Coronavirus - New Year's Day, 1st January 2022

Summary for Saturday, 1st January 2022

 Good morning and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all 

Here is a quick recap of some of the main developments over the past 24 hours:

• The UK reported another 189,846 Covid cases in the last 24 hours and reported a further 203 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. More than 1 million people have tested positive in the last seven days. The number of patients in hospital with Covid in England increased to 12,395, up from 11,452 the day before. Experts say the daily case figures do not include reinfections, and not everyone who is infected has symptoms and takes a test, suggesting the true number of infections is likely to be higher. The full story is here.
  
  
• One in 25 people in England had Covid before Christmas, including one in 15 in London, according to a new estimate from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Story here.
  
  
• The Philippines will impose tighter curbs in the capital region for the next two weeks, an acting presidential spokesperson said, to try to limit infections by the Omicron variant. The region including the capital, Manila, will be placed under the third of a five-scale alert system from 3 to 15 January. Level 3 bans face-to-face classes, contact sports, and closes funfairs and casinos. The government’s coronavirus taskforce will also reduce the operating capacity for social events, tourist attractions, amusement parks, restaurant dine-in services, fitness studios and personal care services.
  
  
• Ireland became the latest EU country to cut the isolation period for many people who contract Covid, as record infection numbers spark fears of crippling staff shortages in essential public services as well as retail and hospitality venues. Spain, Portugal and Greece reduced isolation times this week, others such as Germany and France are considering doing so, and Italy cut its quarantine for fully vaccinated people who come into contact with someone who has tested positive. The moves follow a similar decision by the US and reflect early research suggesting Omicron generally causes milder illness than earlier versions of the virus. The World Health Organization has described the decisions to cut isolation and quarantine periods as part of a delicate balancing act between controlling the transmission of the virus and keeping national economies up and running. Story here.
  
  
• Germany’s leading coronavirus expert has expressed optimism that his country could expect a “relatively normal” winter in 2022, after data from other countries firmed up the impression that infections with the Omicron variant could be milder than Delta. Story here.
  
  
• UK regulators approved Pfizer’s “life-saving” antiviral drug Paxlovid, which boasts nearly 90% success in preventing severe illness among vulnerable adults if taken soon after becoming infected with Covid. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found the oral treatment “to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate Covid-19 infection, who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease”. The agency said Paxlovid was most effective when taken during the early stages of a Covid infection, and recommended it was used within five days of a patient’s first symptoms. The approval is for patients aged 18 and over with at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, such as obesity or diabetes, or being over 60. Story here.
  
  
• The number of NHS hospital staff in England absent due to Covid has nearly doubled since the start of the month, new figures show. There were 24,632 staff at NHS hospital trusts ill with coronavirus or having to self-isolate on Boxing Day, up 31% from 18,829 a week earlier and nearly double the 12,508 at the start of the month.
  
  

Limits on freedom in the UK 'last resort', health secretary says

Restrictions on freedom “must be an absolute last resort” and the UK must “live alongside” coronavirus in 2022, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has said.
But Javid added the record-breaking Omicron wave of infection will “test the limits of finite NHS capacity even more than a typical winter” as reports suggested a work from home order in England could be in place for most of January to slow the spread of the highly transmissible variant.
Government figures showed a further 189,846 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases had been recorded in the UK on Friday, another new record for daily reported cases. A leading statistician said the actual number of daily cases could be closer to half a million, with the UK going into the new year in the midst of an “unprecedented wave” of infections.
Javid, writing in the Daily Mail, said England had “welcomed in 2022 with some of the least restrictive measures in Europe”, with the UK government at odds with the devolved nations in choosing to keep nightclubs open and to allow hospitality to operate without further measures for new year celebrations.
“Curbs on our freedom must be an absolute last resort and the British people rightly expect us to do everything in our power to avert them,” the health secretary continued.
“Since I came into this role six months ago, I’ve also been acutely conscious of the enormous health, social and economic costs of lockdowns.
“So I’ve been determined that we must give ourselves the best chance of living alongside the virus and avoiding strict measures in the future.”
The cabinet minister said the time lag between infections and hospital admissions meant it was “inevitable that we will still see a big increase” in Covid patients over the next month as he warned that, as the coronavirus crisis entered its third year, the pandemic is “still far from over”.

India reports more than 22,000 infections in 24 hours

India reported 22,775 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, health ministry data shows, adding to concerns for authorities around the country about the rising number of cases.
The data indicates that thickly populated metros, such as the national capital New Delhi, financial centre Mumbai and Kolkata in the east, are seeing some of the sharpest rises.
In the eastern state of West Bengal, infections rose to 3,450 in the last 24 hours with at least 1,950 cases reported in Kolkata, the capital. Sixteen Omicron cases have been reported in West Bengal.
Kolkata’s municipal corporation declared 17 micro containment zones in residential clusters where more than five infections have been reported. People living in the zones are not allowed to leave the area to try to contain the spread of the disease.
Ajoy Chakrobarty, the state’s director of health services, said he was holding meetings with private hospitals to ensure health facilities are ready to deal with the rising number of cases.

China ends 2021 with worst Covid week since taming original epidemic

China ended its final week of 2021 with its biggest tally of local coronavirus cases for any seven-day period since subduing the country’s first epidemic nearly two years ago, despite an arsenal of some of the world’s toughest Covid-19 measures.
The National Health Commission reported 175 new community infections with confirmed clinical symptoms for 31 December, bringing the total number of local symptomatic cases in mainland China in the past week to 1,151.
The surge has been driven mostly by an outbreak in the northwestern industrial and tech hub of Xi’an, a city of 13 million.
The deepening outbreak in Xi’an will most likely firm authorities’ resolve to curb transmissions quickly as and when cases emerge. The city, under lockdown for 10 days as of Saturday, has reported 1,451 local symptomatic cases since 9 December, the highest tally for any Chinese city in 2021.
While China’s case count is tiny compared with many outbreaks elsewhere in the world, forestalling major flare-ups in 2022 will be important. Beijing will be hosting the Winter Olympic Games in February, and the ruling Communist party will hold a once-every-five-years congress, expected in the fall, where President Xi Jinping is likely to secure a third term as party secretary.

Covid-19 dampens new year celebrations around the world

The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its show to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square.
The illuminated ball made of Waterford crystal panels slid down its poll at the midnight hour in Times Square, but only 15,000 spectators were allowed into the official viewing area instead of the usual 58,000.
A year ago, the newly available vaccine offered hope that the pandemic may be under control by the start of 2022. Instead, the sudden arrival of Omicron has brought a surge in coronavirus cases across the globe.

Japan's Emperor prays for all who died during the pandemic

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito offered prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting, having canceled public palace gatherings to curb coronavirus infections.
Sitting before a bonsai tree with his wife Masako, Naruhito praised and thanked doctors and other health care workers, and expressed concern for countries lacking access to vaccines and adequate hospital systems.
“By treasuring more than ever the connections among people, sharing our pain and supporting each other, I hope from the bottom of my heart that we will overcome these hard times,” he said.
Japan has recorded more than 18,000 Covid-19-related deaths, but the pace of deaths has fallen in recent months. Naruhito also voiced worries about the fast-spreading omicron variant.
Before the pandemic, the imperial palace in central Tokyo would open at the start of each year to cheering, flag-waving crowds. The emperor does not have political power but he carries symbolic significance for Japan and is fairly popular. Naruhito’s father abdicated in 2019. Hirohito, the wartime emperor, was Naruhito’s grandfather.

Omicron will lead to 'difficult choices', says UK health boss

The NHS Confederation’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, agreed with the health secretary the record-breaking Omicron wave of infection will “test the limits of finite NHS capacity even more than a typical winter”, with reports suggesting that a requirement to work from home in England could be in place for most of January.
Taylor also said some hospitals could be forced to exclude visitors as part of the “difficult choices” made to stop the spread of Omicron on wards.
It came as figures showed that hospital admissions in England have risen to their highest level since January 2021, while the number of NHS hospital staff absent because of the virus nearly doubled in a month.
A further 189,846 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were registered in the UK on Friday, another new daily record, as the British Medical Association called for further public health measures “urgently to prevent the health service being completely overwhelmed”.
Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, a Cambridge University statistician and government adviser, said the actual number of daily cases could be closer to half a million.

Russia has reported 847 deaths from Covid in the past 24 hours.

It also reported 19,751 new coronavirus cases in the same time period, up from 20,638 on the previous day.

UAE to ban unvaccinated citizens from travelling from 10 January

The United Arab Emirates will ban unvaccinated citizens from travelling abroad from 10 January, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
The report said that vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel. The ban will not apply to those with medical or humanitarian exemptions.

UK: Next few days are crucial

Sarah Marsh - The Guardian
A health boss has said the “next few days are crucial” in the fight to reduce the impact of the Omicron variant, and that the government “must be ready to introduce new restrictions at pace if they’re needed”.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts in England, said staff were working “flat out” and that the NHS was under “arguably more pressure” compared with this time last year.
It came after Sajid Javid, the health secretary, warned restrictions on freedom “must be an absolute last resort”. Figures showed that hospital admissions in England have risen to their highest level since January 2021, while the number of NHS hospital staff absent as a result of the the virus nearly doubled in a month.
A further 189,846 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were registered in the UK on Friday, another new daily record, as the British Medical Association called for further public health measures “urgently to prevent the health service being completely overwhelmed”.
Hopson wrote on Twitter: “NHS preparing for worst & hoping for best.
“Staff flat out, esp. given level of staff absences. We will need to ask them to perform flexible heroics again if hospital Covid numbers continue to rise. We can’t keep doing this. Long term NHS capacity issues must be addressed.”

Latest news stories so far today:

• The United Arab Emirates will ban unvaccinated citizens from travelling abroad from 10 January, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
  
• In the UK the NHS Confederation’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, agreed with the health secretary that the record-breaking Omicron wave of infection will “test the limits of finite NHS capacity even more than a typical winter”, with reports suggesting that a requirement to work from home in England could be in place for most of January.
  
• Leading figures of UK science and medicine during the coronavirus pandemic have been feted in the Queen’s new year honours list, including the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, who is to receive a knighthood for his role in battling Covid-19.
  
• The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened new year festivities around much of the world, with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its show to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball-drop celebration in Times Square.
  
• China ended its final week of 2021 with its biggest tally of local coronavirus cases for any seven-day period since subduing the country’s first epidemic nearly two years ago, despite an arsenal of some of the world’s toughest Covid-19 measures.
  
• India reported 22,775 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, health ministry data shows, adding to concerns among authorities around the country about the rising number of cases.
  
• Restrictions on freedom “must be an absolute last resort” and the UK must “live alongside” coronavirus in 2022, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has said.
  

England reports record level of new Covid cases

England has broken its record for confirmed new Covid infections, after 162,572 were reported on Saturday. The previous highest total was set on Friday, the final day of 2021, when 160,276 were registered.
It’s the fifth day in a row on which confirmed infections have risen in England.
Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be published after the new year weekend.
A further 154 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, down from 178 in England the day before.

Almost 3,000 passengers on a cruise ship had to spend New Year’s Eve ashore in Lisbon because of Covid, after an outbreak of infections among the crew.
The 53 cases among the 1,353 staff meant the German-owned Aida Nova and its passengers had to stay in the Portuguese capital, rather than go to Funchal in Madeira to watch a firework display. None of the ship’s passengers tested positive, the German news agency DPA reported.
The infected crew members were taken to hotels in Lisbon. The ship is now waiting for replacement staff so it can carry on to the Canary Islands.

Italy has reported another 141,262 Covid cases, meaning that more than 1 million people in the country currently have the virus.
Saturday’s case figures were a drop on the previous day, when tests confirmed 144,243 new infections. The Italian Ansa news agency said it meant 1,021,697 now had the virus.
The country’s latest death count, 111, was also down compared with Friday’s total of 155.

Mask wearing on public transport in France extended

Children aged six and above must wear masks on public transport in France, according to a new government order.
Masks had already been compulsory for those aged 11 and over, but new rules have been announced in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.
The new restrictions will come in from Monday. Operators will not be able to sell food or drink on services from the same date, according to AFP. The rules will apply on the channel-crossing Eurostar service.
Another 232,200 cases were confirmed on Friday, breaking the country’s previous record.

Dutch police broke up a rave in a disused factory on New Year’s Eve.
Several partygoers were arrested by officers, with hundreds involved in the operation in the town of Rijswijk, near The Hague.
According to AFP, people living nearby said they had seen cars come from Spain and Italy, as well as nearer neighbours France and Germany.
A series of Covid restrictions were imposed a week before Christmas, with all non-essential shops and bars closed until 14 January.
In France, a rave attracted about 1,500 people in the central eastern town of Saint-Florentin, two hours drive from Paris.

France has reported more than 200,000 cases for the fourth day in a row, as 219,126 infections were confirmed on Saturday.
The figure is the second highest to date, after the 232,200 record set on Friday, Reuters reports.
It means that it becomes the sixth country in the world to report more than 10m cases since the start of the pandemic. The other countries to cross the mark already are the US, India, Brazil, the UK and Russia.

Ireland reports record number of daily cases on 1st January

Chiara Giordano - The Independent
Ireland is another country to report a record amount of daily Covid cases.
The Department of Health reported 23,281 new cases today - the highest daily total since the pandemic began.
It is the third day in a row that case numbers have exceeded 20,000.
At 8am on Saturday, there were 656 Covid-positive patients in hospital, of whom 85 were in intensive care.

Cruise ship carrying 4,000 passengers held in Libson amid outbreak

Chiara Giordano - The Independent
A cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people has been held in the Portuguese capital Lisbon after a Covid-19 outbreak infected crew members, according to the German news agency dpa.
German company Aida Cruises told dpa that it discovered the positive coronavirus cases during routine health checks and has accommodated those infected ashore in co-ordination with Portuguese authorities in Lisbon.
Portuguese media reported that 52 members of the crew of more than 1,000 workers tested positive.
None of the nearly 3,000 passengers had tested positive.

Covid triggers flight cancellations across globe

AP reports:
More than 2,500 US flights and about 4,300 worldwide departures have been cancelled, in part because of Covid, according to tracking service FlightAware. 
That is the highest single-day US toll yet since just before Christmas, when airlines began blaming staffing shortages on increasing Covid infections among crews.
More than 12,000 US flights have been cancelled since 24 December.  
Saturday’s disruptions weren’t just due to the virus, however. Wintry weather made Chicago the worst place in the country for travellers, with 800 flights scrubbed at O’Hare Airport and more than 250 at Midway Airport.
Among international carriers, China Eastern scrubbed more than 500 flights, or about one-fourth of its total, and Air China cancelled more than 200 flights, one-fifth of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

Covid cases in England hit new record high of 162,572

England has broken its record for confirmed new Covid infections, after 162,572 were reported on Saturday. The previous highest total was set on Friday, the final day of 2021, when 160,276 were registered.
It’s the fifth day in a row on which confirmed infections have risen in England.
Figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be published after the new year weekend.
A further 154 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, down from 178 in England the day before.

Italy reports a further 141,262 cases

Italy has reported another 141,262 Covid cases, meaning that more than 1 million people in the country currently have the virus.
Saturday’s case figures were a drop on the previous day, when tests confirmed 144,243 new infections. The Italian Ansa news agency said it meant 1,021,697 now had the virus.
The country’s latest death count, 111, was also down compared with Friday’s total of 155.

France has reported more than 200,000 cases for the fourth day in a row
A record 219,126 infections were confirmed on Saturday.
The figure is the second highest to date, after the 232,200 record set on Friday, Reuters reports.
It means that it becomes the sixth country in the world to report more than 10m cases since the start of the pandemic. The other countries to cross the mark already are the US, India, Brazil, the UK and Russia.

Dutch police broke up a rave in a disused factory on New Year’s Eve.

Several partygoers were arrested by officers, with hundreds involved in the operation in the town of Rijswijk.
According to AFP, people living nearby said they had seen cars come from Spain and Italy, as well as nearer neighbours France and Germany.
A series of Covid restrictions were imposed a week before Christmas, with all non-essential shops and bars closed until 14 January.
In France, a rave attracted about 1,500 people in the central eastern town of Saint-Florentin, two hours drive from Paris.

One of Italy’s most famous footballers, Giorgio Chiellini, has tested positive for Covid.
Chiellini, who is the captain of Juventus and led his country to success at Euro 2020 last summer, had been isolating after coming into contact with a positive case earlier in the week.
A statement on the Turin-based club’s website said: “Juventus Football Club announce that, during today’s screening procedures to which the player Giorgio Chiellini underwent for the resumption of competitive activity, a positive test for Covid-19 was detected.”

Teens and young adults driving record Covid cases in US, health officials say
Victoria Bekiempis - The Guardian
An uptick in Covid cases in the US appears to be mainly concentrated among younger people and teenagers.

As the US is seeing record numbers of daily coronavirus cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, public health authorities nationwide have said that teens and younger adults are helping fuel this increase.
The uptick in Covid-19 among the under-50s coincides with a surge in cases among young children – and a troubling increase in pediatric hospitalizations.
The US seven-day average for pediatric hospitalizations increased 58%, to 334, between 21 December and 27 December. The increase in hospitalizations for all age groups was about 19%. Less than 25% of US children are vaccinated, Reuters reported.

Schools in England told: wear masks in class as fears mount of Omicron surge
secondary school pupils have been told to wear face masks in classrooms to stop the spread of the Omicron variant.
Term begins next week for pupils aged 11 and above, and the Department for Education said advice was “short-term only to support pupils and teachers as they return to schools this term”. The advice will be reviewed on 26 January.

Brazil registered 49 more Covid deaths on Saturday, and 3,986 new cases recorded.
A total of 619,105 people have now died in the South American country, the second highest death toll globally. More than 22,291,507 positive tests have been registered during the pandemic.