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    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021

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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 09:17

    Summary for Friday, 26th November 2021

    • The World Health Organization designates the new highly mutated strain of Covid a "variant of concern" and gives it the Greek name Omicron
    • Health Secretary Sajid Javid says there is "huge international concern" over the variant - but there are no UK cases
    • The variant has been found in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong - and one case has been confirmed in Europe, in Belgium
    • EU member states agree to halt travel to and from seven African nations
    • Countries including the UK, Germany, Italy, Israel, Japan, Kenya and Singapore have also restricted travel
    • The World Health Organization cautions against travel bans but has held a special meeting to discuss the variant
    • A top UK health official calls it "the most significant variant" to date, while an Oxford scientist tells the BBC: "It is bad news but it's not doomsday"

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Here are the main stories this morning:


    • England is banning travellers from six countries in southern Africa because of concerns over a highly transmissible new coronavirus variant. The ban will take effect within hours.

    • Experts from the World Health Organisation are due to meet in South Africa this morning to discuss the heavily mutated variant - described by one scientist as "the worst one we've seen so far".

    • Cases have risen in several European countries, with the Netherlands expected to toughen its lockdown rules later today.

    • The Czech President Milos Zeman, 77, has been taken to hospital afer testing positive for Covid.[/size]

    • Germany reports another 76,414 Covid cases and 357 deaths, according to data released from the Robert Koch Institute.

    • The Netherlands is set to tighten its partial lockdown today to curb soaring Covid cases. Prime minister Mark Rutte is expected to announce new anti-Covid measures which could include closing bars, restaurants and non-essential shops. Police are preparing for possible new riots against the restrictions.

    • Portugal is set to bring back Covid vaccination certificates for public spaces including bars, hotels, restaurants and gyms and once again make face masks compulsory indoors, reports Reuters.

    • China sees another Covid-19 outbreak with 6 cases in 3 cities in single day after a dinner with friends reportedly led to infections in Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, all in the country’s east. The source of the fresh outbreak is still being traced, the South China Morning Post reports.

    • Hong Kong and Chinese authorities said a meeting on Thursday moved them closer to partially reopening the border between them. Hong Kong’s government said: “Good progress was made in the meeting on exploring the resumption of quarantine-free travel between the mainland and Hong Kong in a gradual and orderly manner.”

    • Australia’s border is set to remain open to South Africa despite emergence of new Covid variant. Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt, said officials were assessing the threat posed by the strain and would not yet introduce restrictions on arrivals from southern Africa.

    • South Korean health authorities said a fetus has died of Covid-19 in the first case in the country, Yonhap news reports. A 24-week pregnant woman delivered the stillborn baby Monday, four days after being confirmed to have been infected with Covid-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

    • India’s daily Covid cases rose by 10,549 and deaths by 488, the nation’s health ministry said.

    • France says it plans to give Covid booster shots to all adults but has opted against a further lockdown or curfew to help combat an uptick in infections in the country.

    • Ministers are urging millions of Britons to get their Covid booster jab by 11 December to ensure they have “very high protection against Covid by Christmas Day” as new evidence shows the risk of infection increases with the time since the second dose.

    • Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise in the UK, recording 47,240 new cases, and 147 more people died. Yesterday there were 43,676 new cases and 149 deaths.

    • Brazil registered 303 Covid deaths on Thursday and 12,126 additional cases, according to data released by the nation’s health ministry.

    • Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are launching new features to encourage people to get their coronavirus booster jabs. From Friday, users will be able to update their profiles with frames or stickers to show that they have had their top-up jab or aim to when they become eligible.

    • Indian health officials on Friday put states on alert, asking them to carry out “rigorous screening and testing” of travellers who had arrived from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, and to trace and test their contacts.
      Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan urged all states to ensure that samples from Covid-positive travellers swiftly sent to genome sequencing labs for testing.

    • China is continuing to pursue its strict Covid-zero policy in light of three new cases detected in the city of Shanghai.
      Hundreds of flights have been cancelled while some schools were shuttered and tour groups suspended, AFP reports. Six Shanghai hospitals have also suspended outpatient services.

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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 09:47

    Coronavirus variant fear prompts travel curbs

    Our main story this morning is the news of a UK travel ban being imposed six African countries due to rising concerns over a new coronavirus variant.
    From 12:00 GMT, travellers arriving in England from the countries will have to quarantine and flights will be temporarily banned.
    One expert described the variant, known as B.1.1.529, as "the worst one we've seen so far", and there is concern it has the potential to evade immunity.
    No cases have been confirmed in the UK.
    Read the full story here.

    How concerned should we be by the new variant?

    James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
    One scientist told me this was the worst variant they'd seen - look at it on paper and it's not hard to see why.
    It is the most heavily mutated variant so far and is now radically different to the form that emerged in Wuhan, China.
    That means vaccines, which were designed using the original, may not be as effective.
    And some of its mutations are known to increase the ability of coronaviruses to spread.
    It is early days and the confirmed cases are still mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa, but there are hints it may have spread further.
    Read more from James here.

    Covid surge much worse than feared, says Belgium PM

    Belgium's prime minister says his country is facing a surge in coronavirus cases far worse than feared.
    Alexander De Croo says the spike exceeds even "the most pessimistic curves" drawn last week by experts.
    "The latest data gathered show that the... situation has considerably deteriorated," he says, even after imposing tougher Covid rules last week.
    The government is holding urgent talks later on Friday on further measures.
    There were protests in the capital Brussels over the weekend against the measures.

    New variant is 'most significant' seen so far

    The new coronavirus variant is the most significant scientists have discovered so far, a top UK health official says.
    Scientists fear the variant - known as B.1.1.529 - could be more transmissible and better able to evade vaccines.
    Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says: "This is the most significant variant we have encountered to date and urgent research is underway to learn more about its transmissibility, severity and vaccine-susceptibility."
    She says scientists are looking into "what public health actions may limit the impact of B.1.1.529".
    The UK is rushing in strict travel restrictions for South Africa and five neighbouring countries to halt the spread of the new strain.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 09:51

    Israel bars South African travellers

    Israel has become the latest country to announce tough travel restrictions on southern African countries amid concerns over the spread of a new coronavirus variant.
    It has blocked entry from seven countries, including South Africa, and banned its own citizens from visiting them.
    It follows the UK saying it will impose a travel ban on six African countries over the spread of the variant, which scientists fear could be far more transmissible.

    Take action to quell surge, Merkel urges successor

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 316cdb2d-4a8b-4c74-8432-17d752fb7e7b

    Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the government succeeding her to take quick, decisive measures against Covid as the country grapples with rising cases and deaths.
    Germany reported a record 351 Covid deaths yesterday, taking its total official death toll past 100,000.
    Merkel - who leaves office next month - said "every day counts" and implored Germany's new government to bring in more restrictions on contact.
    Germany is in the grip of a fourth wave of coronavirus. Cases are rising rapidly and many hospitals are full.

    Bryan Adams tests positive - for second time this month

    Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams says he is going to hospital in Italy after testing positive for Covid for the second time in a month.
    "Here I am, just arrived in Milano and I've tested positive for the second time in a month for Covid. So it's off to hospital for me," he wrote on Instagram.
    Adams - who is reportedly vaccinated - had previously tested positive on 31 October, though he didn't have any symptoms.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 09:55

    UK's decision to ban flights was 'rushed'

    The UK health secretary's decision to ban flights from South Africa over concerns of a new variant detected there "seems to have been rushed", South Africa's foreign ministry has said.
    "Our immediate concern is the damage that this decision will cause to both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries," Naledi Pandor says in a statement.
    She says the move had come before the World Health Organization (WHO) had issued any guidance on the matter, and that his country would work with the UK authorities to try to get the ban lifted as soon as possible.
    The UK is South Africa's largest source for tourists outside of the continent, with more than 400,000 visitors arriving there per year before the pandemic.

    Our scientists are deeply concerned: UK health secretary

    Speaking to reporters about new travel restrictions, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid says "we don't know enough" yet about the new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa, but that it's right to "remain cautious".
    He says the decision to ban flights to England from several southern African countries is about "being cautious.... and trying to protect, as best we can, our borders".

    Czech president returns to hospital with Covid

    The president of the Czech Republic has tested positive for Covid-19 and has returned to hospital - just hours after he was discharged following weeks of treatment for an unspecified liver condition.
    Milos Zeman, 77, has been vaccinated three times and hospital officials have said he currently shows no symptoms.
    He had been due to appoint a new prime minister, Petr Fiala, later today.
    Zeman was first admitted to hospital in October, a day after an election that led to the defeat of the government led by Andrej Babis.
    In May, the president lit a candle to commemorate the almost 30,000 victims of Covid-19 in the country at a vigil at Prague Castle in the capital.
    As of today, the Czech Republic has recorded more than two million cases and 32,523 coronavirus-related deaths.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 09:58

    Shadow home secretary welcomes 'swift' red list changes

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 1bcdb32c-39bc-4392-89b4-d44041c48b62

    The shadow home secretary said he welcomed the government's "swift action" on changing England's travel rules in response to the new coronavirus variant.
    Labour's Nick Thomas-Symonds told BBC Breakfast the news of the new variant was "extremely concerning".
    He says the government now needs to outline its plans for genomic sequencing of the variant and the future of the Test and Trace operation.
    NHS Test and Trace was set up to identify close contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid, but has been highly criticised as ineffective and expensive.

    UK taking safety-first approach - transport secretary

    The UK is taking a "safety-first approach" by putting six southern African countries on the travel red list, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says.
    It comes after South Africa's foreign ministry said the decision appears to have been "rushed" and urged the UK to reconsider.
    Shapps says the decision was made within an hour or two of a meeting between the UK's chief medical officers yesterday afternoon, who agreed it was the “most significant variant they had encountered” with a lot of potential to escape the vaccine.
    Early action will buy us more time, he says, but we "can never stop these things".
    You can read more about the UK's updated travel rules here.

    UK to review situation in three weeks - Shapps

    We've got more from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who tells BBC Breakfast the UK can't take risks with the new coronavirus variant "which could well defeat the vaccine".
    He says scientists need more time to investigate the variant following the government's decision put six south African countries on the travel red list.
    Shapps says he hopes the move is a "pause rather than going backwards".
    He's then asked: When will we know if this is more concerning than other variants we've seen?
    "It does take usually weeks to check these things out - you have to grow the culture and sequence it all," he says, adding that they will have another review in three weeks' time.
    Read more here.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:06

    Breaking News 

    New variant detected in Israel - local media

    The new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa has been discovered in Israel, Israeli media report.
    The variant - known as B.1.1.529 - was detected in a person who returned to Israel from the southern African country of Malawi, according to the reports, which quote the country's health ministry.
    Two other suspected cases relating to travellers who have just returned to the country are reportedly awaiting test results.
    All of the travellers are said to have been fully vaccinated.
    The new variant is highly mutated and there are concerns that vaccines could be less effective against it.

    Singapore will restrict arrivals from south Africa and countries nearby in an effort to keep out a new Covid-19 variant, its health ministry said in a statement on Friday.
    All non-Singaporean or non-permanent residents with recent travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe will be denied entry or transit through Singapore, it said.
    The additional border restrictions will apply for four weeks, after which the ministry will review and extend the restrictions if necessary.

    Japan is now the latest country to tighten border controls for visitors from South Africa and five other African countries, as per a Jiji news service report.
    India also issued an advisory to all states to rigorously test and screen travellers from the African nation and other “at risk” countries earlier on Friday.

    WHO to assess new highly mutated Covid-19 variant as countries ramp up health checks
    The World Health Organization will meet on Friday to assess a new variant detected in South Africa that is feared to be the worst Covid-19 variant yet identified.
    The meeting will determine if the B.1.1.529 variant should be designated a variant of “interest” or of “concern”. The variant, which was identified on Tuesday, initially attracted attention because it carries an “extremely high number” of mutations.
    Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, said in a press briefing on Thursday: “We don’t know very much about this [variant] yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, it can have an impact on how the virus behaves.”
    The infectious disease epidemiologist said that researchers would meet to “understand where these mutations are and what this potentially may mean” in terms of whether it is more transmissible or has potential to evade immunity.
    A high number of mutations does not necessarily make a variant more transmissible. In August, similar concerns emerged about a variant in South Africa, known as C.1.2, but it was never listed as a variant of interest or concern. At the meeting the WHO may decide whether or not to give the B.1.1.529 variant a name from the Greek alphabet. If it does, it is likely to be named Nu, the next available letter.
    Read more here
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:14

    Germany to declare South Africa a 'virus variant area', restrict travel
    Germany will declare South Africa a virus variant area later today after the detection of a new Covid-19 variant there, a health ministry source said.
    The decision, which will come into effect from tonight, will mean airlines will be allowed to fly only Germans to Germany from South Africa, according to the Reuters source. Returning Germans, even those who are vaccinated, will then have to spend 14 days in quarantine.
    “This newly discovered variant worries us. That is why we are acting pro-actively and early here,” health minister Jens Spahn said. “The last thing we need now is a new variant being introduced that causes even more problems.”

    Hungary needs to increase the number of people taking booster shots against COVID-19 to curb infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told state radio today.

    Reuters report that Orbán said the government would extend a special campaign making vaccinations available without any prior registration to next week following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
    He said he would “not exclude anything” but that if the spread of the virus can be curbed with vaccines then there will not be a need for lockdown measures.
    Orban said the government would make vaccines available to parents if they want their children aged between 5 and 11 be vaccinated, and has ordered 2 million doses for this purpose, with the first shipment coming next month.
    Thursday’s data showed 5.81 million people, or just under 60% of the population, have been fully vaccinated, while 2.15 million have received booster shots.
    Hungary has made booster shots mandatory for healthcare workers and protective mask wearing has again been required in most indoor places since Saturday. But the changes fall short of the strict measures urged by Hungarian doctors as hospitals are filling up.

    What do we know about the new ‘worst ever’ Covid variant?
    B.1.1.529 has a very unusual constellation of mutations, which are worrying because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, scientists have said. Any new variant that is able to evade vaccines or spread faster than the now-dominant Delta variant might pose a significant threat as the world emerges from the pandemic.
    Senior scientists on Thursday evening described B.1.1.529 as the worst variant they had seen since the start of the pandemic. It has 32 mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that most vaccines use to prime the immune system against Covid. That is about double the number associated with the Delta variant. Mutations in the spike protein can affect the virus’s ability to infect cells and spread, but also make it harder for immune cells to attack the pathogen.
    Read more here.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:18

    Czech Republic latest country to apply travel ban to southern African states over new variant
    A quick snap from Reuters that the Czech Republic is the latest country to ban travel from South Africa and other southern African countries to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant, foreign minister Jakub Kulhanek has said.
    The ban which will take effect on Saturday, applies for third country citizens who spent more than 12 hours in the past two weeks in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia.

    Italy imposes ban on entry from seven southern African states

    Italy has also imposed an entry ban on people who have visited a group of southern African states in the last 14 days, due to the spread of a new Covid-19 variant there.
    Reuters report a statement said Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza has signed an executive order banning entry by people who have visited South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini in the last fortnight.
    “Our scientists are studying the new B.1.1.529 variant. In the meantime, we will adopt the greatest possible caution,” Speranza said.

    There is a press briefing coming out from the World Health Organization (WHO) at the moment, and they say:

    • they will convene an experts meeting at noon in Geneva today over the B.1.1.159 variant.
    • it will evaluate whether this new variant is a “variant of interest” or a “variant of concern”.
    • they declined to make any comment on the rapid imposition of travel bans for people coming from the southern African region where the variant has taken hold.

    It is a while since the WHO last designated a “variant of concern”. So far there are four, named Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. There are currently two “variants of interest” – Lambda and Mu. If B.1.1.159 is named today it will become Nu.
    As a reminder here are the definitions of those terms:
    Variant of interest (VOI) – a SARS-CoV-2 variant with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape; and that has been identified to cause significant community transmission or multiple Covid-19 clusters, in multiple countries.
    Variant of concern (VOC) – a SARS-CoV-2 variant that meets the definition of a VOI and, through a comparative assessment, has been demonstrated to be associated with one or more of the following changes at a degree of global public health significance:

    • Increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; OR
    • Increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; OR
    • Decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:26

    Reuters has an update on the reaction in India to the new variant emerging in southern Africa
    India issued an advisory to all states to rigorously test and screen international travellers from South Africa and other “at risk” countries amid concerns over a new coronavirus variant, after easing some of its travel restrictions earlier this month.
    The federal health ministry said reports of mutations in the new variant, identified as B.1.1.529, had “serious public health implications”.
    “This variant is reported to have a significantly high number of mutations, and thus, has serious public health implications for the country in view of recently relaxed visa restrictions and opening up of international travel,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to states late last night.
    While some major Asian countries rushed to tighten border controls and restrict travellers, India had not yet issued a notification, a senior government source said.
    “This has not been studied fully by Ministry of Health,” the source told Reuters, declining to be identified.

    Violent clashes overnight with police and protestors in Martinique
    one member of the police forces was injured during violent clashes overnight with protesters on the French island of Martinique, French media reported.
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 4969
    A car burns at a barricade blocking a bridge overnight in Fort-de-France, on Martinique. Photograph: Loïc Venance/AFP/Getty Images

    Authorities on the Caribbean island of Martinique ordered a curfew on Thursday after protesters looted shops and set up burning barricades as demonstrations against Covid-19 protocols spread across France’s overseas’ territories.

    Earlier this week Swiss health authorities warned of a rising “fifth wave” in the Alpine country
    Swiss vaccination rates are roughly in line with those in hard-hit Austria and Germany — at about two-thirds of the population. Infection rates have soared in recent weeks. The seven-day average case count in Switzerland went up to more than 5,200 per day from mid-October to mid-November, a more than five-fold increase — with an upward curve like those in neighbouring Germany and Austria.
    However, federal government hasn’t responded with new restrictive measures. Analysts say it doesn’t want to stir up more opposition to its anti-Covid-19 policies, which face a crucial test at the ballot box this weekend as critics have grown increasingly loud.
    On Sunday, as part of the country’s regular referendums, Swiss voters will cast ballots about the so-called “Covid-19 law” that has provided billions of Swiss francs in aid for workers and businesses hit by the pandemic. The law has also imposed the use of a special Covid certificate that lets only people who have been vaccinated, recovered, or tested negative attend public events and gatherings.
    The Associated Press suggest in their report that if the Swiss give a thumbs-up on Sunday, that may free the government’s hand to ratchet up its anti-Covid efforts.
    The Swiss Federal Council, the seven-member executive branch, went out of its way earlier this week to say: “It’s not the time to decree a tightening of measures nationwide,” while opting for a region-by-region approach and calling on citizens to act responsibly through mask-wearing, physical distancing, and proper airing of indoor areas.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:36

    Portugal to reintroduce a series of restrictions from 1st December
    Sam Jones - The Guardian
    Portugal, which has vaccinated 86% of its population, is reintroducing a series of restrictions as cases in the country continue to rise. On Thursday the prime minister, António Costa, announced that from 1 December, facemasks would once again be obligatory in enclosed spaces and that a digital certificate showing vaccination or recovery would need to be shown to enter restaurants, hotels and cinemas. All those entering hospitals, care homes, bars, clubs and sports events will need to show a negative test, while those flying into Portugal from abroad will also need a digital certificate or a negative test result.
    Catalonia has become the latest Spanish region to decree that Covid passports are now needed to get into bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. The passports are also in use in Aragón, the Balearic islands, Galicia, Murcia and Navarre, but their specific use varies between regions.

    EU proposes 'emergency brake' on travel from southern Africa

    Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, says the EU is looking at introducing a travel ban for countries from southern Africa in a bid to protect member states from the new variant.


    Has the new variant already arrived in the UK?

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 07d4f382-20e0-4798-8f75-5e1d83274aa6

    "It's always possible," says Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser to the UK Health Security Agency.
    South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana and Israel all have confirmed cases of the variant, but the UK has not found any yet.
    Dr Hopkins says the UK is sequencing more than 50,000 virus cases per week - "a huge amount".
    She adds that one of the mutations in the variant is very similar to one of the mutations in Alpha, which means it can be detected quite easily with many of our PCR tests.
    "Overall, I think the situation is reassuring in-country, but of course, people are arriving every day," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:41

    Banning flights won't stop spread - Africa Covid chief

    The head of the agency leading Africa's response to the coronavirus pandemic says imposing restrictions such as banning flights is unlikely to reduce the spread of the new variant.
    "The restrictions imposed always make it difficult to co-ordinate a response," Dr John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, tells BBC Newsday.
    "It doesn't help... it has never helped reduce the spread of any variant across the world," he says, referring to the decision by the UK to suspend flights from six southern African countries.
    He suggests abiding by public health measures such as wearing masks, especially at gatherings during the winter festivities, and washing hands.
    "Avoid crowds and implement the basic public health and social measures that are effective against all variants. I think that is what we should be promoting."

    New variant will not take us back to square one - scientist

    The new Covid variant identified in South Africa "could be a setback", but should not cause people to panic, according to a leading scientist.
    Prof Francois Balloux, an epidemiologist and director of University College London's Genetics Institute, tells the BBC that because the variant has been detected so early, it could be easier to contain.
    He adds that even if the strain is more transmissible, it would not "bring us to square one" in the fight against the virus.
    "It's annoying, it's problematic, but it's not like a new pandemic," he says, adding that "entire immunity" will not be lost overnight.
    "It could be a setback, but it's not a complete start again of the whole thing."
    Read more about the new variant here.

    Welsh rugby teams trying to secure flights home from SA

    Two rugby teams are trying to return home to Wales from South Africa, which has been put on the UK's red travel list amid concern over the new variant discovered there.
    Cardiff and Scarlets were due to play games in South Africa as part of the United Rugby Championship (URC) - but are now searching for a route back to the UK.


    Direct flights to England from South Africa - along with Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini - will be temporarily suspended from midday.
    The Welsh government has adopted the same travel rules as England and any direct flight into the UK from South Africa would usually land in England.
    The flights are being suspended until a hotel quarantine system is in operation. Travellers arriving from red list nations after 04:00 GMT on Sunday will be required to quarantine in a hotel.
    The rugby teams are exploring trying to return home today, before the quarantine deadline, with charter flights being considered.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 10:47

    Which countries are curbing southern African travel?

    The new Covid variant detected in South Africa has led to countries restricting travel from the southern Africa region.
    Cases of B.1.1.529 have been documented in South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana and Israel.
    So far the following countries have imposed curbs on travel from southern Africa:

    • The UK has placed restrictions on six countries including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini
    • Singapore has placed seven countries on its red list despite saying it has having no cases of the new variant
    • Japan has implemented restrictions from six countries, according to a local news source
    • Israel has barred South African travellers and banned its citizens from visiting seven countries in the southern African region
    • Germany is banning travel from South Africa allowing only German nationals to enter the country
    • Italy has barred entry to anyone who has visited southern African countries in the last two weeks
    • The Czech Republic has also put in place a ban which takes effect on Saturday


    Let's crush the power of the new variant - SA government

    South Africa's official government account has tweeted that it can "crush the power of the new variant by vaccinating to limit the number of mutations".
    It says that "working together" the country can win the fight and "save our summer because vaccines can fight variants".
    The tweet was accompanied by an infographic that outlines the benefits of getting the jab.
    Less than a quarter of South Africans are fully vaccinated at present.


    Breaking News

    Shadow health secretary tests positive for Covid

    Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid.
    He tweeted: "While huge strides have been made [there is] still a lot of virus circulating.
    "So get your jab and booster, do routine lateral flow tests, wear masks in crowded places & govt fix sick pay & ventilation!"
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:17

    Which countries are curbing southern African travel?

    The new Covid variant detected in South Africa has led to countries restricting travel from the southern Africa region.
    Cases of B.1.1.529 have been documented in South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana and Israel.
    So far the following countries have imposed curbs on travel from southern Africa:

    • The UK has placed restrictions on six countries including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini
    • Singapore has placed seven countries on its red list despite saying it has no cases of the new variant
    • Japan has implemented restrictions from six countries, according to a local news source
    • Israel has barred South African travellers and banned its citizens from visiting seven countries in the southern African region
    • Germany is banning travel from South Africa allowing only German nationals to enter the country
    • Italy has barred entry to anyone who has visited southern African countries in the last two weeks
    • The Czech Republic has also put in place a ban which takes effect on Saturday


    Passengers at Cape Town airport describe confusion

    Karen Schoonbee - BBC News, Cape Town
    The morning flight from London to Cape Town had both South Africans returning home and Britons who said they had come to visit friends and enjoy the good weather in the Cape.
    Some were unaware of the new travel restrictions imposed back in the UK while they were airborne.
    One passenger told the BBC that the atmosphere at the front of the plane was subdued when people heard about the new measures. He said there was no big commotion.
    A number of passengers said they had not heard anything about the restrictions.
    One distraught Capetonian was at the airport to collect her UK-based sister who flew out for their mother's funeral. She said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that travel restrictions had been imposed "again so quickly".
    She was happy her sister was on the flight – which may be the last for a while – but said: "I think she'll be staying here for a long time."
    Reactions among the UK-based passengers varied. Some said they would simply stay longer and enjoy the good weather, while others said they were surprised and upset to be caught in a travel ban so recently lifted.

    Breaking News 

    France suspends southern African flights

    France has suspended flights from several southern African nations in response to the discovery of the new Covid variant.
    The measure, which is similar to that announced by the UK, applies to South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini.
    Flights from these countries are suspended with immediate effect for at least 48 hours, the French prime minister's office says in a statement.
    "People who have travelled in the last 14 days in one of these countries are invited to report to the authorities and to perform an RT-PCR screening test as soon as possible," the statement adds, according to Le Figaro.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:22

    What did we learn from Javid's Covid update today?

    UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid has finished giving an update on Covid to MPs in the House of Commons, after the emergence of a new variant.
    In case you missed it, here's a quick round-up of what we heard:

    • The new Covid variant B.1.1.529 is of "huge international concern" with the UK first to identify the "threat", although no cases of it have been detected in Britain currently
    • B.1.1.529 has an "unusually large number of mutations", Javid said, leading the UK Health Security Agency to classify it as a variant under investigation yesterday
    • The UK added South Africa and Botswana to England's travel ban list due to detected cases of the new variant in these countries, and the other four south African nations were added as a "precaution"
    • Discussions about the UK's travel ban list are "very live" and the UK will not hesitate to add further nations to its red list if new information becomes available, Javid added
    • There is not enough information yet available about the potential for the new variant to cause more severe illness, but a "desktop analysis" suggests there is a "possibility" the new variant could have a "different impact" on people infected with it
    • The UK government still intends to follow its "plan A" measures for managing Covid in the winter, but Javid said the situation would be kept "under review" and "if we need to go further we will"


    UK travel ban 'beyond devastating'

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 F074fce9-1b30-4d3d-b961-2daad2ff54ea

    We've been hearing from people impacted by the UK's travel ban on six South African countries.
    Ruth Daines-Slack, 70, tells us she had booked to travel to the UK from Cape Town next Sunday to see her family - including her children and mother - for Christmas.
    Ruth says it is "beyond devastating" that she won't be able to visit her mother, Elsie, who had been "longing" to see her.
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    “My mother has had her 100th birthday and for the first time in 25 years my whole family were coming from all over and getting together to celebrate Christmas."
    She believes the UK travel ban is a "knee-jerk reaction" to South African scientists sharing their information about the new variant with the world.
    Watching the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, talking about the ban earlier made her angry she says, adding: “It is unfair that he will be with his family at Christmas and thousands of South Africans will not.”
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:28

    Irish Republic and Scotland to extend booster programmes

    The Irish Republic and Scotland have both confirmed extensions in their vaccine booster programmes.
    Everyone over the age of 16 in Ireland will now be eligible, says the country's health secretary Stephen Donnelly.
    Currently, people with underlying conditions and those over 50 can get boosters.
    Meanwhile, people aged 40-49 in Scotland will be able to book booster jab appointments from Saturday.
    The vaccination programme will also be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds, who can book slots for second jabs from next Tuesday.

    Breaking News

    One in 65 people in UK had Covid last week - ONS

    Tim Vizard - Consultant statistician, BBC News
    One million people in the UK had Covid in the week ending 20 November, official estimates suggest.
    That equates to 1.6% of the population – or one in 65 people in the latest week.
    The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, are up slightly from just under one million last week.
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 B9d20d3b-fef2-429f-8805-21b96b52e3b4

    The trends for estimated infections across the nations are as follows:

       In England: One in 65 is estimated to be testing positive for coronavirus, the same as last week
       In Wales: One in 50 vs one in 55 last week
       In Northern Ireland: One in 50 vs one in 65 last week
       In Scotland: One in 70 vs one in 95 last week.

    Read more: How many cases are there in my area?

    SA set to hold crucial Covid meeting

    It is expected that South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa will order a meeting of the country's National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) this Sunday, according to an announcement on the government news agency's Twitter.
    The council will assess developments in the pandemic as well as the new variant that has been discovered locally.
    Several countries are restricting travel to parts of southern Africa since the emergence of B.1.1.529.
    Outcomes from the NCCC help inform the country's policies on lockdown restrictions, according to the Reuters news agency.

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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:33

    Javid on the UK's new travel restrictions

    UK residents travelling to the UK from South Africa, Zimbabwe and neighbouring nations will have to go into hotel isolation from 04:00 GMT on Sunday.
    Anyone arriving before the deadline has been told to take PCR tests and isolate at home, along with the rest of their household.

    New variant transmitting at great speed - SA scientist

    One of the lead investigators of the new variant has told the BBC that the virus is "transmitting at great speed" in parts of South Africa.
    Prof Tulio de Oliveira, a virologist and Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, says that infections in Gauteng province - which contains the country's largest city, Johannesburg - appear to be "amplified".
    "We hope that we are wrong on this," he tells the BBC's Newsday programme, adding that teams are trying to establish how transmissible the new variant is.
    He says, however, that he expects existing vaccines to continue to provide some protection.
    "We hope - and expect - that vaccines will protect against hospitalisations. We still think that, at the moment, vaccines are our best weapon."

    Quick round-up of what's been happening today:


    • A new variant of Covid-19, B.1.1.529, which it's feared may be more transmissible and resistant to vaccines, has been discovered in southern Africa
    • Travel restrictions on six nations in the region, including South Africa and Zimbabwe, will come in from Sunday - with UK and Irish residents arriving after that required to quarantine in a hotel
    • These restrictions will be reviewed in three weeks time
    • Experts from the World Health Organization are meeting in South Africa to discuss the heavily mutated variant - described as "the worst one we've seen so far" by one expert
    • However, another scientist has argued it does not necessarily mean the world is headed back to "square one" given how early the variant was discovered
    • Several other countries, including France, Italy and Germany have introduced travel restrictions on southern African countries
    • Health Secretary Sajid Javid has described the emergence of the variant as of "huge international concern"
    • Cases of the variant have been identified in Hong Kong and Israel - but not yet in the UK
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:37

    Breaking News

    Belgium reports first case of new variant

    Belgium has reported its first case of the new variant identified in South Africa.
    Earlier, Marc Van Ranst, a virologist whose lab works closely with Belgium's public health body Sciensano, said Belgium was "currently analysing two suspicious samples".
    He has now tweeted to say one of those samples is B.1.1.529.



    How has the virus mutated?

    James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
    The new variant of coronavirus has more than 50 mutations overall.
    Some 32 of those are on the spike protein - that's the key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body's cells, and the target of most vaccines.
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 A5aad8d1-9f52-498c-a164-5fb1106fa76c

    Zooming in even further to the part of the virus that makes first contact with our body's cells - called the receptor binding domain - scientists found that has 10 mutations.
    That compares to just two for the Delta variant that swept the world.
    A lot of mutation doesn't automatically mean: bad.
    It's important to know what those mutations are actually doing, but the concern is this virus is now radically different to the original that emerged in Wuhan, China, on which the vaccines are based.
    Read full analysis here.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:46

    We need to get home before the deadline, so why are flights cancelled?'

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 6b6839da-8931-4b23-8d60-6dfd32930be1
    Tom says he and his colleague are stranded in Cape Town after their flights were cancelled.

    We've heard from another traveller affected by the UK travel restrictions on the six south African countries.
    Tom Mellor, 30, from Cheshire, has been in Cape Town for work and had been due to return to the UK tonight.
    But he says he and a colleague are now stranded there after their British Airways flight was cancelled at 04:00 this morning.
    The situation is "pretty shocking" he says, adding that he's had no contact from the airline. Its office is closed and there is just a sign-up with a helpline number on it.
    Tom says they have managed to book an apartment for tonight, and have been lucky to have colleagues driving them around for things like Covid tests.
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 5543453e-7d8a-4951-9969-838028cb321f
    Tom says he wants to get home to his partner and child

    But the pair are desperately looking to see if they can fly back via Dubai in order to meet the Sunday deadline.
    Tom says: “I have a one-year-old and a partner at home on her own that I'd like to get back to, and my colleague also has three children.
    “We just don’t understand if they want us to arrive home before the Sunday deadline why the flights are cancelled.”

    Travel restrictions an 'exaggerated response' - South African scientist

    A South African vaccine expert has argued countries introducing travel restrictions are over-reacting,
    Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, Prof Shabir Madhi said it was "too early to determine" if the new variant was more transmissible or could evade vaccines , which will become clear over the next few weeks.
    Prof Shabir, professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the vast majority of countries which think they can introduce travel bans and prevent the arrival of a new variant are "quite naive and completely blind" to how the virus has spread internationally over the course of the pandemic.
    "There has been an exaggerated response, it's been a knee-jerk response and part of it unfortunately is because of unmeasured communication strategy around the variant," he adds.
    However, Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organization's special envoy on Covid-19, tells the programme it is a "reasonable worry" to have that the new variant, could "evade the protection of the vaccines" - but agreed with Dr Madhi that it was still too early too tell.
    He adds: "So we need to be incredibly careful now to do the right thing but to also recognise that it is going to be some weeks before we can say for certain whether our fears have any basis."
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:51

    .
    Breaking News 

    European Commission recommends 'emergency brake' on travel

    The European Commission has recommended that EU countries introduce an "emergency brake" on travel from southern Africa in response to the new coronavirus variant which was first detected there.
    EC President Ursula von der Leyen says the move will help "limit the spread" of the variant, recommending all air travel to affected countries be suspended.
    Returning travellers from the region should "respect strict quarantine rules", she adds.

    Does Belgium case mean EU travel bans are too late?

    Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 00cb5d52-7ac2-4c9f-aad1-daeeb6114c94
    Belgium has introduced restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated
    Many countries are already scrambling to put travel restrictions in place in a bid to stop the new variant spreading.
    But the discovery of a case in Belgium could mean they are too late.
    Today, World Health Organization (WHO) experts will decide whether B.1.1.529 is a variant of concern: is it more infectious? Does it cause more severe illness? Could it evade the vaccines?
    It may take weeks to get detailed answers, but initial evidence shows this variant has substantial differences to the original Covid-19 virus - that could make it more dangerous.
    Despite the new variant, the WHO continues to advise against travel restrictions, but warns that the measures we took before we ever had a vaccine - masks, distancing, and hand hygiene - are more important than ever.

    No need to hit panic button over new variant - Sturgeon

    Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it is not time to "press the panic button" over the new coronavirus variant that has emerged in South Africa.
    She insists it is the "most serious and most worrying development" in battling Covid so far, but Scotland has, in common with the rest of the UK, taken a "highly precautionary" approach, including restrictions on travel and quarantine on arrival.
    The situation in Scotland is "precarious" but the nation appears to be in a "stronger position" than she thought it would be at this stage, with cases broadly stable and declining significantly in the older population - indicating the effectiveness of Covid vaccines.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 16:55

    Which nations have brought in travel bans over the new variant?

    As we've been reporting today, countries are tightening their travel restrictions after a new coronavirus variant was identified in southern Africa earlier this week.
    The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against countries hastily imposing travel restrictions, saying they should look to a "risk-based and scientific approach".
    Nevertheless, an increasing number of nations including the UK and the Netherlands have temporarily halted flights from these southern African nations:

    • South Africa
    • Botswana
    • Namibia
    • Zimbabwe
    • Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
    • Lesotho

    Singapore, Italy, France and Israel are among those who have also placed Mozambique, on their red lists.
    Japan has announced that from Saturday, travellers from southern Africa will need to quarantine for 10 days and take a total of four tests during that time.
    The Head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for all EU nations to put on the "emergency brake" and suspend air travel from southern African countries affected by the new variant.
    The Czech Republic will ban anyone has has spent more than 12 hours in those nations from entering as of Saturday.
    Germany, which is currently going through a fourth wave of infections because of the Delta variant, will allow only Germans to fly into Germany from South Africa as of Friday night, Reuters is reporting.
    Even if travellers are fully vaccinated, they will still have to spend 14 days in quarantine.
    India has ordered more rigorous screening and testing for travellers arriving from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, local media is reporting.

    'Heartbreaking' to miss a wedding and family reunion

    A woman due to go to her niece's wedding and visit her 87-year-old mother in law in South Africa tells the BBC about her "shock" at the snap announcement on the changing travel rules.
    Catherine Scholfield, 60, in Hampshire says the wedding had already been delayed so they could come and she was packed and ready to go in advance of setting off for the wedding and family reunion
    She adds it’s also now been years since they last saw family in South Africa.
    Catherine says: "It’s heartbreaking. My husband’s mother right now is OK, but she’s going to be 88 in July and she’s aging as this is happening.
    “He’s trying to keep a brave face for our daughters who have been nowhere, one had no graduation, it’s horrible.
    “I didn’t even consider the red list, which we haven’t thought about for a long time. It seems like a long time ago."

    Shanghai curbs tourism over new cases

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 E39ecfc7-1be9-4039-9e89-f0675f70cfcd

    A handful of local Covid cases in eastern parts of China have led to Shanghai city curbing tourism activities.
    China - which is where the first known outbreak of Covid-19 was reported - is insisting on a zero tolerance policy against letting clusters spread.
    Shanghai detected three domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Thursday, according to data from the National Health Commission.
    It is the first reported symptomatic case since August.
    The city of 24.9 million has suspended travel agencies from organising tourism that involves trips between the city and other regions.
    Some areas deemed at higher infection risk have been closed off.
    Elsewhere in China, Beijing's annual marathon has been cancelled over concerns of virus transmission risk.
    And Xuzhou - a city of 9.1 million - has suspended its three subway lines after one locally transmitted case was reported.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:02

    US could impose flight ban - Fauci

    US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci says a ban on flights from countries that have detected the new variant is a possibility, but that more needs to be known before strict measures are imposed.
    "We need to get the facts," he tells CNN, adding that there is "no indication" that it has yet reached the US.
    He warns, however, that "there's a lot of travel", and says the US is working with scientists in South Africa to discover more.
    He goes on to say that while the reports on the new variant throw up a "red flag", it's possible that vaccines might still work to prevent serious illness.
    "Until it's properly tested... we don't know whether or not it evades the antibodies that protect you against the virus."

    Breaking News 

    UK reports 50,091 new Covid cases

    A further 50,091 Covid cases have been recorded in the UK, the latest government figures show.
    In addition, there have been another 160 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 0e5183de-7c1f-46ed-9a3e-0428e25141d1

    Police injured at Covid protests on French Caribbean islands

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 85d3998b-b980-4ad8-8315-a575e6734010
    Protesters on the island of Martinique have been blocking roads with burnt out vehicles

    Police officers and journalists have come under attack during protests against coronavirus restrictions on the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
    French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says several officers have been injured and that 10 people have been arrested.
    "In Guadeloupe and Martinique, our security forces as well as journalists have been the target of attacks and have been fired upon," he says. "Several members of the police forces have been injured."
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 C78f643d-08f8-46f3-bc0d-6a9258ddc5fa
    Two women rush to cross a street next to a barricade made of debris in Fort-De-France, Martinique

    The violence began amid demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions imposed in the French overseas territories. Earlier this week there were reports that gunshots had been fired at officers in the capital of Martinique, Fort-De-France.
    On Thursday, the authorities in Martinique ordered a night time curfew that will remain in place until order has been restored.
    The protests began last week in Guadeloupe.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:08

    Today so far


    • A new variant of Covid, B.1.1.529, has been causing global concern after it was discovered in Hong Kong, having emerged in southern Africa. It has been detected in both South Africa and Botswana. The World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is meeting in Geneva to assess whether the variant should be designated a “variant of interest” or “variant of concern”.
    • B.1.1.529 has a very unusual constellation of mutations, which are worrying because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, scientists have said.
    • Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, said in a press briefing on Thursday: “We don’t know very much about this yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, it can have an impact on how the virus behaves.”
    • England, India, Japan, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic are among a number of countries who have rapidly imposed a range of travel restrictions on countries including South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia. UK transport secretary Grant Shapps described the move as “a safety-first approach”. South Africa’s foreign ministry said Britain’s decision to ban flights from South Africa because of the detection of a new Covid-19 variant “seems to have been rushed”
    • UK health secretary Sajid Javid has described the new variant as “of huge international concern” and “may pose substantial risk to public health.”
    • Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett called a meeting with public health officials and his government to take stock of the Covid situation in the country after a case of the new variant was discovered there. “We are close to an emergency situation... we must act strongly and quickly,” Bennett said in a statement from his office. “When we have a clearer picture of the situation, we will take decisions accordingly,” he added.
    • Australia’s border is set to remain open to South Africa despite emergence of new Covid variant. Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt, said officials were assessing the threat posed by the strain and would not yet introduce restrictions on arrivals from southern Africa.
    • Shares in travel and aviation businesses plummeted over fears that the new coronavirus variant described as potentially the worst so far identified could lead to a new wave of global pandemic restrictions.
    • Prof James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme the new variant will “almost certainly” make the vaccines less effective, but “it is bad news but it is not doomsday.”
    • Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn. He said the country needs to take decisive action now or else face drastic measures in the coming weeks that could include a complete reduction in contacts between people. “Everything we don’t decide now, everything we don’t reduce now in terms of contacts, will require even more drastic measures in two or four weeks’ time,” Spahn told a news conference in Berlin.
    • Hungary needs to increase the number of people taking booster shots against Covid-19 to curb infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told state radio this morning.
    • China is continuing to pursue its strict Covid-zero policy in light of three new cases detected in the city of Shanghai. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled while some schools were shuttered and tour groups suspended. Six Shanghai hospitals have also suspended outpatient services.
    • One member of the police forces was injured during violent clashes overnight with anti-Covid measure protesters on the French island of Martinique.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:27

    Spain will suspend flights to South Africa and Botswana from Tuesday over concerns about the new Covid variant B.1.1.529, state broadcaster TVE reported on Friday, following similar decisions by other European nations. The Health Ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
    The report came shortly after the European Commission recommended an EU-wide travel ban to and from southern Africa due to the rapid rise of the B.1.1.529 variant in South Africa, which scientists fear could evade vaccines.

    The Philippines has also suspended inbound international flights on Friday from South Africa and other countries with cases or the likelihood of cases of a new coronavirus variant - South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique - until 15 December, the presidential office said.

    England, India, Japan, Italy, Germany, Singapore and the Czech Republic are among a number of countries who have rapidly imposed a range of travel restrictions on southern African countries.




    The Dutch government is set to announce new measures including early closure of bars, restaurants and retail to stem a record-breaking wave of Covid infections that is threatening to overwhelm the healthcare system, Reuters reports.
    The caretaker prime minister, Mark Rutte, was meeting his Cabinet on Friday to make a final decision on what measures are needed to ensure that hospitals, stressed by a flood of patients with coronavirus, do not run out of capacity in intensive care units.
    Rutte is due to hold a televised news conference announcing the decision at 6pm GMT.
    The wave of cases in the Netherlands, running above 20,000 infections per day for the past week, has continued despite restrictions including the reintroduction of face masks and closure of bars and restaurants after 8pm imposed by the government earlier this month.
    The surge in the Netherlands, one of several European countries to be hit by a wave of infections, is also occurring even though 85% of the adult population have been vaccinated, with infections now rising most quickly among schoolchildren, who are not vaccinated.
    A report on Thursday by national broadcaster NOS said the country’s top healthcare panel had advised Rutte to close restaurants and non-essential stores by 5pm – and against closing schools. But some experts argue that school closures are needed as part of a short, near-total lockdown to regain control of the situation.
    A government proposal - not yet policy - to restrict unvaccinated people from public places prompted three nights of rioting last weekend.
    National security officials were meeting Friday to prepare for possible protests after the new measures are announced.
    Dutch hospitals have been steadily curtailing care amid the rising coronavirus cases, with non-essential operations being cancelled or postponed from this week in order to free up beds in ICU units. Some patients have been transferred to neighbouring Germany.
    The Dutch associations of house doctors and neighbourhood nurses said on Friday they too are becoming overwhelmed.
    We “are doing everything we can to continue to offer the most necessary care,” they said in a joint statement. “That’s only possible if we postpone or don’t give some normal care.”

    Israel has imposed a travel ban covering most of Africa after the detection of the new B.1.1.529 variant in South Africa that could be more contagious than the Delta strain.
    “We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency,” the prime minister Naftali Bennett said on Friday, according to a statement from his office, before expanding a ban he announced on Thursday on the entry of foreigners from seven African countries and Israelis’ travel to them.
    Under the broader restrictions, all African nations, except those in north Africa, were added to Israel’s red list of high-risk countries.
    Bennett, who met Israeli health experts before the edicts were announced, said there were a few cases of the new variant reported in Israel.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:31

    The Belgian government brought in new restrictions on Friday including early closing of bars and full closure of nightclubs for three weeks to reduce social contact and curb a rapidly spreading fourth wave of Covid infections.
    “We are confronted with a situation now that is worse than the most pessimistic view of the experts from only two weeks ago,” the Belgian premier Alexander De Croo told a news conference. He said strain on the health service was mounting.
    The new measures come just a week after a previous package of coronavirus restrictions, including enforcing wider use of masks and more working from home.
    Under the new rules, Christmas markets, cultural sites, bars and restaurants will have to close at 11pm, with a maximum of six people per table. Private parties and gatherings are also banned, unless they are for weddings or funerals.

    WHO cautions against travel measures over B.1.1.529 variant
    The World Health Organization has cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the new B.1.1.529 variant of Covid, saying they should take a “risk-based and scientific approach”.
    A closed-door experts’ meeting from Geneva, convened by the WHO, began at midday on Friday to assess B.1.1.529 and to designate it as either a variant of interest or a variant of concern, spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said.
    Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU and UK among those tightening border controls as scientists sought to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.
    “At this point, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against,” Lindmeier told a UN briefing in Geneva. “The WHO recommends that countries continue to apply a risk-based and scientific approach when implementing travel measures.”
    It would take several weeks to determine the variant’s transmissibility and the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutics against it, he said, noting that 100 sequences of the variant have been reported so far.
    People should continue to wear masks whenever possible, avoid large gatherings, ventilate rooms and maintain hand hygiene, Lindmeier said.
    “We don’t know very much about this yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is when you have so many mutations it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and WHO technical lead on Covid-19.
    “This is one to watch; I would say we have concern. But I think you would want us to have concern,” she told viewers of an event on social media on Thursday.
    Van Kerkhove said that it was good that variants were being detected, adding: “It means that we have a system in place.”
    Lindmeier said that the UN agency’s technical advisory group and other experts on virus evolution were conferring with South African researchers.

    England’s Covid weekly reproduction “R” number has risen and is likely to be above 1, with latest estimates showing it between 1.0 and 1.1, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.
    An R number between 1.0 and 1.1 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 10 and 11 other people. Last week R was estimated between 0.8 and 1.0.
    The daily growth of infections was estimated between -1% and +2%, compared with -2% and 0% the previous week.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:48

    Germany ‘at crossroads’ as Covid cases surge across Europe
    Kate Connolly - The Guardian
    Germany’s top health officials have raised the prospect of a national lockdown, warning that a rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases and a dramatic increase in the number of patients in intensive care meant contact reduction was the only way of tackling the crisis and avoiding “the road to chaos”.
    “We need a massive contact reduction immediately,” said Prof Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s federal disease control agency.
    He called on political leaders to utilise all available measures to prevent gatherings in large numbers and to urge the public to avoid any unnecessary contacts with people outside their own households, as the incidence rate in Germany rose by 75,400, a week-on-week increase of 44%.
    “I expect right now for the decision-makers to trigger all measures in order that we can bring down the incidence rate together,” Wieler said, adding:
    We are at a crossroads. We have one choice. Either we choose the road that leads to chaos and to a bad end … or the one which unburdens the health system and maybe enables a peaceful Christmas.
    Germany’s outgoing health minister, Jens Spahn, called the situation “dramatically serious, to the extent that it has never been at any point in this pandemic”. He added:
    It is half an hour after midnight, but some people have still failed to hear the alarm.
    Of 22,000 available intensive care beds in Germany, 4,000 are occupied with coronavirus patients, 85% of whom need breathing assistance. Their average age is between 50 and 79 years. Wieler said while the figure might not seem that high to some, it marked an increase of 100% in a week, and even if there were no new infections, 1,000 more patients could be expected to end up in intensive care within the next 10 to 14 days.
    Elective surgery around the country has been cancelled to free up beds and staff, and Germany’s air force is on call to transport patients from full hospitals to those with capacity.
    Spahn called for decision-makers on the federal and state level to recognise the urgency of the situation and bring forward a meeting planned for 9 December. He said it would be foolhardy to wait for 10 days, as the participants had said they planned to do, in order to see whether the current measures in place were working.
    Spahn added:
    The medical staff don’t have 10 days to wait and see.
    He criticised the fact the Christmas markets were in full swing in Berlin while the city’s university hospital, the Charité, was full. “It is just not appropriate at this time,” he said.
    Get the full story here.

    Covid passports requirement for Catalan delayed until at least Monday
    Sam Jones - The Guardian
    The Catalan regional government, which had ordered Covid passports to be shown to gain entry to bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes, has suspended the requirement until at least Monday after “very intense” demand crashed the system for downloading the passes.
    Meanwhile, the Spanish government has said plans to restrict flights from South Africa and Botswana will be proposed at the next cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for next Tuesday.
    “We’ll see about other countries but for now those two,” the health minister, Carolina Darias, told state broadcaster TVE.
    “We will also imminently adopt a resolution ... to require passengers from high-risk countries to provide, in addition to vaccination [proof], either an antigen test or a PCR.”

    People who are severely immunosuppressed can book their third Covid jab online from today, as the NHS England national booking system opens up to more people.
    In line with JCVI guidance, those who are classed as severely immunosuppressed as a result of treatment, for conditions such as cancer or for those with long-term chronic conditions where their immunity is affected by medication, are eligible for a third dose eight weeks after their second dose.
    NHS England said that so far more than three quarters of those who are severely immunosuppressed have had a third Covid vaccination.
    From today, adults who are eligible for a third dose of the Covid vaccine and have received a clinical referral letter from their doctor can go online and book an appointment, as the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme continues to protect those most at risk from the virus.
    Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, said:

    Decisions on when to get a third dose remains between a patient and their clinician who knows about their ongoing treatment – more than three quarters of people who are severely immunosuppressed have had their third dose so far, and from today people can also book in online with a letter from their GP or clinician.


    It’s incredibly important that people get the full recommended course of Covid vaccines, especially those most at risk from the virus – boosters and third doses are not a nice to have, they are the best way to protect you and your loved ones this winter.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:52

    Hong Kong’s government has said it will ban non-Hong Kong residents arriving from eight southern African states from entering the territory if they had stayed in those countries within the past 21 days.
    The measure, effective from Saturday, affects people arriving from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the government said in a statement on Friday.
    “Along with South Africa which is already a specified high-risk place, non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed in these places within 21 days will not be allowed to enter the city”, it said.
    The new B.1.1.5.2.9 coronavirus variant detected in South Africa has prompted the European Union, UK and other countries to tighten border controls as researchers sought to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.

    It is likely that the new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 that is spreading in South Africa will end up in the UK, the head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium said on Friday, but efforts to buy time and reduce transmission would help.
    “I think buying time is important and it’s worthwhile, because we can find out what we need to know about that particular variant,” Sharon Peacock told reporters, saying that the health service might need to make preparations.
    “This is part of important planning and preparation for something that I would guess is likely to be transmitted into the UK at some point, but it buys that time.”

    UK reports further 50,091 cases and 160 deaths

    The UK has reported another 50,091 Covid cases and a further 160 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
    That compares to 47,240 infections and 147 fatalities reported in the 24 hours prior.

    Ireland, one of the world’s most vaccinated nations, will make Covid booster shots available to all adults in a sharp ramping up of plans to provide additional protection, the health minister said on Friday.
    Almost 90% of Ireland’s eligible 3.9 million people over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated and booster shots had previously been approved for those over the age of 50 and for those with underlying health issues.
    Some 670,000 boosters have been administered to date.
    “We continue to prioritise boosters because we know they are having a positive impact on the level of hospitalisation, severe illness and mortality from Covid-19 in those aged over 70,” the health minister Stephen Donnelly said in a statement.
    Like most of Europe, Ireland is battling a fresh wave of coronavirus which ministers have said may be plateauing at a high level. Hospitalisations have also stabilised over the last week but intensive care capacity remains very tight.
    The government reimposed a midnight curfew on hospitality venues last week, less than a month after nightclubs were allowed to open their doors for the first time since March 2020.
    Ministers have said that while some additional restrictions may be needed over the coming weeks, they do not envisage following Austria’s example of reimposing a lockdown.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 17:59

    Greece will allow in travellers from the southern African region only for essential reasons and after negative testing amid rising concern about the new B.1.1.529 Covid variant detected in South Africa, its health ministry said on Friday.
    All travellers from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi will undergo a second test upon their arrival to the country and will be quarantined for 10 days, the ministry said in a statement.
    There are no direct flights from Greece to those countries.

    Kenya restricts travel from southern Africa

    Rhoda Odhiambo - BBC health reporter, Nairobi
    Travellers to Kenya from southern African nations must show proof of a negative PCR test in advance, then quarantine on arrival and undergo regular testing thereafter, the country's health ministry has announced.
    It follows confirmed cases of a new coronavirus variant, known as B.1.1.529, in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong.
    Kenya has not announced immediate plans to ban flights from South Africa. Its national carrier Kenya Airways currently operates two flights daily to Johannesburg and three to Cape Town.
    The country’s Director General of Health Patrick Amoth says that although passenger traffic may not be significant from Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe, enhanced surveillance protocols will be introduced.


    Breaking News 

    EU member states agree snap travel ban on seven African nations


    Following talks, EU member states have agreed to bring in rapid travel restrictions on all travel into the EU from seven countries in southern Africa after the emergence of a new variant in the region.
    In a tweet, the EU Commission President's chief spokesman Eric Mamer says the countries subject to the travel ban are:

    • Botswana
    • Eswatini
    • Lesotho
    • Mozambique
    • Namibia
    • South Africa
    • Zimbabwe

    He adds that Covid tests, quarantine and contact tracing for incoming passengers are important.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 18:09

    Switzerland bans direct flights from South Africa and surrounding region
    The Swiss government has banned direct flights from South Africa and the surrounding region due to the detection of the new B.1.1.529 variant, while also imposing restrictions on travel from other countries that have recorded cases including Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.
    All flights from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa were banned for an indefinite period.
    “In addition, when entering the country from the region of southern Africa, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium, all persons will have to present a negative Covid-19 test and be quarantined for 10 days starting at 8pm on 26 November 2021,” the country’s health authority said in a statement.
    “Entry from these countries will no longer be possible for persons who are not Swiss citizens or do not have a residence permit in Switzerland or the Schengen area.”
    Guatemala will impose restrictions on visitors from some southern African nations, the president Alejandro Giammattei said.
    Guatemala would limit entry to travelers from Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa, the president said, although the Guatemalan Immigration Institute said it is still waiting to receive the presidential order.

    Cyprus also said it was banning arrivals travelling from, or through, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Botswana over the past 14 days.
    The ban does not apply to Cypriot, EU nationals, nationals of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or permanent Cyprus residents provided they carry a negative 72 hour PCR test and are tested again upon arrival. They will also have to quarantine in specially-designated hotels for a 10-day period, the Health Ministry said.
    No cases of the new variant have been detected on the island, it added.

    Breaking News 

    WHO says new Covid strain is 'variant of concern'

    The World Health Organization says that preliminary evidence suggests that a new Covid variant carries a higher risk of reinfection than other variants.
    The variant, currently known as B.1.1.529, has been identified in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
    It has designated it a variant of concern and given it the name: Omicron.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 18:43

    'It's been mayhem': People held on airport tarmac as they rush home

    Caroline Davies - BBC Transport correspondent
    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 2fcbc218-e97c-4558-a0e2-3dd8d227d854
    Passengers queue to be tested after being held on the tarmac at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands

    Many Brits are rushing home after a new Covid variant circulating in South Africa prompted new UK travel restrictions.
    Cathy Hogarth was flying from Cape Town via Amsterdam to Manchester. She was on one of two flights that were stopped at Schiphol Airport from South Africa.
    “It’s been mayhem," she told the BBC earlier.
    "There’s no social distancing… there’s well over 1,000 people here. People are worried as they are running out of phone charge, children are crying, it’s not been a good experience and people just want to get home to their families."
    Cathy says that she and other passengers were kept on the plane for four hours before disembarking to be taken for PCR tests. They were told that the catering company were not allowed to approach the plane because of health and safety concerns and so they were only offered a chocolate brownie.
    "I feel tired and really frustrated. I want to get home to my family now. It’s just been very badly organised, not KLM (the airline), but the Dutch authorities. I don’t understand why they don’t have a contingency in place when they know things like this are going on.
    "We don’t know what happens to our luggage. We’ve heard rumours that we might need to stay in Amsterdam overnight, but we’ve had no official communication at all. Dutch authorities have really let everyone down here today."
    Schiphol Airport tweeted that everything was "done carefully and that's why it took some time". They said passengers were given food and drink.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 19:12

    Netherlands brings in stricter restrictions from Sunday

    Bars, restaurants and most shops in the Netherlands must close from 17:00 to 05:00 from Sunday, Dutch Prime Minster Mark Rutte has announced
    The move comes as part of new measures to prevent the country's current record Covid-19 infection rates from overwhelming hospitals and the health service, the Reuters news agency reports.
    The fresh measures also include wearing masks in secondary schools.
    The current three-week partial lockdown requires all bars and restaurants must close at 20:00, as well as banning crowds at sport events.
    However, even these measures were greeted by significant opposition - with protests and violence breaking out in several cities last week.

    New variant will reach the UK - scientist

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 Bc68c5d2-5b5c-40a7-b8d4-4d85f2d9d761
    Prof John Edmunds, a member of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) which advises the government, says the new variant, B.1.1.529, is a "huge worry" and could escape current Covid vaccines.
    "The molecular data is extremely worrying...[it] would point to that perhaps this thing might be able to evade the immune response," he tells BBC Radio 4's PM programme.
    Asked if the new variant could be resistant to current vaccines, Edmunds - an infectious diseases expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - confirms this is scientists' "great fear" but it is not yet known to what extent the variant might be able to do so.
    "Our fears are it would do so to a large extent," he adds.
    Citing cases of the new variant in Belgium and Israel, Prof Edmunds warns the new variant will reach the UK and calls on the government to be prepared to take extra action for when it does.
    He says ministers will need to look at whether border restrictions need to be extended, and suggests mass Covid testing and localised measures should be considered alongside making the booster jabs rollout quicker.
    Explaining that a "rapid rise" in the new variant in South Africa had followed a "huge wave" of the Delta strain, he warns the UK is "still fighting a Delta wave" and does not want to be "fighting both at the same time" as it could create a "very, very, very difficult situation".
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 19:15

    Summary

    It’s been an awfully busy Friday, so here’s a quick round-up of some of the main developments:

    • The new B.1.1.529 Covid variant, which has caused much global alarm, has been designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization and given the name Omicron. The WHO said Omicron “has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning”, and preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa, the WHO said.
    • Scientists have described the Omicron variant as the “most worrying we’ve seen, with it found to contain a large number of mutations that may not only make it more transmissible, but may also help it to evade the body’s immune system. Here is an explainer on what we known so far about Omicron.
    • The new variant may pose a “substantial risk to public health” and UK “must act with caution”, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, said. He said it is highly likely Omicron had spread to other countries already, though no cases have so far been detected in the UK. The government will not at this stage, however, be implementing it’s so-called Plan B winter plan. Javid said Plan A remains the policy “that I think we need at this time” but added that this is kept under review and “if we need to go further we will”. He urged everyone eligible to get their booster jab as soon as possible.
    • Numerous nations imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and neighbouring countries including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Eswatini. The severity of the restrictions and requirements and the specific countries impacted vary. Some of the countries to introduce measures include the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Switzerland, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Israel and the Philippines. The EU has also agreed its member states should restrict travel from southern African countries. The European commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was important for Europe to remain united and act “swiftly and decisively”, and advised EU governments to pull an “emergency brake” to suspend travel to southern African countries. *It is interesting to note that - bar Switzerland - countries have so far only applied restrictions on southern African nations but not on Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium (the first known case in Europe), where cases of Omicron have been found (most of the cases detected so far are currently in South Africa and the variant has also been detected in Botswana).
    • The World Health Organization cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to Omicron, saying they should take a “risk-based and scientific approach”. It would take several weeks to determine the variant’s transmissibility and the effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutics against it, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said, noting that 100 sequences of the variant have been reported so far. People should continue to wear masks whenever possible, avoid large gatherings, ventilate rooms and maintain hand hygiene, he added.
    • South Africa condemned the decision of other countries to impose travel restrictions as ‘unjustified’. The health minister, Joe Phaahla, Phaahla said South Africa was acting with transparency, and that travel bans introduced by a number of countries against southern African nations are “completely against the norms and standards” of the WHO. Phaahla called on all South Africans over the age of 12 to come forward and receive the vaccine, which he said remained a “major bulwark” against infection and severe illness.
    • South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa will discuss reimposing lockdown restrictions at a meeting on Sunday, as the country scrambles to assess the potential for Omicron to unleash a deadly fourth wave. As I’ve mentioned above, the government appealed for people to get jabbed as soon as possible - only around 35% of South Africans have been vaccinated.
    • European stocks plummeted amid widespread selling on Friday, as reports of Omicron stoked fears of a fresh hit to the global economy and drove investors out of riskier assets. In the UK, the FTSE 100 dropped 3.6% - the biggest one-day fall since June 2020, wiping £72bn off the value of the blue-chip index and taking it to its lowest level in seven weeks. Among the European stock sectors, travel and leisure plummeted 8.8% in its worst day since the Covid shock sell-off in March 2020.
    • Germany’s top health officials raised the prospect of a national lockdown, warning that a rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases and a dramatic increase in the number of patients in intensive care meant contact reduction was the only way of tackling the crisis and avoiding “the road to chaos”. “We need a massive contact reduction immediately,” said Prof Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s federal disease control agency. He called on political leaders to utilise all available measures to prevent gatherings in large numbers and to urge the public to avoid any unnecessary contacts with people outside their own households. “We are at a crossroads,” he said. “We have one choice. Either we choose the road that leads to chaos and to a bad end … or the one which unburdens the health system and maybe enables a peaceful Christmas.” The outgoing health minister, Jens Spahn, called the situation “dramatically serious, to the extent that it has never been at any point in this pandemic”. Story here.
    • England’s Covid weekly reproduction “R” number has risen and is likely to be above 1, with latest estimates showing it between 1.0 and 1.1, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday. An R number between 1.0 and 1.1 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 10 and 11 other people. Last week R was estimated between 0.8 and 1.0.The daily growth of infections was estimated between -1% and +2%, compared with -2% and 0% the previous week.
    • Belgium brought in new restrictions including early closing of bars and full closure of nightclubs for three weeks to reduce social contact and curb a rapidly spreading fourth wave of Covid infections. The new measures come just a week after a previous package of coronavirus restrictions, including enforcing wider use of masks and more working from home. Under the new rules, Christmas markets, cultural sites, bars and restaurants will have to close at 11pm, with a maximum of six people per table. Private parties and gatherings are also banned, unless they are for weddings or funerals.

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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 19:24

    US and Canada introduce travel restrictions amid Omicron variant
    US president Joe Biden will restrict travel from eight southern African countries after the emergence of the new Omicron variant, as of Monday.
    New rules will apply to passengers from South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini, meaning non-US citizens and permanent residents will not be able to fly into the country.
    Over the border, Canada said it would ban the entry of foreign nationals who have travelled through southern Africa in the last fortnight.
    The restrictions applies to the same countries as new rules in the US, apart from Malawi.
    Testing on arrival will be mandatory for Canadian nationals who have been through the region in the previous 14 days, and must quarantine until they get a negative result. Officials said no cases of the new variant had been detected.

    Breaking News 
    More countries in north Africa and Middle East announce travel restrictions
    A selection of countries in north Africa and the Middle East have joined those imposing restrictions on arrivals from southern Africa.
    Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco have introduced varying bans on travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini according to AFP.
    Iran said it will ban foreign travellers from six countries, including South Africa. Iranians will be admitted after testing negative twice for Covid, state broadcaster IRIB reported. On Friday it reported 86 deaths.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 20:33

    What do we know about the key variants of Covid-19?

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 3746591f-572c-45ef-81d0-d6f767881764

    Omicron is not the first "variant of concern" to have emerged during the pandemic.
    There are many different types of Covid-19 circulating around the world, which is to be expected because viruses mutate regularly.
    The most potentially dangerous ones are given the "variants of concern" classification and are kept under close observation. These include:

    • Delta (B.1.617.2), first identified in India and now the most common type circulating in the UK
    • Alpha (B.1.1.7), first identified in the UK but which spread to more than 50 countries
    • Beta (B.1.351), first identified in South Africa but which has been detected in at least 20 other countries, including the UK
    • Gamma (P.1), first identified in Brazil but which has spread to more than 10 other countries, including the UK

    For more on the key Covid variants click here.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 22:10

    European CDC classifies Omichron variant as 'variant of concern'

    The European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has classified the newly-named Omichron variant, B.1.1.529, has been named a “variant of concern”.
    It is added to the group that already includes the Beta (formerly South African), Gamma (formerly Brazillian) and Delta (formerly Indian) variants.
    A report published by the body says: “[It] is the most divergent variant that has been detected in significant numbers during the pandemic so far, which raises concerns that it may be associated with increased transmissibility, significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness and increased risk for reinfections.”
    It says that the overall risk is “high to very high” and advocates a “precautionary approach” due the uncertainties around it.
    The threat assessment adds that the possibility of further introduction and spread in the EU is “high”, with the impact alongside a resurgent Delta variant could be “very high”.
    In response, the ECDC recommends further testing, avoiding travel to affected areas and contact tracing of cases. It encourages vaccination programmes to continue to target those who have not yet been jabbed and consider a booster dose for people aged 40 and over.

    WTO postpones meeting over Omicron variant

    The World Trade Organization has delayed its first ministerial meeting in four years due to the deteriorating health situation, Reuters has reported.
    Ministers from WTO members were due to gather next week, in a gathering that had seen pressure on it to waive intellectual property rights on vaccines.
    The Geneva-based trade body said an in person meeting would be difficult as delegations from South Africa would be limited to a mostly virtual presence.

    Brazil reports a further 315 Covid-related deaths

    Brazil has reported another 315 Covid deaths and 12,392 new cases according to data released by its health ministry.
    It means a total of 613,957 people have died from the virus in the country, with more than 22m confirmed cases.

    What do we know about Omicron so far?

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 D4f8f2fd-bb5e-40cd-9774-cc8b26878c6b

    The World Health Organization has designated the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 as being "of concern", following its discovery by South African scientists.
    But what do we know about it so far?
    Broadly speaking there are thousands of different types, or variants, of Covid circulating around the world. Which is to be expected because viruses mutate constantly.
    But what has experts particularly worried with this strain of the virus, which is also known as B.1.1.529, is that it has mutated heavily and is very different to the original coronavirus strain which emerged in China, which current vaccines were designed to fight.
    There are 50 genetic changes in total and of these, 32 are in the spike protein of the virus - the part which is the target of vaccines.
    However, it is too soon to know how much of a omicron threat poses to vaccine efficacy and it will take several weeks before we have enough data to know for sure, experts have said.
    Read more about what we know about omicron here.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 22:16

    Which countries are bringing in travel bans?

    As we've been reporting, a number of countries are tightening their travel restrictions after a new coronavirus variant was identified in southern Africa earlier this week.
    Here are some of the major restrictions that have been announced so far:
    The United States is banning on South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. US citizens and lawful permanent residents will be exempt from the restrictions, but will still need to test negative before flying.
    Canada is shutting its borders to all foreign travellers who have been to South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the past 14 days.
    EU nations will impose an emergency flight ban on countries in southern Africa, after Europe's first case of the variant was discovered in Belgium.
    The ban will be applied to travellers from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, EU Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer said.
    Switzerland will require a 10-day quarantine period and a negative Covid test for travellers from Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong, as well imposing travel bans on southern African countries, Reuters news agency reports.
    The UK has temporarily halted flights from six southern African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Lesotho
    Singapore, Italy, France and Israel have also placed Mozambique on their red lists.
    A number of North African and Middle-Eastern nations including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco have introduced varying bans on travellers from the eight countries.
    Japan has announced that from Saturday, travellers from much of southern Africa will need to quarantine for 10 days and take four tests during that time.
    India has ordered more rigorous screening and testing for travellers arriving from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, local media is reporting.
    And Iran will ban travellers from six southern African countries, including South Africa. Iranians arriving from the region will be admitted after testing negative twice, state TV said.

    Omicron mutations not seen before - SA lab head

    The head of the lab that first sequenced the new Covid variant Omicron has told the BBC that the strain has mutations not seen before.
    Professor Anne von Gottberg of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg said that most strains of the virus have about five to 10 spike mutations, but the Omicron has around 25 to 32.
    "So it really was immediately noticeable that something unusual had happened," she said.
    "There are a lot of mutations that are new and that we haven't seen before," she said.
    She said it was as yet unclear what can be determined from the multiple mutations.
    But she said it was precisely because they couldn't fully understand its characteristics that merited further study and a cautious approach to the new strain.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 26 Nov 2021, 22:40

    Netherlands: New restrictions, fresh protests

    Coronavirus - 26th November 2021 A5a12ac4-712c-45eb-a307-b3c04bbe73d9
    Anti-vaccination protesters demonstrated in The Hague

    A rise in Covid cases - unrelated to the new Omicron variant - has prompted fresh restrictions in the Netherlands.
    From Sunday all hospitality venues must close from 17:00 to 05:00 local time, though some essential business such as supermarkets may remain open until 20.00. Amateur sports will also cease at 17.00.
    Schools will remain open, but students in secondary schools will have to wear masks.
    "From Sunday, the whole of the Netherlands is effectively closed between 5pm and 5am," PM Mark Rutte told reporters during a press conference.
    Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said the tougher restrictions were necessary to prevent the country's health system being overwhelmed.
    A small group anti-vaccination protesters gathered near parliament in The Hague, but they were outnumbered by riot police who kept watch.
    Emergency orders have been issued for the centre of The Hague and several other Dutch towns and cities to avoid a repeat of last weekend's riots.

    Dutch health authorities have said that it is likely dozens of people among the 600 passengers that landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Friday will test positive for Covid-19.
    Two flights landed from South Africa, and travellers have been isolated at the airport due to concerns about the newly detected Omicron variant.
    Initial test results have estimated there is 85 positive cases among passengers who arrived on the KLM services.
    Further tests will take place to determine whether those who are positive have the Omicron variant. All air travel was banned on Friday, but some flights already underway are exempt.

    Brazil has become another country to announce it will ban arrivals from six countries in southern Africa because of the Omicron variant.
    Reuters reports that restrictions will apply to people arriving from South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
    Earlier on Friday it recorded another 315 deaths.

    New York governor declares Covid 'disaster emergency'
    Kathy Hochul, governor of New York state, has issued a Covid-19 “disaster emergency” declaration on Friday, citing increasing rates of infections and hospitalizations.
    An order from the governor said the state was experiencing Covid-19 transmission “not seen since April 2020” and that hospital admissions has been increasing over the past month to over 300 a day. The state had to therefore “pursue a coordinated approach to ensure hospital capacity statewide is able to meet regional needs”.

    Here’s a roundup of tonight’s Covid-19 news, as the world reacts to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

    • Countries across the globe, including the US and Canada have introduced travel restrictions on people coming from countries in southern Africa. Governments in the Middle East and North Africa are also among those to introduce curbs.
    • US president Joe Biden said the Omicron variant made it “clearer than ever” that global vaccinations are needed to end the pandemic.
    • The Netherlands will be “effectively closed from 5pm to 5am” according to remarks by caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte, announcing new Covid restrictions from Sunday.
    • Dozens of people are likely to have tested positive for the virus within the 600 passengers who landed at Schiphol airport in the Netherlands from South Africa on Friday.
    • Novavax, the US company that is among those to have produced a Covid vaccine, said it is working on a version to target the new variant. Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson have also said they were checking the effectiveness of their vaccines.
    • The European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has classified Omicron, B.1.1.529, a “variant of concern”, warning the risk is “high to very high”.
    • Brazil has reported 315 more Covid deaths and 12,392 new cases, as it joined countries announcing restrictions on travel from southern Africa.
    • Delta Airlines has said it does not plan any changes to its flights between South Africa or the US, after the White House announced travel curbs.
    • The World Trade Organization has delayed its ministers’ meeting indefinitely. It was due to take place next week, in person, but has been suspended because of difficulties for the South African delegation.

      Current date/time is Thu 28 Mar 2024, 11:39