The health secretary says the UK 'won't ever look at' mandatory vaccinations for the general public, after Austria announced it would become the first country in Europe to make coronavirus jabs compulsory. This comes as several countries, including Belgium, Germany and Norway, revealed last week they were preparing to beef up measures to tackle low uptake of Covid-19 vaccines
Continue reading...Category Archives: Coronavirus
ICU is full of the unvaccinated – my patience with them is wearing thin | Anonymous
Most of the resources we are devoting to Covid in hospital are being spent on people who have not had their jab
In hospital, Covid-19 has largely become a disease of the unvaccinated. The man in his 20s who had always watched what he ate, worked out in the gym, was too healthy to ever catch Covid badly. The 48-year-old who never got round to making the appointment.
The person in their 50s whose friend had side-effects. The woman who wanted to wait for more evidence. The young pregnant lady worried about the effect on her baby.
The writer is an NHS respiratory consultant who works across a number of hospitals
Continue reading...Australia news live updates: NSW and Victoria close in on vaccination milestones; NT communities in lockdown after nine new Covid cases
Almost 90% of Victoria has had first dose of Covid vaccine as state records 1,275 new cases and four deaths; NSW records 176 cases and two deaths as state nears 95% first vaccination dose milestone; two more NT communities in lockdown after nine new cases on Saturday; 16 Covid cases in ACT; thunderstorm warning for south-west WA and severe weather warnings in place across NSW – follow all the day’s news
- ‘Dangerous game’: Labor accuses Scott Morrison of wanting to ‘embrace’ views of anti-vaccine protests
- Four children, aged one to 10, die in Melbourne house fire
- Craig Kelly awarded Australian Skeptics’ Bent Spoon gong for spreading Covid misinformation
- Vaccine rollout tracker; cases and data tracker
- Queenslanders cancel flights after overseas-born children and spouses forced into hotel quarantine
- Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing
Speers has asked Chalmers about the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protestors that took place in Victoria yesterday.
Do you accept that there are some people concerned about vaccine mandates who aren’t necessarily extremists?
You can express a view in this country without dragging around gallows and noose and calling for premiers to be hanged. I condemn without reservation, without qualification, the violent threats being made here, even if the prime minister won’t.
We live in a society, and that means we have obligations to each other to try to tame this virus, to look out for each other, to protect each other, to try to keep each other safe and what the prime minister is trying to do is trying to divide us, trying to diminish that collective effort and undermine all of the good and all of the progress that Australians have made together. He does that with this dangerous dog whistling double-speak that we see from him. He does it by claiming credit for high vaccination rates without taking responsibility for the measures that are necessary to get those rates up.
Continue reading...Unusual bedfellows: how gangs are pushing New Zealand’s Covid vaccination drive
Cabinet ministers have been meeting with gang leaders as the country targets an ambitious vaccination rate
After the needle entered his right arm, the man raised his left fist in a brief salute. Surgical mask covering parts of his facial tattoos, he nodded to the nurse. A long ponytail cut a line through the blue and white letters covering his back: a patch, signifying membership of one of New Zealand’s largest and most infamous street gangs. Mark Pitman, leader of Black Power New Zealand, was getting vaccinated on national television.
“I want to do it and I want the rest of our organisation around the country to know I’ve got it done,” Pitman told the camera. “I’m a leader. And I lead from example.”
Continue reading...US Covid infections rising again as upper midwest sees biggest jump
Increase comes ahead of Thanksgiving as families gather in homes, and as winter approaches, forcing people indoors
America’s Covid-19 infections are climbing again, and could soon hit a weekly average of 100,000 cases a day as daily case reports increase more than 20% across the upper midwest.
The fresh worsening of the coronavirus pandemic in the US comes as temperatures cool during the approach of winter, forcing people indoors where the virus is believed to spread more readily and may presage another wave.
Continue reading...Europe’s Covid wave shows jab uptake in UK is ‘critical’, Sage member says
Prof John Edmunds says millions still unvaccinated and warns that surge on continent ‘shows how quickly things can go wrong’
The surge in coronavirus infections across Europe shows the “critical” need for people in the UK to get vaccinated, a government scientific adviser has said.
Prof John Edmunds, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told Sky News that the rise in cases on the continent underlined “how quickly things can go wrong”. He pointed out that there were still “many millions” across the UK who were still not fully vaccinated, while some have not had any Covid shots at all.
Continue reading...‘I want my freedom back’: thousands protest against Covid lockdown in Austria – video
Thousands of people gathered in central Vienna to protest against new tough pandemic measures in Austria. Whistling, clapping, blowing horns and banging drums, protesters – many of them far-right supporters – streamed into Heroes’ Square on Saturday. With daily infections still setting records, the government said it would put the countryt back in lockdown from Monday and make it compulsory to get vaccinated from 1 February
Continue reading...WHO: Another 500,000 people in Europe could die of Covid by March
WHO’s Europe director calls more public health measures to be implemented as fresh wave of infections spreads across continent
The World Health Organization has said another 500,000 people in Europe could die of Covid by March next year unless urgent action is taken.
The WHO’s Europe director, Dr Hans Kluge, said he was very worried about a fresh wave of infections that had spread across the continent and led countries to announce new restrictions.
Continue reading...No school, no hair cut: one girl’s journey through one of the world’s longest Covid lockdowns
Antonella Bordon’s hair was her family’s pride and joy. But as the pandemic kept her out of school for 18 months, the 12-year-old Argentinian vowed to lop it all off as soon as she could return to class
When she finally cut her hair, Antonella Bordon had trouble sleeping. At the age of 12, her first haircut meant more to her than a simple change of style.
For most of her childhood, Bordon’s silky hair ran all the way down her back to her calves, such a deep brown it looked like a black mane. Her mother and sister would comb it every day, rubbing the locks with rosemary oil, and helping her style it in a way to keep her cool during the hot Argentinian summer.
Continue reading...Coronavirus live news: Hong Kong authorises Sinovac vaccine for children aged 3-17, Rotterdam riots condemned
- Infections in Czech Republic hit new record
- Rotterdam police open fire as Covid protest turns violent
- See all our coronavirus coverage
The Coronavirus infections rate in the Czech Republic hit a new record for the second time this week, the health ministry said on Saturday.
It announced that the daily tally rose to 22,936 on Friday, almost 500 more than the previous record set on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Rotterdam police open fire as Covid protest turns into ‘orgy of violence’
Three people treated in hospital with serious injuries after clashes in Dutch city over reintroduction of Covid restrictions
Three people were being treated in hospital in Rotterdam on Saturday after they were seriously injured when police fired shots during a demonstration against Covid-19 restrictions.
In what the Dutch city’s mayor described as an “orgy of violence”, crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars, set off fireworks and threw rocks at police during the protests on Friday evening. Police responded with warning shots and water cannon.
Continue reading...Hong Kong authorises Sinovac Covid vaccine for children aged 3 to 17
Benefits of approving age extension outweigh the risks, says secretary for food and health
Hong Kong has approved lowering the age limit for the Covid-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech to three, down from 18 years of age.
Hong Kong’s secretary for food and health, Sophia Chan, said in a statement published on Saturday: “Adolescents aged 12 to 17 will be accorded priority to receive the CoronaVac vaccine, with a view to extending to children of a younger age group at a later stage.”.
Continue reading...Australia Covid protests: threats against ‘traitorous’ politicians as thousands rally in capital cities
Melbourne ‘freedom’ rally draws largest crowds as counter-protesters avoid confrontation
Thousands of people have marched in “freedom” rallies in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, with the largest crowds in the Victorian capital as protests against the state government’s pandemic legislation ramped up again.
Protesters marched from Victoria’s state parliament, down Bourke Street and up to Flagstaff Gardens, carrying Australian flags and placards bearing anti-vaccination, anti-lockdown and anti-government slogans, while chanting “kill the bill”, “sack Dan Andrews” and “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi”.
Continue reading...Rotterdam riot: police fire shots as Covid protesters torch vehicles – video
A demonstration against Dutch government plans to impose restrictions on unvaccinated people turned violent. Police said rioters in Rotterdam started fires and threw fireworks, to which they responded by firing warning shots and using water cannon
Continue reading...Victoria protests escalate as child under 10 among new deaths – as it happened
NSW reports 182 cases and ACT 14; anti-fascist activists vow to counter ‘freedom rallies’ they claim have been infiltrated by far-right groups. This blog is now closed
- William Tyrrell: how new evidence revived the case and triggered a fresh search effort
- Katharine Murphy: ‘As Melbourne faces ugly civil unrest, Scott Morrison looks like a political leader casting around for a hammer blow’
- Queenslanders cancel flights after overseas-born children and spouses forced into hotel quarantine
Asked about whether we can expect to see the introduction of a legislation for a federal anti-corruption commission in parliament in the next couple of weeks, Tim Wilson says it’s important that they “get the legislation right”:
Because what we’ve had too often is proposals which are designed to establish, kind of, kangaroo courts, and actually would do more to breed distrust in the political conversation. We’ve seen that particularly in the consequence of what’s happening in Icac in New South Wales.
We want a process that’s based around integrity, that’s been consulted with the Australian community, and is actually going to do the job we need it to do, which is actually to breed trust and strength in the political system, not simply to create show trials, as I’ve seen it many times.
I think this is pretty simple. You’ve got a group of people marching down the street with a life-sized execution device. You’ve got people threatening to kill the premier of Victoria. If you’re any sort of leader, you just condemn that, full stop. You don’t go on and then say, ‘But I understand why people are frustrated.’
I think it is legitimate to point out that Scott Morrison has pulled the sheet out of the Trump handbook here. Lie, deny, blame other people, never take responsibility for anything, try and divide the community, pander to the extreme right – this is Trump without the toupee. And, seriously, I think the Australian people deserve better than that.
Continue reading...‘Storm clouds’ over Europe – but UK Covid rates remain high
Analysis: likes of Slovakia and Austria have worse figures but UK’s have topped EU average for months
As Covid infection rates surged again across Europe, Boris Johnson spoke this week of “storm clouds gathering” over parts of the continent and said it was unclear when or how badly the latest wave would “wash up on our shores”.
The situation in some EU member states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, is indeed dramatic. In central and eastern Europe in particular, but also Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, case numbers are rocketing.
Continue reading...Has Covid ended the neoliberal era? – podcast
The year 2020 exposed the risks and weaknesses of the market-driven global system like never before. It’s hard to avoid the sense that a turning point has been reached. By Adam Tooze
Continue reading...Covid live: Dutch police open fire at protest; German government not ruling out full lockdown — as it happened
Two injured as police in Rotterdam fire warning shots; German health minister says nothing can be ruled out
- Rotterdam police open fire as protest turns violent
- Austria plans compulsory Covid vaccination for all
- Analysis: ‘Storm clouds’ over Europe but UK Covid rates remain higher
- Bavaria gets tough on Covid with Christmas market cancellation
- First Covid patient in Wuhan was at animal market, study finds
A quick snap from Reuters here that the UK government has announced it will add booster shot status to the Covid-19 pass for outbound international travel, though it said they would not be added to the domestic pass at this time.
The health ministry said that travellers who have had a booster or a third dose would be able to demonstrate their vaccine status through the NHS Covid pass from Friday, adding that a booster was not necessary to travel into England.
This pandemic has exposed a vulnerability to whole-system emergencies – that is, emergencies that are so broad that they engage the entire system. Although the government had plans for an influenza pandemic, it did not have detailed plans for many non-health consequences and some health consequences of a pandemic like Covid-19. There were lessons from previous simulation exercises that were not fully implemented and would have helped prepare for a pandemic like Covid-19. There was limited oversight and assurance of plans in place, and many pre-pandemic plans were not adequate. In addition, there is variation in capacity, capability and maturity of risk management across government departments.
Continue reading...Political leaders condemn alleged attack on MP’s daughter – as it happened
PM comments after Animal Justice MP Andy Meddick says daughter attacked; Indian PM repeals controversial agricultural laws; rapid antigen Covid testing for NSW primary schools; Victoria records 1,273 new cases and eight deaths; NSW records 216 new cases and three deaths; rain set to hamper search for remains of William Tyrrell. This blog is now closed
- Tim Paine resigns as Australia’s Test cricket captain over text messages sent to colleague
- Victoria is removing most Covid restrictions for fully vaccinated people. What are the new freedoms for Melbourne and regional Vic
- Vaccine rollout and rates tracker; Cases and data tracker
- Victoria vaccination rate map; NSW vaccination rates map
- Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing
OK, jumping back to South Australia where opposition leader Peter Malinauskas has condemned the premier’s decision not to dismiss his deputy premier and attorney general Vicky Chapman after the parliament passed a vote of no confidence against her.
Malinauskas told ABC News Breakfast that this was “a truly extraordinary state of affairs, if not a constitutional crisis”.
It’s an incredibly unfortunate state of affairs in South Australia where premier Steven Marshall has decided to almost literally tear up the rulebook of convention that’s been established over hundreds of years of the Westminster system of government and ignore the parliament’s will [for him to] ask Vickie Chapman to resign her position at deputy premier.
There’s been a motion of no confidence passed in the deputy premier. This is unprecedented. Everybody seems to be putting their fingers in their ears and pretending nothing has happened, particularly the premier himself.
What I accept and what I’ve always defended and been a very strong supporter of is people’s right to protest. But if it’s not peaceful, it’s not protest and it’s something very different.
We have seen extremists, rabid anti-vaxxer and others making all sorts of threats, threats against me, my wife and my kids. That is not my focus, this is about every family’s safety and that’s why we have to work together and that’s what Victorians have done.
Continue reading...UK ministers were unprepared for impact of Covid, says watchdog
Report says detailed plans on shielding, job support schemes and school disruption were lacking
Ministers were not “fully prepared” for the “wide-ranging impacts” that Covid-19 had on society, the economy and essential public services in the UK, and lacked detailed plans on shielding, job support schemes and school disruption, a report has found.
Some lessons from “previous simulation exercises” that would have helped with Covid-19 preparations were “not fully implemented”, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
Continue reading...