Coronavirus - 27th December 2021

Summary for Monday, 27th December

• Boris Johnson is expected to examine crucial hospital data before making any new announcement on Covid measures.
  
• Another blunder has emerged from Sydney’s St Vincent’s pathology lab after almost 1000 people were sent the wrong Covid test information. A total of 995 people were contacted over their ‘negative’ tests, which may have been incorrect as the results are yet to be determined.
  
• This is in addition to the 400 people who were told on Sunday they were negative when they were in fact positive.
  
• US airlines called off nearly 1,200 flights on Sunday as crews remain grounded amid surging Covid-19 infections, causing misery for thousands of Christmas travellers.
  
• A total of 997 flights were scrapped on Christmas Day and nearly 700 on Christmas Eve. Thousands more were delayed.
  
• On the other side of the world, lockdown restrictions have been tightened in the Chinese city of Xi’an, which is battling the largest community outbreak the country has seen since the initial months of the pandemic.
  
• Authorities reported 162 new community infections on Monday, up from 158 on Sunday. All but 10 of Monday’s new cases were reported in Shaanxi province, where 13 million residents of the capital Xi’an have been locked down for five days.
  

Here’s a quick rundown of the latest global developments:

Europe:

• UK prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to examine crucial hospital data on Monday before making any new announcement on Covid measures across England which could include a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors.
  
• New restrictions are being introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
  
• Coronavirus vaccination teams could go door-to-door in the UK to reach those yet to have their jabs, reports have suggested.
  
• France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections at the weekend, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
  
• Germany also recorded 10,100 Covid cases.
  
• Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day.
  
• The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal.
  

United States:

• US airlines called off nearly 1,200 flights on Sunday as crews remain grounded amid surging Covid-19 infections. It was a third straight day of travelling pain and more cancellations were likely as Covid infections soar.
  

Asia:

• China’s Covid cases hit a 21-month high as the northern city of Xi’an announced tightened restrictions on Sunday.
  
• China recorded 200 new coronavirus cases for 26 December, a slight decrease on the 206 cases reported a day earlier. The northwestern province of Shaanxi, home to the recently locked down city of Xi’an, accounted for 150 new cases.
  
• Bangkok, Thailand, is cancelling its new year celebrations amid growing concerns about a surge in Covid cases.
  
• South Korea’s daily Covid cases fell below 5,000 for the first time in 20 days.
  

A reminder of the main developments around the world in the past 24 hours

Europe:

• New restrictions are being introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
  
• New Covid measures in England could be in place until late March, including a ban on socialising with another household indoors and a return to the rule of six outdoors.
  
• Coronavirus vaccination teams could go door-to-door in the UK to reach those yet to have their jabs, reports have suggested.
  
• France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections at the weekend, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
  
• Germany also recorded 10,100 Covid cases.
  
• Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day.
  
• The Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in Portugal.
  

US:

• More than 1000 flights were grounded on Sunday.
  

Asia:

• China’s local Covid case count has reached a 21-month high driven by the Xi’an outbreak as the city remains in a strict lockdown.
  
• In South Korea, three members of K-pop sensation BTS test have tested positive after their return from the US. They are all fully vaccinated.
  

Middle East:

• The Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday it had identified the first case of the Omicron variant in the Gaza Strip.
  
• An Israeli hospital will begin administering a fourth vaccine jab to 150 staff on Monday in a trial aimed at gauging whether a second booster is necessary nationwide.
  
• Israel has ordered 100,000 units of Pfizer Inc’s antiviral pill Paxlovid for people aged 12 and over at risk of severe illness.
  
• Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has started isolating at home after his daughter tested positive.
  
• Iran has banned the entry of travellers from Britain, France, Denmark and Norway for 15 days.
  
• US airlines have cancelled more than 1,000 flights as crews remain grounded and forced to quarantine amid surging Covid-19 infections.
  
• Flight-tracking website FlightAware.com recorded 656 cancelled flights either into or out of the US on Sunday. This comes after nearly 1,000 were cancelled on Christmas Day and nearly 700 on Christmas Eve.
  
• Meanwhile, Covid cases continue to rise to record levels in Australia. The nation’s most populous state of New South Wales recorded three deaths and 6,324 new cases while Victoria recorded three deaths and 1,999 new cases.
  

Here is a quick snapshot of the Covid situation unfolding in Australia:

• Sydney’s St Vincent’s pathology lab say another 995 people have been contacted over their ‘negative’ tests, which may have been incorrect as the results are yet to be determined. This is in addition to the 400 people who were told on Sunday they were negative when they were in fact positive.
  
• Tasmania is seeking advice on whether rapid antigen Covid-19 tests can be used at its border for interstate travellers, instead of PCR tests, AAP reports. The state recorded 35 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, a slight drop on the 44 reported on Boxing Day.
  
• Queensland is also considering using rapid antigen tests instead of PCR tests for travellers’ day-five tests. The state detected 784 new Covid-19 cases.
  
• Western Australia has recorded just one new local Covid infection, while premier Mark McGowan warns the state is “not out of the woods yet” after a French backpacker was in the community while infectious.
  
• The Northern Territory detected 12 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours as health authorities investigate a mystery case in Darwin.
  
• The Australian Capital Territory recorded 189 new Covid cases, a record number.
  

Another 995 people sent wrong Covid test information: Sydney’s St Vincent hospital

Sydney’s St Vincent’s pathology lab say another 995 people have been contacted over their ‘negative’ tests, which may have been incorrect as the results are yet to be determined.
This is in addition to the 400 people who were told on Sunday they were negative when they were in fact positive.
The hospital issued an apology for the first blunder yesterday and now say the additional 995 results will be delivered by Monday night.
A media statement shared with the Guardian read:

Yesterday SydPath confirmed that more than 400 people were incorrectly advised they had tested negative to COVID when in fact they had tested positive.
As soon as SydPath became aware of the issue it immediately commenced a process to contact those impacted.
This morning SydPath can confirm that all people within this group have been contacted and advised of their positive result.
The emergency response team investigating the cause of this error, has now identified approximately 995 more people, tested on 23 and 24 December, were prematurely sent an SMS advising them their test was negative when in fact their true result had not yet been determined.
All of these people have been contacted and advised of the error. They have been advised they will receive their accurate test results by tonight (Monday).
Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this error and acknowledge the significant impact it has had on those involved.
We have identified what occurred and can confirm it was related to a specific human error.
SydPath have put procedures in place to ensure this cannot happen again.
This event comes at a time of unprecedented COVID-testing activity and SydPath’s people, as with all pathology teams throughout NSW, are working around the clock to respond.”

Coronavirus cases in Germany have just surpassed seven million.
The country reported another 13,908 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative Covid tally to 7,005,289 confirmed cases.
Another 69 deaths were also recorded, according to data released by the Robert Koch Institute.

India is reporting a daily rise of 6,531 coronavirus cases and 315 deaths, according to a recently released statement from its ministry of health.

Tasmania is seeking advice on whether rapid antigen Covid-19 tests can be used at its border for interstate travellers, instead of PCR tests
AAP reports:
The state recorded 35 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, a slight drop on the 44 reported on Boxing Day.
About two-thirds of Tasmania’s new cases were acquired in another state, 20% spread within families and close contacts and two cases do not have a specific source yet.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the Tasmanian government is seeking advice on whether rapid antigen tests can be used for interstate arrivals.
Gutwein told reporters in Hobart on Monday:

We have a 72 hour pre-test requirement for PCR test if you’re looking to travel to Tasmania and, I want to be clear, that will remain in place for the time being.
But we are considering other options such as where the rapid antigen testing can be used as a safeguard.
We’ll have more to say on this, I’ll speak later in the week about what the requirements will be in terms of our borders, as we approach the New Year.”

The move aims to take pressure off testing sites in other parts of the country, as demand continues to impact queue lengths and turnaround times in the eastern states.

Australia passes milestone of 10,000 cases in one day

Australia has surpassed the unwanted milestone of 10,000 new Covid-19 infections in one day, spurred by high case numbers in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, according to the Australian Associated Press.
The state of New South Wales reported 6324 new cases while Victoria had 1999, with the two states forming the bulk of the country’s near 10,200 new infections.
There were 784 new cases in Queensland, three-quarters of which are the Omicron variant the state’s premier said.
There were also a record 842 in South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory’s highest daily tally of 189 new cases, 35 in Tasmania, 12 in the Northern Territory and one in Western Australia.

Ukraine confirms a further 1,864 new cases on Sunday

Ukraine has just released its daily Covid report, confirming another 1,864 coronavirus cases recorded on Sunday.
Another 133 deaths were also reported, according to a statement from the ministry of health.

US alarm at rise in child Covid infections sees school closures back on agenda
As US regional health authorities reacted with alarm to a jump in child Covid infections that caused some school districts to announce returns to remote learning, a leading public health official questioned the need for schools to close, saying: “We know how to keep schools open, we know how to keep them safe.”
Over the past three weeks, as Omicron-related cases soared in New York City and elsewhere, the number of childr
The California state epidemiologist Dr Erica Pan wrote on Twitter: “Unfortunately New York is seeing an increase in pediatric hospitalisations (primarily amongst the unvaccinated), and they have similar [five - to 11-year-old] vaccination rates.”
Across New York state, about 16% of five- to 11-year-olds and 71% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated.
Rising numbers of pediatric cases have convinced officials in some states to order a return to remote learning after the winter break. Around 300 schools in Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York will remain closed.
en hospitalised in New York with Covid-19 quadrupled, the state health department said.

Fourth Covid wave fills hospitals in Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling a fourth wave of the coronavirus that is threatening to put greater pressure on its health system than at any time during the pandemic.
Congo is the least vaccinated country against Covid-19 in the world with just 0.06% for the population fully vaccinated, Agence France Presse reported earlier this month. Fewer than 300,000 people out of a population of 90 million have received at least one dose, or just 0.33%, Reuters data indicates.
The vaccine rollout was hindered by a lack of funds and supplies, remote populations and rumours claiming that vaccination made people sterile or that Africans were to be used as “guinea pigs”.
Now Covid patients fill hospital wards and tents are needed to cope with the overflow, Reuters reports.
“We have experienced the three previous waves gradually, but in the fourth wave cases have jumped overnight,” said Francois Kajingulu, the head of the St Joseph Covid Treatment Centre in Kinshasa. “On Monday we had 5-6 cases and on Saturday we went straight from 30 to 36.”
Congo registered 6,480 new cases in the week of 13 December - more than double the number hit during its previous record week in June, World Health Organization data show.

Travel plans of people in England over the festive period are being badly affected by industrial action, planned closures and pandemic-related staff shortages.
Several rail services are currently experiencing disruption due to staff being ill with Covid-19, with TransPennine Express, ScotRail, Avanti West Coast, Northern Rail, LNER and Greater Anglia all having reported an impact on services caused by a lack of available staff.
East Midlands Railway services continue to be affected by industrial action by the RMT union, with an amended service expected to run on 2 January, PA reports.
A number of routes are also being hit by planned engineering works.
Southern’s Gatwick airport trains are operating to and from London Bridge instead of London Victoria until 3 January.
In the north, Leeds will have a reduced service between 27 December and 3 January, including a “very limited” service on 2 January.
In the west, CrossCountry trains will not call at Bristol Parkway between 27 December and 31 December, while Some Great Western Railway services to and from Bristol Temple Meads will also be affected.
Despite the closures, National Rail said that 95% of Britain’s rail network will remain open during the festive period.
It added that the 370 engineering projects it is carrying out over Christmas were planned “months, and in some cases years, in advance”.
The London Underground and Overground will also be hit by planned closures.

France expected to announce new Covid restrictions

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to announce new Covid measures on Monday as the country braces for a new wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant.
Officials fear that hospitals could become overwhelmed after a record 100,000 cases were reported Saturday, the highest daily level in France since the pandemic began.
Macron will hold a crisis meeting at 4pm (1500 GMT) via video conference from his Mediterranean holiday retreat at Brégançon with key members of his cabinet and representatives of French public health bodies.
One measure under consideration is to restrict the country’s Covid health pass, which is required to enter restaurants, cinemas and other public venues, only to people who are fully vaccinated - and no longer also to those with a recent negative test.

Queue in front of analysis laboratories and pharmacies for Covid tests in Paris, France, on 26 December 2021. Photograph: Lionel Urman/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

The pass as well as a negative test could also be required for bars or cafes without table seating, and possibly for nightclubs if they are allowed to reopen in January after a four-week closure ordered on 6 December, Reuters reports.
Doctors have also clamoured for a New Year’s Eve curfew, while a group of health workers have urged the government to postpone the return of students to schools currently set for 3 January.
Masks could also be required when outside, a measure already imposed in the Savoie region in the French Alps, and in other European countries.
Officials have been urging people not to hold parties or large family gatherings over the holidays, and some 22 million people out of an eligible 40 million have received Covid booster shots.

The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, is not expected to announce further restrictions to control the Omicron variant in England after being briefed on the impact Christmas had on Covid infections and hospital pressures.
Cabinet ministers remained sceptical of further Covid curbs on Monday morning as Johnson prepared to receive his post-Christmas briefing on the latest infection data by chief medical officer for England, Profe Chris Whitty, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser.
The PA news agency understands no announcement is expected to come out of the meeting, potentially leaving England at odds with other parts of the UK, where post-Christmas restrictions have been deployed.
Conservative MPs have urged caution in going beyond plan B in England, with veteran Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives, calling for a “wait-and-see” approach to the impact of infections on hospital admissions and saying he hoped the prime minister would be “very cautious before introducing further measures”.
The latest UK infection data currently in the public domain is from Christmas Eve, when more than 122,000 people tested positive in the previous 24 hours, while hospital data on the government dashboard has not been updated since 20 December.
Curbs on hospitality and large events were reintroduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the Scottish government ordering nightclubs to be closed from Monday while hospitality businesses will need to return to offering only table service if serving alcohol.
Johnson had previously indicated he would not hesitate to introduce tougher measures after Christmas if rising cases of the Omicron variant threatened to overwhelm the NHS.

US airlines cancelled about 800 more flights on Monday after nixing thousands of flights during the Christmas holiday weekend, as Omicron cases across the country rise, forcing crews to isolate.
Shares of American Airlines Group Inc, United Airlines Holdings Inc, Delta Air Line Inc and Southwest Airlines Co were down between 2% and 3% in trading before the opening bell, Reuters reports.
Nearly 740 flights were cancelled within, into, or out of the US by early on Monday morning, a tally on flight-tracking website FlightAware.com showed.
The flight cancellations on Monday were on top of over 3,000 cancellations during the Christmas holiday weekend, typically a peak time for travel for Americans.
With rising infections, airlines have been forced to cancel flights, with pilots and cabin crew needing to quarantine.
Delta, United, Southwest and American did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Over the weekend, at least three cruise ships were forced to return to port after Covid-19 cases were detected on board, according to media reports.

Boris Johnson not expected to make an announcement on new Covid restrictions for England today

The Prime Minister is not expected to announce any fresh restrictions for England this afternoon, after receiving positive data suggesting Omicron is milder than previous Covid strains

The Prime Minster has been briefed on the latest Covid data after a two-day Christmas break and will announce his actions later today.

Everyone across England is nervously awaiting Boris Johnson’s Covid announcements, particularly those with New Year's Eve plans.

The Prime Minister has been briefed by government scientists this morning on the most up to date Covid data after a two-day Christmas break on data publications.

Although Scotland, Wales and Ireland have announced tougher restrictions, including table service and nightclub closures, Mr Johsnon is not expected to announce further restrictions in England.

In the internal Government meeting, led by chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, the impact of the Omnicrom variant over Christmas on Covid infections and hospital pressures was outlined.

No announcements are expected to come out of the meeting, PA News reports.

Conservative MPs have urged Mr Johnson to not take restrictions further than they currently already are in England, with Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown calling for a “wait-and-see” approach.

Sir Geoffrey said he hoped the Prime Minister would be “very cautious before introducing further measures” as he pushed for people to be able to “make their own decisions” when it came to taking precautions against infection.

England is currently in Plan B, with work from home encouraged where possible, mask wearing in shops and other public settings, and Covid passes to gain entry to large events.

Sir Geoffrey said: “I think they have been overly cautious, I think they are doing more damage to their economies than they need to, I think they are doing more damage to people’s liberties than they need to.

“I just don’t think the evidence, unless the data coming out today looks very different, is there for any further measures.”

Adam Finn, a professor of paediatrics, said the number of staff absences due to Covid infections was likely to play a part in the Government’s thinking on whether to go further than Plan B.

“Clearly there are still large numbers of new cases being detected,” he told PA.

“I assume that hospital bed occupancy and staff absences due to isolation rules will be the critical factors on the public health side of any decision.”

Mr Johnson has yet to announce any further rules for England but has indicated he will not hesitate to act after Christmas if required amid rising cases of the Omicron variant.

The Government, according to reports, may choose to issue new voluntary guidance on limiting contacts rather than risk another damaging Tory rebellion by recalling Parliament to impose new rules beyond the existing Plan B measures.

The Times reported that, even if more measures are imposed, plans are being drawn up so that weddings and funerals – deemed “significant life events” – would be exempt from any new rules and disruption.

UK reports daily figure of 98,515 new Covid cases

Nicola Davis - The Guardian
Covid cases in the UK have remained high, with 98,515 new confirmed cases reported on Monday as the Omicron variant continues to fuel a winter wave of infections.
The latest official data also reveals figures for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, for which 113,628 and 108,893 daily cases have been reported respectively. However, as experts have noted, figures around Christmas may not give a true picture of the situation – not least as people may be less likely to have a Covid test.
“Data will be unreliable over the festive period as testing and hospital admission patterns change. This will make it difficult to interpret any apparent trends over the next few days,” documents released on Thursday by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned.

Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday, with major US airlines each cancelling dozens of flights.
Staff calling in sick because of Covid, particularly since the emergence of the Omicron variant, have left airlines short in recent days. According to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations, airlines have cancelled roughly 4,000 flights to, from or inside the US since Friday.
Delta, United, JetBlue and American have all said that coronavirus was causing staffing problems, and European and Australian airlines also cancelled holiday-season flights because staff were infected, but weather and other factors played a role as well.
Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest led to nearly 250 flight cancellations to or from Seattle on Sunday, said Alaska Airlines, and the airline expects more than 100 flight cancellations on Monday.
United said it cancelled 115 flights Monday, out of more than 4,000 scheduled, due to crews out with Covid.

Further restrictions for Greece from 3 January through to 16 January
Greece has announced further restrictions effective between 3 and 16 January to contain a further surge in Covid infections, targeting mainly night-time entertainment venues.
As confirmed new Covid cases surged to a record of 9,284 on Monday, resulting in 66 deaths, the health minister said that under the new measures, high-protection masks would be compulsory at supermarkets, public transport and eating establishments.
Bars and restaurants will have to close at midnight and no standing customers at entertainment venues will be allowed. There will also be a maximum limit of six people per table, Reuters reported.
“If we find that these measures are not complied with we will ban music [at entertainment venues],” the health minister, Thanos Plevris, told a news conference.
The government also moved to restrict attendance of sports events to 10% of capacity or an upper limit of 1,000 people. Visitors at care facilities for the elderly will be permitted if they can furnish a negative PCR test taken within the previous 48 hours.
Authorities had already tightened existing regulations last week, mandating mask wearing in open spaces and banning Christmas and new year festivities.

Denmark and Iceland reported record daily Covid cases today as the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes Europe the global hotspot for infections and deaths.
Europe recorded the most cases and deaths in the past seven days, according to statistics compiled by Agence-France-Presse. The five countries with the highest case rates over the last seven days were all European.

• In Denmark, authorities registered 16,164 cases in 24 hours, the first time the daily caseload has exceeded 15,000 since the pandemic began. Denmark now has the world’s highest infection rate, with 1,612 cases per 100,000 people.
  
• Iceland reported 672 cases today. Until mid-December, the country had never reported more than 200 cases and daily cases never exceeded 100 during last year’s autumn wave.
  

Both Denmark and Iceland had some of Europe’s lowest infection rates before the arrival of Omicron.

No 'panic,' but Covid to 'overrun' some US hospitals: Biden
President Joe Biden on Monday said some US hospitals could be "overrun" by Covid cases, but the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge and Americans need not panic.
In a virtual meeting hosted by the White House with several state governors and top health advisors, Biden stressed that the rapid spread of the Omicron variant would not have the same impact as the initial outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 or the Delta surge this year.
"Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic," he said.
Testing is more widely available and mass vaccinations mean that for many people infections do not lead to serious illness.
"Because there have been so many vaccinations and boosters, we're not seeing hospitalizations rising as much as they did previously," he said. "Americans, America have made progress. Things are better."
But "with the rising cases, we still have tens of millions of unvaccinated people and we're seeing hospitalizations rise," he said. There are "hospitals in some places that are going to be overrun both in terms of equipment and staff."
Biden acknowledged that despite surges in testing capacity, it's still not enough.
"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," he said.
In addition to expanding free testing sites, the administration is pushing for more home testing kits, Biden said. "There were none when we took office. None. Now we have eight (brands) on the market," he said.
As part of the effort, the government is purchasing 500 million at-home tests for distribution to Americans.
"It's not enough. It's clearly not enough. If we'd known, we would have gone harder, quicker," he said. "We have to do more."
The United States has suffered a pandemic toll higher than any nation on Earth, with more than 816,000 recorded Covid deaths and 52 million cases.

Paraguay confirms first Omicron cases

Three confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been recorded, Paraguay’s health ministry said today.
The cases were detected in people who had travelled outside the country this month and the patients were quarantined, Reuters reports.
An official said the government would not take immediate action on travel, but urged people to plan safely.