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    Coronavirus - 3rd February

    Kitkat
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 10:19

    Summary for Wednesday, 3rd February

    • Results showing the Oxford-AstraZenenca vaccine may reduce the spread of coronavirus are hailed as "absolutely superb" by the health secretary
    • The results support the UK's approach to delaying the booster shot, Prof Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial, says
    • As many as 88% of people still have antibodies in their blood to fight Covid-19 six months after infection, another study says
    • Tributes continue to be paid to Captain Sir Tom Moore who has died in hospital. He was 100 and raised nearly £33m for NHS charities
    • He had been suffering from pneumonia and had tested positive for coronavirus
    • The French health authority says AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine should be given only to people aged under 65
    • Two Australian MPs clash in a parliamentary corridor, with one accusing the other of spreading misinformation about Covid-19


    Good morning

    Hello and welcome to Wednesday. We will be bringing you the latest coronavirus updates throughout the day.

    The latest UK headlines

    Here’s what you need to know if you’re just getting up in the UK this morning:

    Latest from around the world

    Elsewhere in the world this morning:

    Latest around Europe


    • A 26-strong German military medical team arrives in Lisbon today to help alleviate the Covid bed crisis in Portugal's hospitals. They’re also bringing medical equipment including ventilators – Portugal has over 850 patients in intensive care. Some patients could be flown to Austria for treatment.
    • French President Emmanuel Macron says anyone in France who wants to be vaccinated will have a jab by the end of the summer. He’s also promised 80% of care home residents will be inoculated by early next month.
    • France is among several European countries whose health authorities have recommended the AstraZeneca drug should not be given to older people. Germany, Austria and Sweden have all limited it for over-65s, Poland for over-60s and Belgium for over-55s.
    • Italy is grappling with a Covid and an economic crisis so President Sergio Mattarella is set to ask the man credited with steering Europe through the eurozone crisis, Mario Draghi, to take over as prime minister. He’ll formally ask the former head of the European Central Bank at lunchtime to try to form a national unity government in an attempt to avoid early elections.
    • German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted last night that it “rankles” that the UK, US and Israel are moving faster than EU countries in vaccinating their populations but said nothing had gone wrong with the EU’s procurement of vaccines. Germany will vaccinate 10 million people by the end of March, she told German TV, and she’s urged Germans to "hold on a while longer”.
    • The Dutch lockdown has been extended until 2 March but Prime Minister Mark Rutte has confirmed that primary schools and childcare facilities will reopen next Monday. A decision on extending a 21:00 curfew has been delayed.


    Ryanair rapped over 'misleading' Covid adverts

    Ryanair is being told to remove "irresponsible" adverts depicting misleading claims about coronavirus vaccinations.
    The Advertising Standards Authority says it got 2,370 complaints - the third highest ever received for an advert.
    The ads encouraged people to book holidays with Ryanair after having vaccinations, suggesting consumers could "Jab & Go".
    The airline has stopped the adverts but says it disagreed with the rulings.
    Read more
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 10:46

    Victorian returned traveller tests positive to same UK variant as family across hall

    A returned traveller in hotel quarantine in Victoria has tested positive to the exact same UK variant of Covid as a family staying across the hall with health authorities suspecting the viral load was “so high” it jumped across the corridor, reports Josh Taylor and Calla Wahlquist in Australia.
    The hotel transmission comes as West Australian authorities reported a Perth quarantine guard who contracted coronavirus also did not come into close contact with a returned traveller with the UK infection.
    The Victorian emergency services minister, Lisa Neville, announced on Wednesday the hotel transmission occurred between two rooms on the same floor of Melbourne’s Park Royal hotel.
    A family of five arrived on 20 January and they all tested positive on 23 January. A woman in another room across the hall then tested positive on 27 January. All were moved to health hotels designed for supporting positive cases.
    Read more here


    Second wave of infections threatens Dubai

    A second wave of coronavirus infections threatens to upend a tourism boom in Dubai, although with so few places open globally its hospitality sector hopes tourists will keep coming.
    Dubai, one of the few destinations open to international travellers since July, has yet to impose the toughest restrictions after record daily infections in the UAE, in the hope that vaccinations will spare a repeat of last year’s lockdown, Reuters reports.
    But after a rush of visitors during December, hotel chain RIU saw a “significant slowdown” in January bookings in Dubai after some countries tightened entry restrictions for those travelling from the UAE, said Oliver Kluth, SVP Sales & Business Development Indian Ocean.
    British and Israeli tourists largely disappeared from the city’s sandy beaches after the UK and Israel demanded those coming from the Gulf state to quarantine.Denmark – then Britain – suspended flights from the UAE.
    The moves came as daily infections tripled over the past month to hit a record 3,966 on Jan. 28 in the UAE, which is now battling its biggest outbreak since the pandemic begun.
    The Gulf state does not give a breakdown for each emirate, but some doctors told Reuters that private hospitals in Dubai were admitting sick patients for the first time in months.
    Along with mandatory mask-wearing in public and social distancing, Dubai has further restricted capacity at restaurants and social gatherings and banned live entertainment.
    It also limited hotel and shopping centre capacity and reinstated a requirement for all incoming passengers to take a test to prove they are virus-free.
    The number of visitors began to taper off in early January, some bar and restaurant owners said, although that may be linked to the end of the peak winter travel season rather than the rising level of infections.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 11:13

    UK could not close borders like Australia - transport secretary

    The UK could not close down its borders to tackle coronavirus in the same way as countries such as Australia, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says.
    Speaking at the Commons Transport Select Committee, he says: "People say 'why don't we just close down and then we'll be safe?'.
    "But, of course, we wouldn't be safe, because we are an island nation - unlike Australia or something which is an entire continent - and that means that we need to get medicines in, we need to get food in, we need to get our raw materials in, sometimes we have to move people around, scientists and others.
    "If we weren't doing these things then we simply wouldn't be combating this crisis. In fact, specifically, we wouldn't have had things like the medicines that we've needed or indeed the vaccinations, some of which are manufactured in Europe, only 20 miles away at its closest point."
    He adds: "The idea that the UK could completely batten down its hatches and remain battened down for a year is mistaken.
    "But also the evidence that that is the only thing that you need to do, or even the primary thing you need to do, is also pretty shaky."
    The UK government has a "red list" of 33 countries from which travel is banned.
    The exception is for British and Irish Nationals, or third-country nationals with residence rights travelling from these countries, who must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival along with their household.

    Resurgence of Covid-19 in Malawi

    Malawi faces a resurgence of Covid-19 that is overwhelming the southern African country, where a presidential residence and a national stadium have been turned into field hospitals in efforts to save lives, AP reports.
    President Lazarus Chakwera, just six months in office, lost two cabinet ministers to coronavirus in January amid a surge that led him to declare a state of national disaster in all of Malawi’s 28 districts.
    Chakwera declared three days of national mourning over the deaths of the ministers of transport and local government, which shocked the nation and inspired a raft of measures aimed at stemming the spread of the virus in a country with a poor health system.
    A more contagious strain of the coronavirus first reported in South Africa has since been confirmed in Malawi.
    “Our medical facilities are terribly understaffed, and our medical personnel are outnumbered,” Chakwera said in a recent address.
    Malawi has seen its number of confirmed cases of the disease go above 23,000, including a total of 702 deaths as of Monday, according to Dr John Phuka, co-chair of the presidential task force on Covid-19.
    The numbers appear relatively small in a country of 18 million, but the 14,000 active cases are many times more than the number of established hospital beds.
    Officials are setting up makeshift facilities to increase the number of treatment units from 400 to at least 1,500, sometimes erecting tents on the lawns of hospitals.
    The State House presidential residence in the southern city of Zomba will be turned into a 100-bed treatment facility, according to officials.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 11:38

    Palestinians begin vaccinations after Israel provides doses

    Palestinians have started vaccinating key health workers after Israel provided 2,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for emergency use.
    It follows increasing pressure on Israel, including from rights groups and UN experts who say Israel has a responsibility for vaccinations in the Palestinian Territories. Israel has one of the most advanced vaccination programmes in the world.
    The Palestinian Authority (PA) says that it will transfer a number of vaccine doses to the Gaza Strip later on Wednesday.
    Israel is due to transfer a further 3,000 vaccine does to the PA.
    Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said she expected to receive 5,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and 37,000 doses from the Covax global vaccine-sharing programme within days.
    Ms al-Kaila said it would take several months to complete vaccinations in Palestinian areas. People over 60 or with chronic illnesses will be the first to get vaccinated among the general public, the health ministry says.
    On Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved the vaccine shipment to the PA.
    "We are not New Zealand and we are not Australia," he said.
    "We are joined to the Palestinians, they work here they come here."
    About 2.7 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, and another 1.8 million in Gaza.
    The West Bank has reported 101,221 coronavirus cases, with 1,271 deaths. Gaza has registered more than 51,000 cases with 523 deaths.

    South African coronavirus variant found in Scarborough

    Gemma Dillon - Political Reporter, BBC Radio York
    Two cases of the South Africa coronavirus variant have been found in Scarborough, according to the director of Public Health for North Yorkshire.
    Louise Wallace confirmed the cases at a weekly briefing, adding that they were linked to international travel and not community transmission.
    She said the two patients had self-isolated and there was no risk to the community.
    North Yorkshire County Council says it has been advised by Public Health England that no extra testing needs to be carried out as a result of the development.
    Since 22 December more than 100 cases of the South Africa variant have been spotted in England.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 11:41

    New Zealand provisionally approves Pfizer vaccine

    New Zealand's medicine regulator has provisionally approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, heralding the start of the country’s inoculation programme.
    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the approval was a “positive step” in the fight against Covid-19 in New Zealand.
    Ardern said the vaccines are expected to arrive in the country by the end of March, with health workers and the elderly first in line for jabs.
    New Zealand has been lauded as a success story of the pandemic, recording about 2,000 infections and 25 deaths nationwide to date.
    It has virtually eliminated the virus, using a combination of hotel quarantines for international travellers and an aggressive test-and-trace system to do so.
    But with vaccination drives under way in dozens of countries, pressure has been mounting on Ardern to start inoculations for the country's five million people.
    "I have said 2021 is the year of the vaccine. It's a full-year programme we have only just begun," Ardern said.
    "We're not in a race to be first, but to ensure safe and timely access to vaccines for all New Zealanders."

    Boris Johnson to face MPs' weekly questions in Commons

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face this week's Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in around 30 minutes.
    There will first be a one-minute silence in the House of Commons at midday in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore and all victims of the Covid pandemic.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 15:26

    What's been happening today?

    It's been a busy day so far, so here's a quick roundup of the main headlines to bring you up to speed with what's been happening in the UK and abroad:

    • A coronavirus vaccine to tackle the new variants of the virus could be ready to deploy by the autumn, the team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab has said. Prof Andy Pollard, from Oxford University, said they were already planning to tweak the vaccine
    • Politicians in the House of Commons and the House of Lords honoured Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died with coronavirus on Tuesday, with a minute's silence earlier. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to join in a national clap for the centenarian NHS fundraiser at 18:00 this evening
    • As many as 88% of people still have antibodies in their blood to fight Covid-19 six months after infection, a study of almost 1,700 people suggests. The data - from one of the world's largest follow-up Covid studies - also provides more detail about the likely symptoms experienced by those infected
    • Italy's president has asked the former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, to form a new government after the previous coalition collapsed. President Sergio Mattarella said Italy needed a "high-profile government" to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and the worst economic crisis in decades
    • The Eurovision Song Contest's organisers have ruled out a full-scale live show without social distancing when this year's event is staged in May. The 2021 Song Contest will still take place in Rotterdam after the Netherlands won the competition in 2019 with Arcade. Last year's event was cancelled because of the pandemic
    • Pakistan is beginning a nationwide vaccination programme today, after receiving a donation of half-a-million doses from the Chinese state company, Sinopharm
    • The International Olympic Committee has laid out guidelines for the Tokyo Games to go ahead safely in July - saying there should be no singing or chanting because of Covid-19. Athletes will also be frequently tested, must wear a face mask except when eating or sleeping, and shouldn't use public transport without permission
    • And, as we've just reported, 10 million people have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 15:30

    Dead patient 'on ward for hours' at Birmingham hospital


    Coronavirus - 3rd February 603e1610

    A dead patient was left on a ward for almost five hours due to staffing pressures during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report.
    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust unannounced in December.
    It found nurses caring for up to 17 patients and wards mixing Covid-positive and negative patients.
    University Hospitals Birmingham is one of the largest trusts in England and has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
    During unannounced visits at three hospitals, CQC inspectors found staff frequently worked "hours" beyond their 12-hour shifts to ensure patients were safe and some relatives had complained patients were discharged "in a worse condition than when they were admitted".
    Inspectors said deceased patients at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield were "not always transported from the wards in a timely manner", highlighting one who died at 06:45 GMT and had still not been removed at 11:35.
    The CQC has made recommendations for the trust, including ensuring nurse staffing is adequate to keep patients safe.
    A spokesperson for the trust said it was aware of the issues raised, adding it treated 450 Covid patients on the inspection days.
    They added the trust recognised further work needed to be done "and this is ongoing".
    Read more here
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 16:18

    Saudis to close borders to travellers from 20 countries


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    King Salman was vaccinated in January

    Saudi Arabia is to suspend entry to travellers from 20 countries - including the UK, US and UAE - at 21:00 local time (18:00 GMT) due to rising cases.
    Other countries on the list include Argentina, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India and Japan.
    The measures include people coming from elsewhere but who have been in the countries on the list at any time during the previous 14 days.
    Saudi citizens, diplomats and health practitioners and their families are exempt from the ban.
    Saudi Arabia has seen 368,000 cases and 6,383 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 16:32

    'Unclear' how three South African variant cases in Wales caught virus

    There is no clear evidence about how three people confirmed as having the South African coronavirus variant caught it, Wales's health minister says.
    Vaughan Gething says the cases were found in Conwy, Anglesey and Neath Port Talbot.
    The other 10 cases previously identified in Wales have been linked to travel from South Africa.
    He says Public Health Wales is looking at whether there has been "wider community spread".
    The handful of cases "at present" suggest there was not sustained community transmission, according to Gething.

    Breaking News 

    UK deaths rise by 1,322

    A further 1,322 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, according to the latest government figures. It takes the total number of deaths by this measure to 109,335.
    A further 19,202 cases were reported.
    On Tuesday, 1,449 deaths and 16,840 cases were reported.

    Average for cases, deaths and hospital numbers in UK all down

    The government's daily coronavirus figures suggest cases, deaths and hospital numbers are all falling in the UK.
    These are the following seven-day averages for each category - in comparison with the week before:
    Cases: 156,771 - down 52,530 (-25.1%)
    Deaths: 7,448 - down 1,149 (-13.4%)
    Patients admitted to hospital: 20,946 - down 5,990 (-22.2%)
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 17:41

    Variants could become dominant in US, top expert says

    Highly contagious variants of the coronavirus could become the dominant strains of the disease in the US, unless more vaccinations are done at pace, a top health expert says.
    Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells NBC’s Today Show the US isn’t vaccinating people fast enough to stay ahead of new variants.
    In the UK, South Africa and elsewhere, new variants of the coronavirus have been responsible for a spike in coronavirus infections.
    “How concerned are you that these more contagious strains of the virus could become dominant in this country?” Today Show presenter Savannah Guthrie asks Dr Fauci.
    “That’s certainly a possibility and that’s the reason why we take it very seriously,” he replies, stressing that vaccinations were the best way to prevent this.
    “It can’t mutate if it doesn’t replicate,” Dr Fauci says.
    Dr Fauci says the US is “getting better” at vaccinations, but “we still have a demand that far exceeds the supply”.
    The US has administered 32 million vaccine doses so far, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Tweet  TODAY:

    “The mutants are here in the United States. They are not dominant yet. We can prevent them from becoming dominant.” Watch @SavannahGuthrie’s full interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and concerns about new strains.

    Coronavirus - 3rd February Click_13
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 18:02

    Greece's coronavirus infections rise by more than 1,000 for second consecutive day

    Greece’s new coronavirus infections rose by more than 1,000 for a second consecutive day, with health authorities adding 1,151 to the country’s tally after a month of the daily figure remaining in the triple digits.
    The total number of cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic stands at 159,866.
    Health authorities said a further 27 patients died from Covid-19, lifting the total number of deaths to 5,878.
    There was a total of 246 intubated patients in Greece’s hospitals, and 1,138 patients have left ICU.

    Indonesia launches a coronavirus breathalyzer scheme

    Indonesia has launched out a coronavirus breath screening scheme at train stations in the hope it can identify cases using the rapid method to bring down transmission in a country fighting one of the worst epidemics in Asia.
    The breathalyzer, known as GeNose, was developed by the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), and offers results in two minutes after the participants blows into a bag, Reuters reported.
    UGM researchers said it detects the the presence of the coronavirus in the respiratory tract with at least 95% accuracy.
    The machine is “implanted with a memory of positive PCR swab test results”, Kuwat Triyana, who heads the innovation team, told Reuters.

    “This tool adapts the function of the human nose or of the sniffer dog’s nose, which is to recognise the smell, or in this case to recognise the smell of the breath of a person who is confirmed with Covid, compared to people who are not,” he said.
    Subjects with positive results are then required to take a confirmatory PCR test.
    It is hoped that the machine will be able to assist in the southeast Asian country’s battle against the virus. Indonesia is faring the worst in the region, with about 1.1 million infections and over 30,000 deaths, stretching its hospitals.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 18:05

    Summary of recent developments

    The Guardian

    • The Covax facility scheme aims to distribute at least 330m doses in the first half of 2021, its co-leaders announced on Wednesday. It has also struck a deal with the Serum Institute of India for up to 1.1bn doses of AstraZeneca and Novavax’s vaccines for $3 per dose for low- and middle-income countries.
    • Travellers visiting Sweden will have to present a negative coronavirus test taken within the last 48 hours from Saturday, the government announced on Wednesday.
    • Indonesia has launched out a coronavirus breath screening scheme at train stations in the hope it can identify cases using the rapid method to bring down transmission in a country fighting one of the worst epidemics in Asia.
    • The Ukrainian government is preparing to end a nationwide lockdown and allow health authorities to relax restrictions in areas where coronavirus infection levels are lower, prime minister Denys Shmygal announced on Wednesday in a statement reported by Reuters.
    • The Danish government has announced plans to introduce a digital document with which people will be able to prove they have an up-to-date coronavirus vaccine.
    • AstraZeneca and Oxford University are aiming to develop a next-generation vaccine to tackle new variants as early as by the autumn, a senior executive at the manufacturer has told Reuters.
    • Russia is planning to step up production of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine abroad, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday, as many European countries experience teething problems in their rollouts.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 18:11

    Switzerland demands more data before Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine approval

    Switzerland has withheld approval for the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine, its drugs regulator said today (via Reuters).
    The vaccine won European Union approval last week but German and Austrian medical experts last week recommended it should not be used on people aged 65 or over andPoland said yesterday it would only use the vaccine for people aged 18 to 60 following a recommendation from the country’s medical council.
    The Swiss regulator Swissmedic said it was demanding more efficacy and quality data.
    The country separately announced it had ordered millions more Covid-19 vaccine doses from other manufacturers.
    Switzerland, which has already ordered 5.3 million doses from AstraZeneca, said it was awaiting results from trials of the shot in North and South America involving tens of thousands of people, after earlier trials did not produce clear data including on efficacy in older people.
    “As soon as the results have been received, a temporary authorisation according to the rolling procedure could be issued at very short notice,” Swissmedic said in a statement, adding it was necessary to get additional data about safety, efficacy and quality. “The data currently available do not point to a positive decision regarding benefits and risks,” it said.
    AstraZeneca reiterated that its vaccine was being reviewed on a rolling basis by Swissmedic, to speed up the approval process, and that it would share information with the regulator as quickly as it became available. “We are confident that our vaccine is effective, well-tolerated, and can have a real impact on the pandemic,” the company said.
    AstraZeneca and its partner, Oxford University, have defended their vaccine that is approved in about 50 countries, saying it had 76% efficacy against symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, which increased if the second shot is delayed.
    The Swiss government said it had signed a deal with Germany’s Curevac and the Swedish government for the delivery of 5m vaccine doses, a preliminary pact with US vaccine maker Novavax for 6m doses, and secured a further 6m doses from Moderna.
    These new orders bring total Swiss vaccine orders to more than 30 million doses, enough to vaccinate its 8.6 million population about twice over under a two-dose regimen. Further talks with additional developers are taking place for even more shots, the government said.

    Belgian regulators advise against giving AstraZeneca Covid vaccine to over-55s

    Daniel Boffey - The Guardian
    Regulators in Belgium are the the latest in Europe to advise against the administration of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to older people due a lack of data about its efficacy.
    Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgium’s health minister, said the country’s superior health council, an advisory body, had suggested the jab should be administered to people younger than 55 for the time being.
    Vandenbroucke said Belgium was reviewing its vaccination strategy. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine had been a key part of the government’s plan to prioritise vulnerable groups in the early months of this year.
    Read more here
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 18:14

    Uganda has ordered 18m doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

    Uganda has ordered 18 million doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, with up to 40% of the shipments due to arrive by the end of March, the government said on Tuesday, after procuring the shots from the Serum Institute of India.
    However, the manufacturer told Reuters no deal had been reached on volumes or pricing yet, with a spokesman telling the agency: “While discussions are ongoing, there has been no finalisation of price or volumes.”
    The institute is supplying doses of the vaccine to Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa at $5.25 per dose.
    The Ugandan government statement said each person would receive two doses separated by 28 days, and Uganda is purchasing the vaccine from the manufacturer at $7 per dose. A spokesperson for the ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
    The east African country is also due to receive an extra 3.5 million doses of the same vaccine, developed with Oxford University, via the WHO-led Covax scheme established to facilitate vaccine access by poor and middle-income countries.
    The Covax doses will arrive by early next month, the government said.

    Summary


    • Regulators in Belgium are the the latest in Europe to advise against the administration of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to older people due a lack of data about its efficacy.
    • Switzerland has withheld approval for the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine, its drugs regulator said today.
    • Leaders in Europe are recklessly endangering their own public’s health by using self-serving point-scoring to attack Britain’s coronavirus vaccine rollout, UK health experts have warned. “The views coming out from politicians in Europe are in striking contrast to the scientific view reached by the European regulator,” a former medicines regulator chief said.
    • Greece’s new coronavirus infections rose by more than 1,000 for a second consecutive day, with health authorities adding 1,151 to the country’s tally after a month of the daily figure remaining in the triple digits.
    • Vets in Germany have trained sniffer dogs to detect the coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy.
    • The Covax facility scheme aims to distribute at least 330m doses in the first half of 2021, its co-leaders announced on Wednesday. It has also struck a deal with the Serum Institute of India for up to 1.1bn doses of AstraZeneca and Novavax’s vaccines for $3 per dose for low- and middle-income countries.
    • AstraZeneca and Oxford University are aiming to develop a next-generation vaccine to tackle new variants as early as by the autumn, a senior executive at the manufacturer has told Reuters.
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    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 18:16

    What did we learn from today's Downing Street briefing?

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just finished leading today's Downing Street coronavirus briefing. He was joined by England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty.
    Here's a quick roundup of what we learned:

    • Johnson paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died with coronavirus on Tuesday.
    • The PM repeated his call for the public to clap for Capt Tom at 18.00 GMT for the "spirit of optimism" that he stood for - and for the NHS workers he fought for
    • More than 10 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Johnson confirmed
    • This includes almost 90% of those aged 75 and over in England and every eligible person in a care home, he added
    • The PM said the evidence showed that vaccines reduce "death and serious illness" from the main strains of the disease.
    • As we approach the review of England's lockdown restrictions in the week beginning 15 February, he said No 10 would be gathering more data so it could begin mapping out a way forward - starting with the reopening of schools
    • Despite the fall in infections, the coronavirus infection rate is still "alarmingly high", Johnson said, adding that NHS wards were still under "huge pressure" with more than 32,000 Covid patients still in hospital
    • The number of positive Covid tests is now in "steady decline" according to Whitty, but he added that deaths will remain high "for quite some time"
    • Whitty said he believed the peak of the second wave of the virus had passed. He said the number people in hospital with the disease had come down from its peak "quite noticeably"
    • Health Secretary Matt Hancock will give a further update on the UK's hotel quarantine policy for "high-risk" countries tomorrow, the PM says, amid questions over when the government's toughened border rules will kick in


    Analysis: Expect many arguments to come...

    Damian Grammaticas - Political correspondent
    So good news. Ten million have had a dose of the vaccine. And, importantly, England's chief medical officer says we're past the peak of this wave, or at least we should be if infection rates don’t start climbing again. Both are significant.
    They’re also the reason why Boris Johnson was starting to come under pressure, with questions like why can’t those who have had the vaccine start to mix with each other at least? Could schools go back earlier in England?
    It’s clearly still too early for the government to be able to signal to people that they can begin to relax. The numbers of people infected with Covid-19 around the country, at one in 55, are still very high.
    The prime minister would only say that he will set out, on 22 February "the timetable, the earliest dates we can do things".
    And he indicated he was still thinking about loosening the current restrictions in stages. "It feels to us that we will be going down the tiers nationally," said Johnson.
    Expect many arguments to come about when any loosening should happen, how soon should schools reopen, and whether some areas will move faster than others.
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    • Post n°16

    Coronavirus - 3rd February Empty Re: Coronavirus - 3rd February

    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 19:39

    France reports a further 26,362 Covid cases

    France registered a further 26,362 confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday – slightly below its 2021 peak of 26,916 set last Wednesday.
    Although the government has introduced in curbs on activity in recent weeks, the spread of the virus in France is not slowing.
    The seven-day moving average of new infections - which smooths out daily reporting irregularities - has been above 20,000 since 23 January, from 31 December 13,274.

    Kuwait to suspend entry for non-citizens for two weeks

    Kuwait will suspend entry for non-citizens for two weeks as of Sunday 7 February, its government has announced in light of a rise in coronavirus cases in the Gulf Arab state.
    The cabinet decision, read out at a televised press conference and reported by Reuters, said all those entering the country would have to quarantine.

    Turkey reports further 196 cases of the UK coronavirus variant

    Turkey has confirmed 196 cases of the more infectious UK coronavirus variant, the country’s official news agency Anadolu tweeted on Wednesday, citing the Turkish health minister.
    Tweet  ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG):

    #BREAKING Besides UK coronavirus variant, 2 people in Turkey have South Africa variant, 1 has Brazil variant, says Turkish health minister
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    • Post n°17

    Coronavirus - 3rd February Empty Re: Coronavirus - 3rd February

    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 19:49

    Education recovery commissioner appointed

    An education recovery commissioner has been appointed by the government to oversee a catch-up programme for children who have lost out on learning because of schools being closed during the pandemic.
    Sir Kevan Collins will report directly to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
    Downing Street says his new role will involving working with government to deliver measures to help children who have missed out on face-to-face learning, including addressing factors such as curriculum content and quantity of teaching time in the coming months.
    It added that education and the reopening of schools remains the "top priority", and the government is committing £300m to help children catch up on their education, on top of the £1bn announced last June as part of the Covid catch-up fund.
    Sir Kevan has worked in the education sector for over 30 years as a teacher, a director of children’s services and most recently as chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation.

    'Don't call 911 for a vaccine': Texas fire department

    The city of San Antonio in Texas has been administering at-home Covid vaccinations to its homebound seniors.
    But now it's facing a problem: people are calling in to the 911 emergency hotline, to try to schedule their own at-home jab.
    "It's clogging our 911 system," says Joe Arrington, a public information officer for the fire department, reminding people the number should only be used for emergencies.
    The city is currently only making appointments for seniors it has reached through the public housing authorities and a meal delivery program, but hopes to have more at-home vaccine slots open in the future.
    Texas was the first US state to top one million vaccines administered, but it has been accused of having a haphazard rollout that lacks coordination with the federal government.
    On Tuesday, a 16-lane drive-through mega-site launched on the Texas Motor Speedway, in the city of Fort Worth, one of the largest vaccine hubs in the nation.

    No borders statement planned for tomorrow

    During the Covid briefing this evening, the prime minister said Health Secretary Matt Hancock would make a statement on the UK's hotel quarantine plan tomorrow.
    It's now been confirmed that the statement is not expected to happen tomorrow after all.
    It's led to criticism from the chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Labour MP Yvette Cooper:
    Tweet  Yvette Cooper:

    Oh for heavens sakes. Who is in charge of this borders policy? When will we get details? Does anyone have a grip?

    Tweet  Pippa Crerar:
    I'm told PM got this wrong - there won't be an announcement on borders tomorrow after all. "A misunderstanding".

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    • Post n°18

    Coronavirus - 3rd February Empty Re: Coronavirus - 3rd February

    Post by Kitkat Wed 03 Feb 2021, 20:31

    Your Covid headlines

    We're pausing our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for now. Thank you for joining us.
    We'll bring you more live updates from the UK and around the world tomorrow morning.
    Here's a final round-up of the main headlines as we draw things to a close:


    Goodbye

    Today's live page editors have been James Clarke and Sarah Collerton, and the writers have been Ella Wills, Gavin Stamp, Mary O'Connor, Alex Therrien and Joshua Nevett.
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