Coronavirus - 29th December 2021

Summary for Wednesday, 29th December

• There are no plans to cut the isolation period after a positive Covid test in England, minister Chloe Smith says
  
• There have been calls for it to be reduced to five days, amid staffing problems in the NHS
  
• Covid infections in England have hit another record high with a further 117,093 daily cases
  
• The US and France have reported their highest daily rises in new Covid cases since the pandemic began
  
• The Covid pandemic triggered a 71% drop in international flights in and out of the UK in 2021, a report says
  
• Pharmacists are urging the government to sort the "patchy" supply of lateral flow tests
  
• The Scottish Parliament is being recalled later for a Covid update from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
  

Good morning

Welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and around the world.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the latest developments worldwide:

• New Zealand reports its first community exposure to the Omicron variant in a person arriving from the UK who had been active in the community in Auckland. The person reportedly arrived in New Zealand from the United Kingdom on 16 December and tested positive on 27 December, the health ministry said in a statement.
  
• Japan will consider bringing forward Covid-19 vaccine booster shots amid concern over the spread of the Omicron variant.
  
• The Chinese city of Xi’an has entered its seventh day of lockdown on Wednesday, with many of the 13 million residents unable to leave their homes and dependent on deliveries of necessities.
  
• The US reported its single highest number of daily cases on Tuesday. The 512,553 daily new cases was by far the single highest number of cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data released by the Johns Hopkins University. The previous record was 294,015 set on 8 January 2021.
  
• California became the first state to record more than 5 million known coronavirus infections.
  
• Hundreds more US flights have been cancelled in the fifth day of travel chaos. US airlines Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group cancelled hundreds of flights on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions and rising cases of the Omicron variant.
  
• The World Health Organization has warned that the Omicron coronavirus variant could lead to overwhelmed healthcare systems even though early studies suggest it sparks milder disease.
  

What do the papers say?

The Daily Mail has headlined with “Cut Isolation to Five Days" and says scientists have "lined up with MPs and business leaders" in urging Boris Johnson to reduce the length of time people in England who test positive for Covid need to quarantine.
The paper quotes an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme with Professor Sir John Bell who suggested he would support the move, as long as people produced a negative lateral flow test first.
The Times says the prime minister is under pressure to act because NHS bosses fear staff absences caused by longer isolation periods will become a bigger problem than the number of patients being admitted to hospital with Covid.
But the i believes the guidance is unlikely to change in the near future.

Here is a quick snapshot of how Covid is unfolding across the world:

Europe:

• Omicron “appears to be less severe and many people spend a relatively short time in hospital,” Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and leading immunologist has said.
  
• UK prime minister Boris Johnson said he will not introduce further Covid restrictions in England before 2022 giving mass events the go-ahead and leaving nightclubs open for New Year’s Eve. Scientists say it is “the greatest divergence between scientific advice and legislation” seen since the start of the pandemic.
  
• The UK recorded 129,471 new Covid cases on Tuesday, the highest recorded total ever, and up from 98,515 reported yesterday.
  
• More than 500 children admitted to hospital with Covid in England in week up to Boxing Day.
  
• France has reduced the waiting time for a third booster shot to three months from four. From Monday, all indoor gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people, and to 5,000 people for outdoor events. Consumption of drinks and food will be banned in long-distance transport and home working will become mandatory for at least three days per week where possible.
  
• France reported 179,807 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, by far the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
  
• Denmark and Iceland reported record daily Covid cases on Monday. Denmark now has the world’s highest infection rate, with 1,612 cases per 100,000 people.
  
• Greece will impose further restrictions from January 3 including the closure of bars and restaurants at midnight, no standing customers at entertainment venues and a maximum limit of six people per table.
  
• Greece reported a new daily record of 21,657 Covid cases on Tuesday, more than double the number the day before.
  
• Germany toughens Covid restrictions with indoor and outdoor gatherings restricted in size and leisure facilities closing in several states.
  

Asia:

• Daily cases in Australia exceeded 10,000 for the second consecutive day, with a total of 11,264 new Covid cases across the country – the highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic.
  
• In Yan’an, China, hundreds of thousands more people were ordered to stay at home, joining millions under strict lockdown in Xi’an. China’s coronavirus cases rose for a fourth consecutive day on Monday.
  
• Delhi, India, announces new Covid restrictions. Schools, colleges and educational institutions will close as well as sports complexes, cinemas, conference halls, stadiums and swimming pools. Offices will operate at 50% capacity, as will restaurants with a 10pm curfew.
  
• Japanese officials have detected a five-person cluster of Omicron cases in the city of Osaka.
  
• Hong Kong will tighten quarantine rules for air cargo crew.
  
• Malaysia will cut the booster vaccine waiting time to three months and has banned mass celebrations for New Year’s Eve with negative Covid tests required for private gatherings.
  
• India has approved Merck’s Covid-19 pill and two more vaccines for emergency use.
  

United States:

• Omicron accounts for 58.6% of all Covid cases in the US, new CDC data shows. Delta accounts for 41.1% of Covid cases for the week ending 25 December.
  
• The US recorded 512,553 daily new cases on Tuesday – by far the single highest number of cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.
  
• Dr Anthony Fauci said a vaccine mandate should be considered for all passengers in the US.
  
• The US Centre for Disease Control has reduced the recommended isolation time for people recording a positive test from 10 days to five.
  
• Joe Biden said the dramatic surge in US Covid cases caused by the Omicron variant “should be a source of concern but it should not be a source of panic”.
  

Countries across Europe have reported a record high number of infections as authorities scramble to stem the surge.

• On Tuesday, the UK saw a record 129,471 new Covid cases, up from 98,515 reported yesterday.
  
• France reported 179,807 new cases, by far the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
  
• Greece also reported a new daily record of 21,657 Covid cases, more than double the number the day before.
  
• Denmark and Iceland similarly broke pandemic records with Denmark recording the world’s highest infection rate at 1,612 cases per 100,000 people.
  
• Meanwhile South Africa, officially the most affected country in Africa, has recalled rules that no longer required people without symptoms of Covid-19 to isolate or test if they have been in contact with a positive case, the government announced on Tuesday.
  

Scotland's FM to give Covid update

The Scottish Parliament will be recalled later for a Covid update from the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The virtual session was announced last week after the latest restrictions in Scotland were outlined.
Sturgeon has warned Covid cases are likely to increase further as new figures indicate virus levels in Scotland remain at record levels.

Hundreds more US flights cancelled in fifth day of travel chaos

US airlines Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group cancelled hundreds of flights on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions and rising cases of the Omicron variant.
Delta said it expected to cancel more than 250 of 4,133 scheduled flights on Tuesday, while Alaska Air cancelled 150 flights to and from Seattle and warned of more cancellations and delays throughout the day, Reuters reports.
Total cancellations as of 2pm ET within, into, or out of the United States stood at 1,034, with 2,694 flights delayed, marking a fifth day of flight cancellations.
Delta said it was working to reroute and substitute some planes.
Thousands of flights were grounded over the Christmas holiday weekend as airlines struggled with staff shortages from Covid-19 infections and bad weather in parts of the country.

California first US state to record more than 5m infections

California became the first state to record more than 5 million known coronavirus infections, according to the state department of public health and data from Johns Hopkins University.
The state with 40 million residents was poised for a surge in new infections amid holiday parties and family gatherings forced indoors by a series of winter storms.
California’s caseload is ahead of other large states but can attributed to its larger population. In the last week the state averaged 16.4 new cases per 100,000 people, less than a third of the national rate.
Coronavirus related hospitalisations have been rising slowly in California, up about 12% in the last 7 days to 4,401. That’s less than half as many as during the late summer peak and one-fifth of a year ago, before vaccines were widely available.
California has recorded more than 75,500 deaths related to Covid-19 with 27,555 in Los Angeles alone.

US reports single highest number of daily cases

The US recorded 512,553 daily new cases on Tuesday – by far the single highest number of cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data released by the Johns Hopkins University.
The previous record was 294,015 set on 8 January 2021.
The figure takes the seven-day average of US cases to 267,000, according to a New York Times database. This eclipses the previous 7-day average daily high of 248,209 on 12 January.
However, mitigating factors such as the delay in reporting over the Christmas weekend are important to consider. Many testing centres were likely closed over the holiday, meaning some test results would have been likely rolled over to Monday and today.

South Korea has just released its daily Covid report
The Asian nation recorded another 5,409 confirmed coronavirus cases and 36 deaths, according to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Germany is reporting another 40,043 new daily coronavirus cases and 414 deaths, according to recently released data from the Robert Koch Institute.

China's Xi'an marks first week of lockdown

The Chinese city of Xi’an has entered its seventh day of lockdown on Wednesday, with many of the 13 million residents unable to leave their homes and dependent on deliveries of necessities.
Xian reported 151 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, or nearly all of the 152 cases nationwide, bringing the total number of local Xian cases to nearly 1,000 during the 9-28 December period. No cases of the Omicron variant have been announced in the city.
The new figures bring the nationwide tally to 7,066,412 confirmed coronavirus cases and 111,219 deaths.
While the Xian outbreak is small compared with outbreaks in many other places around the world, officials imposed tough curbs on travel within and leaving the city from 23 December, in line with Beijing’s drive to immediately contain outbreaks as they appear.
Since Monday, the Xian government has stopped granting permission to people seeking to leave their homes to buy essentials, as epidemic containment measures rose a notch.
It said in-person shopping could be resumed for people in less risky areas once mass testing returned negative results, but it did not say exactly when stay-at-home order would be lifted.

India has recorded another 9,195 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, according to recently released data from its health ministry.
A further 302 deaths were also recorded, bring the total death toll to 480,592.

New Zealand reports first community exposure to Omicron

New Zealand has reported its first community exposure to the Omicron variant from a person arriving from the United Kingdom earlier this month.
The person, who tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19, had briefly been active in the community in Auckland.
The recent international arrival reportedly returned a positive result on day nine of their self-isolation period but had previously returned three negative tests for Covid-19 while completing seven days of managed isolation at a facility in Auckland, the ministry of health said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The case arrived on a flight from the United Kingdom via Doha on 16 December and is fully vaccinated with a mRNA vaccine. No other Covid-19 infections have been identified from the individual’s flight,” the statement read.

Thailand is reporting 2,575 new confirmed coronavirus cases:
116 from abroad, and 2,459 from local transmission.
A further 17 deaths were also reported, according to recent figures published by the ministry of health.

Poland reports 794 new Covid-related deaths on Wednesday
Poland is reporting 794 Covid-related deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily number in the fourth wave of pandemic.
Deputy minister of health Waldemar Kraska made the announcement on broadcaster Polsat News on Wednesday morning, adding that 600 people were not vaccinated at the time of their deaths.
Kraska told the outlet:

They could go on living if they had the vaccine. The average age of the remaining deceased is over 75; They were burdened with many diseases: obesity, hypertension, heart diseases or cancer.”

The country also reported another 15,571 new daily coronavirus cases.
Poland has been dealing with persistently high daily case numbers in a fourth wave that has forced authorities to tighten restrictions.

Sydney Covid testing errors to have little effect as Australia’s case numbers soar, experts say
Tory Shepherd - The Guardian
Mistakes in a Sydney laboratory that led to nearly 1,000 people getting incorrect Covid test results will cause positive cases to ripple through the community, but epidemiologists say Australia’s infection rate is now so high it might not make a significant difference.
Over the Christmas period, St Vincent’s hospital told 886 people their result was negative when in fact they were positive.
The hospital’s pathology department, SydPath, has apologised for the “specific human error” that led to the wrong results being delivered.
Initially 400 people were sent text messages saying they had a negative result, but were later told they were positive. A further 950 people were told they were negative when the results were not yet known, with 486 of them later told they were positive.
“Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this error and acknowledge the significant impact it has had on those involved,” SydPath said in a statement, adding that it had procedures in place to ensure it would not happen again.

Nightclubs in France will remain closed for a further three weeks,
it has been announced, after nearly 180,000 new Covid cases smashed the record for daily cases since the pandemic began.
Approximately 1,600 clubs were ordered shut on 6 December for four weeks as officials hoped to avoid a wave of infections prompted by holiday travel and festivities, fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
But on Tuesday, France’s health agency said 179,807 Covid cases had been reported over the previous 24 hours, exceeding the previous record of 100,000 reported on Saturday, AFP reports.
Tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne told France Inter radio that the decision to extend nightclubs closures was part of a series of new measures announced by the government this week in a bid to halt the Omicron spread.
“I can imagine the distress for these employees and entrepreneurs,” he said. Financial aid would be provided for the huge loss of holiday business, he added.
Interior minister Gerald Darmanin this week encouraged local officials to limit public New Year’s Eve gatherings, in particular by requiring face masks outdoors and stepping up police patrols to enforce a ban on public alcohol consumption for the night.
Parliament will start debating on Wednesday a new law to require a “vaccine pass” for entering restaurants, cinemas, museums and other public venues in a bid to spur further Covid jabs.
France already has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, at 90% of the eligible population.
Previously, the so-called “health pass” could also be obtained by providing a recent negative Covid test in the absence of vaccination.

"Huge surge" of Covid cases expected in Wales in January
Steven Morris - The Guardian
Wales’ leading doctor, Chris Jones, has warned that a “huge surge” of Covid cases is expected in January because of mixing over the festive period.
A record seven-day Covid rate – 1,004 per 100,000 people – has been reported by Public Health Wales.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales on Wednesday, Jones, the country’s deputy chief medical officer, said he was very worried at the figures:

We are really concerned. We are at the beginning of a fourth wave of the pandemic with a very transmissible version of the virus. We are still not out of the third wave, the Delta wave. Our hospitals are already full.
Omicron has been increasing in Wales with a doubling time of less than three days. During the last two to three weeks it has gradually replaced Delta and is now the dominant variant. Because of that I expect we will see a further acceleration.
We are in a better position than we were a year ago due to the booster campaign. But the difficulty we have got is the sheer number of cases we anticipate in January where we have the new year weekend coming up with all the social mixing. We don’t yet know the effect of mixing over Christmas as well as new year. If that generates a huge surge in cases, which I fear we may see, then there will be a lot of people who will be very ill and end up in hospital.

No PCR tests available in England or Northern Ireland

There are currently no PCR test appointments available to book in England or Northern Ireland and no home tests available to order on the NHS website.
Appointments are available in Scotland and Wales.
PCR tests, which are required for people who have Covid symptoms or who have tested positive on a lateral flow test, were also periodically unavailable for parts of the UK on Monday and Tuesday.
People are advised to try again later if they can't currently get a test.
A record 117,093 cases were reported in England on Tuesday.
"No PCR" has been trending on Twitter in the UK this morning.
We've contacted the UK Health Security Agency for a response.

Surge in deaths as Poland struggles with Covid

Adam Easton - Warsaw Correspondent, BBC
Poland has reported its highest number of Covid-19 deaths since April, with more than three-quarters of the people who died unvaccinated, according to Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska.
That figure of 794 could be inflated by delayed reporting because of the Christmas holiday period. He tells Polsat TV that 600 of the deaths reported in the previous 24 hours were people who were unvaccinated while the remainder were mostly senior citizens, often with underlying medical issues.
Poland’s 55% vaccination rate is well below the EU average. That is probably one of the reasons why a country with a population of just under 38 million has reported a total of 95,708 deaths, while neighbouring Germany, with more than twice as many inhabitants, has recorded just 16% more deaths and has a vaccination rate of over 70%.
The number of new Covid-19 infections in Poland is down 13% from a week earlier, Kraska says. Cases have been falling week on week since the beginning of December. However, Poland has confirmed just 25 cases of the Omicron variant, and the number of new infections is expected to begin rising again in January.

Thailand classifies the country's first cluster of Omicron as a "super-spreader" incident
Thai health authorities warned on Wednesday that residents should brace themselves for a potential jump in coronavirus cases after classifying the country’s first cluster of the Omicron variant as a super-spreader incident.
The Omicron cluster identified in the northeastern province of Kalasin on Christmas eve has been linked to a couple who had travelled from Belgium and visited bars, concerts and markets, Reuters reports.
The ensuing cluster had infected hundreds, with cases spreading to 11 other provinces, said senior health official Opas Karnkawinpong, citing how one of the bars linked to the cluster had been packed and did not have good ventilation.
“During the New Year, if you visit any place and it does not look safe, just don’t go,” Opas told a briefing.
Up to now, Thailand has reported 740 cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, including 251 in people who had come into contact with foreign arrivals, said Opas.
After coronavirus infections peaked in August above 20,000, daily case numbers have fallen to around 2,500 in the past week.
But the health ministry’s planning scenario indicated that by March daily infections could hit 30,000, with more than 160 deaths, without a faster rollout of measures like vaccinations and testing, as well as greater social distancing.
If restrictions were tightened, daily cases could peak at 14,000 in February, with fewer than 60 daily deaths, the scenario showed.
In the first two weeks of January, government employees have been advised they can work from home, coronavirus taskforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a separate briefing, where he urged the private sector to follow suit.

Scots told not to celebrate New Year in England

Scotland's Deputy First Minister has told anyone planning to travel to England to celebrate New Year amid more relaxed Covid restrictions it would be the "wrong course of action".
John Swinney says while there is nothing legally to stop party-goers from heading south of the border, where nightclubs are still open, for their Hogmanay celebrations, this would go against the "spirit" of the regulations put in place by the Scottish Government.
That has seen nightclubs ordered to close their doors again for at least three weeks from 27 December.
Limits on the number of people who can take part in events - capping these at a maximum of 500 out of doors, with smaller numbers permitted indoors - have also forced the cancellation of New Year's Eve street parties, including the one planned for Edinburgh.
Instead, the Scottish Government is urging people to "stay at home as much as possible" - with any meet-ups to be limited to a maximum of three households.
What are the Covid rules in Scotland?

US reports record infections as Europe's Omicron cases also soar

The US and several European countries have reported their highest daily rises in Covid cases since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant spreads.
More than 440,000 new cases were recorded in the US on Monday, health officials said.
France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and England have also reported record numbers of daily infections.
Officials say the high figures could be due in part to reporting delays over the Christmas period.
Studies suggest Omicron is milder than the previously dominant Delta variant, but fears remain that the sheer number of cases stemming from the highly infectious Omicron could overwhelm hospitals.
The World Health Organization is warning the risk posed by Omicron "remains very high".

'My kids were meant to stay for new year - but they can't get a test'

As we reported earlier there are currently no PCR test appointments available in England and Northern Ireland, while home tests are also not available to order.
Adam Goodwin, from Norwich, has been unable to book a test for his children.
Their mum tested positive on 26 December and her children have since tested positive on lateral flow tests.
“It’s impacting me as I am due to have the kids back today for the whole of the new year weekend and celebrate with them," Adam says.
“It now means I will be spending this alone and worrying for the kids and their mum's health.
“Also not knowing if they have Covid or not... it means we all potentially miss out on our planned events when it may not be necessary."

Temporary pauses to test orders amid 'exceptional demand'

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has responded to shortages of lateral flow tests, saying it is continuing to supply millions of tests daily despite "unprecedented demand".
A spokesman says delivery capacity has doubled to 900,000 test kits per day since 18 December.
“During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system and support changing requirements for LFD and PCR tests," he says.
"Reduced postal schedules also impact on delivery capacity over the Christmas period."
He adds that availability is refreshed regularly throughout the day and people should check back every few hours.

France extends nightclub closure after record cases

Nightclubs in France are being forced to close for another three weeks, after the country smashed its record number of cases.
France's clubs were closed on 6 December to avoid a spike in cases over the festive period.
But authorities recorded 179,807 cases on Tuesday, much higher than the previous record of 100,000 on Saturday. That means three more weeks of closures from 3 January are necessary, ministers say.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has encouraged local officials to limit public New Year's Eve gatherings, especially by wearing face masks and enforcing a ban on drinking alcohol in public.

United Arab Emirates reports record daily Covid infections of above 2,000

Daily coronavirus infections in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf region’s tourism and commercial hub, have risen above 2,000 for the first time since June, Reuters reports.
Authorities on Wednesday recorded 2,234 new infections in the past 24 hours, without breaking down the cases by variant.
The UAE, which is hosting the Dubai Expo 2020 world fair, announced its first known case of the Omicron variant earlier this month.
Daily cases had fallen below 100 in October but started to climb again in December as tourists flocked to Dubai in the holiday period.
The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, saw daily infections hit a record near 4,000 last January amid the peak tourism season as millions of visitors travelled to Dubai to escape lockdowns at home.
Abu Dhabi this week reimposed restrictions requiring those entering the emirate from within the UAE to show proof of vaccination and negative PCR results, as of Thursday. It also instituted remote learning for the first two weeks of the new school term.
Dubai, which is hosting the Expo until the end of March and whose economy relies heavily on the travel industry, has not yet reintroduced restrictions that were largely lifted in mid-2020.
Mask-wearing in public has remained mandatory in the UAE, which does not give a breakdown of Covid cases for each emirate.

Theatres and cinemas to reopen in Belgium from Wednesday, with entry restrictions

The Belgian government was set to reverse course on Wednesday by allowing theatres to reopen after a court suspended their closure ordered a week ago to stem the surge in infections from the Omicron variant, Reuters reports.
The ruling from the Council of State did not cover cinemas, but the government says they too can reopen because they operate like theatres, with audiences seated and obliged to wear masks and only allowed in with a Covid pass to prove vaccination, a negative test or a recent recovery.
Georges Gilkinet, the mobility minister, said in a tweet that the government had agreed to both opening. A final decision will be taken by ministers and regional chiefs later on Wednesday.
Other indoor venues, such as casinos and bowling alleys, will remain closed.
The prime minister, Alexander De Croo’s, government and regional chiefs decided last week to close cinemas and theatres and play sporting fixtures behind closed doors, while allowing bars, restaurants, gyms and other indoor sports venues to continue as before.
Belgium has seen infections fall since a late November peak, but Omicron cases are rapidly rising, and now make up well over half of all Covid cases.
The country has recorded 881 cases per 100,000 people over past two weeks, less than half November’s peak.

What's happened so far today?

Here's a quick summary of the main stories so far today:

• Pharmacists are warning of patchy supplies of rapid Covid tests following changes to self-isolation rules
  
• PCR and lateral flow tests can now be ordered or booked in all areas of the UK, after they were temporarily unavailable in some nations this morning
  
• The prime minister is encouraging people to get their booster and enjoy New Year in a sensible and cautious way
  
• Scots have been urged not to travel to England for New Year celebrations to get around restrictions north of the border
  
• The US and several European countries have reported their highest daily rises in Covid cases since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant spreads
  
• Nightclubs in France are being forced to close for another three weeks as cases surge.
  

Malta registered a record number of Covid infections on Wednesday as the United States added the island to its highest-risk category for travel and urged its citizens not to visit.
Health authorities said 1,337 new cases were detected, marking a record high for the second day in a row. It is the fifth time in eight days that the number of new daily infections hit a national record.
However, hospitalisations remained low at just 82.
The US Centers for Disease Control advised against travel to Malta late on Tuesday, placing the country at the Level 4, “Very High” category, where more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the previous 28 days.
“Because of the current situation in Malta, even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk of getting and spreading Covid-19 variants,” the advisory said.
The increase in infections came despite a high rate of vaccination, with 95% of Malta residents having received two doses of a vaccine. The island is currently vaccinating children aged over five.
The health minister, Chris Fearne, also said on Tuesday that 200,000 out of a population of some 500,000 - had already had a booster dose.
Business lobby groups on Wednesday urged the government to reduce a two-week quarantine period for patients and those who come into contact with them, saying it was impacting the economy.
The Times of Malta newspaper reported that at least 20,000 people were currently in quarantine, four times the population of the capital, Valletta.

Three people have died in Ukraine after a candle lit in memory of a patient who died of Covid set fire to an intensive care unit, officials said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a hospital employee in Kosiv, a western town on the edge of the Carpathian mountains, lit a candle in memory of a recently deceased patient according to local tradition, the emergencies services said.
The candle was lit in the hospital’s intensive care unit where five oxygen concentrators had been operating, with equipment instantly catching fire.
“Ignorance of the elementary laws of physics and disregard for safety rules have led to irreparable losses,” the emergencies services said, describing the incident as a “terrible mistake.”
Three people - including two patients - were killed. Four other people were treated for severe burns.

Scotland Covid restrictions likely to last until 17 January as Omicron variant drives record number of cases
Molly Blackall - i News
Scotland has confirmed a new record number of coronavirus cases, and said restrictions on hospitality are likely to last until at least 17 January 2022.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that a further 15,849 cases were reported yesterday, which was by “some margin the highest daily case number reported in the pandemic to date”, and were overwhelmingly Omicron.
There are currently 679 people in hospital with coronavirus, Ms Sturgeon said, with a further three deaths recorded.
Around 80 per cent of Scotland’s Covid cases are now the Omicron variant of the virus. Ms Sturgeon said it was essential “to slow transmission at this stage” and urged people to limit social contact over New Year.
“We are advising everyone to stay at home more than normal, just contacts with people outside our own households, and to limit the size of any indoor social gatherings,” urging people not to mix with those from any more than three households.
“It also remains our advice, our strong advice, that lateral footage should be taken just before meeting up with anyone from another household.”
She also said that restrictions introduced on 26 and 27 December would be likely be in place until at least 17 January – but said that rules on self-isolation could be reviewed sooner.
The isolation period in Scotland currently remains at 10 days, despite the quarantine time being cut to seven days for those who test positive in England.
Under the new rules, standing indoor events are limited to 100 people and seating events to 200.
Outdoor events have also been restricted to 500, a rule which has hit football games and prevented traditional Hogmanay celebrations going ahead.
Nightclubs have also been forced to close and hospitality businesses are only able to provide table service if serving alcohol.
Bars, restaurants and indoor leisure facilities such as gyms, theatres and museums must also reintroduce one-metre social distancing rules.
“In addition to this general advice to the public, the new protective measures relating to hospitality, public indoor places and live events that I set up last week are now in force. We will review these on an ongoing basis. But at this stage, our expectation is that they will be in force until the 17th of January.”
Ms Sturgeon also reiterated that evidence suggested Omicron caused lower rates of hospitalisation, but said that scientists did not know if this was because the variant was inherently or because it could reinfect those who have already had the virus.
The announcement came during an update the Scottish Parliament about the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Covid restrictions in Scotland were previously being reviewed every three weeks, but are now being reassessed on a daily basis due to the threat of the Omicron variant.
On Christmas Day, Scotland recorded 8,252 confirmed coronavirus, with 11,030 positive tests on Boxing Day and 10,562 on 27 December. But authorities warned that the true number of cases was likely to be higher due to a lag in reporting test results.
Ms Sturgeon has been delivering regular weekly updates on Tuesday afternoons but was delayed due to yesterday’s bank holiday.
The restrictions are provisionally in place for three weeks, while ongoing advice to limiting contact as much as possible will remain in place at least “until the end of the first week in January”.

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No immediate changes to Covid rules in Scotland - Sturgeon

There will be no immediate changes to Covid measures or public advice currently in force in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says.

Scotland reports another day of record cases

Scotland has reported another record number of daily cases.
The first minister says 15,849 cases were reported in the last 24-hour period - the highest daily figure recorded since the start of the pandemic.
The positivity rate was 28.9% - but Nicola Sturgeon says the higher rate in recent days may be partially explained by people being selective about when they come forward for a test over Christmas.
Some 679 people are in hospital in Scotland with Covid - 80 more than yesterday.
And three more deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been recorded.

Restrictions on hospitality in Scotland expected to remain until 17 January

For at least the first week of January, people in Scotland are being advised to stay at home more if possible and limit the size of indoor gatherings to no more than three households, Sturgeon says.
People are also advised to take a lateral flow test before meeting other households, she adds.
The protective measures for hospitality venues and events are expected to remain in place until 17 January but will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, she says.
Here's a reminder of what the coronavirus rules are in Scotland at the moment.

Thailand superspreader event behind Omicron cluster

More than 250 people have picked up Covid in a tightly packed and poorly ventilated bar in northern Thailand, authorities say.
Officials fear the superspreader event, linked to a couple who had travelled from Belgium, could drive a rise in Omicron cases across the country.
BBC Asia Pacific Editor Celia Hatton says the Thai authorities say a married couple returned to the north-eastern province of Kalasin after visiting relatives in Belgium. They weren't required to quarantine and so went out immediately to several bars, restaurants and shops without realising they had Covid.
The cluster has already been linked to hundreds of cases in 11 other provinces.
Thai authorities say unless more restrictions are introduced, infections could reach 30,000 cases a day by March, up from about 2,500 cases a day now.

France Covid cases break national and European records - again

As concerns mount for another global wave of Covid, France has reported 208,000 new cases over the past 24 hours - another national and European record.
Health Minister Olivier Véran said that, at the current rate, two people were testing positive for Covid every second in France.
"We have never experienced such a situation," he has told politicians, warning France could see as many as 250,000 daily cases by the start of January.
The French Hospital Federation has also said the "most difficult weeks are yet to come".
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced new restrictions earlier this week, and the country's booster rollout has ramped up, with more than 23 million people having received a booster to date.

Greece brings forward fresh curbs as Omicron pushes cases up

Greece is introducing new restrictions on the hospitality sector from Thursday, bringing forward measures planned for early January as coronavirus infections surge.
The decision came a day after authorities announced a new daily record of 21,657 cases, more than double compared to Monday. Authorities said the highly contagious Omicron variant appeared to be dominant in the community, barely a month after it was first detected.
Bars, nightclubs and restaurants will have to close at midnight, with no standing customers and no music, with the exception of New Year’s Eve when then can stay open until 2am.
“These measures, if they are applied in our entirety, will allow us from mid January to go back to our normal lives,” the health minister, Thanos Plevris, told a news conference.
Authorities had also tightened curbs last week, mandating masks in open spaces and banning Christmas and New Year festivities in public places.

Bosnia identifies its first ten Omicron cases

Bosnia has identified its first 10 Omicron infections and there are likely more, with the highly transmissible variant expected to become dominant in the next couple of months, health officials said on Wednesday.
Goran Čerkez, the assistant health minister in Bosnia’s autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation, said the 10 cases were discovered in tests by the Clinical Centre of Sarajevo University.
“We have no doubt that Omicron has been already circulating in Bosnia and that it will become the dominant variant in the next couple of months,” Čerkez told Reuters.
Administratively fragmented Bosnia does not have a national health ministry but instead has 13 regional governments and ministries, each of which releases its own statistics.
Official statistics suggest that only about 30% of Bosnians have been inoculated against Covid. However Čerkez said he believed the number was far higher because the figures did not take into account a mass exodus of Bosnians in recent years.

Cuba will give booster shots to its entire population in January, state-run media reports.
Health authorities in the island, heavily dependent on tourism, last week reported a 35% week-on-week rise in coronavirus cases.
As of Tuesday, they had registered at least 44 cases of Omicron, though both infections and deaths from Covid-19 remain at 1% of their pandemic peak on 22 August, according to statistics compiled by the online database Our World in Data.
The health minister, José Angel Portal Miranda, said the threat from Omicron had prompted Cuba to fast-track its booster campaign, and that all those eligible would have a booster shot in January, according to the state news outlet CubaDebate.
Cuba has already administered nearly 1.5 million boosters in the capital Havana, and to high risk groups such as health care workers. That campaign will now spread across the island in the coming weeks.
The country has vaccinated 92% of its population with at least one shot, and 85% with a full course, of its homegrown vaccines, according to Our World in Data.
That puts it second in the world behind only the United Arab Emirates, among countries of at least 1 million people.
Cuba has vaulted ahead of its neighbours in Latin America and other emerging economies by developing its own vaccines instead of competing for those produced by wealthier nations.
Officials say Cuba’s protein-based shots - Abdala, Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus - give upwards of 90% protection against symptomatic Covid when offered in three-dose schemes, though those claims have yet to be fully vetted in peer-reviewed journals, or by the World Health Organization.
Cuban scientists had previously called for boosters to be given six months after the first three shots, but have now halved that time, the CubaDebate report said.

Third player pulls out of World Darts Championship with Covid

Dave Chisnall has withdrawn from the tournament

The defending world darts champion says the competition could be postponed after a third player pulled out after testing positive for coronavirus.
Gerwyn Price tweeted that the William Hill World Darts Championship should be postponed after Dave Chisnall withdrew from the tournament earlier with Covid.
He later eased back slightly on that stance, saying: "There's a lot of hard work gone into getting events like the World Championship on, so postponing probably isn't the best option - but an option I wouldn't disagree with."
The latest withdrawal is another blow for the integrity of the showpiece tournament, after three-time world champion Michael Van Gerwen pulled out on Tuesday.
Van Gerwen has told Dutch media AD Sportwereld he feels "sour" at his withdrawal and called on the PDC to do more.
"They actually have to check everyone at the door every day - they didn't do that," he says. "The control has not been strong enough. It is just a big corona bomb now."

Australia tries to change testing rules as demand surges

Long queues have formed at some testing centres in Australia

Australia is trying to make urgent changes to its Covid testing rules to ease pressure on test sites as cases there rise.
Hours-long queues have formed outside some testing centres as national daily infections have reached almost 20,000, a new record. Some people who have Covid symptoms have reportedly been refused PCR.tests
But Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the country needs "a gear change" to manage the testing demand and redefine who counts as a close contact of a positive case.
That would mean most people would not have to get a PCR test or isolate themselves if they are identified as a close contact.

CDC reports Covid outbreaks in dozens of cruise ships

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it is investigating or observing 89 cruise ships with Covid outbreaks onboard.
In an update on Tuesday, the public health body said it had begun investigating an additional 38 ships, and 48 others were "under observation".
Those under investigation include ships from Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Three more ships are being monitored by the CDC due to reports of Covid infections, but case numbers are below the agency's threshold to begin an investigation.
In a statement the Cruise Lines International Association, an industry body, says its members "[continue] to have very productive dialogue and are working together with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety"

Covid hospital patients in England at highest level since March

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
The number of people with Covid in hospital has risen above 10,000 in England for the first time in nearly 10 months.
There are currently 10,462 patients with the virus in hospital.
That is the highest level since the start of March – and means the numbers have risen by 2,000 in just two days.
Admissions for Covid are rising, the weekly average is more than 50% higher than it was a week ago.
But other factors are likely to have contributed to the increase, including a drop in the numbers being discharged.
Last Christmas the numbers leaving hospital more than halved, as it is more difficult to discharge patients over the festive period.
It means there are likely to be hundreds of patients in hospital who have recovered from Covid but just have not left yet.
The proportion of hospitalisations for what is known as an incidental admission is also growing and contributing to the increase. These are people being treated for something else, but who just happen to have Covid.
Last week these cases accounted for around three in 10 patients in hospital, but the expectation is this will have increased by now.
But the numbers who are acutely unwell with Covid are still going up and it could be the end of January before they peak.
Hospital cases are though rising more slowly than cases, once again showing the Omicron variant is leading to milder illness.

A third of London fire engines unavailable due to staff shortages

More than a third of London's fire engines were out of action on Christmas Day as hundreds of staff were being forced to isolate, according to the London Fire Brigade.
Fifty fire engines out of a total of 142 were affected during the day shift on 25 December, with 42 affected the previous day.
Some 740 operational firefighters in the capital had tested positive or were self-isolating on 27 December, meaning 15% were unable to work, according to the latest figures.
The figure is up from 10% on 16 December.
The Fire Brigades Union London regional secretary Jon Lambe says: “Omicron is directly affecting the level of fire and rescue cover Londoners receive: over a third of fire engines being unavailable is a huge shortage that could have serious impacts."
London was the first area of the UK to be hit by Omicron and the high number of cases has also led to staff shortages in other sectors, such as the NHS.

'I tried five pharmacies - none had any tests'

Scenes like this have been common recently...

Pharmacists have been warning of patchy supplies of rapid Covid tests after an increase in demand.
Jane, from Yeovil, said she had tried five pharmacies and none had any lateral flow tests available, while she was also unable to order any online from the government website.
She told the BBC she needed the tests to visit family in Gloucestershire and had been forced to borrow testing kits from them and sit outside their house in the car waiting for a result.
Jane also volunteers at her local hospital and needs to take a test to do so.

Seattle bartender attacked after asking patron for vaccine proof

Seattle police are investigating after a bar patron attacked a bartender when they were asked for proof of vaccination.
In a statement, police said the suspect slashed the worker's face with a sharpened broomstick, and is still at large.
The bartender, Felicite Ogilvy, told local outlet KOMO the man said he'd received one vaccine dose, but didn't have his proof of vaccine card.
After an argument, some of Ogilvy's coworkers tried to calm the situation, according to KOMO, but the man allegedly attacked her with the broomstick.
In light of the incident, Ogilvy says she doesn't agree with having to enforce Covid restrictions.
"Why am I getting hurt?" she asks. "Why am I the one who has to control this?"

Ireland reports record-breaking 16,428 new cases

Ireland has confirmed 16,428 new cases today, representing the country’s highest daily figure since the pandemic began. The previous record was 13,765 cases reported on 25 December.
As of 8am on Wednesday, 568 people were in hospital with the virus, 93 of whom are in intensive care. That is a sharp rise on 378 people in hospital on 25 December.
In a statement, Ireland’s chief medical officer Tony Holohan said: “All of the latest epidemiological indicators are a cause of concern.
“Given the very high levels of transmission nationwide, every individual should consider themselves potentially infectious, and strictly adhere to the public health measures.”
It comes as Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that infections fuelled by the Omicron variant will remain very high for the “next few days” but should peak “in the next week or so”.

Turkey reports highest daily cases since April

Turkey recorded 36,684 new cases today, the highest number of daily infections since 29 April, health ministry data showed. The country also recorded a further 142 deaths from the virus.
Today’s reported caseload is more than 4,500 up from the previous day when 32,176 cases were reported. Tuesday also marked the first time the country exceeded 30,000 daily cases since 19 October.
“Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, it can be seen we are now entering a rising trend,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter yesterday, urging people to get vaccinated and receive their booster shots.
Last week, Turkey’s domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine, Turkovac, received emergency use authorisation from Turkish authorities.

UK reports record-breaking 183,037 new cases

The UK has reported another 183,037 Covid cases and a further 57 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
That is a new record high and more than 50,000 higher than the previous record.
The caseload figure breaks down to 138,287 new infections in England, 15,849 in Scotland, 5,929 in Wales, and 22,972 in Northern Ireland. The reported figures for Northern Ireland within that data set cover a 5-day period.
The figures reported on Wednesday are compared to 138,831 infections and 19 fatalities recorded in the 24 hours prior.

Woman Isolates in Airplane Toilet for 5 Hours After Testing Positive for COVID Mid-Flight
People(.com) - 29 Dec 2021
A Michigan teacher's trip to Iceland took a dramatic turn when she discovered that she was positive for COVID-19 midway through her flight and voluntarily self-isolated for five hours in the plane's toilet.
Marisa Fotieo begun to feel ill while on board her Icelandair flight from Chicago to Reykjavík, Iceland, before Christmas and took her own rapid test to find out if she had COVID.
"I just took my rapid test and I brought it into the bathroom, and within what felt like two seconds there were two lines (indicating a positive test)," Fotieo told Today in an interview that aired Wednesday.
Instead of exposing her fellow passengers to the virus, Fotieo confined herself inside the aircraft's bathroom for roughly five hours.
"There's 150 people on the flight, and my biggest fear was giving it to them," she explained to NBC News' Steve Patterson.
"It was a crazy experience," she added.
Fotieo documented the ordeal on TikTok in a video that has garnered over 1.4 million likes. "Shout out to @Icelandair for my VIP quarantine quarters," she captioned the clip, which saw her masked up in the small airplane restroom.
Fotieo credits Icelandair attendant Ragnhildur "Rocky" Eiríksdóttir for assisting her throughout the flight.
"She made sure I had everything I needed for the next five hours from food to drinks and constantly checked on me assuring me I would be all right," Fotieo shared with NBC News.
If that wasn't enough, Eiríksdóttir went a step further and made sure to bring some holiday cheer to Fotieo as she quarantined at Red Cross hotel in Iceland.
"She bought me flowers and a little Christmas tree with lights so I could hang it," Fotieo said. "It was so heartfelt, and she's just an angel."
Fotieo is not alone in having holiday travel plans affected by the surge in COVID cases due to the omicron variant. Across the globe, the number of flight cancellations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day totaled more than 3,800, according to Flight Aware data obtained by the New York Times.
Additionally, the United States recorded a single-day record high of more than 441,000 new COVID cases on Monday due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.

That's it for today

Here’s a reminder of today’s main coronavirus stories from the UK and around the world:

• Pharmacists are warning of patchy supplies of rapid Covid tests following changes to self-isolation rules
  
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to get their booster and enjoy new year in a "sensible and cautious" way
  
• Scotland has reported another record number of daily cases - but there are no plans for immediate changes to restrictions
  
• There are more people in hospital in England with coronavirus than at any time since March - 10,462
  
• The simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants is creating a “tsunami of cases”, the World Health Organization has warned
  
• In France, 208,000 new cases have been reported over 24 hours - another national and European record
  
• Cuba's state-run media has reported that booster vaccines will be given to the country's entire population in January, in an effort to keep Omicron at bay
  
• Greece has announced that new restrictions on the hospitality sector will come into force on Thursday, earlier than planned. It comes a day after a daily record 21,657 cases were reported - double the number on Monday.