back a full lockdown.
Italy has also reduced the time people must wait before getting a booster dose of the vaccine from six months to five.
It comes after last month Italy introduced a digital “green pass”, required for all workers, prompting protests.
Hi, I’m looking after the Covid blog for the next few hours. Please get in touch with any tips or suggestions: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk
Updated
Today so far
- Slovakia reported its highest daily rise in new Covid-19 cases today, just ahead of a government meeting likely to agree a short-term lockdown to try to quell the surge. There were 10,315 new cases reported.
- Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have reached another new record high. The daily tally hit 25,864 on Tuesday, about 3,000 more than the previous record registered on Friday. Just over 58% of the Czech population has been fully vaccinated.
- Hungary also reported a record number of new daily Covid cases at 12,637 today. The seven-day average for the country stands at 9,435. That is up from 7,369 a week ago.
- The head of the European Union’s public health agency, Dr Andrea Ammon, has said that Covid-19 vaccine boosters should be considered for all adults, with priority for those aged 40 and older, in a major change to its guidance.
- Rob Butler, executive director of World Health Organization Europe, has made a strong appeal for people to continue to use face masks, saying: “The British Medical Journal last week showed a study where 53% of transmission was prevented by mask use. We only have 48% of the population in the European region using masks. The moment we see that go up, if we see this go up, we will see a reduction in cases and a reduction in deaths. If we saw 95% universal mask use, we can project that we would save about 160,000 lives.”
- Russia’s daily new Covid case numbers continue to be on a gradual decline, although deaths continue to hover around the near record 1,240-1,250 mark. Today’s official figures are 33,558 cases and 1,240 deaths.
- The health service in the UK is considering “radical ideas” to help tackle the backlog of care that has built-up over the last few years and been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. That includes the idea of sending patients to different regions for treatment, the chief executive of NHS Providers has said.
- India’s health ministry has written to state governments raising concerns over falling levels of testing.
- South Korea has reported a new daily record of 4,116 new coronavirus cases as the country battles to contain a surge in serious cases requiring hospitalisation.
- In the US, the Biden administration plans to require all essential, nonresident travellers crossing its land borders, such as truck drivers, government and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on 22 January.
- South Africa has asked Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of Covid-19 vaccines because it now has too much stock, health ministry officials said, as vaccine hesitancy slows an inoculation campaign.
That is all from me, Martin Belam, today. I will see you again tomorrow. Miranda Bryant will be here shortly to take you through the rest of the day’s UK and global coronavirus developments.
Czech Republic records new record daily caseload of 25,864
Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have reached another record high. The daily tally hit 25,864 on Tuesday, about 3,000 more than the previous record registered on Friday. Just over 58% of the Czech population has been fully vaccinated.
Associated Press report that the government has been considering mandatory vaccination for certain groups of people, including the elderly, medical and military personnel and police officers. Another proposal under consideration is shortening the time between a second shot and a booster from six to five months.
The Czech Republic’s approach to the new surge is being hampered by the protracted changeover of government. Some of the proposals and measures imposed by the outgoing government of Andrej Babiš are opposed by a coalition of five parties that agreed to form a new government.
The new coalition strictly rejects any mandatory vaccination. Vlastimil Válek, the candidate to be the new health minister, said on Wednesday that “it’s not a solution, it only further divides the society”.
Some new restrictions targeting the unvaccinated took effect Monday, with only those with proof of vaccination able to access public events, go to bars and restaurants, visit hairdressers, museums and similar facilities or use hotels. The incoming coalition has said it wants to return to a system where negative tests would also act as a pass for those venues and activities.
Updated
Here’s a reminder of the latest Covid data from the UK. Case numbers are up week-on-week by 8.7%. Deaths in the last seven days are down 5.5% on the week before, and hospital admissions are down 9.5% week-on-week. The UK government dashboard shows that there are 8,088 Covid patients in hospital, of whom 928 are in ventilation beds.
Updated
ECDC changes advice to EU countries and recommends booster jabs considered for all adults
The head of the European Union’s public health agency, Dr Andrea Ammon, has said that Covid-19 vaccine boosters should be considered for all adults, with priority for those aged 40 and older, in a major change to its guidance.
Francesco Guarascio reports from Brussels for Reuters that in its previous guidance issued in September alongside the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) said there was no urgent need for the administration of booster doses to fully vaccinated individuals in the general population.
It had suggested that additional doses should be considered for people with weakened immune systems and could be used as a precaution for older frail individuals.
Recommendations issued by the ECDC are not binding on EU governments but are used to make health policy decisions.
Updated
Eimear McGovern reports for the Belfast Telegraph this morning on criticism of Stormont’s first minister Paul Givan’s claim yesterday that Northern Ireland doesn’t have sufficient funding to go into another lockdown.
Martin McKee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has told the BBC:
The argument that we don’t have the money to protect against a pandemic disease is very strange because all of the evidence demonstrates that if you fail to protect against the spread of infection, in the long run the economy will suffer more.
I and my colleagues have been arguing all along you do need to provide support to allow people to isolate. A vaccine only policy is not enough, there needs to be a vaccine-plus policy. We need to look at the totality of these things.
Updated
In a new book, former Trump adviser Scott Atlas blames Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci for “headline-dominating debacles” about quack cures for Covid-19 – but omits to mention the chief proponent of snake-oil treatments, including hydroxychloroquine and disinfectant, was the US president he loyally served.
Atlas, a radiologist, is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, California, specialising in healthcare policy. He became a special adviser to Donald Trump in August 2020, five months into the pandemic, but resigned less than four months later after a controversial spell in the role.
His book, A Plague Upon Our House: My Fight at the Trump White House to Stop Covid from Destroying America, will be published on 7 December. Its publisher is Bombardier Books, an imprint of Post Hill Press, a conservative outlet that will also publish a memoir by Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s fourth press secretary.
Speaking to Fox News, Atlas promised to “expose the unvarnished truth” about Trump’s Covid taskforce, including “a shocking lack of critical thinking about the science … a reckless abuse of public health and a moral failure in what should be expected from public health leaders”.
Birx, an army physician, is a longtime leader in the fight against Aids. Fauci has served seven presidents as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Both were senior members of Trump’s Covid taskforce. Atlas’s book is replete with attacks on both.
Read more of Martin Pengelly’s piece from New York here: Former Trump adviser claims to ‘expose unvarnished truth’ of Covid in new book
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Government set to announce lockdown in Slovakia as country sets new cases record
Slovakia reported its highest daily rise in new Covid-19 cases today, just ahead of a government meeting likely to agree a short-term lockdown to try to quell the surge. There were 10,315 new cases reported.
Jason Hovet reports for Reuters that ahead of a government meeting today, the defence minister, Jaroslav Nad, said no alternative existed. “If we want to be responsible, we have only one option, the rest is populism,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper Dennik N, which earlier reported government parties had a preliminary agreement on a two-week lockdown.
In Slovakia, which has the European Union’s third-lowest vaccination rate, the surge is putting new pressure on hospitals.
The health ministry said the number of people hospitalised had reached a “critical point” at 3,200 and was approaching peaks of around 3,800 seen in the last wave of the pandemic. Most patients were unvaccinated, it said.
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Andrew Sparrow has kicked off our UK politics live blog for the day. There is PMQs and Peppa Pig on his plate, so I’ll be continuing with UK Covid lines here.
Switzerland will vote on Sunday on the country’s Covid-19 laws, and Agence France-Presse has a despatch about the referendum campaign, which it characterises as having seen unprecedented levels of hostility.
Police have upped security around a number of politicians, including the health minister, Alain Berset, who have faced a flood of insults and death threats.
“We have seen an increase in threats since the start of the pandemic, with unprecedented virulence,” the federal police told AFP. Fences have also been erected around the government and parliament buildings in Bern to protect them during anti-vax demonstrations.
Sunday will mark the second time in less than six months that the Swiss have been called upon to vote on the government’s response to the pandemic. In June, 60% of voters approved prolonging national measures.
Opponents insisted a new vote was needed on amendments to the Covid law which, among other things, provides the legal basis for a Covid certificate indicating that a person has been vaccinated or has recovered from the disease.
“This law is discriminatory. It will create a two-speed society,” said Agnes Aedo, spokeswoman for the Friends of the Constitution group that launched the referendum. The latest polls show a clear majority of eligible Swiss voters – around two-thirds – still support the law.
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South Africa defers vaccine delivery as lack of demand leads to oversupply
South Africa has asked Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of Covid-19 vaccines because it now has too much stock, health ministry officials said, as vaccine hesitancy slows an inoculation campaign.
About 35% of South Africans are vaccinated, higher than in most other African nations, but half the government’s year-end target. It has averaged 106,000 doses a day in the past 15 days in a nation of 60 million people.
Earlier this year the programme was slowed by insufficient doses. Now deliveries have been delayed due to oversupply, making the country an outlier in the continent where most are still starved of vaccines.
Nicholas Crisp, the deputy director general of the health department, told Reuters that South Africa had 16.8m doses in stock and said deliveries had been deferred.
“We have 158 days’ stock in the country at current use,” a spokesman for the health ministry said. “We have deferred some deliveries.”
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Russia’s daily new Covid case numbers continue to be on a gradual decline, although deaths continue to hover around the near record 1,240-1,250 mark. Today’s official figures are 33,558 cases and 1,240 deaths.
The seven-day average for new cases stands at 35,226. That is down from 37,704 a week ago.
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The health service in the UK is considering “radical ideas” to help tackle the backlog of care that has built-up over the last few years and been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. That includes the idea of sending patients to different regions for treatment, the chief executive of NHS Providers has said.
But Chris Hopson told Times Radio it is more likely that people will be asked to go to neighbouring hospitals rather than different parts of the country. PA Media quote him saying:
Everybody across the NHS recognises that having patients wait for their care is not an acceptable situation. There is a moral obligation on trusts and their leaders to make sure that they do everything they can, no stone unturned, to get through those care backlogs as quickly as possible.
What we’re working on at the moment is a really comprehensive plan to get through those backlogs as fast as possible. And some of it will be all the traditional things that we do, which is: we will expand temporary capacity; we will ensure that we use overtime as much as possible; we will ensure that we use the capacity that sits in the independent sector.
But I think we recognise we need to go further and that’s why, some of those radical ideas, we are considering and looking at them.
Hungary sets record for new daily Covid cases at 12,637
A quick snap from Reuters here that Hungary reported a record number of new daily Covid cases at 12,637 today.
The seven-day average for the country stands at 9,435. That is up from 7,369 a week ago. Hungary’s vaccination rate is below the EU average, with 60% of the population having received one dose so far.
Here’s an updated map showing the latest caseload incidence across Europe.
“Nobody had the guts to take the lead and announce unpopular measures. This lack of leadership is the reason we are here now.”
That is the verdict on the situation in Germany from Uwe Janssens, who heads the intensive care department at the St Antonius hospital in Eschweiler, west of Cologne. He was speaking to Associated Press.
Doctors like Janssens are bracing for an influx of coronavirus patients as confirmed cases hit fresh daily highs that experts say is also being fueled by vaccine skeptics. Germany is set to mark 100,000 deaths from Covid this week.
Resistance to getting the shot remains strong among a sizeable minority of the country. Vaccination rates have stalled at 68% of the population, far short of the 75% or higher that the government had aimed for.
“We’ve increasingly got younger people in intensive care,” said Janssens. “The amount of time they’re treated is significantly longer and it blocks intensive care beds for a longer period.”
Older people who got vaccinated early in 2021 are also seeing their immunity wear off, making them vulnerable to serious illness again, he said.
AstraZeneca is to let more people take part in clinical trials from the comfort of their own homes in an attempt to increase the diversity of participants.
Early trials of Covid vaccines were criticised for predominately involving white participants, despite the virus having a disproportionate effect on people of colour. A lack of diversity in clinical trials has also been cited by the nonprofit organisation breastcancer.org as one of the potential reasons Black women in the US have worse breast cancer outcomes than other groups.
Now experts at AstraZeneca have said shifting data collection to the home may break down barriers to participation in clinical trials, potentially increasing diversity and the speed of research.
Read more of our science correspondent Nicola Davis’ report here: AstraZeneca to run more clinical trials in people’s homes to improve diversity
India's health ministry raises concern over falling levels of testing
Yesterday we had news that India had seen its smallest rise in daily new Covid cases for 18 months, however, today Reuters have a report that the level of testing is causing a concern in the country.
Krishna N Das writes that the federal health ministry, in a letter to state governments, has raised the prospect of an alarming fall in testing for Covid threatening to undermine India’s efforts to contain the pandemic. Testing has hovered around one million per day for the past few weeks, less than half the capacity.
“In the absence of sustained levels of sufficient testing, it is very difficult to determine the true level of infection spread in a geography,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter sent to the northeastern state of Nagaland, which has reduced testing by more than a third in two months.
“With a majority of countries seeing multiple surges in Covid cases in recent times and a few developed countries facing even fourth and fifth waves despite high levels of Covid vaccination, there is a need for continued vigil given the unpredictable and contagious nature of the disease.”
The ministry delivered similar warnings to other states. India has so far administered 1.18bn vaccine doses - which equates to at least one dose in 82% of its 944 million adults, and two doses in 44%.
WHO exec: greater uptake of masks in Europe over winter would 'save about 160,000 lives'
Hello, it is Martin Belam taking on the live blog for the next few hours. Rob Butler, executive director of World Health Organization Europe, has been on Sky News in the UK this morning. He made a strong appeal for people to continue to use face masks, saying:
We’re seeing waning immunity of vaccines, especially after the 30 week mark. We’ve got 45-47% of the entire population [of Europe] unvaccinated. Let me be absolutely clear, the majority of people in intensive care units today are the unvaccinated.
But there are other compounding factors. Winter. There is a seasonality observation we’re making at the moment. People moving indoors. The need for masks and need for more ventilation. As you possibly saw, the British Medical Journal last week showed a study where 53% of transmission was prevented by mask use. We only have 48% of the population in the European region using masks. The moment we see that go up, if we see this go up, we will see a reduction in cases and a reduction in deaths. If we saw 95% universal mask use, we can project that we would save about 160,000 lives.
So there’s a number of factors, plus the more transmissible Delta variants, which is accounting for about 99% of the cases in Europe today.
As cases begin surging once more in the US, millions of people are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, and health workers and hospital systems are now preparing for an influx of Covid patients after having little time to recover from the summer surge.
Last year, there was a major surge in cases around the holidays. But this year, new tools could blunt the spread – if they are taken up quickly.
US scientific agencies on Friday recommended boosters for all adults six months after mRNA vaccination, and children over the age of five recently became eligible for vaccines.
Existing treatments like monoclonal antibodies are highly effective if given early, while two promising antiviral medications from Merck and Pfizer may be authorized in coming weeks. But the new treatments may come against a backdrop of rising cases during the holiday season.
“It is a race against time,” Kyle Enfield, the associate chief medical officer of critical care at University of Virginia Health, said.
More than 92,000 Americans are now testing positive for Covid-19 each day, and more than 1,000 people are dying from the virus every day, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases are rising in a majority of states, with hotspots in the midwest, north-east and parts of the south-west.
Read more of Melody Schreiber’s report here: US hospitals prepare for influx of Covid patients as millions travel for Thanksgiving
AstraZeneca to run more clinical trials in people’s homes to improve diversity
AstraZeneca is to let more people take part in clinical trials from the comfort of their own homes in an attempt to increase the diversity of participants.
Recruiting volunteers to clinical trials can be difficult, but they are a crucial step in the development of new drugs, tests, devices and other interventions.
Concerns have been raised that a lack of diversity among people participating in clinical trials means drugs and medical equipment may be less effective in certain groups.
Read the full story here.
US to require vaccines for all non-US nationals crossing into its borders
US president Joe Biden will require essential, nonresident travellers crossing US land borders, such as truck drivers, government and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on 22 January, the administration planned to announce Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
A senior administration official said the requirement brings the rules for essential travellers in line with those that took effect earlier this month for leisure travellers, when the US reopened its borders to fully vaccinated individuals.
Essential travellers entering by ferry will also be required to be fully vaccinated by the same date, the official said.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement.
The rules pertain to non-US nationals. American citizens and permanent residents may still enter the US regardless of their vaccination status, but face additional testing hurdles.
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Hello I’m Samantha Lock and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis.
Once again, the world is showing deep divisions in the virus’ spread, vaccination uptake and government response.
South Korea has reported a new daily record of 4,116 new coronavirus cases as the country battles to contain a surge in serious cases requiring hospitalisation.
The country recently switched to a “living with Covid-19” plan aimed at lifting rigid distancing rules and ultimately reopening after reaching vaccination goals last month.
Over in the US, the Biden administration plans to require all essential, nonresident travellers crossing its land borders, such as truck drivers, government and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on 22 January.
The requirement brings the rules for essential travellers in line with those that took effect earlier this month for leisure travellers.
- Spain seeks tighter Covid restrictions as Germany considers mandatory vaccinations.
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Europe reported an 11% increase in new weekly cases while the South-East Asia region reported a decrease of 11%, the latest World Health Organization weekly report reveals.
- The Biden administration seeks to reinstate workplace vaccine mandates after asking a federal appeals court on Tuesday to lift a court-ordered stay on a sweeping workplace Covid-19 vaccine rule that requires employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly. Delaying the rule would lead to thousands of hospitalisations and deaths, the administration said in a filing with the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Kenya plans to deny government services to those who are unvaccinated. In a press briefing on 21 November, health minister Mutahi Kagwe said that from 21 December people seeking in-person government services should be fully vaccinated and should show proof of vaccination. The services include tax, immigration, port, and hospital services, he added.
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New Zealand to reopen borders to vaccinated visitors in the opening months of 2022, for the first time since a snap closure took effect in the first month of the pandemic. The country’s borders have been closed for more than a year and a half.
- Delays to England’s vaccination rollout may mean some 12- to 15-year-olds may not get their Covid jab until February next year – 15 weeks after the government’s original target for offering the jab to all eligible teenagers, according to Labour.
- Total Covid-19 deaths across Europe are likely to exceed 2 million by March next year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, adding that the pandemic had become the number one cause of death in the region.
- A third dose is likely needed to be fully vaccinated, Dr Anthony Fauci said, adding that the majority of Americans who have been vaccinated should receive the booster shot.
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Seven US doctors contracted Covid after attending an anti-vaccine summit in Florida.
- Justin Trudeau has said that his top priority for his new government is to get Covid-19 in Canada under control and get more people vaccinated as he pledged support to Canadian industries, which he said were still struggling due to the pandemic.
- According to an analysis of the Covid case rates across the UK, 75% of local authorities experienced a week-on-week rise in the seven days to 19 November.
- The UK reported a further 42,484 Covid-19 cases and 165 additional deaths, official data shows. The weekly tally was up by 9% to reach 297,658 who have tested positive.
- France announced that there were more than 30,000 Covid infections in the past 24 hours. On Monday, France reported 5,266 new cases.
- The Netherlands hit a new weekly record on Tuesday – with Covid cases rising by 39% – and intensive care unit admissions rising sharply. The figures show a 19% rise in hospital admissions over the last week and a 26% rise in intensive care unit admissions.
- Those in the UK were today urged to take a rapid Covid test before mixing in crowded indoor spaces, marking a change in government and NHS guidance. Previously, the guidance advised the public to use lateral flow tests twice a week.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s husband blamed the nation’s poor vaccination rate in part on “a certain German laziness and complacency”.
- The Netherlands has started transporting coronavirus patients to Germany in a bid to ease pressure on hospitals struggling to cope with a surge in cases.
