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    Coronavirus - 2nd December 2021

    Kitkat
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 12:19

    Summary for Thursday, 2nd December

    • The UK government signs deals to buy 114 million more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to use in 2022 and 2023
    • The deals were speeded up after the Omicron variant emerged - but talks were already under way
    • Pfizer's boss tells the BBC that annual jabs "are likely to be needed" to maintain high levels of protection
    • But the WHO points out that many poorer countries have still not been able to vaccinate their most vulnerable
    • UK regulators approve new treatment that could reduce hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults
    • Scientists in Cardiff meanwhile find the trigger for very rare blood clots after the Oxford-AZ jab
    • On Wednesday, the UK recorded a further 48,374 coronavirus cases and another 171 deaths

    Good morning

    Welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the stories we are looking at first thing:

    And here’s a quick rundown of Covid news around the world over the past 24 hours:

    • The US reported its first Omicron case identified in California and discovered in a traveller who returned from South Africa on 22 November and tested positive on 29 November.
    • The World Health Organization has urged countries to prioritise getting the unvaccinated vaccinated, both nationally and globally, rather than boosters.
    • Ministers in the UK have secured new contracts to buy 114m more Covid-19 vaccines for the next two years.
    • The US will extend requirements for travellers to wear masks on aeroplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through mid-March.
    • Greek lawmakers approved legislation making vaccination for Covid mandatory for all residents aged over 60. Some 17% of Greeks aged over 60 have not yet been vaccinated. They have until 16 January to get their first jabs, or will be fined 100 euros for every month they remain unvaccinated.
    • The United Arab Emirates announced its first known case of the new Covid variant Omicron.
    • Moderna could have a Covid booster shot targeting the Omicron variant tested and ready to file for US authorisation as soon as March, the company’s president said.
    • The EU must consider mandatory vaccination, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. One-third of Europe’s 150-million population are not vaccinated.
    • The UN condemned the travel bans implemented in response to Omicron as “unfair, punitive and ineffective”.
    • Hong Kong’s quarantine is pushing Cathay Pacific pilots to “breaking point” as many seek work elsewhere, AFP reports.
    • India has recorded another 9,765 daily Covid cases and 277 for Wednesday, according to an update from the health ministry.
    • Germany has reported another 73,209 new Covid cases for Wednesday and 388 deaths, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute.
    • China is reporting 73 new Covid cases for Wednesday, a decrease from the 113 reported Covid cases a day earlier, Reuters reports.
    • South Korea has reported a new daily record in Covid cases with 5,266 cases recorded on Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
    • A large number of temporary and bridging Australian visa holders will be cut off from their families this Christmas despite the planned easing of border restrictions, causing further agony and uncertainty for those stuck in the country.
    • The heavily mutated Omicron variant has propelled a sharp rise in Covid cases in South Africa as health experts describe the degree of increase as “worrying”. The variant now accounts for 74% of all the virus genomes sequenced in the nation last month.
    • Ukraine has recorded 13,531 new cases of Covid-19 for Wednesday.
    • Authorities in Indonesia have tightened border curbs, extended quarantine and limited movement on strategic toll roads, in a preemptive move to limit the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.
    • Thailand reported another 4,971 new Covid cases.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 12:43

    Fourth wave takes off in South Africa

    Nomsa Maseko - BBC Southern Africa correspondent
    There has been a sustained increase in new Covid infections in many parts of South Africa.
    The health department says the increase has been reported in seven of the country’s nine provinces.
    New infections are expected to increase in what is now the beginning of the fourth wave in South Africa.
    The department says there has also been a slight increase in hospital admissions.
    The National Institute for Communicable Diseases says most of the people who have been hospitalised have not been vaccinated against Covid.
    The new variant has been detected in at least 24 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization.

    South Africa Covid infections double since Monday

    South Africa has recorded a sharp increase in Covid infections which have doubled since Monday.
    Health officials say the newly discovered Omicron variant may be fuelling the surge, but it isn't clear how many of the new cases it accounts for.
    Some 8,500 infections have been registered in the last 24 hours.
    The United States has identified its first Omicron case in someone who had returned to the country from South Africa.
    Many questions about the new variant remain to be answered, including whether it is more transmissible and how much protection current vaccines provide.

    Latest around Europe


    • Germany’s national and regional leaders are expected to agree tougher Covid restrictions today, which would only allow people who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid into cinemas, restaurants, clubs and shops other than supermarkets. Outgoing Health Minister Jens Spahn says "what's really important now is a quasi lockdown for the unvaccinated". Another 388 Covid deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours.
    • Mainland France’s first Omicron-variant case has been detected in the greater Paris region, according to the local health authority. The infected person had recently returned from Nigeria.
    • Spanish authorities have detected a third case, in a woman from Majorca who travelled from South Africa.
    • More than half the people put in quarantine in a Dutch hotel after flying in from South Africa have been allowed to leave. None of those still in the hotel is seriously ill.
    • Swiss Covid cases have reached the same level of last year's second wave, although the numbers being admitted to hospital are not rising so fast. However, hospitals in Zurich say they're full and some politicians are now calling for mandatory vaccinations.
    • Kosovo is to ban entry to people who have not been fully-vaccinated against coronavirus. The regulation will apply from 3 January.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 16:24

    India reports first case of new Covid variant

    Two men who flew from South Africa to the southern Indian city of Bangalore have tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant.
    The men, who are 66 years and 46 years old, are under observation, a government spokesperson has said.
    These are the first cases of the Omicron variant to be reported in India.
    The World Health Organization has warned that Omicron poses a "high infection risk".
    Officials say all primary and secondary contacts of the two men have been traced and are being tested as well.
    Six samples from people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the national capital Delhi, and another six samples from the western state of Maharashtra, have all been sent for genome sequencing to determine the variant. Officials are still awaiting results. Several other cities and states are following suit.
    Read in full here.

    Greece reports first Omicron case

    Kostas Kallergis - BBC News, Europe Producer
    The first case of the Omicron Covid variant has been detected in Chania, Crete island, Greece.
    A vaccinated Greek citizen who had recently travelled to South Africa was found to be infected, according to a statement of the Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris.
    The president of the Greek Public Health Organization, Theoklis Zaoutis, said this person arrived in Greece on the morning of 26 November and underwent a rapid test at the airport, which came out negative.
    He later did rapid tests every day and on 29 November, he tested positive. The next day he had mild symptoms.

    13:08 -

    What's happened so far today?

    Just joining us? Here's a round-up of the day's main Covid headlines:
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 16:28

    Germany bans unvaccinated people from shops and bars

    Germany has announced sweeping new restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid.
    Chancellor Angela Merkel says unvaccinated people will be barred from many public places, including non-essential shops and events, unless they have recently recovered from Covid.
    "Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered," Merkel says.
    "We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken," she adds.
    Merkel also says a nationwide vaccination mandate could be imposed from February 2022, after it's been debated in parliament.

    German Parliament to vote on mandatory vaccines

    Jenny Hill - BBC Berlin correspondent
    Angela Merkel is preparing to retire from office as Germany faces the worst wave of infection it's experienced so far in the pandemic.
    A situation which most experts agree is due – in part – to the millions of Germans who’ve not yet been vaccinated.
    Today Merkel and her soon-to-be successor Olaf Scholz said the German Parliament would vote on whether to make vaccination mandatory.
    There’s no date, but Merkel suggested that – if approved – such a measure could be in place by February of next year.
    She also announced further restrictions on unvaccinated people who’ll be banned from many businesses and shops and prohibited from meeting more than two people from another household.
    Angela Merkel has always resisted mandatory vaccination, saying it was the responsibility of government to persuade citizens.
    But, asked today whether she now supported the measure, she replied: "If I were a member of parliament, I would vote for it."

    Norway announces new restrictions after Omicron found

    Norway has announced strict new Covid measures in Oslo and nearby areas after a suspected cluster of Omicron cases was found in the capital.
    People have been ordered to wear masks in public places and work from home where possible. Travellers arriving in Norway must do a Covid test within 24 hours of arrival.
    The measures come as officials raise alarm over a possible Omicron cluster among dozens of people who attended a Christmas dinner in the capital.
    Up to 50 people who were at the event have since tested positive, and at least one of them has the new variant, city officials say. If the new strain is detected among all of them, it would be the one of the largest known outbreaks of the new variant in Europe.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 16:41

    .
    Breaking News

    UK records 53,945 new cases

    A further 53,945 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK, official figures show.
    It is the highest daily total since 17 July, when 54,674 were recorded.
    There have also been a further 141 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test result.

    Ukraine reported 13,531 new cases for Wednesday

    The European nation recorded 13,531 new cases of Covid-19 for Wednesday.
    The figure included 1,346 children and 240 health workers, according to an update from the ministry of health.

    How has Omicron changed the Covid rules in the UK?

    Covid measures have been strengthened in response to concern over the newly identified Omicron variant. Let's have a look at what the rules are in the UK.
    The rules in England changed this week, meaning that face coverings are once again compulsory in shops and on public transport.
    Anyone entering the UK also now requires a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival and must self-isolate until they have a negative result.
    The 10 day self-isolation rule has also been brought in again for all contacts of suspected Omicron cases.
    Face coverings are already mandatory in shops, health and social care settings and on public transport in Wales.
    But First Minister Mark Drakeford has urged people to "think carefully" about whether to meet vulnerable relatives over Christmas.
    In Northern Ireland either proof of vaccination, a negative lateral flow test or a positive PCR test in the past 30-180 days is now needed to access some venues and events.
    And the Covid booster programme is being expanded in England and Scotland.
    The Scottish government has also set up "enhanced surveillance" in a bid to identify cases quickly and break chains of transmission.
    You can read more about the latest restrictions here.
    Coronavirus - 2nd December 2021 93e00949-b4b2-445c-a7ef-278ce37d9504
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:03

    Pakistan has released their Covid figures for the last 24 hours.
    An additional 377 people are confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19, the ministry of national health services said in an update today.
    There were eight deaths also recorded and 904 patients in critical care.

    Tenth Omicron case in Scotland has no known link to previous nine
    A tenth case of the Omicron variant identified in Scotland has no direct link to the previous nine cases which were connected to one event, the Scottish Government has said.
    Authorities have said the nine cases across Lanarkshire area and Greater Glasgow and Clyde identified earlier in the week were connected to an event on 20 November.
    Public Health Scotland recorded an additional confirmed case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Wednesday in the same area.
    A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The individual affected is in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area and while there is no direct link with the event on the 20 November which connected the previous nine cases, investigations are ongoing.
    “As First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told parliament on Tuesday, it was already suspected that some degree of community transmission of this variant was taking place in Scotland.
    “However, there is no indication as yet that transmission of the new variant is either sustained or widespread.”

    Sweden's Public Health Agency warns it could impose new restrictions next week
    A quick snap from Reuters here that the Swedish Public Health Agency said it could impose new restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic and a rising tide of infections in the coming days.
    Sweden, which introduced vaccine passes for indoor events with more than 100 people at the beginning of this month, had flagged potential additional measures might be needed to curb the spread of the virus.
    “We may have to take measures already next week,” Karin Tegmark Wisell, Director General at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, told a news conference.

    Omicron variant case detected in Paris region of France
    A very quick Reuters snap: A case of the Omicron variant has been found in the greater Paris/Ile-de-France region, reported BFM TV, citing the local health authority. The infected person had recently returned from Nigeria.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:28

    Dutch health authorities say that more than 20 passengers who have been in quarantine since testing positive for Covid-19 after flying from South Africa on 26 November will be allowed to leave on Thursday.
    A spokesman for the health authority for Kennemerland, in which Schiphol airport is situated, said authorities will not disclose whether any of the 14 passengers found to be infected with the Omicron variant of the virus are being released, citing privacy reasons.
    They will also not disclose or discuss the seriousness of those patients’ symptoms, the spokesman added, also citing privacy reasons.
    Results of follow-up tests mean that more than half of those who had been held at the hotel are now free to continue their travels, a GGD statement said. “Persons that tested positive will remain in isolation. Their situation varies. Some have symptoms, others don’t or barely,” GGD Kennemerland director Bert van Velden said in a statement.

    Germany expected to impose restrictions on the unvaccinated

    Germany is expected later today to announce it will impose restrictions on the unvaccinated as it seeks to break a surge in daily coronavirus infections.
    Reuters report that outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz will discuss with leaders of Germany’s 16 states restricting the unvaccinated from access to all but the most essential businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies and bakeries.
    Eager to avoid lockdowns, they are expected to keep businesses open to the almost 69% of the population that is fully vaccinated as well as those who have recovered from the coronavirus.
    Germany’s vaccination rate at just under 70% is around the EU average but lower than countries such as Portugal and Ireland.
    Making vaccination compulsory and restricting the number of people at large events such as soccer matches are among the measures to be discussed.
    There have been signs the curve is starting to flatten in Germany. The seven-day incidence among 100,000 residents fell for the third consecutive day to 439.2.

    Norway investigating cluster of 50 cases possibly linked to Omicron

    Jon Henley - The Guardian
    Norwegian authorities have said as many as 50 people could have become infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus after a Christmas dinner party in Oslo.
    National news agency NTB cited local media as saying 41 Oslo residents who attended the dinner last Friday had since tested positive for Covid-19, as well as nine guests living in neighbouring municipalities.
    “We do not yet have full confirmation, but there are very strong indications that this outbreak involves the omicron variant,” Jorun Thaulow, head of the Oslo West test and trace team said.
    Oslo city hall on Wednesday asked anyone who had been at the restaurant, Louise Louise in the central Aker Brygge district, between 10.30pm and 3am last Friday to get tested urgently.
    People who were in an Irish pub in the city the following day are also being asked to take a test after one of the dinner guests who subsequently tested positive said they had been drinking there on Saturday evening.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:34

    India detects two cases of Omicron variant in southern state

    India has detected its first two cases of the Omicron variant, both in the southern state of Karnataka, a health ministry official said on Thursday, as the government urged more widespread testing.
    “All primary contacts and secondary contacts of both the cases have been traced and are being tested,” the health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal told a news briefing.
    The two patients were displaying mild symptoms, officials said.
    India was set to restart scheduled commercial international flights on 15 December, but scrapped that plan on Wednesday amid rising concerns over Omicron and said a resumption date would be announced in due course.
    The government has advised states to ramp up testing, a week after the health ministry said a recent fall in testing could undermine the country’s efforts to contain the pandemic.
    After battling a record surge in infections and deaths in April and May, coronavirus cases have come down substantially in India, where the Delta variant – as in other parts of the world – is the dominant strain.
    The country reported 9,765 new cases on Thursday, taking its total to 34.61 million. Only the United States has reported more.

    England’s top theatres make mask-wearing mandatory
    Mark Sweney - The Guardian
    England’s biggest theatres including the Royal Opera House, the National and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sites in the West End have implemented mandatory mask-wearing as owners respond to the threat of the spread of Omicron.
    Theatre-goers have not been required to wear masks but owners are moving to make them a compulsory requirement after the government’s decision to make face coverings mandatory in shops and on public transport this week.
    The Royal Shakespeare Company was the first to make the move, announcing on Monday that face coverings are now required at its theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, except for those under 12 years of age or who are medically exempt.
    Other theatres followed, with announcements from the National, which requires masks to be worn in all areas of its building on London’s South Bank, the Royal Opera House, the English National Opera and the Old Vic.
    Lloyd Webber’s West End theatres also moved to mandatory mask-wearing, having previously operated a policy of requesting, but not enforcing, that theatre-goers use face coverings.
    Theatre owners are set to keep the policy in place until at least 19 December, the date the government has set for a review of its guidance on face masks.
    People who are not wearing a face coverings in certain settings can potentially be fined in the form of a fixed penalty notice and ordered to pay £200.
    Read more.

    Finland detects first Omicron case

    The first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been discovered in Finland, the Finnish Health Institute said on Thursday.
    The variant was found in a person who had travelled to Finland from Sweden, the institute added and said it was still investigating samples from other people travelling in the same group that now were sick with Covid-19.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:40

    Ukraine will bar the entry of foreigners travelling from several African countries where the Omicron variant has been detected, the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said at a televised government meeting on Thursday.
    The health ministry earlier this week ordered mandatory 14-day self-isolation for Ukrainians returning from those countries. Similar rules will apply to foreigners with a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.
    Ukraine has recorded 3.5 million coronavirus cases and 87,057 deaths. It has not registered a case of the Omicron variant yet.

    More now on that report from Norway of a cluster of 50 cases possibly linked to Omicron
    Reuters is now reporting that an outbreak of Omicron has been confirmed to have occurred in Oslo, the city’s authorities said on Thursday.
    One person was confirmed positive for the Omicron variant, following a company Christmas party in the Norwegian capital.
    “At the moment one person is confirmed as infected with Omicron but more cases are expected,” the city said in a statement.
    “We are working actively with contact tracing to limit the spread and prevent bigger outbreaks.”
    Norway detected its first two cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on Wednesday.
    The prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, is expected to hold a news conference later on Thursday.

    Germany imposes restrictions on unvaccinated and could make jabs obligatory from February
    Vaccination could become mandatory in Germany from February, the outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, has announced.
    Germany will also impose sweeping nationwide restrictions on social contact for unvaccinated people, in what local media is describing as a “lockdown for the unvaccinated”.
    Unvaccinated people will be barred from non-essential shops and events, unless they have recently recovered from Covid. “Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered,” Merkel said.
    Discos and clubs will have to shut if case numbers reach above a certain threshold, the chancellor also announced.
    The Covid situationwas “very serious”, Merkel warned, with cases at very high levels and vaccine take-up still lower in Germany than in many other European countries.
    “We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken,” Merkel told a news conference.
    “To do this, the fourth wave must be broken and this has not yet been achieved,” she said, adding that a nationwide vaccination mandate could take effect from February 2022 after it is debated in the Bundestag and after guidance from Germany’s Ethics Council.
    Austria became the first western country to make vaccines mandatory in recent days, while Greece said it would make jabs obligatory for over-60s.
    Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, met German regional leaders today to agree a path forward for the country.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:45

    Spain detects its first domestic case of Omicron variant
    Regional authorities in Madrid said on Thursday they had detected Spain’s first domestic case of the Covid Omicron variant in a vaccinated person without links to risk countries. Reuters reports that they are investigating two other similar suspected cases.
    It was the fourth confirmed case of the variant in Spain, but the first proving that Omicron is already circulating in the country.
    On Wednesday, the north-eastern region of Catalonia said it had detected potential traces of the Omicron coronavirus variant in sewage samples from late November.
    The person affected in Madrid had received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and had no history of travel or close contact with another person from countries where this variant has been detected, authorities said.
    The 62-year-old man, who has shown mild symptoms since 29 November, is isolating at home, while his closest contacts are under quarantine, authorities said. The two other cases being investigated also presented only mild symptoms, and had no history of travels to risk countries.

    A case of the Omicron variant was identified in Minnesota on Thursday, the US state’s health department has said.
    The concerned Minnesota resident was an adult male, had a recent travel history to New York City, and had been fully vaccinated. He developed mild symptoms on 22 November and sought Covid testing on 24 November, the state’s health department said, adding that his symptoms have resolved.
    It appears to be the United States’s second confirmed Omicron case, after the first was confirmed in California by US officials on Wednesday in a person who recently returned to San Francisco from a trip to South Africa.
    The Biden administration is urging all eligible Americans to get vaccines and boosters to fight Omicron, which is spreading quickly around the world, and will increase family vaccination sites and expand availability at pharmacies.
    Just 58.9% of the total US population, or 196 million people, have been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates among wealthy nations.
    More than 786,000 people have died from coronavirus in the United States, including 37,000 in November alone.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:50

    Ten more cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), bringing the total to 42.
    Andrew Gregory - The Guardian
    Seven new cases in England were identified in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern, Lambeth, Oxford, South Northamptonshire, Spelthorne, and Three Rivers. Three further cases were found in Scotland.
    Officials said the individuals who had tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Work is underway to identify any links to travel, although public health sources told the Guardian that community transmission was now “almost certainly” occurring in the UK.
    The UKHSA has now identified cases of the new variant in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West. None have yet been identified in Wales or Northern Ireland.
    “It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing,” said Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA. “That’s why it’s critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.”

    Germany bans unvaccinated people from shops and bars

    Germany has announced sweeping new restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid.
    Chancellor Angela Merkel says unvaccinated people will be barred from many public places, including non-essential shops and events, unless they have recently recovered from Covid.
    "Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered," Merkel says.
    "We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken," she adds.
    Merkel also says a nationwide vaccination mandate could be imposed from February 2022, after it's been debated in parliament.

    What rules is Germany imposing?

    As we've been reporting, Germany has announced sweeping new restrictions for unvaccinated people to curb coronavirus infections.
    Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the measures as an "act of national solidarity" in response to a "very serious" situation in Germany.
    Some German states already operate so-called 2G policies - which stands for forgenesen (recovered in the past six months) orgeimpft (vaccinated).
    Here's what Merkel announced:

    • Unvaccinated people will be limited to meetings with their own household and two other people
    • The 2G rule will be enforced at restaurants and cultural venues and non-essential shops
    • Clubs will shut in areas where 350 cases have been recorded per 100,000 people in the past seven days - the national rate is more than 400 per 100,000 people
    • Up to 30 million vaccinations will be carried out by Christmas - first, second or boosters
    • Outdoor events, including Bundesliga football, will have limited crowds of 15,000 and 2G rules
    • Fireworks on New Year's Eve will be banned

    Read more about Germany's new rules here.
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    Post by Kitkat Thu 02 Dec 2021, 17:55

    Round-up of today's main stories:


    • Germany will ban unvaccinated people from shops and bars, unless they have recently recovered from Covid, and Chancellor Angela Merkel says a nationwide vaccination mandate could be imposed from February 2022
    • The UK government has signed deals to buy 114 million more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to use in 2022 and 2023. Pfizer's boss told the BBC that annual jabs "are likely to be needed" to maintain high levels of protection
    • Families who lost loved ones during the pandemic have said they are "sickened" by a No 10 Christmas party held during last year's Covid restrictions
    • UK regulators have approved a new treatment that could reduce hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults
    • Scientists believe they have found "the trigger" that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine
    • Health officials say the new coronavirus variant Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections
    • But the World Health Organization says it believes existing vaccines "will still prevent severe disease" among people who contract the Omicron variant
    • A further 53,945 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK - the highest daily total since 17 July, when 54,674 were recorded
    • Sweden’s Public Health Agency said it could impose new restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic and a rising tide of infections in the coming days. “We may have to take measures already next week,” Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell told a news conference.
    • The heavily mutated Omicron variant has propelled a sharp rise in Covid cases in South Africa as health experts describe the degree of increase as “worrying”. The variant now accounts for 74% of all the virus genomes sequenced in the nation last month.
    • A microbiologist from South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases has said the country is seeing an increase in Covid-19 reinfections in patients contracting Omicron in a way that it did not experience with previous variants.
    • A tenth case of the Omicron variant identified in Scotland has no direct link to the previous nine cases which were connected to one event, the Scottish Government has said.
    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK has approved a new Covid-19 treatment, known as Xevudy (sotrovimab).
    • Scientists believe they may have found the trigger behind the extremely rare blood clot complications stemming from the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine.
    • Authorities in Norway have said as many as 50 people could have become infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus after a Christmas dinner party in Oslo.
    • Health authorities in the Netherlands say that more than 20 passengers who have been in quarantine since testing positive for Covid-19 after flying from South Africa on 26 November will be allowed to leave on Thursday. Due to privacy laws, they would not give details of whether this included those who had been identified with the Omicron variant.
    • The wave of coronavirus infections in Portugal is expected to worsen and new daily cases could double to around 9,000 during the Christmas period, the health authority DGS chief Graca Freitas told broadcaster RTP.
    • Pupils and parents in Northern Ireland have been warned to prepare for part-time education in the new year as schools try to cope with staff shortages due to Covid-related absences.
    • More than a third of pregnant women in the UK fear losing their jobs due to safety concerns about Covid in the workplace, according to a survey.
    • Joe Biden is set to announce new actions in the US to combat the coronavirus, including a nationwide campaign encouraging vaccine boosters, an expansion of at-home tests and tighter restrictions on international travel.
    • Authorities in Indonesia have tightened border curbs, extended quarantine and limited movement on strategic toll roads, in a preemptive move to limit the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.
    • South Korea has reported a new daily record in Covid cases with 5,266 cases recorded on Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)

      Current date/time is Fri 29 Mar 2024, 07:14