Category Archives: Infectious Diseases

Ebullient analysts predict markets will weather the storm in 2021

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Some forecasters, buoyed by the success of big tech and vaccines, are predicting 10‑15% gains

The new year is traditionally a time for looking forwards, for hopeful resolutions, for celebrating. But for economists and investors, the annual forecasts for 2021 might be something of a painful reminder of exactly how much they failed to foresee.

The pandemic quickly made a mockery of all projections. An entertaining analysis of US chief executives’ statements during 2020 by data company Sentieo for the New York Times showed a 70,000% year-on-year rise in the use of “unprecedented”, while “humbled” tripled – perhaps code for “it wasn’t my fault, so you should still pay me the same”. To be fair, though, in March it really did feel like nobody had a clue what to do – even governments, who are meant to have “pandemic” firmly on their risk radars.

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Teachers take legal action as chaos grips England’s schools plan

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Unions advise teachers to stay away from schools and warn reopening plan is an ‘utter shambles’

The planned reopening of schools in England has descended into disarray, as unions advised teachers not to return to the classroom, heads took legal action over the government’s plans and senior Tories warned that school gates may have to remain shut for weeks to come.

With warnings that some primary heads would arrive at work on Monday morning unsure about whether they would be able to reopen to pupils, teachers accused the government of making an “utter shambles” of school reopening and demanded a last-minute delay. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, was also facing renewed calls to resign over the chaos.

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Coronavirus live: UK records 57,725 cases and 445 deaths; India approves AstraZeneca vaccine – latest updates

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Greece reimposes Covid curbs after Christmas easing; just under 3 million Americans vaccinated so far as US death toll continues to rise; Israel vaccinates more than a million people

Russia has said it has vaccinated more than 800,00 people, and more than 1.5m doses have been dispatched.

People who have had the jab will get an electronic vaccination certificate, according to the TASS news agency. The health ministry is keeping a database of Russians who have had the Sputnik V vaccine.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is the latest union to call for all schools in England to close for two weeks, in response to rising Covid-case numbers.

The body, which represents headteachers and other school leaders, held an emergency meeting of its executive committee this afternoon. Its general secretary, Geoff Barton is set to write to education secretary Gavin Williamson.

It is very clear that the government’s plans for the start of the spring term are untenable. The arrangements it has announced are hopelessly confused and we have seen no scientific rationale for them. Many school and college leaders have no confidence in the government’s approach, and we are very concerned about the safety of families, staff, and the wider community.

We are calling for a short period of remote education in order to protect all concerned and allow time for the government to work with the profession on a joint plan for safe opening. We fully support keeping education functioning as fully as possible during the Covid crisis but this has to be done safely, or the long-term consequences and disruption will be much worse.

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Ireland Covid cases surge as health official warns virus is ‘absolutely rampant’

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Some 9,000 cases yet to be formally reported as chief medical officer says biggest worry is rise in hospitalisations

Ireland is bracing for 9,000 more Covid cases to be added to the official tally as the system struggles to handle a surge in positive results, with health officials warning hospitals will not be able to cope if the trend continues.

The sharp rise in positive results led to delays in formal reporting, said Professor Philip Nolan from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), though he said it “does not affect case management or contact tracing or our overall monitoring and modelling of the pandemic”.

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Dr Anthony Fauci says US will not delay second doses of Covid vaccine

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American infectious disease expert disagrees with UK’s plans to prioritise first doses

The American infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said he does not agree with the UK’s approach of delaying the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

On Friday, Dr Fauci told CNN that the United States would not be following in the UK’s footsteps and would follow Pfizer and BioNTech’s guidance to administer the second dose of its vaccine three weeks after the first.

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Golden ticket: the lucky tourists sitting out coronavirus in New Zealand

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Visitors from UK and North America tell of finding themselves with a pass to one of the best-rated pandemic responses in the world

For Christmas 2019 Efrain Vega de Varona gave his partner plane tickets to New Zealand – her dream holiday destination. It has proved a gift that keeps on giving.

A year later they are still in New Zealand, having decided to stay put at the end of their two-week holiday in mid-March rather than return to Los Angeles. “We’ve been living out of two suitcases for 10 months,” says Vega de Varona from their latest Airbnb rental (number 50-something this year) in Island Bay, Wellington.

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What difference will Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine make in UK?

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We look at how the introduction of a new vaccine in the fight against Covid will work

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is central to the government’s plans for ending social distancing in the UK and returning to some sort of normality. It has invested in seven different vaccines, but the biggest order is for 100m doses of the AstraZeneca jab, most of which will be manufactured in the UK. While the prime minister was jubilant that the UK was first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, he is now able to claim a British triumph. More to the point is the ease of use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Unlike Pfizer’s, it does not have to be kept in the long term at -70C. Pfizer’s vaccine can be stored in a fridge for five days, but AstraZeneca’s can be kept for months at fridge temperature, which is 2-8C and will be easy to take to care homes to administer to residents, the first priority group for vaccination.

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Coronavirus live news: EU rollout of Pfizer vaccine may be disrupted by supply issues, BioNTech warns

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Latest updates: German biotech startup warns of ‘gaps’ in vaccine supply; re-analysis Covid tests in US raises questions about origin of B117 ‘UK strain’

India has asked China to allow two Indian cargo ships which have been stranded for months near two Chinese ports because of the pandemic to rapidly unload their cargoes or replace their 39 crew members.

“There is growing stress on the crew members on account of the long delay,” Indian external affairs ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. “We expect that this assistance will be provided in an urgent, practical and time-bound manner, given the grave humanitarian situation that is developing onboard the ships.”

The UK economy begins 2021 on the back foot as record numbers of coronavirus infections and tougher restrictions cloud the outlook for growth and limit the chances of a rapid recovery from the country’s worst recession in 300 years.

There had been hopes that the arrival of successful Covid vaccines could prompt a rebound in activity. But with new government controls to combat the rising infection rate, the outlook is deteriorating.

Related: UK economic outlook for 2021: Covid surge deepens the gloom

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Home firework displays lead to fires, injuries and death in Germany and Italy

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Boy, 13, killed in Italy and fires across Berlin as people respond to public fireworks bans by letting them off at home

Banned from setting off fireworks in much of their city, some Berliners instead tried to launch them from their homes on New Year’s Eve, leading to dozens of fires across the German capital.

By six minutes after midnight, the Berlin fire service had been called to 18 fires, with more following. No one was initially reported seriously injured.

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Australia coronavirus news live: Tighter restrictions in force for NYE as Sydney’s Croydon cluster causes concern and Victoria announces new cases

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People urged to stay home as investigation continues into source of Croydon cluster in Sydney and cases in Melbourne. Follow all the latest news and updates, live

Let’s return to those comments from NSW police regarding Tony Abbott’s exercise in the northern zone of the northern beaches.

Abbott’s most recent declaration to parliament (before his defeat in 2019) showed he lived in Forestville, which is classed as being in the southern zone of the northern beaches.

The New South Wales Labor leader, Jodi McKay, has called on Gladys Berejiklian to stop crowds from attending the cricket Test at the SCG, and urged her to make masks mandatory in certain settings:

Why are we now progressing with a crowd at the cricket? ... It just doesn’t make sense to me.

I’m urging the premier to make sure the cricket goes ahead ... but there is a general feeling there should not be people at the cricket.

I think it’s important that if masks can reduce the risk of transmission, that we’re doing everything we can.

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World takes in muted New Year’s Eve under Covid shadow

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Lockdowns and curfews curtail celebrations, with limited exceptions, after year most would prefer to forget

In Sydney the fireworks soared into the sky above the Opera House, but the harbour below was empty. In New York, Times Square will be mostly deserted. No light show illuminated Beijing from the top of the TV tower.

With revelry around the world curtailed by lockdowns and curfews imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19, the lions of London’s Trafalgar Square will be barricaded off, and there will be no crowds in St Peter’s Square and no one diving into the Tiber in Rome.

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Questions hang over UK’s rollout of Oxford/AstraZeneca jab

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Analysis: regulator surprises by approving 12-week gap between first and second shots of vaccine as well as Pfizer/BioNTech shot

It’s a pragmatic solution to an incredibly urgent problem – how to immunise very large numbers of people at risk from a rampaging variant of Covid-19 in the shortest possible time. The answer that government advisers have come up with is to give them all – more than 20 million of them – a single shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine so that they have some protection and postpone the second dose to three months afterwards, when hopefully there will be plenty of vaccine available for boosters.

Related: How well does the Oxford vaccine work? What we know so far

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Australia news live: NSW records 18 new Covid cases as premier announces New Year’s Eve restrictions for Sydney

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Gladys Berejiklian says households will be limited to five visitors as new cases spread to Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Sydney’s inner west. All the latest news and updates, live

The NSW opposition leader has weighed in on the debate around the Sydney Test.

You can go to the cricket but not congregate to view the fireworks. Both are outdoor events, yet different rules apply.

The cricket should be in NSW but with no spectators. Let’s watch both the fireworks and cricket on TV.

NSW Health has released a lit of new venues that have been visited by confirmed cases of Covid-19. This includes a Santa Claus Photo Booth at Westfield Burwood Shopping Centre.

Their statement is below.

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Science matters. The remarkable response to Covid has reminded us | Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz

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While there have been setbacks, in Australia at least it would be hard to find many people distrusting of scientists

Being an epidemiologist in 2020 has been a very odd experience. This time last year, when I told people my job title, more than half the time I’d be met with a blank look and then the tentative question: “Is that … like a skin doctor?”.

Explaining that it was more like a spreadsheet doctor rarely went down that well.

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US reports its first known case of new UK Covid variant

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As Covid-19 surges across the US, Colorado’s governor announced the case of B.1.1.7, a significantly more contagious strain

A man in Colorado has become the first known US case of the newly identified strain of Covid-19 circulating in the UK. The new variant is thought to be more contagious than other, established variants and has prompted some countries to restrict travel from the UK.

The Colorado man who contracted the new variant, called B.1.1.7, is in his 20s, and had no travel history, according to the state’s health department. In a statement, Governor Jared Polis said that health officials are conducting an investigation into how the man might have contracted the virus, while he recovers in isolation.

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Coronavirus live news: more countries report suspected cases of new Covid variant

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Latest updates: South Africa imposes tighter restrictions amid sharp increase in cases; UK told it must vaccinate 2 million people per week to avoid new wave

India has found six people who returned from the UK in recent weeks with the more infectious strain of the virus that has prompted border closures around the world, Reuters reports.

Nevertheless, the country’s daily increase in cases fell to a six-month low.

Hello and thank you for reading our live coverage. I’ll be with you for the next few hours. Here’s a brief summary of where we stand:

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Australia’s first case of South African virus variant detected in Queensland – as it happened

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More contagious variant identified in returned traveller; three shops in Sydney CBD and two supermarkets in eastern suburbs visited by people who tested positive. This blog is now closed

  • Queensland detects case of South African variant
  • NSW records three new coronavirus cases
  • Sydney New Year’s Eve restrictions explainer
  • Covid hotspots NSW
  • Australia border restrictions
  • Follow our global coronavirus live blog

    • And with that, we’ll wrap up the blog. Here’s a summary of everything that happened today:

    Fairfield City has taken the decision to cancel New Year’s Eve celebrations, due both to the pandemic and the weather.

    Mayor Frank Carbone says in a statement he knows people will be disappointed by the decision, but it is the right decision.

    Council has been closely monitoring the escalating Covid situation in Sydney. The decision was made due to the increasing number of unlinked cases announced in the last few days outside of the northern beaches, which potentially means the virus has not been contained.

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    South Africa hits 1 million coronavirus cases as new variant spreads rapidly

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    President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to announce new restrictions in attempt to slow the surge

    South Africa’s Covid-19 surge has taken the country to more than 1 million confirmed cases as president Cyril Ramaphosa called an emergency meeting of the national coronavirus command council.

    The country’s new variant of the coronavirus, 501.V2, is more contagious and has quickly become dominant in many areas of the resurgence, according to experts.

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    Donald Trump signs Covid-19 relief and spending bill

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    Move comes after Republicans voiced anger over the delay, which resulted in millions of Americans losing unemployment aid

    Donald Trump has signed the Covid-19 relief and spending bill after days of delays, preventing a mid-pandemic government shutdown.

    The announcement on Sunday night came after Republicans urged him to act following his refusal to sign the bill, a decision that meant millions of Americans lost unemployment aid.

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    Coronavirus live news: British tourists flee Swiss ski resort quarantine; inoculation in EU begins

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    Latest updates: first vaccine doses administered across Europe; Germany rollout delayed after potential irregularities in cooling of Pfizer shot

    Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of the US coronavirus taskforce said that he believes the Covid-19 variant detected in the UK must be taken “very seriously” but is not likely to cause more serious illness or be resistant to vaccines.

    He said: “Does it make someone more ill? Is it [a] more serious virus in the sense of virulence? And the answer is, it doesn’t appear to be that way.”

    The UK’s coronavirus vaccination programme will resume on Monday, after a pause on Christmas Day and the weekend.

    The latest figures show that a total of 70,572 people in the UK have died from Covid-19. The number is likely to rise further on Tuesday, as authorities in both Scotland and Northern Ireland have not released data over the festive period.

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