The prime minister says in an interview in Northern Ireland that there is no need to change the government approach to Covid, as the rising case numbers are 'within the parameters of what the predictions were'. Calls to move to a 'plan B', which reintroduces some restrictions to limit the spread of the virus, have grown louder
Continue reading...Category Archives: Coronavirus
Top Saskatchewan health official moved to tears by unchecked Covid spread
Dr Saqib Shahab, the Canadian province’s chief medical officer, spoke of grief and frustration at deaths despite vaccine availability
A senior health official in western Canada has made an emotional plea for people to get vaccinated against coronavirus and observe social distancing recommendations, highlighting the grief and frustration felt by health workers in a country where Covid deaths continue despite the availability of vaccines.
Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer, Dr Saqib Shahab, was brought to tears during a briefing on Wednesday, as he presented new data showing the continuing pressure on the province’s hospitals and intensive care units.
Continue reading...Moscow announces one-week lockdown as Russia Covid deaths rise
Mayor’s plan follows Putin announcing a weeklong nationwide paid holiday to stop spread of virus
Moscow authorities have announced a weeklong closure of most non-essential services from 28 October, as Russia registered its highest daily number of coronavirus deaths and infections since the start of the pandemic.
“The situation in Moscow continues to develop in the worst scenario … In the coming days, we will reach a historic peak in coronavirus battle,” the Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said in a statement on Thursday explaining his decision to introduce the measure.
Continue reading...Deep within the UK’s shocking Covid data, there may be reasons for optimism
Analysis: soaring cases in schools are adding to the pool of the immune – which could soon see some community infections fall
It is hard to be upbeat about the latest numbers. The government’s Covid dashboard is awash with red and upward-pointing arrows. New cases have climbed 17% on the week. Hospital admissions are up 11% and deaths have increased by 21%. This is not where we wanted to be nearly two years into the pandemic – and 10 months into the most successful mass vaccination campaign in the history of the NHS.
So is this what we have to get used to? Nearly 1,000 hospital admissions a day, and nearly 1,000 deaths a week? There are so many forces at work in a pandemic, operating on different timescales, pushing in opposite directions, that reliable predictions are a fantasy. But delve into the data and there are, perhaps, some reasons for optimism.
Continue reading...Biden visits home town of Scranton to pitch huge investment agenda – as it happened
- President speaks at critical moment for domestic proposals
- Republicans block Democrats’ sweeping voting rights bill
- Activists call for robust climate provisions in reconciliation package
- Scrutiny grows of Joe Manchin’s support from oil, gas and coal
- Democrats request paid family leave remain in the Biden package
Climate activists have gathered on Capitol Hill to demand that Democrats’ reconciliation package effectively address the climate crisis.
One protester with Greenpeace carried cutouts of Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and moderate Democratic senator Joe Manchin, portraying Schumer as Manchin’s puppet.
Continue reading...FDA backs Moderna and J&J boosters as it OKs mixing Covid vaccines
CDC will consult panel this week before finalizing recommendations for who should get boosters and when
US regulators on Wednesday signed off on extending Covid-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose can get a brand different from the one they received initially.
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decisions mark a big step toward expanding the US booster campaign, which began with extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine last month.
Continue reading...MPs should set example with masks in battle against Covid, says Javid
Health secretary rejects calls for ‘plan B’ measures despite predicting infections could hit 100,000 a day
Politicians have a responsibility to set an example in the battle against Covid, including wearing masks in crowded spaces, Sajid Javid has suggested as he predicted new infections could hit a record 100,000 a day.
With the government under mounting pressure to impose measures to control the virus, Javid warned “this pandemic is not over” and insisted he would do “what it takes” to protect the health service. But he said: “We don’t believe that the pressures currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.”
Continue reading...Coronavirus cases could hit 100,000 a day this winter, says Javid – video
Ministers will do 'what it takes' to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed this winter, Sajid Javid has promised, as he said the number of new Covid infections across the UK could hit a record 100,000 a day. The health secretary said the government would not heed the NHS Confederation's call to implement 'plan B' measures such as mandatory mask wearing 'at this time', but that ministers would be 'staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities'
- Javid vows to protect NHS as he says Covid infections could hit 100,000 a day
- No 10 to buy new antiviral treatments for Covid in time for winter
Why is it business as usual in England while Covid infections rise?
Analysis: a winter plan has been set out but implementing it could be hampered by political squeamishness
More than 20 months into the Covid pandemic and with a tough winter looming, the public could be excused for having a distinct sense of deja vu.
Infection rates are rising sharply, scientists and senior NHS figures are sounding the alarm – but the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, was touring the broadcast studios on Wednesday morning ruling out a lockdown in England and telling people “absolutely” to book their Christmas parties.
Continue reading...Morocco to ban flights to and from UK over rising Covid rates
Suspension will take effect from 11.59pm on Wednesday and will last until further notice
Morocco is banning flights to and from the UK because of rising coronavirus case rates. Airlines cancelled several flights between the countries on Wednesday before the suspension comes into effect at 11.59pm.
Latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control show the north African country’s weekly rate of reported coronavirus cases on 14 October stood at 10.4 per 100,000 people. The UK’s comparable rate is 445.5.
Continue reading...Bolsonaro should be charged with crimes against humanity, Covid inquiry finds
Brazilian president savaged for ‘macabre’ and ‘slovenly’ response to pandemic and ‘deliberate neglect’ of indigenous people
Jair Bolsonaro should be charged with crimes against humanity and jailed for his “macabre” reaction to a Covid outbreak that has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians, including a disproportionate number of indigenous citizens, a congressional inquiry has found.
Two of the most dramatic accusations against the Brazilian president – murder and genocide of the country’s indigenous populations – were removed from a previous draft of the report on Tuesday night after talks between opposition senators serving on the inquiry.
Continue reading...Latvia is first country to reimpose lockdown in Europe’s new Covid wave
Baltic state once seen as coronavirus success story announces month of restrictions including curfew
Latvia has announced a month-long Covid-19 lockdown after an unprecedented surge in infections, becoming the first country in Europe to reimpose far-reaching restrictions amid a new wave of cases in countries across the continent.
The Baltic country has one of the highest rates of new Covid cases relative to population in the world, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after successfully keeping the virus at bay for months.
Continue reading...Coronavirus news live: minister rules out England lockdown as NHS chief says ‘overwhelming evidence’ action needed
Kwasi Kwarteng says talk of restrictions ‘unhelpful’ as NHS boss says health service faces ‘perfect storm’
- UK reports 233 Covid deaths, highest since March
- US to allow Americans to ‘mix and match’ booster shots of Covid vaccine
- Offshoot of Covid Delta variant on the rise across England
- Ministers urged to enact sweeping ‘plan B’ measures or risk NHS crisis
- English vaccine centres to take children’s bookings from next week
- Calls to charge Brazil president with murder over Covid toll
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Chief executive of the NHS confederation Matthew Taylor has been on Sky News in the UK, and he had a strong message in support of the government taking steps towards “plan B” and take some action to avert a healthcare crisis over the winter. He said
The question is do we need to act? And I would say the overwhelming evidence is we do need to act, and then the question is, is it better to act early and take measures which don’t stop the economy working – but I recognise they are inconvenient – or do we wait, wait for things to get worse, and possibly risk having to take more severe measures.
So, the elements of plan B enable us to carry on with our lives, carry on with the economy, but to do so in a way which produces the risk. And after all, most of the measures in plan B are measures that other countries in Europe are continuing to enact, and they have lower infection rates than we do.
The government said that the criteria for determining whether or not we enacted elements of plan B was the position of the health service, and the health service is facing a perfect storm.
Winter is always tough for the health service for various reasons. We have got thousands of Covid patients in hospital, and it looks like those numbers are rising in line with the rising infection rate. And we’ve also got the huge pent-up demand that’s built up over the last 18 months.
Continue reading...‘He cared when no one did’: Filipino human rights lawyer Chito Gascón dies of Covid
Gascón, who frequently clashed with Rodrigo Duterte over his ‘war on drugs’, has been hailed as a ‘true hero’ of democracy
José Luis Martín C Gascón used a walking stick to carry out his duties as the Philippines’ “courageous” human rights lawyer, a result of living with with diabetes and the wound it left on his right foot.
But in the words of his brother, Miguel Gascón, who confirmed his death on Facebook earlier this month, “of all the battles you fought, we had to lose you to Covid-19”.
Continue reading...Deaths among the double vaccinated: what is behind the Australian statistics?
A small number of people become severely unwell with Covid even if they are fully vaccinated, but the data suggests they mostly suffer from other conditions as well
On Tuesday, there were 356 Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care wards throughout Australia. Of those, 25 were fully vaccinated.
While the data points to the extraordinary efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines in preventing people from becoming severely unwell, being hospitalised and dying, it does raise the question: why do a small number of people become seriously ill and, in rare cases, die, despite being fully vaccinated?
Continue reading...Charge Bolsonaro with murder over Covid toll, draft Brazil senate report says
Draft text says neglect, incompetence and opposition to science fueled ‘stratospheric’ death toll
The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, should face murder charges for his role in the country’s “stratospheric” coronavirus death toll, a draft report from a senate inquiry into Brazil’s Covid crisis has recommended.
The 1,078-page document, published by Brazilian media on Tuesday afternoon, is not due to be voted on by the commission until next week and could yet be modified by senators.
Continue reading...Without Covid-19 jab, ‘reinfection may occur every 16 months’
Reports grow of repeat infection as experts warn prevalence among school pupils puts older people at risk
As Covid-19 infections surge in England, people are increasingly reporting catching Sars-CoV-2 for a second or even third time.
New analysis has suggested that unvaccinated individuals should expect to be reinfected with Covid-19 every 16 months, on average.
Continue reading...Covid live: no contingency measures for UK despite high deaths; Pfizer jab 93% effective in keeping children out of hospital
UK reports further 223 deaths but UK government says no to plan B for now; US study shows success in preventing hospitalisation of 12- to 18-year-olds
- UK records highest Covid deaths since March
- Offshoot of Covid Delta variant on rise in England
- New Zealand Covid cases rise to new record as nation switches strategy
- Britons warned of difficult months ahead as UK situation ‘concerning’
- See all our coronavirus coverage
The Czech Republic is embroiled in a political crisis with the ill-health of far-right president Miloš Zeman coinciding with a general election, and it is also seeing rising Covid numbers.
Robert Muller reports from Prague for Reuters that the Czech Republic detected 2,521 new cases of Covid yesterday, the highest daily tally since late April.
Continue reading...Minister defends Johnsons’ Christmas ‘childcare bubble’ with Nimco Ali
Anne-Marie Trevelyan says she has no doubt PM and his wife followed the rules during ‘really tough time’
Carrie Johnson needed her friend in her “childcare bubble” with Boris Johnson for extra support over Christmas because of the challenges of running the country and experiencing difficult pregnancies, a cabinet minister has claimed.
It has been revealed that the Johnsons’ friend Nimco Ali, godmother to their son Wilfred, spent Christmas with the family at a time when lockdown restrictions in London prevented almost all household mixing.
Continue reading...Offshoot of Covid Delta variant on the rise in England
UK Health Security Agency monitoring AY.4.2 as daily cases at highest level since late July
A newly detected coronavirus variant is on the rise in England, with the virus believed to be an offshoot of Delta.
According to a briefing from the UK Health Security Agency, released on Friday, “a Delta sublineage newly designated as AY.4.2 is noted to be expanding in England”, with the body adding that the variant is being monitored and assessed.
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