Category Archives: Coronavirus

Tens of thousands of Brazilians march to demand Bolsonaro’s impeachment

Posted on by

Protests in over 200 cities and towns in Brazil sparked by president’s handling of the Covid pandemic

Tens of thousands of protesters have poured on to the streets of Brazil’s largest cities to demand the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro over his catastrophic response to a coronavirus pandemic that has claimed nearly half a million Brazilian lives.

The demonstrators turned out in more than 200 cities and towns for what is the biggest anti-Bolsonaro mobilisation since Brazil’s Covid outbreak began

Continue reading...

Edinburgh festival fringe threatened by Covid rules, says organiser

Posted on by

CEO calls on Scottish ministers to replace 2-metre rule with 1 metre to secure future of world’s largest arts festival

The survival of the Edinburgh festival fringe is at stake unless social distancing rules for venues are relaxed within a fortnight, its organiser has said.

Shona McCarthy, the chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, called on ministers to replace the 2-metre rule with the 1-metre distance used in hospitality in order to help secure the future of the world’s largest arts festival.

Continue reading...

Covid-19 vaccine rollout Australia: vaccination progress state-by-state, daily doses tracker, numbers and live data

Posted on by

How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout compare with other countries and when will you be eligible to get vaccinated? We bring together the latest numbers on daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as stats and live data on total vaccination figures in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and other states.

Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout began in late February. Here we bring together the latest figures to track the progress of the rollout, as well as presenting an interactive tool to show when you might be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Continue reading...

Vietnam discovers new hybrid Covid variant, state media reports

Posted on by

Strain is a combination of UK and India variants and is said to spread quickly

Vietnam has discovered a new Covid-19 variant which spreads quickly by air and is a combination of variants first identified in India and the UK, state media has reported.

The country is struggling to deal with fresh outbreaks across more than half of its territory including industrial zones and big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Continue reading...

Vague messaging risks causing rise in English Covid cases, say scientists

Posted on by

Experts argue that a repeat of past failings could lead to an increase in transmissions over bank holiday

As confusion over whether people should really be travelling to “amber list” countries grew earlier this month, Boris Johnson stressed that his government was trying to move away from “endlessly legislating everything” to relying on guidance and trusting the public to do the right thing.

This vague messaging approach, scientists say, has been a persistent feature of the Covid response in England – to the public’s detriment – and now risks exacerbating a rise in Covid cases as people across the country gear up to travel to see their friends and family over the bank holiday. The continued risks of catching and spreading coronavirus haven’t been sufficiently explained to the public.

Continue reading...

Covid in England: what is the impact of lifting restrictions on 21 June?

Posted on by

From face masks to working from home, we examine what the government may risk ditching

From face masks to the rule of six, we’ve got used to Covid restrictions over the past 14 months. But next week the government in England is expected to unveil its review of social distancing rules, ahead of the potential full unlocking of society on 21 June. Although it’s unlikely that recommendations on handwashing and ventilation will be dropped, others, such as restrictions on household mixing or the 1-metre-plus rule, could be lifted.

Doing so would help the hospitality and travel industries, allowing pubs, restaurants and other indoor venues to increase their capacity, and more people to travel abroad for work or holidays. However, with coronavirus resurfacing in some areas of the UK, and the rise of new variants, some have questioned whether this is a good idea.

Continue reading...

Ireland to allow international travel again from 19 July

Posted on by

Common travel area with Britain will not be restored due to concerns over India variant

Ireland will adopt the European Union’s Covid-19 certificate to help citizens move more freely across the bloc and allow the resumption of international travel from mid-July.

The country’s government said it will broadly apply the same approach to arrivals from elsewhere including Britain and the US.

Continue reading...

Bard timing: Argentinian TV reports death of Shakespeare after Covid jab

Posted on by

Newsreader confuses Bill Shakespeare, 81, ‘the first man to get the coronavirus vaccine’ with ‘one of the most important writers in the English language’

In what can only be described as a comedy of errors, an Argentinian TV news channel delivered a stunning, if slightly flawed, scoop on Thursday night when it reported that William Shakespeare, “one of the most important writers in the English language” had died five months after receiving the Covid vaccine.

The gaffe of, well, Shakespearean proportions happened after Noelia Novillo, a newsreader on Canal 26, mixed up the Bard with William “Bill” Shakespeare, an 81-year-old Warwickshire man who became the second person in the world to get the Pfizer vaccine.

Continue reading...

Greece unveils first EU Covid passport as ‘fast lane to travel’

Posted on by

Prime minister says system will be up and running before 1 July deadline and in time for tourist season

The Greek government has unveiled the first EU Covid passport, described by the country’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as a “fast lane to facilitate travel”, after a successful dry run of the technology.

At a launch in Athens, Mitsotakis, who had led calls for a way to open up Europe in time for the summer tourism season, said the system would be up and running in Greece before a deadline set by Brussels for 1 July.

Continue reading...

US taking ‘very close look’ at vaccine passports for international travel

Posted on by

Homeland security chief Alejandro Mayorkas says ‘any passport that we provide for vaccinations … [must be] accessible to all’

The Biden administration is taking “a very close look” at the possibility of vaccine passports for travel into and out of the United States, the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said on Friday.

The Transportation Security Administration, which safeguards the nation’s transportation systems, is housed under Mayorkas’s department.

Continue reading...

Johnson & Johnson single-shot Covid vaccine approved for use in UK

Posted on by

Health secretary says jab made by US firm’s subsidiary Janssen will play important role in British programme

The UK’s medicines regulator has approved the use of a fourth Covid vaccine, as cases of the variant of concern first detected in India rise.

The jab from US-based pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is considered a key tool in the global arsenal against Covid, given it is a one-dose regimen, unlike the the other three vaccines approved for UK use that require two shots to provide a high level of protection.

Continue reading...

Glasgow to stay in toughest lockdown level as Covid cases rise

Posted on by

Nicola Sturgeon says it would be premature to move city out of tier 3 while situation remains ‘fragile’

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed Glasgow will remain in Scotland’s second toughest lockdown regime for at least another week, and said the country as a whole may not move down a tier, after Covid cases continued to rise.

The first minister said the latest infection and hospitalisation figures in Greater Glasgow and Clyde showed cases were rising, so it would be unwise to move the city down from tier 3 to 2 this weekend.

Continue reading...

Protesters call on banks to ‘drop African debt’ in wake of Covid

Posted on by

World’s poorest nations saddled with ‘imprisoning’ debt, hampering responses to the pandemic, say activists protesting HSBC meeting

Activists at a demonstration outside the annual general meeting of HSBC in London have demanded the bank and other financial giants provide debt relief to African countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

In an attempt to highlight the role of private creditors in the debt crises of the world’s poorest countries, campaigners with “drop the debt” banners gathered outside HSBC’s AGM at the Southbank Centre.

Continue reading...

Mexico’s doctors protest as vaccines denied to frontline health workers

Posted on by

Doctors’ pleas receive little sympathy from government as critics say President Amlo favoring teachers – for political reasons

Ana Sofía is radiologist at a state-run hospital in the Mexican city of Monterrey, not far from the Texas border. Her work often brings her into close contact with patients, but says she was denied a coronavirus vaccination as her superiors did not consider her to be a frontline worker.

In despair, she attended a rural vaccination event for the elderly and asked for a leftover dose of the Sinovac jab – but she was again rebuffed, this time by political operatives who told her: “Wait your turn.”

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: Greece and Spain to trial EU Covid travel certificate; South Africa fears winter virus surge

Posted on by

Greece and Spain to take part in tourism boost ahead of planned EU-wide launch on 1 July; southern hemisphere winter risks further virus spread

A royal academy chaired by Princess Chulabhorn, the youngest sibling of Thailand’s king, has said it would import 1 million doses of Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine next month, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised its use.

The announcement in the official Royal Gazette surprised some members of the government, which had until now insisted on being the sole importer of Covid-19 vaccines.

Greece has said it is ready to use a Covid-19 travel certificate before its EU-wide launch on 1 July to attract foreign travellers and save its tourism sector from a second summer lost to the coronavirus.

The free certificate will take the form of a QR code on a smartphone or paper, letting authorities determine the status of a visitor based on records in their home EU country.

Continue reading...

Greg Hunt says record number of people vaccinated – as it happened

Posted on by

Residents wake up to first day of week-long shutdown to contain growing number of cases. This blog is now closed

And we’re going to wrap the blog up for the evening. Here is what happened today:

Via AAP:

The Northern Territory’s chief health officer is in COVID-19 quarantine at the Howard Springs facility.

Continue reading...

‘Protect and invest’: WHO calls for 6m more nurses worldwide

Posted on by

Warnings of brain drain from developing world as Covid adds to numbers of nurses leaving profession

Health ministers around the world are being urged to sign off on plans to create 6m more nursing jobs by 2030, amid warnings that Covid-19 has exacerbated a global shortage and could spark a “brain drain” from the developing world.

Delegates meeting virtually this week at the World Health Assembly, the key decision-making body of the World Health Organization, are expected to adopt a resolution calling on countries to transform the nursing profession through more investment, support and training.

Continue reading...

Covid bereaved demand public inquiry and end to ‘political pantomime’

Posted on by

Dominic Cummings’ litany of claims against the government should be formally investigated, say families

Boris Johnson is facing a growing clamour to bring forward the start of the coronavirus public inquiry after Dominic Cummings’ allegations triggered a “political pantomime” that disrespects the victims of the pandemic, their relatives said.

The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, which represents thousands of grieving people, called for an urgent start to the inquiry, which is due to begin in spring 2022.

Continue reading...

Bad luck or bad management: why has Victoria had so many Covid outbreaks?

Posted on by

Medical experts explain how much quarantine breaches, cold weather and pure chance contribute to the spread of coronavirus cases in Melbourne

Victoria has started its seven-day circuit-breaker lockdown – its fourth lockdown since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Other states have also imposed snap lockdowns or restrictions as a result of Covid cases in the community, most recently New South Wales, after a mystery case. But, with the exception of Sydney’s northern beaches cluster, most leaks from hotel quarantine have not resulted in sizeable outbreaks.

Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of avoidable Covid deaths: is Cummings right?

Posted on by

Analysis: Scientists agree with the former adviser’s claim, with one calling the estimate ‘conservative’

One of the most shocking allegations made by Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings during Wednesday’s joint parliamentary committee hearing was his claim that “tens of thousands of people died who didn’t need to die”, because of the way the government handled the Covid pandemic.

His claims have some support from scientists, who have estimated that the toll from government delays could be as high as 33,000 lives.

Continue reading...