Category Archives: Coronavirus

Coronavirus live news: UK continues debate over jabs for children; Australia records highest daily cases

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Sage expert responds to UK watchdog’s decision not to recommend vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds; 1,756 infections in Australia on Saturday

Vaccine passport restrictions in France could be eased if rates of Covid-19 infections in the country begin to slow, the labour minister, Élisabeth Borne, said on Saturday.

“The health situation is improving. If this is confirmed, we will be able to ease the rules,” Reuters quoted Borne telling France Inter radio, adding that this could be decided “in the coming days”.

In another sporting cancellation, the boxer Oscar De La Hoya has said his comeback fight due for next weekend has been cancelled after he caught Covid.

Wanted you to hear directly from me that despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted Covid and am not going to be able to fight next weekend. Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, & I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support. pic.twitter.com/0wKEnr5Jzv

I am currently in the hospital getting treatment and am confident I will be back in the ring before the year is up. God bless everyone and stay safe.

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Grim day with record numbers in NSW and ACT and rising Victorian cases – as it happened

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Moderna vaccine gets green light for over-12s; more than 1,000 families asked to isolate after Queensland girl tests positive. This blog is now closed

Before we wrap up the live blog, let’s recap the main events of today.

It’s been another grim day. The NSW and ACT reported record case numbers. Victoria has warned of a NSW-style growth in its numbers.

Civil liberties groups have criticised a lack of safeguards and primary legislation accompanying an app being trialled in South Australia that uses facial recognition and geolocation data to enforce home quarantine.

SA is trialling the app, which the government developed, on a small number of volunteers who have returned from interstate. It requires them to answer a message within 15 minutes, using facial recognition and geolocation to verify their identity and location. If they fail to do so, the app alerts police.

It’s the usual thing, it’s done in a very half-baked way, and without all the necessary provisions about what you actually do with the information you’re collecting.

Related: South Australia facial recognition trial: Covid app blasted by Fox and Breitbart criticised over lack of safeguards

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PM’s former aide blames Whitehall for Covid ‘mixed messages’

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Lee Cain says pandemic exposed a communications system ill equipped for the 21st century

Boris Johnson’s former director of communications has blamed a lack of expertise in Whitehall for the government’s struggle to get its message across in the early days of the Covid crisis.

Lee Cain was a key adviser to Johnson, who boasted about shaking hands on a hospital visit, claimed the government could “turn the tide” within 12 weeks, and said it would be “inhuman” to cancel Christmas, days before ordering millions of people to spend the festive season at home.

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Vaccines on horseback: Fiji doctors take long and muddy road to protect remote villages from Covid

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A team of medics hiked in the mountains for hours to take supplies to the small village of Nakida

To reach Nakida village in the highlands of Fiji, Dr Losalini Tabakei and her colleagues hiked for hours, up and down mountains, through forests, down muddy slopes, across rivers and along treacherous ridges with steep slopes of bamboo forest on either side.

Their supplies – clothing, medical equipment and, crucially, the Covid-19 vaccines they were bringing to administer to the remote community of just 60 people – were sent separately on horseback; the vaccines in refrigerated boxes, the rest in bags wrapped in plastic. The horses took the longer but flatter route to the town along the river.

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Covid jabs for UK children: a very tight decision that could be overruled

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Analysis: The JCVI would not back vaccination of all 12 to 15-year-olds, but the impact on schools will now have to be considered

It was, the scientists said, a very finely balanced decision. On the one hand, Covid vaccines undoubtedly help to reduce infection and illness. On the other, Covid vaccines – like every other vaccine in medical history – are not without their risks. In children aged 12 to 15, the threat of serious Covid is tiny, but so is the risk of serious side-effects from the vaccine.

After much deliberation, the government’s independent vaccine advisers concluded that, on the strength of evidence so far, there was a marginal benefit to vaccinating healthy children aged 12 to 15 years old. But that benefit was deemed so very marginal the advisers would not give the green light to mass vaccination of healthy children in the age group.

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Coronavirus live news: Denmark to give third jab to care home residents; UK watchdog rules out vaccine for children

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Denmark has recorded a rise in cases in nursing homes; UK vaccines watchdog says not enough evidence to roll out Covid jabs to 12- to 15-year-olds; North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has ordered officials to fight Covid in ‘our style’

Consumers have been warned of an autumn rise in living costs from sharp increases in household energy bills and food prices, as Covid and Brexit disruption ripple through the UK economy.

Sounding the alarm for a wide range of products and services going up in price, business leaders said the UK was facing a “perfect storm” of worker shortages and problems with global supply chains that would lead to a burst of inflation within months.

Related: Inflation set to surge this autumn as Brexit and Covid combine

Here is a brief summary of all the big coronavirus news from so far today:

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Italy could soon make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory, says PM

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Mario Draghi’s announcement sparks row in country where protests and violence from anti-vaxxers are on the rise

Italy’s prime minister has announced his government could make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory, sparking a row in the country that has seen a recent rise in protests and violence from anti-vaxxers.

During a press conference on Thursday, Mario Draghi said all Italians of eligible age could soon be obliged to get a shot, as soon as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives its conditional approval for four vaccines.

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Stress test: how ‘burnout breaks’ are helping staff recover from pandemic

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Businesses are becoming increasingly aware that exhaustion is a ticking timebomb

This week, staff at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon breathed a prolonged sigh of relief, after learning that they were getting a week off to de-stress and recover from the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an open message to staff posted on LinkedIn, Nike’s senior manager of global marketing science, Matt Marrazzo, told staff: “In a year (or two) unlike any other, taking time for rest and recovery is key to performing well and staying sane.”

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Scott Morrison unveils ‘dose swap’ deal with UK to provide extra 4m Pfizer vaccines

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Prime minister says deal will boost supplies in September as 12-to-15-year-olds join vaccination rollout

Australia’s vaccine program has received a boost, with a doubling of the number of Pfizer vaccines flowing into the country, after a “dose swap” deal was secured with the UK.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, says the deal will “break the back” of the September supply issues, with his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, agreeing to send 4m Pfizer doses to Australia, which will be distributed to the states and territories on a per capita basis.

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NSW Covid-19 update: record high 1,431 cases and 12 deaths with numbers ‘to get worse’ – video

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NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says Covid-19 case numbers are expected to continue rising and peak in the next two weeks after a record high 1,431 new cases and 12 deaths were recorded across the state. 'In terms of hospitalisation in ICU beds, there is often a week or two week lag. It means that the highest number of people in our intensive care wards are likely to present during the month of October,' Berejiklian said.

Friday's numbers were the highest daily infection figures ever recorded by an Australian jurisdiction in a day.

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Australia Covid live news update: NSW records 1,431 cases and 12 deaths as Pfizer vaccine doses arrive; Victoria records 208 cases and one death

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NSW relaxes one small rule in LGAs of concern, as national cabinet prepares to meet. Follow today’s updates

The ACT has recorded 18 new cases today, with 13 linked to previous cases and 5 under investigation.

Only 3 of the cases were in quarantine for their full infectious period.

So contact tracing feels like the theme of todays NSW press conference, with the premier saying the system will move to a “self-monitoring” system.

The premier was asked about the long delays that some had seen in getting responses from health authorities, and Berejiklian said NSW Health had moved to a text message system to ease some of the strain:

Without giving away anybody’s private circumstances, some people who are very sick aren’t getting a test until right at the last minute,” the Premier said, adding “the job of our contact tracers is made easier if people get tested as soon as they think they may have been exposed.

But I want to make sure every citizen knows we will account for every type of circumstance. We don’t want anyone to feel excluded, quite the opposite. Our plans are based on inclusiveness to make sure everyone feel safe and part of the system. Of course we will also make adjustments for people who may not have access to technology in the way that others do.

Obviously there will be a transition.

We have already started transitioning as Doctor Chant and Dr Gale have spoken about, we are advising people by text message to make sure they get the message as soon as possible if they test positive so we are using technology in an efficient way to make sure people get the message as quickly as possible.

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New Zealand: Covid-positive escapee had tried to flee hotel quarantine three times, officials say

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Man’s mother said she had called police on her son when he left home in Auckland after receiving his positive test result

A man who tested positive for Covid-19 before absconding from a quarantine facility in Auckland on Thursday had attempted to escape three times before he was successful, health officials report.

New Zealand police arrested the man at a south Auckland address on Thursday afternoon, roughly 10km from the Novotel Ibis hotel in Ellerslie, where he was quarantining. He had been in the community for at least 12 hours at the time of his arrest.

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‘Concerned’ intensive care doctors warn Australia faces surge demand in coming months

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Survey of specialists forms part of Brendan Murphy’s brief to national cabinet on the ability of the health system to cope with rising Covid cases

Intensive care doctors have warned that Australia’s health system could face months of surge demand that will strain the workforce as a result of the Delta outbreak, as they stress the need for an increase in Covid vaccination rates to ease the burden on hospitals.

The federal health secretary, Brendan Murphy, will update Friday’s meeting of national cabinet about the hospital system’s ability to cope, informed by a survey from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (Anzics), after the Australian Medical Association warned that the system was already struggling.

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No urgency on Covid booster shots for healthy adults, says UK scientist

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Exclusive: head of key research into third dose says it may be better to prioritise vulnerable first

There is “almost certainly no urgency” to press ahead with booster shots for healthy adults and it may be better to see how the pandemic pans out before a decision is made, the scientist leading key research into third shots has said.

Prof Saul Faust, chief investigator of the Cov-Boost study whose data next week is expected to help inform a decision on the rollout of boosters across the UK, told the Guardian that for now it may be preferable to prioritise only the vulnerable, including those with compromised immune systems.

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Sage members sent suspicious packages throughout pandemic, says leading scientist

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Prof Calum Semple and others advising government on Covid-19 response have been targeted by anti-vaxxers

Members of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have been sent suspicious packages and hate mail throughout the pandemic, one of the UK’s leading virologists has revealed.

Prof Calum Semple, a member of Sage and the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the incidents of abuse included one “particularly nasty” experience when he was targeted by anti-vaxxers.

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Xi Jinping’s drive for economic equality comes at a delicate moment for China

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President wants to spread ‘common prosperity’ but Covid and material shortages could spell trouble

For decades the aim in China has been the pursuit of growth, building the world’s second-largest economy from a relative backwater on the international stage. Now, the promise from Beijing is to enlarge the economic pie and divide it well.

President Xi Jinping announced plans this month to spread “common prosperity” in what is one of the world’s most unequal major economies, signalling a shift from his predecessors’ pursuit of growth and heralding a tough crackdown on wealthy elites – including China’s burgeoning group of technology billionaires.

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Coronavirus live news: Taiwan receives first Pfizer doses; vaccination nearly halves chance of long Covid – study

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Likelihood of long Covid in double-jabbed adults who get coronavirus almost half; Taiwan receives delivery organised by tech giants and a charity

Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines on Thursday, a delivery organised by two tech giants and a charity because of diplomatic pressure from China, AFP reports.

The 930,000 doses are the first of 15 million jabs acquired by Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), as well as Buddhist charity Tzu Chi foundation, in deals with a China-based distributor after months of wrangling.

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan has received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines, a delivery organised by two tech giants and a charity because of diplomatic pressure from China.

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Australia Covid live news update: NSW records 1,288 cases and seven deaths; Victoria halves AZ dose gap after 176 cases, ACT 12

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Victoria halves time between AZ vaccinations; state’s chief psychiatrist says ‘please reach out to your kids’; unlimited exercise for LGAs of concern in greater Sydney; NSW records seven deaths; ACT records 12 new cases, Queensland one new case – follow latest updates

I have just been reminded of when China’s president, Xi Jinping also “encouraged” education authorities in Macao on Thursday to make further efforts to promote patriotic education in the special administrative region.

From the China Daily report late last year:

Xi made the remark while inspecting the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School in Macao. He attended a class on Chinese history themed “’one country, two systems’ and Macao”, and delivered a speech to teachers and students at the school.

Xi told them that the class has great and special significance because it demonstrates the fundamental and substantial elements of history and education.

And that’s it – no more question time for six weeks.

Thank Dolly.

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Japan’s Moderna Covid vaccine rollout hit by recall and contamination scares

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Foreign materials including stainless steel identified in batches of Covid-19 vaccine though no safety or efficacy issues have been reported

The Moderna coronavirus vaccine programme in Japan has been hit by a series of contamination incidents, prompting it to recall 1.63m doses found to contain metal fragments.

Other potential contaminants have been identified in separate batches over the past week but so far no injuries as a result of those vaccines have been reported.

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