Coronavirus - Christmas Day 2021

Christmas morning summary

Here's a quick-glance rundown of the main coronavirus headlines over the past 24 hours:

• Passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline companies cancelled more than 4,500 flights, as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant meant carriers were unable to staff their flights. Around a quarter of those were in the United States.
  
  
• The Chinese city of Xi’an, home to 13 million people, reported an increase in daily Covid-19 infections as the country’s latest hotspot entered its third day of lockdown. China as a whole reported 140 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday, an increase of 62% from 87 cases the day before, its health authority said.
  
  
• One in 35 people in England had Covid last week, new figures show, with 1.7 million people testing positive across the UK – the highest number on record so far. In London, hospital admissions due to Covid have nearly doubled week-on-week, the latest figures show. Across England, 1,246 admissions were recorded on December 22, up 55% week-on-week and the highest number for a single day since February 16.
  
  
• Ministers could meet as soon as Monday to determine whether new restrictions are needed in England over the new year amid growing concerns that soaring Covid cases could hit public services.
  
  
• France reported a record 94,124 new daily Covid-19 infections on Friday while the number of people hospitalised for the disease reached a seven-month high at close to 16,200, according to official data. The seven-day moving average of new cases also reached a new record of 66,417, a total that has tripled in just one month.
  
  
• People in South Africa without Covid symptoms will no longer have to test or self-isolate if a contact tests positive, the government announced on Friday. Additionally, South Africans will be offered a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine from Friday after the health regulator approved its use for the general public.
  
  
• The US will next week lift the travel ban imposed on several southern African nations when the Omicron variant of Covid was first detected, AFP reports. The ban applied to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
  
  
  
  

Christmas travel chaos as airlines cancel more than 4,500 flights

China reports highest number of cases in four months

Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture has confirmed its first infection with the Omicron variant

Ireland reports highest daily Covid cases

Italy sees third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases

France sees record daily high of Covid cases

A summary of today's developments

• France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
  
• Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day, Reuters reports. New cases reached 54,762 compared to 50,599 a day earlier, the health ministry said.
  
• Record cases are being reported in Ireland, Australia’s New South Wales and in China, where authorities are imposing strict lockdowns to contain the outbreaks. Local transmission is rising in China and its Xi’an province is now allowing only one member of a household to leave their home for necessities every two days.
  
• More than 5,400 flight cancellations have thrown the Christmas travel schedule into chaos. Omicron has meant airlines could not staff flights. A quarter of cancelled flights were in the United States.
  
• New Covid measures in England could be in place until late March under measures examined by the UK government’s scientific advisers, including a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors, in line with the Step 2 restrictions in place in England earlier this year
  
• India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has announced vaccinations for children under 15 and booster jabs for healthcare and frontline workers.
  
• The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal, making up almost two-thirds of cases since Wednesday. Schools, bars and clubs are closed until 10 January.
  
• There were queues at vaccination centres in England, kept open in some areas to allow walk-in appointments as the government encourages booster shots to counter the surge caused by the Omicron variant.
  

Australian case numbers on the rise