Coronavirus - 7th December 2021

• People travelling to the UK must now take a Covid test before their journey, as new rules to slow the spread of Omicron come into force
  
• UK arrivals already have to take a PCR test upon their return, and contacts of a suspected Omicron case must self-isolate for 10 days
  
• But Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed the new variant is already spreading in the community in multiple areas of England
  
• There are currently 336 confirmed cases of the highly-mutated Covid strain in the UK
  
• Scientists say it could overtake Delta to become the dominant variant, but it will take weeks to see how effective vaccines are against it
  
• On Monday, 51,459 UK cases of Covid were reported, as well as 41 deaths within 28 days of a positive test
  
• Elsewhere, nightclubs in France must close on Friday for four weeks, amid a rise in cases
  

• People travelling to the UK must now take a Covid test before their journey, as new rules to limit the spread of the Omicron variant take effect
  
• Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed Omicron is spreading in the community in multiple areas of England, with 336 confirmed cases
  
• Nightclubs in France must close on Friday for four weeks, amid a rise in cases
  
• All New Yorkers must be vaccinated against Covid by 27 December if they want to go to work, the city’s mayor has announced
  
• From 14 December, children aged between 5 and 11 in New York must show proof they have had one dose of a vaccine to enter venues including restaurants, while those over 12 must have had two doses. Previously under-12s were exempt and other customers only needed proof of one dose
  
• Thailand is hoping to forge a more sustainable model of tourism as the country reopens to visitors.
  
• New York City has expanded its array of Covid-19 mandates on Monday, setting vaccine requirements for children as young as 5 years old. This is on top of the mandates required for all private employees.
  
• In France, a combination of vaccination booster shots and more rigorous social distancing is hoped to avoid renewed lockdowns or curfews. Nightclubs will be shut for four weeks and requirements for mask-wearing in schools will be tightened.
  
• The Netherlands is drafting in soldiers to support hospitals as Covid cases surge.
  
• India has reported another 6,822 new coronavirus cases, the lowest figures in 558 days.
  
• A leading infectious diseases specialist who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School believes the world is seeing “what appears to be a signal of exponential increase of Omicron over Delta” where Omicron is “likely to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks and months”.
  
• New Covid restrictions are to be introduced in Norway after a recent increase in infections.
  
• Britain’s health minister said there is now community transmission of the Omicron variant across regions of England.
  
• The Czech government will order Covid-19 vaccinations for people working in hospitals and nursing homes as well as police officers, soldiers and some other professions and all citizens aged 60 and older.
  
• A new range of pandemic restrictions will be imposed in Poland this week.
  
• Italy tightened restrictions on people still not vaccinated, limiting their access to an array of places and services.
  
• Children in the Philippines’ capital Manila returned to school after a near two-year suspension.
  
• India’s cases of the Omicron variant rose to 21 over the weekend, officials said, while Nepal and Thailand detected their first cases.
  
• South Africa is preparing hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of infections.
  
• Austria’s general lockdown will end on 11 December for those who have been vaccinated.
  

New travel testing rules come into force

Analysis: Travel restrictions can only buy time

What are the UK's travel rules?

• A PCR test must be taken within two days of arrival to the UK and people must self-isolate until they have a negative result, regardless of vaccination status
  
• Over-18s who are not fully vaccinated must self-isolate at home for 10 days after arriving in the UK
  
• Eleven African countries are also on the red list, which means only UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents, are allowed to enter the UK from these countries
  
• These travellers must self-isolate in a government-approved hotel for 10 days
  

France announces closure of nightclubs

'Hotel quarantine is like a prison'

Misleading travel test prices still advertised on government site

Weekly Covid deaths in the UK fall below 1,000 for first time in five weeks - ONS

'I need to see my children'

Welsh and Scottish governments to update on Covid

Christmas party outbreak leaves 68 Spanish medics infected

Dutch hospitals welcome military support

China reports 94 new cases on Monday

India reports a further 6,822 cases

Los Angeles county is reporting a third case of the Omicron variant

Cook Islands panic abates after first ever Covid case proves to be a false alarm

Doctors report 13,000 cancelled operations in UK over two months

Covid-19 in the UK

Fake vaccine cards being sold in Ireland

Fake vaccine cards are being sold online ahead of the introduction of fines for those in breach of the Covid certification scheme in Northern Ireland.
Blank vaccine cards that can be filled in with personal details are being sold by a man based in the Irish Republic for €50.

Today so far

• Prof Tim Spector, from the Covid Zoe app, said that in about 10 days’ time the UK could have more cases of Omicron than some countries it had put on the travel red list. The professor of genetic epidemiology said: “The official estimates are about 350-odd Omicron cases, and because the current testing is missing a lot of those, it’s probably at least 1,000 to 2,000 I would guess at the moment.”
  
• Dr Jeffrey Barrett, director of the Covid-19 genomics initiative at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, has agreed that Omicron would take over from Delta in the UK as the dominant variant of coronavirus “within a matter of weeks”. He said: “I think we can now say that this variant is spreading faster in the UK than the Delta variant at the same time, and that’s something that I think was unclear until very recently.”
  
• Austria’s general lockdown will be lifted on Sunday as planned – however, restrictions will stay in place for the unvaccinated.
  
• Germany’s outgoing health minister Jens Spahn said travel curbs that limit arrivals to the European Union are important until more is known about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
  
• EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said: “We are facing a very challenging epidemiological situation in all members states with the Covid-19 pandemic, made especially challenging with the appearance of the Omicron variant.”
  
• She said she would urge ministers to step up vaccinations and, when necessary, to promote other non-pharmaceutical measures, such as requiring the wearing of masks and social distancing.
  
• In France, it is hoped a combination of vaccination booster shots and more rigorous social distancing will avoid the need for renewed lockdowns or curfews. Nightclubs will be shut for four weeks and requirements for mask-wearing in schools will be tightened.
  
• The Netherlands is drafting in soldiers to support hospitals as Covid cases surge.
  
• The Office of National Statistics says that from the week ending 13 March 2020 to the week ending 26 November 2021, the number of excess deaths above the five-year average in England and Wales was 128,740.
  
• The UK’s justice secretary Dominc Raab has insisted that, regarding the allegations of a Christmas party last year at Downing Street while the rest of London was in tier three Covid restrictions, “there was no party, and there were no rules breached”. Raab also insisted “We don’t think plan B is required. Why? Because of the success of the vaccine programme.”
  
• UK hospitals have cancelled at least 13,000 operations over the last two months as they struggle to cope with record demand for NHS care and people sick with Covid-19.
  
• GSK has released new data from early-stage studies, citing that its antibody-based Covid-19 therapy with US partner Vir is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
  
• New York City has expanded its array of Covid-19 mandates on Monday, setting vaccine requirements for children as young as five. This is on top of the mandates required for all private employees.
  
• People in US counties that voted for Donald Trump are nearly three times more likely to die from Covid-19 than those who live in counties that voted for Joe Biden.
  
• In Australia, senior health officials have rejected claims made by Queensland senator Gerard Rennick that Covid-19 vaccinations amount to “experimenting” on children after the Liberal senator questioned the safety of the vaccine for children aged five to 11 in a Senate inquiry.
  

Spain approves Covid vaccination for children aged 5 to 11

Denmark's Health Minister tests positive for Covid-19

Early indications Omicron is more transmissible than Delta variant, Johnson says

The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta.

More school closures expected in Scotland

'Significant wave' of Omicron expected in Wales

• All adults in Wales will be offered a booster vaccination by the end of January
  
• 12 to 15-year-olds will be offered a second dose
  
• Additional help has been requested from the military to allow some parts of Wales to double the number of vaccinations provided
  
• The aim is to increase the number of vaccinations from 19,000 a day to more than 200,000 a week
  

Stress and confusion for international travellers

Poland's medics and teachers face mandatory vaccination

Extremely likely UK will get very large wave - expert

 

101 further UK Omicron cases confirmed

There have been a further 101 cases of the Omicron variant confirmed, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says.
It takes the total number of cases confirmed in the UK to 437.
Of those new cases,

• 72 are in England;
  
• 28 in Scotland; and
  
• one in Wales.
  

It means there have been a total of 333 cases in England, 99 in Scotland and five in Wales.
None have been identified in Northern Ireland.

Sturgeon 'cannot guarantee' more restrictions won't be needed

Hospitals already under immense pressure - doctor

'I haven't seen my sister in two years'

Sweden to reintroduce many Covid restrictions as cases rise

Omicron has spread across Denmark

Britain’s drinking deaths rose at record rate in pandemic

There will be many complex factors behind the elevated risk since spring 2020.
For instance, Public Health England analysis has shown consumption patterns have changed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which could have led to hospital admissions and ultimately deaths. We’ve seen increases in loneliness, depression and anxiety during the pandemic and these could also be factors. However, it will be some time before we fully understand the impact of all of these.

Another 45,691 UK Covid cases reported

Chinese province confirms Covid cases in three cities

Deadly shooting in Moscow 'over face mask row'

Quarantined man goes into allergic shock after Heathrow hotel serves nuts

Egyptians buying fake vaccine 'proofs'

Travel rules for France, US and other touristy places - what's new?

'I have a £10k fine hanging over my head'

UK reports highest weekly Covid cases since January

The threat of hospitals being overwhelmed is back on the table

Norway tightens restrictions again amid rising infections

• There are early signs that the Omicron variant is more transmissible but much remains unknown, Downing Street says
  
• There are now 437 confirmed Omicron cases in the UK, health officials say
  
• In response Boris Johnson says the UK's booster rollout is the fastest in Europe, but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for it to be ramped up
  
• Wales' health minister has warned the nation is expecting a "significant" wave of Covid caused by the new variant
  
• Meanwhile in Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has warned of a rapid rise in Omicron cases
  
• New testing rules for people travelling to the UK have thrown plans into disarray, according to some travellers
  
• Elsewhere, the World Health Organization has warned against imposing mandatory vaccine requirements, saying such a move should only be used as an "absolute last resort"
  
• Norway introduced stricter rules to limit the spread of Covid, including a cap on the number of visitors in private homes and shortening the hours bars and restaurants can serve alcohol. The country has seen a surge of Covid infections in recent weeks, followed by a rise in the number of hospitalisations. “We really wished we were done with the pandemic. But the situation is now so serious that we must put in place new measures to keep control,” the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre said. “Therefore it will be a different Christmas holiday this year as well,” he said. No more than 10 visitors will be allowed in private homes, and people must keep a distance of at least one metre from anyone who is not a member of their household. The serving of alcohol must stop at midnight every day, he added.
  
• Scientists have identified a “stealth” version of the Omicron variant which cannot be detected with the routine tests that public health officials are using to track its spread around the world. The stealth variant has many mutations in common with standard Omicron, but it lacks a particular genetic change that allows lab-based PCR tests to be used as a rough and ready means of flagging up probable cases. Researchers say it is too early to know whether the new form of Omicron will spread in the same way as the standard Omicron variant, but that the “stealthy” version is genetically distinct and so may well behave differently. Story here.
  
• Sweden will roll out a raft of measures to curb rising Covid infections, urging renewed social distancing, home-working and the use of face masks on public transport, the government said. “We need to work together to that the situation doesn’t get worse, so today we are presenting further precautionary measures,” the prime minister, Magdalena Andersson said. The measures will take effect from Wednesday.
  
• Nicola Sturgeon urged Scottish firms to ensure that all staff who can are working from home until the middle of January, telling people to do a lateral flow test “on every occasion” they intend to mix with others over the festive season, whether at work, socialising or going shopping.
  
• The UK has reported a further 101 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number of cases across the country to 437. Of the new cases, 72 were confirmed in England, 28 in Scotland, and one in Wales. There have been no new cases reported in Northern Ireland.
  
• The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, said early indications suggest the Omicron variant is more transmissible than Delta. Johnson made the comment as he updated his team of ministers on the latest Covid situation at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Giving an account of the meeting, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta.” But the spokesman said there was no debate around the cabinet table on whether to introduce “plan B” of the government’s plans to control the virus this winter.
  
• The spread of Omicron in Wales is expected to reach its peak by the end of next month, the health minister, Eluned Morgan, said. She said: “We are expecting a significant wave of Omicron to hit Wales. The modelling suggests it will reach its peak by around the end of January, which is why there is an urgency in terms of getting people vaccinated and boosters done as soon as possible.”
  
• Poland will introduce compulsory Covid vaccinations for doctors, teachers and security service personnel from 1 March, the health minister said, as he announced a raft of new measures to curb the spread of the virus. Niedzielski said the limit on the number of people allowed in public spaces such as restaurants and cinemas would be lowered to 30%, not including vaccinated people, from the current 50%. Businesses will also be required to check customers’ Covid certificates. Nightclubs will be closed from 15 December and on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, only 100 people will be allowed to enter, not counting those who have been vaccinated. Additionally, travellers from outside the European Union’s Schengen passport-free zone will need to show a negative test result from 15 December and schools will return to distance learning for periods just before and after the Christmas holiday. Niedzielski said that the government was also working on a draft law that would allow employers to check workers’ Covid test results.
  
• EU health agencies have recommended that Covid vaccines be mixed and matched for both initial courses and booster doses as the region battles rising cases ahead of Christmas. Evidence suggests that the combination of viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines produces good levels of antibodies against the coronavirus, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a joint statement. Such an approach “may offer flexibility in terms of vaccination options, particularly to reduce the impact on the vaccine rollout should a vaccine not be available for any reason”, the EMA and ECDC said, while urging people to get fully vaccinated. However, the EMA and ECDC said more research was needed to support the use of mixing and matching in people with weak immune systems, such as older people and those with chronic conditions like cancer, and for two-dose mRNA vaccine regimens.
  
• Spain’s health commission approved vaccinations against Covid for children aged five to 11, following a recommendation by the European Union’s health regulator late last month. Spanish authorities expect to start vaccinating children on 13 December as the first doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine are expected arrive, the health minister, Carolina Darias, said.