Category Archives: Coronavirus outbreak

Turkey seeing second peak of Covid-19 outbreak – as it happened

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US president’s move challenged by Congress; Silvio Berlusconi has Covid-19; Brazil’s death toll appears to be easing. This blog is now closed

We’ve launched a new blog at the link below – head there for the latest:

Related: Coronavirus live news: Trump pushes to withdraw WHO funding immediately

Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the Latin American country could be descending from a long infection plateau that has seen it suffer the world’s second-worst outbreak after the United States, Reuters reports.

With nearly 4 million confirmed cases, the virus has killed over 120,000 people in Brazil. But the level of average daily deaths dropped below 900 per day last week - the lowest in three and a half months and below the rate of both the United States and India, according to a Reuters tally.

Researchers at Imperial College London also calculate that the transmission rate in Brazil, at which each person infected with the coronavirus infects another person, is now below 1, the level required for new infections to slow.

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Lego reports sales jump after Covid crisis kept families at home

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Shoppers globally bought toys online while physical stores were hit by restrictions

Lego, the toy brick company, has enjoyed a lockdown boost to sales as families around the world were forced to spend more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Total sales rose by 14% in the first half of 2020 and sales were up by more than 10% in its largest markets – including the Americas, western Europe, Asia Pacific and China – despite the closure of toy shops for months in some countries, including the UK.

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UK coronavirus live: Gavin Williamson chose to cancel exams while Ofqual wanted them to go ahead, MPs told

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News updates: Ofqual wanted exams to go ahead but Williamson chose to cancel

The education commitee has published the written submission it has received from Roger Taylor, chair of Ofqual, about the exam grade debacle. There is a link to it here.

We have received this written statement from @ofqual.

You can read it in full here: https://t.co/R4OO4eB1Qx pic.twitter.com/EG9jdZ0X2y

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has posted a nine-item thread on Twitter explaining the reasons for the decision to tighten coronavirus restrictions in three local authorities in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. It starts here.

1. New restrictions have come into effect in Glasgow City, West Dunbartonshire & East Renfrewshire. I know residents in these areas - I am one - feel frustrated and are wondering why we have done X and not Y...so I thought it would be helpful to set out some of the rationale...

3. Our data suggests that spread in and between households is driving much of the transmission just now. That doesn’t mean there are no cases in pubs etc - but unlike in Aberdeen, pub clusters don’t appear, at this stage, to be main driver. That analysis has guided decisions...

4. Based on data, clinical advice is that restricting household gatherings indoors - where it is most difficult to keep physical distance - is vital. Closing pubs wouldn’t be an alternative to that - but an additional measure which, for now, they don’t consider proportionate

8. Data has also told us in recent days that we’ve had a number of positive cases amongst people returning from Greece - that’s why we’ve had to add Greece to quarantine list. Given uncertainties of situation, my advice remains to avoid non essential foreign travel for now

9. Finally, I know how difficult all this is. I hate having to take these decisions and you all hate the impact of them. My plea is that we treat yesterday’s developments as a wake up call and take seriously our individual responsibilities to stop #COVID spreading. Thank you!

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Covid lockdown eased in two of England’s worst-hit areas despite surge in cases

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Lifting of restrictions in Bolton and Trafford described as ‘completely illogical’

Restrictions on social gatherings for more than half a million people in two of England’s worst-hit areas have been lifted, despite councils warning the government it was too soon to lift the measures.

The government pressed ahead with the lifting of restrictions for more than 520,000 people in Bolton and Trafford in north-west England overnight despite a surge in the number of cases in both areas.

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Grounded beef? Airlines sell in-flight meals to earthbound travellers

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Carriers prevented from operating due to coronavirus have turned to offering trays of takeaway to nostalgic flyers

Airlines are not known for their excellent cuisine. A tray of plastic-sealed plane food is, for some travellers, barely tolerable at 30,000 feet. Yet, as the coronavirus pandemic has halted flights around the world, a growing number of airlines are now flogging in-flight meals to grounded customers.

Thai Airways began advertising meal boxes in April, when the pandemic struck, selling anything from stir fried tiger prawn to beef cheek with cumin sauce. In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is selling meals to airport staff, while Indonesia’s national airline Garuda is offering its food as takeaway dinners on a tray.

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Pregnant women in hospital with Covid-19 may not show symptoms, study finds

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Analysis shows that pregnant women may be at a higher risk of needing admission to an ICU

Pregnant women in hospital with coronavirus are less likely to show symptoms and may have a greater risk risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit than non-pregnant women of similar age, a study has found.

The analysis, which encompassed 77 studies conducted globally and was published in the British Medical Journal, looked at 11,432 pregnant women admitted to hospital and diagnosed as having suspected or confirmed Covid-19.

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‘Trickle not a torrent’: workers in Canary Wharf and Manchester return to the office

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Suits and takeaway coffees were back out in London’s financial district - but numbers are still lower than normal

The morning flow of commuters arriving at Canary Wharf, London’s financial district, was a trickle on Tuesday rather than the torrent traditionally associated with the end of summer return to work.

Sparse numbers of suited and smartly dressed workers emerged from the underground station, clutching their morning takeaway coffees, destined for the corporate headquarters of banks, financial services companies and law firms.

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Coronavirus has fuelled authoritarian trends around the world, Australia’s Dfat warns

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Officials acknowledge ‘clear differences’ exist in Australia’s relationship with China as they prepare to spell out how Covid-19 is reshaping the global order

Covid-19 has fuelled protectionist and authoritarian trends around the world as some countries take advantage of the pandemic to erode the rule of law, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warns.

As officials prepare to face a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, Dfat has also acknowledged “clear differences” exist in the relationship with China, while insisting Australia seeks a constructive partnership “that is not defined by those differences”.

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Scotland announces local lockdowns and quarantine for arrivals from Greece

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Household gatherings banned in three Greater Glasgow areas and travellers from Greece to self-isolate from Thursday

The Scottish government has announced a ban on household gatherings in three local authorities in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area for the next two weeks and has imposed quarantine restrictions on people coming from Greece to Scotland from Thursday.

Nicola Sturgeon, said the localised restrictions – which come into force at midnight on Tuesday and will affect an estimated 800,000 people – apply to those living in West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and East Renfrewshire, where infection rates have risen in recent days.

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Global report: schools across Europe reopen as Covid cases grow

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Parents and teachers fear face masks and other measures not enough to prevent second wave

Tens of millions of pupils, most wearing face masks, have headed back to class in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia, as schools across Europe cautiously reopened amid spiralling numbers of new coronavirus cases in several countries.

Parents and teachers around the continent have expressed fears that strict physical distancing and hygiene measures such as hand cleansing stations will not be able to prevent a second Covid-19 wave, maybe coinciding with the autumn flu season.

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Boris Johnson seeks to mollify Tory MPs dismayed by U-turns

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PM admits government has backtracked on multiple issues but insists it is on right course

Boris Johnson has moved to mollify angry backbenchers disillusioned by the number of government U-turns, admitting the government has been forced to backtrack on multiple issues throughout the pandemic but insisting it is on the right course.

The prime minister has been facing a restive party as MPs return to Westminster, with several senior Conservatives expressing public dismay over the disaster of A-Level grading and chaotic communication over quarantine periods and the use of masks in schools and shops.

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Tony Abbott: some elderly Covid patients could be left to die naturally

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‘Health dictatorships’ failing to consider economic costs of crisis, ex-Australian PM says

Tony Abbott, the former Australian prime minister tipped to become a UK trade envoy, has railed against Covid “health dictatorships”, saying the economic cost of lockdowns meant families should be allowed to consider letting elderly relatives with the coronavirus die by letting nature take its course.

He claimed it was costing the Australian government as much as $200,000 (£110,000) to give an elderly person an extra year’s life, substantially beyond what governments would usually pay for life-saving drugs.

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Migrant woman gives birth in a helicopter flying to Sicily

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The woman tested positive for Covid-19 and health officials decided to transfer her to Palermo

A migrant woman, who tested positive for coronavirus, has given birth to a baby on board a helicopter as she was flying to Sicily from the small southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

The woman was staying at a migrant centre designed to hold about 100 people, which in recent days has been home to nearly 10 times as many due to a pickup in arrivals.

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‘Hot, sweaty … just very unpleasant’: Parisians adjust to Covid mask law

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Face coverings now mandatory ‘in all shared and enclosed spaces’ as Covid-19 infections rise in France

It had not – really not – been a pleasant experience. Queuing for their banh mi and bibimbap, sushi or Thai salad outside the fast-food takeaways of the Rue Saint-Lazare, young office workers in central Paris spoke with one voice.

“I thought I wasn’t going to last an hour, it was so uncomfortable,” said Egé, gesturing at her blue surgical mask. “Hot, sweaty, the smell of your own breath … Just very unpleasant. But you get used to it. In any case, we have no choice.”

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German minister spat at and verbally abused at Covid protest

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Jens Spahn subjected to shouts of ‘shame’ and ‘gay pig’ as he confronts crowd

Germany’s health minister was jeered, spat at and targeted by homophobic abuse as the countrywide protests of a vocal minority of people against coronavirus restrictions has taken on an increasingly aggressive tone.

The Conservative politician Jens Spahn, a key figure in Germany’s handling of the pandemic, on Saturday tried to confront a crowd of protesters outside an event ahead of local elections in North-Rhine Westphalia.

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Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria records 70 new cases and five deaths as NSW relaxes border rules

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In Canberra, the relationship with Beijing will dominate, while NSW premier travels to Albury to ease border pain. Follow all the updates

Keep an eye on this one

Despite Scott Morrison announcing it was a priority to cancel international deals by states, local governments and universities, there’s still no legislation five days later.
 
It’s his usual pattern - make an announcement and get a headline without any substance to deliver.

The second case in Queensland is a 37-year-old nurse from Ipswich hospital, who was working with Covid patients.

He had no symptoms other than abdominal pain - which is a rare symptom for Covid - but it turned out that yes, he had it.

So he is also in isolation. Queensland health minister (and yes, he is also the deputy premier) Steven Miles said the health worker had been taking precautions.

This underlines how we can all do the right thing by monitoring our health and if we have any symptoms at all that are of any cause for concern, we can go and get tested so we thank him very much for that.

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Quarter of Covid victims in England and Wales have dementia – study

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Data also shows up to 75% of all deaths in care facilities globally were of people with dementia

People with dementia accounted for a quarter of all Covid-related deaths in England and Wales, and three-quarters of all deaths in care facilities globally, data shows.

The London School of Economics and University College London are looking at the mortality rate of those with dementia in a regularly updated report. According to their research, up to 75% of Covid-19 deaths globally in care facilities are those with dementia as an underlying condition.

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Concern over ‘opaque’ Covid-related contracts awarded around world

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UK among the countries in spotlight after spending more than £2.5bn on outsourcing

The UK has spent more than £2.5bn on services and equipment related to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to fresh analysis that raises concerns about “opaque” contracts around the world wasting money and putting lives at risk.

A report by the Open Contracting Partnership and Spend Network found governments had spent $130bn (£97bn) on pandemic-related contracts, including on PPE (personal protective equipment) and other medical supplies, out of an annual procurement spend of nearly $13tn.

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Coronavirus: ‘selfish covidiots’ on flight to UK from Greek island criticised

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Tui launches investigation after almost 200 passengers told to isolate after outbreak

A flight from the Greek island of Zante was “full of selfish ‘covidiots’ and an inept crew”, according to a passenger among the almost 200 onboard who have been told to self-isolate after a coronavirus outbreak.

Tui said it had launched an investigation after 16 people tested positive for Covid-19 linked to its flight to Cardiff on 25 August, including seven passengers who were infectious or potentially infectious on the plane.

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Rising UK infections: what do the latest figures mean?

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The death rate remains low but schools reopening will be a critical moment, say scientists

As the daily tally of positive coronavirus tests in the UK reached the highest level on Sunday since 4 June, at 1,715 new cases, we take a look at whether this is a true rise in infections, and what it means.

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