Omicron has played out in a series of strange stages in Australia. Here’s what to expect when the wave hits
Dear New Zealand,
Kia ora!
Continue reading...Category Archives: Coronavirus
Patient removed from heart transplant list for refusing Covid-19 vaccine
DJ Ferguson, 31, had previously been prioritized for a transplant by Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston
A Boston-area hospital said it will not perform a heart transplant on a patient who refuses to get a Covid-19 vaccination.
DJ Ferguson, 31, was previously prioritized for a heart transplant at Brigham and Women’s hospital, but is no longer eligible as he refuses to get vaccinated, said Ferguson’s family, according to a report by CBS Boston.
Continue reading...Robert F Kennedy Jr apologizes for Anne Frank comparison in anti-vax speech
- Kennedy’s remarks at Washington rally widely condemned
- Wife Cheryl Hines says reference to Frank ‘reprehensible’
The anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr apologized on Tuesday for suggesting things are worse for people living under Covid restrictions and mandates than they were for Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years.
His wife, the actor Cheryl Hines, who appears in the HBO hit Curb Your Enthusiasm, distanced herself from her husband in her own tweet on the subject. She called the reference to Frank “reprehensible and insensitive”.
Continue reading...‘Peace, freedom, no dictatorship!’: Germans protest against Covid restrictions
The university city of Cottbus held one of 2,000 rallies across Germany on Monday, stoked by the far right
On Monday evening on the dot of 7pm people emerged from dimly lit side streets and gathered on the Oberkirchplatz square in Cottbus for what has become a weekly ritual in towns and cities across Germany: a protest against coronavirus protection measures.
The demonstrations have grown in strength as cases of the Omicron variant have surged, and in recent weeks a looming decision on bringing in a vaccine mandate has become the focus of protesters’ ire. More than 2,000 rallies were held nationwide on Monday, drawing tens of thousands of participants.
Continue reading...Netflix’s Byron Baes cast appear to flout NSW Covid measures in Instagram videos
Covid cases in the Byron Bay area have exploded since December
Cast members of the Netflix reality series Byron Baes have posted videos to social media of people dancing to live music at a crowded Byron Bay venue in apparent contravention of New South Wales Covid measures.
Two of the show’s other stars have posted videos in the days after receiving positive Covid tests that appear to show them out in public.
Continue reading...Covid denialist and Bolsonaro ally Olavo de Carvalho died of virus, says daughter
Rightwing radical was a towering figure in Brazil who was adored and abhorred in equal measure by millions of followers and foes
Olavo de Carvalho, the coronavirus-denying mentor of Jair Bolsonaro and Brazil’s radical right, has died in the United States, with one of his children citing Covid-19 as the cause.
“The family … asks for prayers for the professor’s soul,” relatives said on Twitter after announcing the death of the 74-year-old polemicist – a towering figure in contemporary Brazilian politics who was adored and abhorred in equal measure by millions of followers and foes.
Continue reading...Long Covid: doctors find ‘antibody signature’ for patients most at risk
Low levels of certain antibodies found to be more common in those who go on to develop long Covid
Doctors have discovered an “antibody signature” that can help identify patients most at risk of developing long Covid, a condition where debilitating symptoms of the disease can persist for many months.
Researchers at University hospital Zurich analysed blood from Covid patients and found that low levels of certain antibodies were more common in those who developed long Covid than in patients who swiftly recovered.
Continue reading...UN data reveals ‘nearly insurmountable’ scale of lost schooling due to Covid
Up to 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries lack basic reading skills, with learning losses seen from US to Ethiopia
The scale of the number of children who have lost out on their schooling during the pandemic is “nearly insurmountable”, according to UN data.
Up to 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read or understand a simple text, up from 53% pre-Covid, the research suggested.
Continue reading...Australia news live update: nation records 76 Covid deaths; Anthony Albanese announces Labor election priorities
Labor leader outlines election priorities; nation records 76 Covid deaths; Peter Dutton warns against Russia invasion of Ukraine; giant ram survives 4.7 magnitude earthquake in WA. Follow all the latest news
- Grace Tame and Scott Morrison’s frosty meeting sparks praise, condemnation and memes
- Australia’s decision to withdraw people from Ukraine sends ‘wrong message’, diplomat says
- Police say Charlise Mutten, 9, was shot dead before body was found in Blue Mountains
- Poll: disillusion growing over Coalition handling of pandemic
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The benchmark ASX200 is set to fall 1.7% this morning, according to futures data, following further losses on overseas markets overnight.
In the US, the S&P500 fell 0.72% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index dropped 0.43%, while London’s FTSE100 shed a whopping 2.63%.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson faces fresh outrage over lockdown birthday party
Furious response from MPs and bereaved after revelation of celebration held indoors in contravention of Covid restrictions
Boris Johnson was facing renewed anger from MPs and bereaved families on Monday after the disclosure that his fiancee threw him a surprise lockdown birthday party, as sources said an official inquiry had uncovered “appalling evidence of mismanagement” at the heart of Downing Street.
Sue Gray, the senior civil servant leading the inquiry into Downing Street parties, is expected to make deeply critical recommendations on overhauling No 10’s operation after hearing of repeated failures of leadership, according to a Whitehall source who spoke to the inquiry.
Continue reading...UK scraps Covid testing after arrival for double-vaccinated travellers
Requirement to take lateral flow test will end from 4am on 11 February, cheered by airlines as a ‘landmark’
Coronavirus testing for double-vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK will be scrapped from 4am on 11 February.
In a boost for travel firms and families planning trips abroad, eligible passengers will no longer have to take a post-arrival lateral flow test (LFT). The change will save families about £100 a trip. The industry body Airlines UK said it was a “landmark day”.
Continue reading...Trudeau says Conservatives stoking fear over Canada’s trucker vaccine mandate
Prime minister says claims that Covid-19 measure will disrupt supply chain and boost inflation are ‘fearmongering’
Justin Trudeau has accused Canada’s conservative politicians of stoking fear that Covid-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers are exacerbating supply chain disruptions and fueling inflation.
The United States imposed a mandate, meant to aid the fight against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, on 22 January, while Canada’s started on 15 January. The trucking industry has warned that the measure will take thousands of drivers off the roads during what is already a dire labor shortage in the industry.
Continue reading...‘Paradigm shift’ needed in way WHO is funded, says director general
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Covid pandemic has proven that health is ‘an international issue’
The head of the World Health Organization has warned member countries that the UN’s global health body is being “set up to fail” without a “paradigm shift” in the way that it is funded and supported.
In stark language delivered to the WHO’s executive board, the organisation’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 5.5 million lives, had underlined the need to strengthen health systems as well as pandemic preparedness plans.
Continue reading...Testing for fully vaccinated travellers to UK to be scrapped; new vaccine pass rules in France – as it happened
UK transport secretary says testing rules for travellers into country will change from 4am on 11 February; new France rules come into force
- Boris Johnson faces fresh outrage over lockdown birthday party
- A full list of alleged UK government Covid rule-busting ‘parties’
- US to distribute 400m free N95 masks to pharmacies and health centres
- ‘Paradigm shift’ needed in way WHO is funded, says director general
- England to end Covid testing for double-vaccinated travellers
- Half of first-wave Covid cases may have lasting harm to sense of smell
That’s it from me, Helen Livingstone, for today. I’m handing you over to my colleague Martin Belam.
Before I go, here’s a roundup of what’s been happening over the past 24 hours:
Continue reading...Police use water cannon at Brussels protest against Covid rules – video
Violent clashes broke out between police and people protesting against Covid-19 restrictions in Brussels on Sunday. Police used teargas and fired water cannon in an effort to disperse protesters. Authorities said about 50,000 people took part in the demonstration in the Belgium capital, which coincided with similar protests in other European cities.
Protesters hurled projectiles outside the European Union's diplomatic service and metal barriers were thrown at officers in a metro station
Continue reading...Rising Covid cases in US nursing homes prompts hospital warnings
Omicron wave has led to staff shortages, meaning hospitals that would normally release patients into care homes are backed up
Covid cases are rising rapidly among US nursing home residents and staff, causing shortages in admissions, exacerbating bed shortages at hospitals in turn, and in some cases requiring the national guard to be called in.
The Omicron wave has sent many staff home sick at care facilities and rehabilitation centers that offer round-the-clock medical care. As a result, hospitals that would normally release patients into such stepped-down care are now holding off, creating a backlog of patients stuck in hospital.
Continue reading...Elderly woman forced to isolate under a tree in remote community due to lack of facilities
Quarantine facilities desperately needed in Yuendumu where Covid has ripped through community, relative says
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A resident of the remote community of Yuendumu, who is caring for a toddler and a partner on dialysis, is pleading with the Northern Territory government to provide a local quarantine facility, after her Covid-positive elderly relative was forced to sleep outside on the veranda and spend three days under a tree in order to safely isolate from the rest of the family.
The Warlpiri woman, who has asked not to be named, says she is “stressed and worried” that her child and partner remain exposed to the virus while the relative remains in their care. She says communication with health officials has left her confused about whether her relative will be sent to quarantine elsewhere or asked stay at home.
Continue reading...Long Covid: nearly 2m days lost in NHS staff absences in England
MPs urge support for workers after data shows extent of ongoing illness in first 18 months of pandemic
NHS trusts in England lost nearly 2m days in staff absences due to long Covid in the first 18 months of the pandemic, according to figures that reveal the hidden burden of ongoing illness in the health service.
MPs on the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on coronavirus estimate that more than 1.82m days were lost to healthcare workers with long Covid from March 2020 to September 2021 across England’s 219 NHS trusts.
Continue reading...Covid live: 74,799 more cases reported in UK; Russia breaks daily infection record
Latest updates: follow all the news and politics developments resulting from the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and around the world
- Half of first-wave Covid cases may have lasting harm to sense of smell
- Fauci: US ‘confident’ Omicron will soon peak even as hospitals struggle
- Australian children facing ‘generation-defining disruption’
- See recent coronavirus coverage
Sturgeon talks about the impact on business. She said she realises that hospitality has been badly affected by the pandemic.
“It’s not about having protective measures and businesses are damaged, or having no measures and everything is fine. It’s having measures than stem transmission, or allowing things to be controlled.”
Continue reading...Fauci: US ‘confident’ Omicron will soon peak even as hospitals struggle
- Biden chief medical adviser also predicts ‘a bit more pain’
- Cloth or N95? Mask disputes pit employees against bosses
US authorities are confident most states will soon reach and pass a peak in coronavirus Omicron variant cases, even as hospitals struggle to cope with the current surge, Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser said on Sunday.
“I think [we’re] as confident as you can be,” Anthony Fauci told ABC’s This Week. “You never want to be overconfident when you’re dealing with this virus, because it has certainly surprised us in the past.
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