Category Archives: Coronavirus

Australia records more than 4,000 daily Covid cases for first time – as it happened

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NSW’s 2,482 new Covid cases the worst total of any Australian state or territory since pandemic began; Queensland records 31 cases. This blog is now closed

The chainsaws outside my window have now been replaced by leaf blowers. Who authorised this?!

Ahead of the prime minister’s appearance in Tasmania today, I highly recommend reading Katharine Murphy’s latest analysis of Morrison’s strategy so far in the lead-up to next year’s election:

When he’s not trialling new made-for-TV grabs (a new “shake and bake” analogy, which I think was invoked first in relation to emissions reduction, and now has morphed into something broadly economy adjacent, or “jabs and jobs” which was Friday’s innovation), the prime minister has taken to listing things.

Morrison’s current list includes saving lives during the pandemic. Shoring up the health system “with more than $33bn from the federal government in additional investment”. Saving livelihoods with “the single largest economic rescue package in our history”. Presiding over economic recovery after the waves of the pandemic – “more than 350,000 jobs created in a five-week period after the lockdowns were lifted, and through the crisis, we have maintained that AAA credit rating”.

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T-cells in Pfizer Covid jab recipients stay robust against severe illness

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Research in South Africa raises hopes that similar responses may be present with other vaccines

South African researchers examining how the body’s immune system responds to the Omicron variant have identified that T-cells in people who have had the Pfizer vaccine continue to be robust in potentially protecting against severe illness despite Omicron’s ability to evade other defences.

The research raises hopes that similar responses may be present with other vaccines and within unvaccinated individuals who have been infected with coronavirus.

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‘It’s a fraught moment’: Omicron puts brakes on US return-to-office plans

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Employers are pausing efforts to call remote workers back in amid a renewed push for strikes and unionization

Large US companies are now pulling back on plans to return to in-person work in light of the Omicron variant’s rapid spread across America.

Employers planning to call remote workers back into the office in the new year are now pausing those efforts, and they are wary of setting new return dates only to push them back once again in the face of continued uncertainty and risks from the pandemic.

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Why a UK Omicron wave is dangerous – even if we see mostly mild cases

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Analysis: If the spread continues at this rate, a small proportion of Covid hospitalisations is a serious matter

With the booster programme at full tilt across the UK, immunity against Covid is rising – so it is perhaps not surprising that the concern shown by experts over the steep rise in Omicron infections has left some bemused.

For while the new variant is believed to dodge Covid vaccines to some degree, it is thought the jabs still offer good protection against severe disease – particularly after a booster. And greater levels of immunity mean a lower ratio of hospitalisations to cases – something we have seen before in the UK, where about 22% of cases in those aged 65 and older ended up in hospital in early 2021, when Alpha was dominant but few had received a vaccine, compared with about 6% after the vaccine rollout was well under way.

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Bolsonaro threatens to identify officials who approved Covid jabs for children

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Brazilian president plans to reveal identities despite health officers receiving death threats

The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has asked for the names of health officials who approved Covid vaccines for children, saying he planned to make their identities public despite previous death threats.

In late October, Brazil’s health regulator, Anvisa, released a statement saying five of its directors had received death threats over the possible approval of vaccinations for children of five-11. The agency granted such approval for the Pfizer shot on Thursday.

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Covid live: half of UK adults receive booster vaccine; Ireland sets 8pm curfew for hospitality venues

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Half of UK adults receive booster vaccine; Ireland will also face 50% capacity limit on events

Here is a bizarre story out of the US to add a little light relief to an otherwise sombre news day.

A Florida man wearing a red thong as a face mask was forced off a United Airlines flight after failing to comply with the federal mask mandate.

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Global demand for coal could hit all-time high in 2022

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Electricity from coal plants has risen by 9% this year to fuel economic recovery from Covid, says watchdog

Coal power is on track to hit a new global record this year after an economic rebound that could drive worldwide coal demand to an all-time high in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.

The amount of electricity generated from coal power plants has soared by 9% this year after a surge in fossil fuel demand to fuel the recovery from Covid lockdowns, a report by the watchdog says.

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What Omicron’s Covid ‘tsunami’ could mean for the UK

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Will the NHS cope? What’s the worst case scenario? The key questions on the fast-spreading variant’s impact

The rapid spread of Omicron across the UK has led public health officials and ministers to warn that, without action, the country will see 1 million infections a day by the end of the month. The consequences of the Omicron “tsunami” are far from clear, but a picture is beginning to take shape.

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No 10 parties raise questions about whether PM will follow Covid science

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Analysis: After a steady stream of reports, how likely is it that Boris Johnson will take advice about imposing tougher restrictions?

• Boris Johnson joined No 10 party during May 2020 lockdown, say sources

Cast your minds back to 15 May 2020. Matt Hancock, the then health secretary before he quit for breaking restrictions by having an affair, was giving a press conference where he said people should be “staying at home as much as is possible”.

Social interaction was strictly limited to outdoors and one person at a time. It was the week when people were told they could meet one parent outside, in a socially distanced way, but not both of them together.

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Covid news live: France restricts UK tourists over Omicron; Portugal to lengthen border controls

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British tourists banned from entering France from Saturday; border controls in Portugal extended beyond 9 January to limit Omicron spread

New Zealand has detected its first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in a Christchurch managed isolation facility.

On Thursday afternoon, the director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said:

This is a person who is in managed isolation in Christchurch. The person arrived in New Zealand on a flight from Germany via Dubai that landed in Auckland...the people on that flight were transferred to Christchurch on a chartered domestic flight trip with all our usual protocols.

We fully expected we will find a case of Omicron and in fact, we are treating every border related case as if it were Omicron until proven otherwise. We have good protocols in place that are designed to stop the virus getting across the border.”

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Omicron R number estimated to be between 3 and 5, says UK health adviser – video

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Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, told a select committee on Thursday that for Omicron the R value was between 3 and 5 in the UK and that the variant was spreading rapidly – doubling in size every two days.

Hopkins said data on the severity of Omicron would not be known for another fortnight. At least 250 patients would need to be admitted to hospital before there could be a statistical analysis of the disease, she said

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Biden warns of ‘winter of severe illness and death’ for those unvaccinated against Covid

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In many states, healthcare systems are already under strain due to an increase in Delta infections over the Thanksgiving holiday

Joe Biden on Thursday warned of “a winter of severe illness and death” for those not vaccinated against Covid-19, amid a wave of Delta infections and as new Omicron cases are beginning to surge in America.

The US president spoke as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the Omicron variant could peak as early as January and states are scrambling to prepare for overloaded hospitals.

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Nearly 100 Covid cases linked to Sydney Taylor Swift party as Newcastle residents urged to postpone celebrations

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Some cases from the Metro theatre on Friday likely to be Omicron and at least 600 people who attended are now isolating

At least 97 people have caught Covid-19 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Sydney, as NSW cases escalate to record levels.

NSW Health issued an alert on Thursday evening about the “On Repeat: Taylor Swift Red Party” at Sydney’s Metro theatre, with at least 600 people who arrived after 9pm on Friday deemed close contacts.

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Covid cases rise sharply at some UK universities as students head home

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Fears mass exodus before Christmas break could fuel spread of Omicron variant

The number of Covid cases has risen sharply at some universities as about a million students begin to head home for the Christmas break, prompting fears that the mass migration could fuel the spread of the virus.

Students have been urged to take Covid tests before they leave their university to travel to see their families – the vast majority on public transport – and again before they return in the new year, as well as getting their booster vaccinations.

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Housebound elderly people waiting weeks for Covid boosters

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Charities say vulnerable older people ‘overlooked’ amid pressure to meet target of 1m top-up jabs a day

Housebound elderly people are having to wait weeks to get their booster vaccine, despite being a key priority group for top-up jabs, raising fears about them being left at risk.

Charities have warned that older people are being “overlooked” in the NHS’s rush to deliver the 1m boosters a day that Boris Johnson has ordered to reduce the threat posed by the Omicron variant.

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Covid: people should cut down on socialising, warns Chris Whitty – video

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Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, urged people not to 'mix with people you don't have to', amid mounting concern over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Whitty's comments were in stark contrast to messaging from Boris Johnson, who has previously said he does not want people to cancel Christmas parties

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Cut back on socialising, says Whitty, as he predicts surge of hospitalisations

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Chief medical officer warns of ‘two epidemics on top of each other’ as UK records highest ever daily total of new cases

Chris Whitty sent a clear message to cut back on socialising in the run-up to Christmas Day, warning that a rise in Covid hospitalisations is “nailed on” after cases hit a record high.

Appearing alongside the prime minister, who has continued to insist formal restrictions on gatherings are unnecessary, Whitty said: “Don’t mix with people you don’t have to.” He advised the public to “prioritise social interactions that really matter to them”, suggesting work parties may be ill advised.

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Covid live: Italy imposes mandatory testing for all EU arrivals; Poland announces further curbs as deaths rise

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Latest updates: unvaccinated arrivals must quarantine for five days; Poland reported 660 deaths in a day, the highest since April

A member of United States secretary of state Antony Blinken’s travelling press pool has tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Kuala Lumpur and is isolating, a state department spokesperson said.

Secretary Blinken and his senior staff were also tested upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur and were all tested negative, Reuters reports.

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