Category Archives: Coronavirus

National pandemic exit plan modelling doesn’t examine what happens after restrictions are eased

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Critics say national cabinet roadmap appears ‘risky’ with Doherty Institute only considering best strategy for next six months

National cabinet’s pandemic exit strategy only considered modelling for the “transition” phase over the next six months, with the Doherty Institute yet to consider how relaxed restrictions will affect transmission in the community.

The federal government on Tuesday released the modelling that underpinned the updated four-phase roadmap announced on Friday, with the research highlighting the need for a “strategic shift” to targeting young adults who were most likely to transmit the virus.

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Johnson’s travel policy in chaos, Labour says, after ‘amber watchlist’ ditched

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Ministers need to get a grip on ‘reckless U-turns and confusion’, shadow transport secretary says

No 10 is facing claims that its international travel policy is in chaos after Boris Johnson ditched a plan for an “amber watchlist” that would have created a five-tier warning system for England.

After a revolt in the cabinet and a backlash from the travel industry, government sources said on Monday night that Boris Johnson would not be going ahead with proposals for an amber watchlist tier to warn travellers which countries were at risk of turning red.

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If education is such a great investment, it deserves serious international backing

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The World Bank and IMF should step in to finance a recovery of children’s learning chances devastated by the pandemic

“Education,” wrote Nelson Mandela, “is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” One wonders what he would have made of the response to the education crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. A crisis threatening to derail social and economic progress, trapping millions of children in poverty. The UN secretary general has warned of a “generational catastrophe”, yet the international response has been marked by staggering complacency.

That lack of concern was on public display at last week’s Global Education Summit in London. Fresh from cutting UK aid to education by 40%, Boris Johnson – a self-styled champion for universal girls’ education – opened proceedings by declaring that education was “the single best investment we can make in the future of humanity”.

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Hundreds of health workers in isolation as Delta hits Australian state of Queensland

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Outbreak forces millions into lockdown in the sunshine state as New South Wales races to administer 6m doses amid Covid surge

Hundreds of critical health workers in the Australian state of Queensland have gone into isolation as the country battles a growing Delta outbreak, while New South Wales raced to administer 6m vaccine doses before the scheduled end of lockdown in less than four week’s time.

Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, said health workers in quarantine included all the cardiac surgeons at the Queensland Children’s hospital, leading to delays in surgery and outpatient work.

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US reaches Biden’s 70% first-shot goal as threat to unvaccinated people grows

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CDC director issues new warning as cases rise: ‘Covid-19 is clearly not done with us’

At least 70% of adults in the US have now received at least one Covid-19 vaccination shot, the White House announced on Monday, reaching a target Joe Biden originally said he had hoped to achieve by 4 July.

The administration reported the news in a tweet hailing “Milestone Monday” by Cyrus Shahpar, the government’s Covid-19 data director, who said the seven-day average of people receiving their first dose – 320,000 – was the highest since the Independence Day holiday.

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Jeremy Clarkson criticises Covid scientists, saying ‘if you die, you die’

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Broadcaster complains about caution shown by ‘communists at Sage’ over reopening society

It is a long list that includes travellers, cyclists, animal rights activists, lorry drivers, George Michael and Liverpool. Now Jeremy Clarkson has opened himself up to more anger after he criticised “those communists at Sage” preventing opening up because, he argues, “if you die, you die.”

In an interview with the Radio Times, Clarkson gives his views on the pandemic and what should happen next. Many will find his thoughts typically boorish and insensitive.

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Australia politics live: parliament resumes; Victoria records four new Covid cases; Westmead hospital worker tests positive

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Anthony Albanese wants the Morrison government to provide a one-off $300 payment to every person who has been fully vaccinated by 1 December. Follow latest updates

The RBA is meeting today to discuss Australia’s cash rate.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you...but expect, no change.

For those interested, you can find the daily legislation schedule for the house, here

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White House asks states to aid renters as CDC can’t extend eviction moratorium

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Biden administration lacks authority to extend moratorium because supreme court said in June Congress would have to act

The White House said Monday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was “unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium” and asked instead that states and local governments put in policies to keep renters in their homes.

Related: US states brace for ‘avalanche’ of evictions as federal moratorium ends

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Covid restrictions and screens linked to myopia in children, study shows

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Hong Kong research suggests less time outdoors and more doing ‘near work’ accelerates short-sightedness

Spending more time indoors and on screens because of Covid restrictions may be linked to an increased rate of short-sightedness in children, researchers say.

The study, which looked at two groups of children aged six to eight in Hong Kong, is the latest to suggest that lockdowns and other restrictions may have taken a toll on eyesight: data from more than 120,000 children of a similar age in China, published earlier this year, suggested a threefold increase in the prevalence of shortsightedness, or myopia, in 2020.

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Johnson dumps ‘amber watchlist’ plan as it emerges top adviser has quit

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Proposals for tougher quarantine rules for some holidaymakers killed off after cabinet revolt

Boris Johnson has ditched plans for tougher quarantine restrictions for some holidaymakers after days of chaos, as it emerged the chief of the Joint Biosecurity Centre that advises on travel rules has departed the job leaving it “rudderless”.

After a revolt in the cabinet and a backlash from the travel industry, government sources said the prime minister would not be going ahead with proposals for a new “amber watchlist” to warn travellers which countries were at risk of turning red.

Cabinet sources said the plans were killed off by the Treasury and Department for Transport, as ministers grow in confidence about the drop in cases, which fell to 21,052 on Monday.

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Research into non-injectable Covid vaccines brings hope for needle-phobics

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Scientists say anxiety around needles could be playing role in vaccine hesitancy in the UK

The sight of a needle piercing skin is enough to chill a quarter of adult Britons and trigger up to 4% into fainting. But hope is on the horizon for needle-phobics as researchers are working on a range of non-injectable Covid vaccine formulations, including nasal sprays and tablets.

Almost every vaccine in use today comes with a needle, and the approved Covid-19 vaccines are no exception. Once jabbed, the body’s immune system usually mounts a response, but scientists in the UK and beyond are hoping to harness the immune arsenal of the mucous membranes that line the nose, mouth, lungs and digestive tract, regions typically colonised by respiratory viruses including Covid-19, in part to allay the fears of needle-phobics.

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Ibiza plan for foreign ‘detectives’ to infiltrate parties as Covid cases surge

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Spanish officials are working to recruit foreigners to help police in detecting illegal gatherings

Wanted: foreigners between 30 and 40 years old willing to party in Ibiza in the name of combating the coronavirus pandemic.

Spanish officials on the island are working to assemble a squad from abroad who would be capable of infiltrating parties that breach local coronavirus regulations and flagging them to authorities.

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Australia Covid live update: some children aged 12 to 15 eligible for vaccine; NSW confirms 207 cases and 15th death; Qld records 13 cases and extends lockdown

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NSW records 15th death; Queensland announces business support package as it extends lockdown in 11 LGAs until Sunday; South Australia restrictions eased; Victoria records two local cases; 300 ADF troops start patrolling in Sydney. Follow latest updates

David Gillespie has been seen in the parliament – so Christian Porter has been chosen to be the acting leader of the house, ahead of Gillespie who is the deputy leader of the house.

Barnaby Joyce will be holding a press conference in 15 minutes to talk extended support for the aviation industry.

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Coronavirus live news: Germany to start booster vaccines in September; Iran posts new record daily cases

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Germany will also offer vaccines to children over 12 from September; Iran reports more than 37,000 cases of coronavirus in 24 hours for the first time

Mexico’s health ministry reported 6,506 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country and 245 more fatalities, bringing its total to 2,861,498 infections and 241,279 deaths.

The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll is at least 60% above the confirmed figure, Reuters reports.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has taken a Covid-19 test after picking up a “seasonal sniffle” from her three-year-old daughter, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Ardern will step back from her duties for the day due to the sickness and the deputy prime minister Grant Robertson will take on the responsibilities, the spokesman said.

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Indian domestic workers lose their jobs to Covid fears

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Cleaners no longer welcome in middle class homes, as wealthier Indians turn to machines for help

The job paid a pittance, with two days off a month, and sometimes the mistress of the house would call out as part-time cleaner Noor Jahan was almost out of the door “just massage my feet before you leave” – an extra service for which there was no pay.

Yet Jahan, 56, wants the job back, despite a monthly salary of only 3,000 rupees (£30) and the fact that “cleaning” served as a catch-all for cooking, ironing, watering the plants, and childcare.

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Fiji’s emergency Covid-19 hotline fell silent during the rugby sevens final: we really needed this win | Sheldon Chanel

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The men’s gold and women’s bronze medals meant everything to Fiji, which has the highest per-capita Covid infection rate in the world

When the Fijian men’s sevens team beat New Zealand to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, the entire nation celebrated.

The win could not have come at a better time. Fiji is in the grip of a deadly second outbreak of Covid-19, on top of a potential political crisis over controversial native land legislation.

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Fauci backs new masks guidance as Florida reports highest one-day Covid case total

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Florida’s ban on mask mandates came under increasing scrutiny from public health officials on Sunday as the surging Delta variant pushed new daily cases of Covid-19 in the state to a record high.

Related: US vaccinations rise but White House frustrated with media ‘alarmism’

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Leaders tackle global question of how to persuade people to get Covid jab

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Spectrum of measures including incentives and hardline laws have met with responses varying from rise in uptake to wave of protests

Last week, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, appeared on television for a late-night address.

The hardliner has previously pushed a shoot-to-kill policy against drug gangs, but had something else on his mind this time: the coronavirus pandemic and those refusing to be vaccinated, who he suggested should be compelled to stay at home.

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Coronavirus live news: UK chancellor ‘pushes PM to relax holiday rules’; mass testing amid China outbreak

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Latest updates: Rishi Sunak says restrictions ‘out of step’ with international rivals, according to media reports; China battling worst caseload in months

As cases of the Delta coronavirus variant have risen and vaccination rates slowed, several US businesses and institutions have announced they will now require vaccinations from employees.

Major companies like Walmart and Disney said this week all employees must be vaccinated, while Joe Biden said all federal employees must be vaccinated or face masking, testing and distancing requirements.

Related: America mulls vaccine mandates – will they work?

Hackers have attacked and shut down the IT systems of the company that manages Covid-19 vaccination appointments for the Lazio region surrounding Rome, the regional government said on Sunday.

“A powerful hacker attack on the region’s CED (database) is under way,” the region said in a Facebook posting.

It is a very powerful hacker attack, very serious... everything is out. The whole regional CED is under attack.

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Australia Covid update: NSW reports 239 new cases and seven ICU patients in their 20s

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Gladys Berejiklian says higher vaccination rates the ‘only way to live with Delta’ as Queensland cluster grows to 18 on first day of snap lockdown

Gladys Berejiklian has said New South Wales plans to break vaccination records this month in an effort to control Covid-19, as the state recorded 239 new cases – the equal-highest daily figure in the current Delta outbreak.

The NSW premier on Sunday said higher vaccination rates were the “only way to live with Delta or any other horrific strain that comes along” and urged people in NSW to make August their month to come out and get vaccinated.

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