Coronavirus - 18th Novemnber 2021

Summary for Thursday, 18th November

Welcome to our coronavirus live page coverage this Thursday morning. We’ll be bringing you the latest from the UK and around the world.

Here are some of the main stories we’re looking at today:

• Germany has recorded its highest daily number of Covid cases for the second day in a row
  
  
• Restrictions are being tightened in other parts of Europe amidst the rise in cases, including Belgium, which is temporarily making home working mandatory four days a week and Austria, which has introduced a lockdown for unvaccinated people.  Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the country is in the grip of a fourth wave
  
  
• In Wales, Covid passes could be used over the Christmas period, the government has said.  No decision is going to be made about introducing the pass to the hospitality sector until early December, says First Minister Mark Drakeford
  
  
• In Northern Ireland, more pupils were in school in the week of the 8-12 November than at any point since the start of September.  The Department of Education figures also show a fall in the number of children out of school for Covid-19 reasons after the October half-term
  
  
• The widow of a top Scottish government official who died after contracting Covid has said she believes the full details of his illness were concealed to protect the reputation of a troubled hospital
  
  
• The US is set to boost vaccine manufacturing and produce at least a billion doses a year. The Biden administration is planning to dedicate billions of dollars to build up vaccine manufacturing in the US to produce at least a billion doses each year, in an effort to shore up global Covid-19 supply for poorer countries while also pre-empting future pandemics.
  
  
• The Australian state of Victoria is set to ditch restrictions for fully vaccinated people from midnight on Thursday.
  
  
• The Covid Delta variant offshoot is ‘less likely’ to cause symptoms, researchers have revealed – although experts say the finding requires further scrutiny.
  
  
• Europe is the only region with increasing Covid deaths, the World Health Organization reports. Covid deaths rose 5% in the last week as deaths in all regions other than Europe remained stable or declined, and totalled 50,000 worldwide last week. Of the 3.3 million new infections reported, 2.1 million came from Europe.
  
  
• Spain has approved the use of a Covid-19 booster shot for people between 60-69 years old and for health workers, as part of an effort to combat an uptick in infections.
  
  
• The Czech Republic and Slovakia both reported record daily new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a day before the two European Union countries plan to approve new restrictions for unvaccinated people in response to rising infections.
  
  
• A fourth Covid wave is hitting Germany with ‘full force’, Merkel says. Germany reported 52,826 new infections on Wednesday - up by a third from a week ago and another daily record, while 294 people died.
  
  
• Belgium tightened its coronavirus restrictions, mandating wider use of masks in indoor settings and enforcing work from home, as cases rose in the country’s fourth Covid wave. The country has one of the highest cases per capita rates in the EU.
  
  
• The UK reported another 38,263 Covid infections and a further 201 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
  
  
• Mandatory vaccine passports are set to be introduced in Northern Ireland.
  
  
• Covid deaths have decreased 17% in the Americas over the past week, but the most populous countries like the US, Brazil and Colombia are seeing a levelling of new infections after weeks of declining trends, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.
  
  
• Hungary reported 10,265 new Covid-19 infections, its highest daily tally since the end of March.
  
  
• Sweden is introducing a digital Covid-19 vaccination certificate for public gatherings and events with more than 100 people indoors, authorities said Wednesday.
  Health Minister Lena Hallengren said the country expected to see a rise in cases during the winter and was “not isolated from the rest of the world”.
  
  
  

Latest around Europe

A record 65,371 daily infections have been reported in the past 24 hours in Germany, and the head of the RKI public health institute has spoken of a “super bleak” prognosis. “We’ve never been as worried as we are now,” said Lothar Wieler, referring to the increasing number of seriously ill Covid patients.
New proposals for Covid measures go before parliament in Berlin today. The three parties working on forming a new government want Covid passes required for buses and trains and in workplaces, and anyone unvaccinated has to take a daily test.
Elsewhere, several European countries are seeing record infections:

• Belgium has responded by imposing a four-day home-working week from Saturday.
  
• Austria is considering further measures, on top of its lockdown for some two million unvaccinated people.
  
• The Czech government meets today to approve plans to ban unvaccinated people from public events and services from Monday.
  
• Neighbouring Slovakia wants workplaces and non-essential shops to be accessible only to vaccinated staff or to people who could prove they have recovered from infection.
  
• A partial lockdown is already under way in the Netherlands, where booster vaccinations start today.
  

Germany to decide on extra measures amid cases rise

Germany recorded a record number of daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, with 65,371 new infections. The Robert Koch Institute also reported a further 264 deaths in Germany.
It comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the country is in the grip of a “dramatic” fourth wave of the pandemic, ahead of a crisis meeting with regional leaders to agree on measures.
She has called for an extra push on vaccinations to try to halt the progress of the virus.
Much of Europe is facing a surge in cases, with governments bringing in new measures to deal with the rise of infections.

Germany facing serious emergency, top official says

As coronavirus cases in Germany hit record highs, the head of the country's infectious disease agency has described the situation as a "serious emergency".
The number of daily cases has risen sharply to 65,000 - by far the highest since the pandemic began - and Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the country is in the grip of a "dramatic" fourth Covid wave.
However, Lothar Wieler from Germany's Robert Koch Institute also sharply criticises politicians for not paying attention to warnings about the spread of the virus.

:Left Quotes:   We are currently heading toward a serious emergency. If we don't act now we are going to have a really bad Christmas. It’s a very clear message but after 21 months I just can’t bear it any longer that it’s simply not recognised what I and many other colleagues are saying. from Lothar Wieler President, Robert Koch Institute
We are currently heading toward a serious emergency. If we don't act now we are going to have a really bad Christmas. It’s a very clear message but after 21 months I just can’t bear it any longer that it’s simply not recognised what I and many other colleagues are saying.
Lothar Wieler
President, Robert Koch Institute

Belgium announces new Covid measures

Belgium has announced a series of measures in an attempt to avoid a lockdown. Here's some more detail.
Children in Belgium will have to wear masks from the age of 10 when indoors, rather than the current age of 12. Working from home will become compulsory from Saturday for four days a week and passes known as Covid Safe Tickets will be required in theatres, cinemas and museums.
A third booster vaccination will also be rolled out for all Belgians by the end of April 2022.
"All the alarm signals are red," said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, as he told people to limit personal contact.
"Europe's map is quickly going red, and we are the same."
New cases in the country are rapidly approaching their highest point since October 2020's peak.

Deaths in Russia hit peak for second day in row

Russia has reported a new record-breaking number of daily coronavirus deaths.
There were 1,251 Covid-19 deaths reported over the past 24 hours, up from 1,247 the previous day, according to official reports.
The number of officially reported new daily infections was also up at 37,374, from 36,626 the day before.

Poland reports 30% weekly jump in new Covid cases

Adam Easton - Warsaw Correspondent, BBC
Poland reported 24,882 new coronavirus infections on Thursday - up 30% from a week ago, figures from the health ministry show.
There were 370 coronavirus-related deaths.
Over the last month, Poland has seen a gradual rise in cases and Thursday’s number of new infections were the highest since April.

Croatian president triggers Covid row with Austria

Guy Delauney - BBC Balkans correspondent
Croatia’s President, Zoran Milanovic, has been wildly off-message in recent weeks with his increasingly outrageous pronouncements about Covid restrictions and vaccinations. So it was perhaps only a matter of time before he triggered an international incident.
The moment arrived on Tuesday, following an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican. Reporters were perhaps hoping the head of a very Catholic state might contradict the pontiff’s view that vaccination is an “act of love”. But Milanovic instead obliged them with a blistering attack on near-neighbour Austria’s lockdown of non-vaccinated citizens.
“That is fascism,” he said, calling the lockdown a method “reminiscent of the 1930s”.
Vienna took a dim view. Croatia’s ambassador to Austria was summoned – and told in no uncertain terms that “the comparison between the measures against the Covid-19 pandemic and fascism is unacceptable”.
Milanovic is also at odds with the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, which is planning to penalise officials who refuse to enforce a Covid pass system at workplaces. The president says he “will not harass” his staff to produce a vaccination or test certificate.

 

German parliament agrees new Covid measures

Damien McGuinness - BBC News, Berlin
The Bundestag (Germany's lower house of parliament) has passed proposals for new restrictions put forward by the incoming SPD/Green/FDP governing coalition.
MPs voted in favour of a new set of measures, which would include access to public transport and the workplace only for people who have been vaccinated or tested.
On Friday, the upper house, the Bundesrat, would have to agree the measures.

South Korea sees record jump in infections

South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.
The 3,292 new cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday marked the second straight day of over 3,000 cases and brought the national caseload to 406,065.
The agency said 29 people with the virus died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 3,187, while 506 others were in serious or critical condition.
The jump comes as hundreds of thousands of masked students flocked to schools on Thursday for the country’s highly competitive college entrance exam, AP reports.

Fears for Australia's Indigenous communities amid NT Covid outbreak

Ben Smee - The Guardian
Indigenous health workers in the Northern Territory town of Katherine say they fear for vulnerable community members – including many living on the streets or in severely overcrowded homes – as authorities scramble to contain a Covid outbreak.
The Northern Territory recorded no new Covid cases on Thursday, but the chief minister, Michael Gunner, says concern remains for “large vulnerable households” in Katherine and the tiny remote community of Robinson River.

Third athlete tests positive at Beijing Winter Olympics test event

China has reported a third Covid-19 case among foreign athletes at preparatory events ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. A foreign athlete participating in the Luge World Cup in Beijing was confirmed on Tuesday as being an asymptomatic case after a routine Covid test.
The athlete has been transferred to an isolation facility for observation, state media reported, quoting Zhao Weidong, an official of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
The Luge World Cup is serving as a test event for the 4 February-20 February Beijing Winter Olympics. The Winter Paralympics follow in March.

A maintenance worker wearing a face mask walks through an empty section of spectator stands near a logo for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at a test event. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Reuters remind us that all participants at the Games will be tested daily and spectators from abroad are not being allowed in. Athletes and other Games personnel will also be isolated in “closed loop” bubbles

RKI director: Germany is 'heading toward a serious emergency' and 'a really terrible Christmas'
The head of Germany’s disease control agency has warned that the country faces a “really terrible Christmas” unless steps are taken to counter the sharp rise in coronavirus infections.
German lawmakers are debating measures today that would replace the nationwide epidemic rules, which will expire at the end of the month.
The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control agency, said on Thursday that 65,371 newly confirmed cases had been reported in a single day, continuing the upward trend that experts have been warning about for weeks. It is another new daily record.
“We are currently heading toward a serious emergency,” the agency’s director, Lothar Wieler, said. “We are going to have a really terrible Christmas if we don’t take countermeasures now.”
Wieler said Germany needs to increase its vaccination rates to significantly above 75%, from 67.7% at present. Some regions in Germany have vaccination rates as low as 57.6%.
He warned that hospitals across Germany were struggling to find beds for Covid-19 patients and those with other illnesses.
Associated Press reports that he also called for the closure of clubs and bars, an end to large-scale events and access to many parts of public life to be limited to those with vaccine or recovery certificates.

A rise in coronavirus cases in the UK is likely in the new year when schools return after the festive break, an expert has warned, adding that he is “cautiously optimistic” for Christmas.
It is clear that children and school holidays play “a key role in the waves of infection”, said Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London.
PA Media report that the lead scientist on the Zoe Covid Study app reiterated his belief that people could have to deal with Covid-19 for the next five years and insisted it is important to look “much further ahead and not just to save Christmas”.
He stressed the importance of “healthy behaviours such as working more from home when possible and self-isolation with all symptoms”, as well as wearing face coverings in high-risk areas.
But Prof Spector said the most important thing is to get fully vaccinated, a term he said must be redefined to having three doses “to protect us all from Delta and the inevitable new variants of Covid yet to come”.

Virologists in the Netherlands have proposed extending holidays over Christmas to slow a surge in Covid-19 cases among children that has forced half of schools nationwide to send classes home.
The National Institute for Health (RIVM) this week reported a record of over 110,000 weekly cases through 16 November, an increase of 44% from the week before. The strongest rise was among children aged between four and 12.
Anthony Deutsch and Bart Meijer report for Reuters that infections among children of primary school age, five to nine, jumped almost 85% and rose 76% among children aged 10-14.
“Keeping primary schools closed for longer is an effective way to keep the virus under control,” the immunologist Ger Rijkers told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. “Children are virus factories and infect adults as well as each other.”
Not all experts say closing schools is the best option, but Marion Koopmans, a virologist and member of the country’s leading Covid-19 advisory board, told the paper “we need to consider other measures” if rates don’t fall.
The latest wave began after the government ended social distancing and other measures in September, a decision that has since been reversed.
Caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte’s proposal to exclude the non-vaccinated from a pass for indoor events has faced opposition in parliament. Rutte’s government has reintroduced protective mask-wearing in stores and reimposed a partial lockdown.

Quick recap of Covid news so far today ...

• The head of Germany’s disease control agency has warned that the country faces a “really terrible Christmas” unless steps are taken to counter the sharp rise in coronavirus infections.
  
• The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control agency, said on Thursday that 65,371 newly confirmed cases had been reported in a single day, continuing the upward trend that experts have been warning about for weeks. It is another new daily record.
  
• “We are currently heading toward a serious emergency,” the agency’s director, Lothar Wieler, said. “We are going to have a really terrible Christmas if we don’t take countermeasures now.”
  
• Russia has had a remarkably consistent set of official Covid death figures. Since first rising above 1,000 on 20 October, they have gradually crept up to hover around the 1,200 mark. The country today has set a new highest official record for deaths at 1,251. There were 37,374 nationwide infections recorded. This is down slightly from the peak daily caseload of 41,335 recorded on 6 November.
  
• Virologists in the Netherlands have proposed extending holidays over Christmas to slow a surge in Covid-19 cases among children that has forced half of schools nationwide to send classes home.
  
• Sweden is introducing a digital Covid-19 vaccination certificate for public gatherings and events with more than 100 people indoors, authorities said Wednesday.
  
• Children aged 12 and over who have had a Covid-19 infection should not get a vaccine until 12 weeks later, UK officials have said.
  
• A rise in coronavirus cases in the UK is likely in the new year when schools return after the festive break, an expert has warned, adding that he is “cautiously optimistic” for Christmas. Prof Tim Spector, lead scientist on the Zoe Covid Study app, has reiterated his belief that people could have to deal with Covid-19 for the next five years and insisted it is important to look “much further ahead and not just to save Christmas”.
  
• Scientists studying an offshoot of the Covid Delta variant on the rise in England and known as AY.4.2, found it is less likely to cause symptoms than the dominant Delta variant, AY.4.
  
• A steep rise in Covid-19 cases in Europe should serve as a warning that the US could also see significant increases in coronavirus cases this winter, particularly in the nation’s colder regions, scientists say. “I do expect to see cases increasing – we’ve started to see this in the last week or so,” said Dr David Dowdy, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.
  
• South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic. The 3,292 new cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday marked the second straight day of over 3,000 cases
  
• China has reported a third Covid-19 case among foreign athletes at preparatory events ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. A foreign athlete participating in the Luge World Cup in Beijing was confirmed on Tuesday as being an asymptomatic case after a routine Covid test.
  
• The detention of Zhang Zhan, the Chinese journalist jailed after reporting on the Covid pandemic in Wuhan, is intended as a “warning to others”, her former lawyer has said, as calls grow for her emergency release on medical grounds.
  
• Indigenous health workers in the Northern Territory town of Katherine in Australia say they fear for vulnerable community members – including many living on the streets or in severely overcrowded homes – as authorities scramble to contain a Covid outbreak.
  

Greece has ordered private sector doctors in five regions in the north of the country to assist its health system as it grapples with a rise in Covid infections, Reuters reports.
The government had called on private sector doctors to help out earlier this month, as Greece’s public hospitals and intensive care wards have been overwhelmed by rising infections in recent weeks.
The requisition order, published in the official government gazette on Thursday, is effective for a month.
Greece reported 6,682 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday and 87 deaths, bringing total infections to 853,841 since the pandemic began last year, while 17,012 people have died.
Earlier in November, the government imposed restrictions to unvaccinated citizens in an effort to curb soaring infections.
The prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to address the nation later on Thursday, calling for more Greeks to get vaccinated.
About 61.8% of a population of about 11 million are fully vaccinated, while authorities had hoped for a rate of about 70% by autumn.

Austrian Covid cases keep rising as provinces prepare full lockdown

Austria’s daily coronavirus infections hit a new record on Thursday as the hardest-hit provinces started planning a full lockdown and pressure on the government grew to do the same nationally instead of the current lockdown for the unvaccinated, Reuters reports.
Roughly 66% of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Its infections are among the highest on the continent, with a seven-day incidence of 971 per 100,000 people.
With colder weather setting in as winter approaches, cases have surged across Europe, prompting governments to consider reimposing unpopular lockdowns.
While the Netherlands has imposed a partial lockdown that applies to all, Austria has sought not to impose extra restrictions on the vaccinated.
Daily infections on Thursday rose above 15,000 for the first time, reaching 15,145. The peak of the biggest wave of infections before this was 9,586 about a year ago, when the country went into full lockdown.
The hardest-hit of Austria’s nine provinces are Upper Austria, a stronghold of the far-right and vaccine-criticising Freedom Party, which has the country’s highest infection rate and its lowest vaccination rate, and neighbouring Salzburg.
The conservative governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, said on Thursday that if Austria did not lock down nationally, his province would, Austrian media reported.
“If no national lockdown is ordered tomorrow, there will definitely be a lockdown of several weeks in Upper Austria together with Salzburg. We will coordinate with our neighbouring province [Salzburg] and with the federal government,” newspaper Kurier quoted Stelzer as telling Upper Austria’s parliament.
The conservative governor of Salzburg, Wilfried Haslauer, told news agency APA his province is indeed preparing a lockdown.
Austria’s nine governors are holding a meeting on Friday and have invited the conservative chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and the health minister Wolfgang Mückstein.

Christmas holidays could be extended in Netherlands

Christmas holidays in the Netherlands could be extended to try to reduce a rise in Covid cases among schoolchildren, Reuters news agency reports.
Half of the country's schools have had to send classes home because of rising infections.
"Keeping primary schools closed for longer is an effective way to keep the virus under control," immunologist Ger Rijkers tells Netherlands newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
"Children are virus factories and infect adults as well as each other."
Not all experts agree about closing schools, but virologist Marion Koopmans - a member of the Dutch Covid-19 advisory board, says other measures need to be considered if rates don't fall.
The latest wave in the country started after coronavirus restrictions were loosened in September - they have now been reinstated.

German measures pass after fierce debate

Damien McGuinness - BBC News, Berlin


After a ferocious debate, German MPs voted in favour of a new set of measures to fight the pandemic.
These would include access to public transport or the workplace only for people who have been vaccinated or tested.
Already in many regions, unvaccinated people can’t use indoor leisure facilities, such as cafes, bars, gyms or hairdressers. The aim is to encourage even more people to get the vaccine.
At the moment, just under 70% of the population is fully vaccinated - below the EU average.
But the measures can’t yet come into force. They also have to be passed by the regional governments in Germany’s upper house. And some conservative politicians have threatened to block the bill.

‘A chariot in the sky’: Lumiere festival of light in Durham honours Covid dead
Mark Brown - The Guardian
One of the most peculiar monuments in the UK is to be spectacularly lit up to be seen from as far as 20 miles away and accompanied by a blasting soundtrack including music by the 12th-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen.
Penshaw Monument is a 20-metre replica of the ancient Greek temple of Hephaestus built by the Victorians on a hill near Sunderland. It was intended to commemorate John Lambton, the first earl of Durham, a Whig politician whose nickname was Radical Jack. This weekend it elegantly commemorates the victims of Covid-19 as part of Lumiere in Durham, the UK’s largest light festival.
The work, A Telling of Light by the artists Elaine Buckholtz and Ian Winters, is a huge technical challenge involving about 140,000 separate points of light in tribute to the UK death toll from coronavirus.

The installation has been commissioned to commemorate the huge number of lives lost to Covid in the UK and is visible from up to 20 miles away. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Buckholtz said they were offering visitors a place to mourn but also to be inspired. “Sometimes it looks like a chariot in the sky. It feels like it’s not reachable, but it’s there. For me it speaks to the relationship between life and death.”
She said the intention had been to create a sublime, communal experience.

No one has been able to mourn together. Everyone has been separate. A lot of people haven’t even had a funeral so we wanted to create a place for people to be together and honour their losses.

Get the full story here.

Irish nightclubs to open earlier as new curfew looms

Club-goers in Ireland might have to get used to some early-evening partying over the winter months, as nightclubs have been forced to get creative in their bid to keep their doors open amid new restrictions imposed by Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
Under new Covid restriction, hospitality venues will face a midnight closing time. That still allows restaurants and pubs to operate most or all of their daily business but could have a disastrous impact on nightclubs who were relying on packed dancefloors and busy bars over the festive months to provide a huge chunk of their 2021 income.
Authorities hope the curfew might help limit the spread of the virus in the country, which now has the highest incidence rate in western Europe, and the 12th highest in the world.
Many clubs - including one of Dublin's most iconic venues, Copper Face Jacks - have instead unveiled plans to open earlier in a bid to escape the financial hit a new curfew could have.
The club will now throw open its doors at 6pm, while other city centre venues such as Tramline, Pygmalion and Bad Bob's have also announced plans to launch earlier opening hours.
Ireland's nightlife industry had only just returned to some semblance of normality, with a previous curfew of 11.30pm removed at the end of October.

Other European countries overtake UK on excess deaths, says ONS

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that more countries across central Europe overtook the UK in 2021 to have the highest total excess deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Excess deaths are those which are above and beyond the number of deaths which would ordinarily be expected.
The research looks at the total number of excess deaths in each country, and adjusts for differences in population age and size in different countries.
Between March 2020 to June 2020, the United Kingdom had the worst total excess deaths across Europe. However, by the end of 2020, countries across Europe started to overtake the UK in terms of excess deaths.
The new data from ONS suggests, as of June 2021, countries such as Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic had higher overall levels of excess death than the UK. Rates of total excess deaths in the UK are now similar to countries such as Spain and Portugal.
The ONS found that the UK has seen a gradual but sustained increase in adjusted excess deaths since spring 2021, after an initial drop from the very high excess deaths seen in winter 2020-21.
During this time, excess deaths in the UK was higher for younger people (0 to 64 years) than for older people - this differed from most countries except Slovakia, Hungary and Czechia

Situation worsens across Europe

The focus of much of the news is the worsening pandemic picture in Europe, with record infections reported and fresh restrictions being intrdoduced or considered all over the continent.
Here are the headlines from today so far:

• Covid-19 cases in Germany have reached record highs, with daily infections exceeding 65,000 for the first time during the entire pandemic and booster jabs now recommended for all adults
  
• Belgium have announced new Covid measures to avoid a lockdown, including mask-wearing for children over the age of 10 when indoors and more compulsory home working
  
• Deaths have also hit a peak in Russia, with more than 1,200 deaths reported for the second consecutive day
  
• The Netherlands are considering extending the Christmas school holidays in a bid to fight surging infections among children
  
• Germany's lower house of parliament has given initial approval to a new raft of restrictions - including access to workplaces and public transport for only vaccinated people - which will be looked at by the upper house tomorrow, where some politicians have threatened to block the bill
  
• Cases and hospital admissions over the last week in Poland have risen by over 30%
  
• Croatia's president has kicked off a row with his Austrian counterpart, after comparing the policy of lockdown for the unvaccinated in Austria to fascism
  

Pressure for full Austria lockdown as cases rise

Just like we have been reporting in Germany, the daily coronavirus infections have hit a new peak in the neighbouring country of Austria, with cases rising above 15,000 for the first time, Reuters news agency reports.
The worst impacted provinces have begun planning a full lockdown amid pressure on the government grows to do the same nationally - rather than the current lockdown for the unvaccinated.
Roughly 66% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated, 8% lower than the EU average and one of the lowest rates in western Europe.

Spanish region considering extending vaccine passports

We were telling you earlier about Covid passes in Wales and Scotland - another country considering extending their use is Spain.
The Basque Country wants to make it mandatory for people visiting bars, clubs or restaurants to show a vaccination certificate, reports Spanish newspaper El Pais.
It would show whether they have been fully vaccinated, at least 14 days previously, if they have had Covid over the previous six months, or tested negative for the virus.
Spanish regions are in charge of their own healthcare systems, including Covid-19 measures and vaccinations.
Overall in Spain, 79% of the population is now fully vaccinated. The daily case rate is rising at the moment with latest 14-day figures showing 88.6 cases per 100,000 people.

WHO: Public health emergency far from over

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning there is a "hard winter ahead" for Europe.
Asked by the BBC if it was concerned vaccines did not appear to be preventing a surge in cases, its regional director for Europe Hans Kluge says: "Of course vaccines have been a game-changer.
"But far too many remain unvaccinated, so we have pockets in which the virus continues to spread and cause strain on local and national health systems."
He was speaking amid a surge in European countries, as we've been reporting on here today.

This public health emergency is far from being over, and the current rise of cases in most countries in the region, caused by the combination of insufficient vaccination coverage, the easing of preventive measures and the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, shows that a hard winter is ahead of us." from Dr Hans Kluge, WHO
This public health emergency is far from being over, and the current rise of cases in most countries in the region, caused by the combination of insufficient vaccination coverage, the easing of preventive measures and the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, shows that a hard winter is ahead of us."
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO

UK reports 46,807 new Covid cases

The UK has reported 46,807 coronavirus cases in the last 24-hour period.
There were also 199 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.

Where are cases worst in Germany?

As we've been reporting today the number of Covid cases in the country has hit a record high. But where are cases worst?
Saxony is the German region that has currently been hardest hit by the fourth wave of coronavirus.
The state - in the east of the country, which has Dresden as its capital - has the highest infection rate as well as the lowest vaccination rate.
Because of its status, it's considering measures like closing concerts, theatres and football games to the public and closing bars and nightclubs, Bild newspaper says.
Daily infections there have risen 14 times in the past month, Reuters has reported.
Infection rates are also high in Bavaria, in the south-east, and more measures are being considered there

Netherlands reports record daily infections

The Netherlands has reported its highest number of daily Covid infections, exceeding new 20,000 cases for the third day in a row, Reuters news agency reports.
About 23,600 people tested positive for the virus, the country's national health institute says - up from just under 21,000 a day before.
The country has already brought in a partial lockdown.

Lockdown for unvaccinated in Czech Republic and Slovakia

Both the Czech Republic and Slovakia have announced tighter restrictions for unvaccinated people, in a bid to encourage vaccine uptake.
The Czech government has approved rules which allow only those who are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid in the past six months to enter restaurants, attend certain events and use various other services from Monday, the Reuters news agency reports.
Slovakia took a similar step, in what Prime Minister Eduard Heger describes as a "lockdown for the unvaccinated" - echoing the move in Austria earlier this week.
Both governments will also require testing at workplaces.
"The main goal of these measures is motivation for vaccinations," Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech says.
With 58% of the population inoculated, the Czech vaccination rate is below the European Union average, while Slovakia has the EU's third-lowest rate, with 45% of the population inoculated.

What's been happening today?

• In Germany Covid cases have hit a record high, with 65,371 daily cases recorded
  
• The country's parliament has voted in favour of new measures, which includes limiting public transport to people who have been vaccinated or tested
  
• New controls are also being put in place in Belgium, where children aged 10 and over will have to wear masks indoors and working from home will be mandatory four days a week
  
• There are also high levels of infection elsewhere in Europe, with cases rising by more than 30% in the last week in Poland, while the Netherlands is considering extending the Christmas school holidays
  
• In the UK, Wales is considering extending the use of Covid passes to pubs and restaurants over the Christmas period
  
• Covid case rates are now highest among children aged five to nine in England, according to the latest data
  
• The UK government has named 50 companies given fast-track "VIP" contracts to supply protective equipment to the NHS, following a Freedom of Information request by the Good Law Project
  
• On Thursday the UK reported 46,807 coronavirus cases, as well as 199 deaths within 28 days of a positive test
  

Here is a quick recap of some of the main developments from today so far:

• The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a televised address urging citizens to get vaccinated against Covid-19, as he warned restrictions for the unvaccinated would be expanded. As of Monday, in addition to restaurants, curbs will also go into effect in other “enclosed spaces” including cinemas, theatres, museums and gyms. The government had decided to also limit Covid passes to seven months for those aged over 60 to encourage people to get a third dose, he said, vowing that inspections would also intensify. In the coming days, Greek hospitals now under intolerable pressure will also be reinforced with private sector doctors being mobilised to assist the national health system. “Greece is mourning unnecessary deaths because very simply it does not have the vaccination percentages of other European countries,” Mitsotakis said.
  
• AstraZenec’s antibody cocktail offered 83% protection against Covid over six months, the pharmaceutical firm said. Evusheld has shown promise in preventing severe disease when given early as a treatment to those infected with Covid-19. Explainer here.
  
• The UK reported another 46,807 Covid cases and a further 199 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
  
• Hungary will make a booster shot mandatory for all healthcare workers and will require protective mask wearing in most enclosed places from Saturday, Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff said. Gergely Gulyás also told a government briefing that only vaccines can provide protection against coronavirus as case numbers are rising. Hungary has hardly any restrictions in place and the vaccination rate is below the EU average. The steady rise in new Covid infections prompted the Hungarian Medical Chamber to call on Wednesday for strict measures. The chamber called for a ban on mass events and mandatory mask wearing in enclosed spaces and said that entry to restaurants, theatres and cinemas should be conditional on a Covid immunity certificate.
  
• Slovakia will impose stricter measures for people who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus amid a surge in infections and hospital admissions that is stretching the health system, the prime minister Eduard Heger said. “It is a lockdown for the unvaccinated,” Heger told a news conference shown live on television. Slovakia has one of the EU’s lowest vaccination rates at 45%. Under the new rules, taking effect from Monday and foreseen for three weeks, only people who have been vaccinated or who have had Covid in the past six months will be allowed to enter restaurants, shopping malls, shops with non-essential goods, sports activities and public events.S ome services will face further restrictions in most-affected regions even for those vaccinated, with restaurants only being able to serve takeaway. The new rules include the requirement to test unvaccinated people in workplaces in all but the least-affected regions. Heger said vaccinated people would be the first to benefit from an ease in restrictions.
  
• Saxony, the German region hardest hit by the country’s fourth wave of coronavirus, is considering a partial lockdown. The eastern region, which has Germany’s lowest vaccination rate and highest infection rate, is considering measures such as closing theatres, concerts and soccer games to the public and shutting bars and discos, local media reported.
  
• Pressure on Austria’s government to impose a full Covid lockdown is growing as its hardest-hit provinces said they would adopt the measure for themselves since infections are still rising despite the current lockdown for the unvaccinated. “If no national lockdown is ordered tomorrow, there will definitely have to be a lockdown of several weeks in Upper Austria together with our neighbouring province Salzburg as of next week,” the governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, told the province’s parliament. The conservative-led provincial government of Salzburg confirmed in a statement that it is planning a joint lockdown with Upper Austria. Austria’s governors are holding a meeting on Friday with the conservative chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and the health minister Wolfgang Mückstein.
  

Quick glance recap of events on Thursday, 18th November:

• Covid origins: The first known Covid case originated with a vendor at a Wuhan wet market, a leading virus expert has claimed in a report published on Thursday.
  
• France will not impose Covid lockdowns on unvaccinated people because of the success of its health pass in curbing the virus’s spread, president Emmanuel Macron said.
  
• Germany will limit large parts of public life in areas where hospitals are becoming dangerously full of coronavirus patients to those who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from the illness, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
  
• Saxony, the German region hardest hit by the country’s fourth wave of coronavirus, is considering a partial lockdown.
  
• Austria may impose a full Covid lockdown as infections are still rising despite the current lockdown for the unvaccinated.
  
• Greece expands restrictions for the unvaccinated, prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned during a televised address urging citizens to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
  
• The UK reported another 46,807 Covid cases and a further 199 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
  
• Hungary will make a booster shot mandatory for all healthcare workers and will require protective mask wearing in most enclosed places from Saturday, Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff said.
  
• Slovakia will impose stricter measures for people who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus amid a surge in infections and hospital admissions, prime minister Eduard Heger said.
  
• Brazil has recorded 12,301 new cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 293 deaths from Covid, the health ministry said on Thursday.
  
• The US state of Florida has banned schools and businesses from requiring vaccination against Covid. Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed the new laws.
  
• Canada will announce on Friday it is authorising the use of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine in children aged between 5 and 11, a government source said on Thursday.
  
• India has approved the export of 20m doses of the Novavax Covid vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to Indonesia, according to a government document seen by Reuters and a government source.