Coronavirus - 8th January 2022

Summary for Saturday, 8th January 2022

At-a-glance morning reminder of the top worldwide Covid news from the past 24 hours:

• India’s daily Covid cases jumped fivefold in a week, to 117,100 on Friday, with the Omicron wave on course to overtake the country’s previous peak from Delta.
  
• UK experts advised no fourth doses yet, as third shots continue to provide high protection against severe disease from the Omicron variant among older adults. The UK recorded 178,250 new cases and 229 further deaths.
  
• Germany toughened restrictions for bars and restaurants and cut isolation times for boosted people.
  
• Authorities in Henan province, China, imposed more Covid restrictions after a sharp rise in infections, limiting travel and activities in some cities or launching mass testing drives in others.
  
• Bulgaria tightened travel restrictions, as ministers sought to limit the rise of new infections from Omicron. Friday’s 5,525 new cases were almost double the 2,810 cases from a week ago.
  
• Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer tested positive for Covid, but is continuing to work remotely.
  
• Japan will impose introduce limits on bar and restaurant opening times in three areas in an attempt to stem a surge in Covid infections that has been linked to US military bases. Meanwhile, new cases hit their highest level in nearly four months as 4,475 cases were detected.
  
• Senior officials in Hong Kong entered a 21-day quarantine after they attended a birthday party, despite the government’s own pandemic warning.
  
• In Romania, isolation and quarantine times will be cut for Covid-positive people, depending on their vaccination status.
  
• French president Emmanuel Macron doubled down on his comments saying he wanted to “piss off” the 5 million French people who are still not vaccinated.
  
• Spain’s Covid prevalence rate jumped to 2,722.72 cases per 100,000 people — 147 cases higher than the 2,574.46 per 100,000 on Wednesday.
  
• Russia continues to see a steady decline in cases, with 16,735 new Covid infections, a 32% decline from the 24,522 new cases detected two weeks ago.
  
• Likewise, Poland’s gradual decline kept its pace, despite Omicron fears on the horizon. The country reported 11,902 new infections, a 22.5% decrease on two weeks ago.
  
• In the US, public school systems including in Newark, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Cleveland went back to remote learning as infections soared and sidelined staff members.
  
• Mexico is likely to surpass 300,000 deaths from Covid this week - the fifth highest death toll worldwide - as infections rise after the holiday season, fuelled by the Omicron variant and largely unrestricted tourism.
  

Check below for more updates throughout the day...

South Australian premier isolating after daughter tests positive to COVID-19

SBS News

SA premier Steven Marshall. Source: AAP

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall is in isolation after his daughter tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr Marshall said he dined with her on Thursday night and is a close contact.
"I have gone straight to get a PCR test at one of our many testing sites and will undertake my seven-day isolation period, as so many South Australians are also doing," Mr Marshall said in a statement on Saturday.
"I have no symptoms and am feeling well. I will continue to chair the daily COVID Ready Committee meetings and continue to lead our pandemic response."
Mr Marshall said he learned about his daughter's positive result on Saturday.
Earlier the state reported 4274 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths, a 13 per cent rise on on the previous day and amid a 20 per cent rise in testing.
Hospitalisations rose to 164, with 16 of those in intensive care.
About 80 per cent of ICU patients were unvaccinated, despite the unvaccinated making up only 7.3 per cent of the population.
Two more health workers tested positive.
Some 608 health workers are either positive or in isolation due to being a close contact, from a workforce of 53,000.
"That number is steadily increasing and something we're very concerned about," Mr Marshall told reporters earlier on Saturday.
The five deaths included a person aged in their 50s and another in their 60s.
Three cases were uncovered in remote Indigenous communities, including a person who had relocated from Adelaide.
But Mr Marshall said it was pleasing that 270 community members in Amata, in the APY Lands, had tested negative after two cases were reported there earlier. Another 30 results are expected soon.
Mr Marshall confirmed aged care and disability workers will join healthcare workers in needing a third vaccine dose to be considered fully vaccinated.
That mandate will apply from January 30.
He warned the government was considering applying the third-dose mandate to other workforces, including childcare.

India COVID-19 cases skyrocket amid election campaign

AlJazeera News
Almost 142,000 new daily infections are recorded in the country as politicians address packed rallies before upcoming polls.

People wave as they attend a rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Agartala, India, on Tuesday [Jayanta Dey/Reuters]

India has reported 141,986 new daily COVID-19 cases – the most since the end of May – as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus overtakes the Delta version in major cities.
The health ministry on Saturday also reported 285 new deaths, taking the total to 483,463 and total infections stood at 35.37 million.
Coronavirus cases fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant are rocketing through India, prompting the federal government and states to swiftly reintroduce a string of restrictions.
Night curfews are back as restaurants and bars run at half their capacity. Some states have closed schools and cinemas and large gatherings are to be downsized.
But India’s political leaders are busy on the campaign trail ahead of crucial state polls, addressing packed rallies of tens of thousands of people, many without masks.
The scenes are strikingly similar to last year’s election season, when the Delta variant ravaged the country and made India one of the world’s worst-hit countries.
Last year’s surge was partly fed by large crowds at election rallies, where politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, often appeared without masks and addressed teeming crowds.
That wave left the country’s health system battered, with people begging for oxygen and hospital beds. Crematoriums ran out of space. Daily deaths crossed 4,000 during the peak of the crisis, with at least 200,000 people dying between March and May, a number widely believed to be a vast undercount.

Warning from officials

Health officials say the new surge is causing fewer deaths and many cases are asymptomatic. But they warn against taking the Omicron variant too lightly, and say numerous cases, even if milder, could still pressure the country’s fragile health system.
Overall, new daily cases have increased nearly fourfold in the last week. Hospital admissions are rising and medical staff in some states have been asked to cut short their winter holidays.
Cities are experiencing a massive surge, with Mumbai, India’s financial capital, surpassing its previous highest daily count. New COVID-19 cases in five states immersed in election campaigning – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur – have shot up.
Over the past few weeks, Modi has addressed huge gatherings in several cities, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state that is ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party. The party’s political opponents have also hit the campaign trail, flouting health guidelines.
Earlier this week, the Congress party organised a marathon in which thousands of people ran without masks and were packed so tightly they collapsed onto each other.
The chief minister of New Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, contracted the virus after he was seen maskless while leading political rallies in multiple states.

Philippines reports a record 26,458 new cases on Saturday

A record 26,458 confirmed new coronavirus cases were recorded in the Philippines on Saturday, according to the latest official data.
A health ministry official said confirmed cases have exceeded 2.93m. Deaths have reached over 52,000, after 265 new fatalities were recorded on Saturday.
The previous daily record in Covid-19 cases was 26,303 on 11 September 2021.

Djokovic had written clearance to enter Australia – court filing

Damien Gayle - The Guardian
Novak Djokovic had written clearance from Australia’s immigration department before travelling to the country with a medical exemption from its vaccination rules, his lawyers said in a court filing on Saturday.
According to the filing, the world No 1 tennis player contracted Covid-19 last month but was not experiencing symptoms. He returned his first positive coronavirus test on 16 December, 2021, but 14 days later “had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms of Covid-19 in the last 72 hours”, the filing said.
On 1 January, the Serbian sports star received a “a document from the Department of Home Affairs (which) told Mr Djokovic that his ‘responses indicate(d) that (he met) the requirements for a quarantine-free arrival into Australia”, the documents added. Djokovic is in immigration detention in Australia after having his visa cancelled on arrival on Thursday
Djokovic, an outspoken critic of mandatory vaccination, has never disclosed his own vaccination status. He is challenging his visa cancellation in Australia’s federal court in hopes of winning his 21st grand slam at the Australian Open which starts on 17 January.

The UK government is planning for Covid-related absences from up to one in four teachers when all schools finally go back after the Christmas holidays.
Term has already begun at many schools across the country, but others are yet to welcome children back after the festive break.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said there is a “mixed picture” of how Covid is affecting absences in schools so far this term.
He said: “Not all schools and colleges are open yet and won’t be until Monday so we’re not going to get a proper picture of staff absence until next week.
“There’s a snatched snapshot taken from a small number of primary schools earlier in the week that suggested that might be around 10% of the staff absent. The government itself is planning potentially for 25% of staff.”

Video of an NHS doctor challenging the UK health secretary over vaccine mandates for healthcare workers has gone viral on social media.
The scene, which was caught by Sky News cameras, was first broadcast on Friday after Javid visited Kings College Hospital in south London.
While on a walkabout in the hospital, Javid had asked doctors and nurses there what they thought about government plans to require vaccination for all NHS staff. After an brief but uncomfortable silence, Steve James, a consultant anaesthetist who has been working throughout the pandemic, replied: “I’m not happy about that.”
James told Javid: “I’ve had Covid at some point, I’ve got antibodies, and I’ve been working on Covid ITUs since the beginning; I have not had a vaccination, I do not want to have a vaccination. The vaccine is reducing transmission only for about eight weeks with delta. With Omicron it’s probably less. And for that I would be dismissed if I don’t have a vaccine? The science isn’t strong enough.”

“That’s your view,” Javid replied. Turning to a group of nurses he added: “And you views?” However, they did not respond.
Turning back to James, Javid continued: “I respect that but there is also many different views.”
Javid added: “I understand that but obviously we have to weigh all that up for both health and social care and there will always be a debate about it ...”
James replied: “Maybe there is an opportunity to reconsider with Omicron and the changing picture, or at least the nuance that will allow doctors who have had antibody exposure, who’ve got antibodies, who haven’t had the vaccination, to not have it, because the protection I’ve got is probably equivalent to someone who is vaccinated.”
“Yes, but at some point that will wane,” Javid said.
James said: “But if you want to provide protection with a booster you’d have to inject everybody every month. If the protection has worn off for transmission after two months then after a month you’ve still got a bit of protection. But if you want to maintain protection you’re going to need to boost all staff members every single months, which you’re not going to do.”
Javid answered his challenge by saying: “We take the very best advice that we can, from vaccine experts.”
Half a day after the video was published on Twitter, it had been watched about 1.2m times.

Pandemic restrictions have been tightened in Romania, amid a sharp rise in daily new coronavirus infections.
In mid-December, Romania was reporting fewer than a thousand Covid-19 infections a day, but over the past week, daily cases have surged to around 6,000 - the highest number of infections since early November
The new measures, which came into force on Saturday include the mandatory wearing of face masks in outdoor and indoor public spaces, and the banning of textile masks. Fines of up to 500 euros ($567) can be imposed on those who do not comply, authorities said.
Bars and restaurants must close at 10pm and operate at 50% or 30% capacity depending on the area’s infection rate, and Covid passes are required. The same goes for sporting events, gyms, and cinemas. Meanwhile, quarantine and isolation periods have been reduced.
The health minister, Alexandru Rafila, told a press briefing on Friday that Romania is “already in the fifth wave of the pandemic” and that omicron is expected to soon become the dominant virus strain.
“For the time being, there is a sporadic transmission (of omicron),” he said. “But it is very possible that in the coming days, the coming weeks, we will witness a community transmission supported by this new strain.”

"Concerning" rates of Omicron in northern England

The north-east and north-west of England are seeing “concerning” rates of the Omicron variant, an expert has said.
Figures showed that three of the five UK areas with the biggest week-on-week rises in Covid case rates are

• Middlesbrough (748.8 to 2,651.4);
  
• Copeland (1,731.3 to 3,525.7); and
  
• Redcar & Cleveland (846.8 to 2,564.3).
  

Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) highlighted these regions, along with the Midlands, as areas of concern.
He said cases in London are “slowing down”, but scientists need two weeks to see if this continues.
“Most other parts of the country are about two to three weeks behind where London is in their epidemic profile,” Tildesley told Times Radio.
“Particularly concerning is the north-east and the north-west – if you look at hospital admissions in those two regions they are going up, also the Midlands, where I live, that’s also a little bit concerning, so it is a worry.
“On the slightly more positive side, so it doesn’t sound all doom and gloom, what we are seeing from hospital admissions is that stays in hospital do appear to be on average shorter, which is good news, symptoms appear to be a little bit milder, so this is what we are seeing consistently with the Omicron variant.”

Two individuals linked to Australia Open leave country

Two people connected to the Australia Open have left Australia, with the the Australian Border Force (ABF) saying the individuals voluntarily departed.
The ABF did not confirm their names, but one is understood to be Czech player Renata Voráčová, according to Sky News.
The ABF said: “The Australian Border Force investigation into the visa status of two other individuals connected to the Australian Open has concluded.
“The ABF can confirm both individuals have now voluntarily departed Australia. We will not be making any further comment about these individuals at this time.
“All travellers who enter Australia must do so in accordance with our strict laws and entry requirements, regardless of their status or their reasons for entering the country.”
It comes amid Novak Djokovic’s court battle to enter Australia without proof of a Covid vaccination.

US cruise operations suspended

An American company has suspended some of its cruise operations due to the rising number of Covid cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The Royal Caribbean Cruises has paused the sailings of three of its ships – Serenade of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas – while its Vision of the Seas ship will not return to cruising until 7 March, the cruise line said in a statement on Friday.
“We regret having to cancel our guests’ long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding,” the company said, adding that these measures had been implemented “in an abundance of caution”.
Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean called off its Spectrum of the Seas cruise for 6 January after nine guests on its 2 January trip were identified as close contacts to a local Hong Kong Covid case. They have tested negative so far.

Scotland reports 12,602 new cases in past 24 hours

Scotland has recorded 26 new deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, and 12,602 new cases in the past 24 hours.
The figures published by the Scottish Government on Saturday showed that of 57,907 completed tests for Covid-19, 25.1% were positive, up from 21.7% on Friday.
The newly recorded deaths take the toll of those who have died after recently testing positive for the virus to 9,931. The figure will be different from the number of people for whom Covid-19 appeared on their death certificate.
The figures include a note advising of delays between tests being taken and results being reported but saying Public Health Scotland is monitoring the situation.
There were 1,362 people in hospital on Friday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 39 in 24 hours, and 48 were in intensive care, the same as the day before.
A total of 4,390,076 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,041,550 have had a second dose, and 3,082,231 have received a third dose or booster.

UAE announces 2,655 new COVID-19 cases, three deaths in last 24 hours
Souad El Skaf - Alarabiya News

A woman waits to be tested by medical staff wearing protective equipment, amid the coronavirus outbreak, at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE, April 20, 2020. (Reuters)

The United Arab Emirates has registered 2,655 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported on Saturday.

According to a statement carried by Emirates News Agency WAM, three deaths due to COVID-19 complications have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 2,173.
MoHAP also noted that an additional 1,034 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 752,120.
Meanwhile, all government employees in the United Arab Emirates’ capital must have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and had their booster dose to be able to enter the workplace, the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee announced on Wednesday.
The rules will come into effect January 10 and comes alongside previous mandates that workers in the public sector must take a free PCR test every seven days.
The rules do not apply to those who have medical reasons.

Nepal PM Deuba in Covid Isolation After Prachanda Tests Positive

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba went into isolation on Saturday after he was found to be in the close contacts of ruling coalition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal who tested COVID-19 positive on Friday. Deuba, 75, will undergo his coronavirus test on Sunday, Under Secretary at Prime Minister’s Secretariat Janak Raj Bhatta told mediapersons here. ‘Prachanda’ and Deuba were in close proximity during a high-level coalition meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar on Thursday.

All of his appointments have been suspended (Image: PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP)

Before going into isolation, Deuba had an hour-long meeting with Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Chairman and Opposition Leader KP Sharma Oli in Balkot on Saturday morning. ‘Prachanda’, 67, tested positive in the polymerase chain reaction test on Friday evening, after complaining of some breathing-related discomfort, his Personal Secretary Ganga Dahal told mediapersons. The two-time prime minister is isolating and taking rest at his residence in Kathmandu; his condition is stable. All of his appointments have been suspended. Prachanda’s Personal Secretary Ramesh Malla also tested positive for COVID-19.
Apart from ‘Prachanda’, another senior Nepal Communist Party leader Narayankaji Shrestha tested positive for the virus on Friday. Shrestha will isolate for 14 days. A fresh wave of COVID-19 cases has put the government on alert, even though more than one-third of the population is fully vaccinated. Nepal on Saturday reported 944 COVID-19 cases – a large figure for a country of just over 29 million people. The Himalayan nation has reported 27 Omicron cases so far.

Sweden's crown princess tests positive for Covid

The crown princess of Sweden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing cold-like symptoms, the country’s royal court has announced.
Victoria’s parents, the kind and queen of Sweden, both also tested positive this week, according to the Reuters news agency.
The royal court said in a statement that the crown princess, who has contracted the virus once before and has received a full course of coronavirus vaccines, was isolating at home with her family.

Irish community’s resilience captured in new book documenting highs and lows of life in lockdown
Fiona Audley - Irish Post
The resilience and determination of the people in one Irish town to get through the Covid-19 lockdown has been captured in a new book dedicated to their stories.
'Killarney Behind the Mask' launched just before Christmas, documenting the lives of the people of the County Kerry town as they lived through the toughest period during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While they were forced to be physically apart during lockdown, their patience, determination and commitment to one another was captured by local freelance photographer Marie Carroll-O’Sullivan.
Ms Carroll-O’Sullivan took photographs of the people of Killarney throughout lockdown.
She used the short range of distance she was allowed to travel within while the country was under its most limiting Covid-19 restrictions to capture the experiences of her neighbours in pictures and stories.
Her work became something of a diary of the life of the town while in lockdown.
When she realised the content she had accumulated, she decided to publish it as a book to raise money for local charities.
She then spent much of last year fundraising to cover the publication costs.
Just before Christmas that book, Killarney Behind the Mask: Lockdown 2020, was finally launched and has since received rave reviews.
Mayor of Killarney, Marie Maloney, who attended the launch, believes the impressive photobook is an important read for Irish people everywhere.
“While everybody featured in the stories and photographs between the covers of Killarney Behind the Mask has a unique and individual story to tell, there is one common thread running through it all and one word that keeps springing to mind as you read it – resilience,” she said.

“This is a book that wonderfully captures the stories of ordinary men, women and children whose lives were turned upside down and inside out, during the period from January to December 2020, as the country encountered a devastating pandemic and Killarney, like everywhere else, had to adjust to a new way of living.
“It tells very personal stories about the fear and anxiety felt, the sorrow experienced, the sacrifices made, the friends and family that were missed and the sudden loss of life as we knew it.

Pictured at the launch of Behind the Mask, a book dedicated to the late Garda Paudie Twohig (and Marie's parents Pat & Mary Carroll) were (L-R) Paudie's sister Mairead Twohig, his brother Tadhg Twohig, Author/Photograher Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan, his daughter Olivia Twohig, Paudie's Wife Diane Twohig, his Mum Maura & Dad John (Pic: Marek Hajdasz)

“But don’t get me wrong: this is not a sad book – far from it,” she added.
“It’s a fabulously uplifting publication that shows the world how one great town lived with Covid-19 and came out the other side, bruised, battered, shaken but, in a funny way, stronger, more determined and more together than ever before.”
Read more here.

Hundreds of people have rallied in Beirut to protest measures against the unvaccinated, saying individuals should have the right to decide whether to be inoculated or not.
Vaccination is not compulsory in Lebanon, but in recent days authorities have cracked down on people who are not vaccinated or who do not carry a negative PCR test result. Saturday’s protest by nearly 300 people in downtown Beirut came a day after the daily number of new coronavirus cases hit a record 7,974, the Associated Press reports.
The protest came days after authorities imposed fresh restrictions — including the requirement of a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test for entry into restaurants, hotels and similar venues.
“No to the dictatorship of vaccination,” read one banner carried by protesters.


The health minister, Firass Abiad, criticised the protesters, saying that over 20,000 people were vaccinated on Saturday alone as part of a government campaign focusing on students and teachers. Educational institutions are to resume classes on Monday.
“Vaccines are not mandatory, and are free. They are offered to everyone, including refugees and foreign migrant workers,” Abiad tweeted. “Finally, vaccines save lives, but for some, ignorance is bliss.”
“An Omicron wave that started three weeks ago in turning into a Tsunami. The situation in hospitals and ICUs remains stable, capacity is being boosted,” Abiad added.
Lebanon, with has a population of six million including a million Syrian refugees, has registered more than 760,000 cases and 9,250 deaths since discovering its first COVID-19 case in February 2020.

Anti-vaccine protesters have rallied in cities across France, denouncing Emmanuel Macron’s intent to “piss off” people refusing COVID-19 shots by tightening curbs on their civil liberties.
The French president this week said he wanted to irritate unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting jabbed. In Paris, protesters retorted by adopting his slangy wording, chanting “We’ll piss you off”.
Others carried signs saying “No to the vaccine pass”, a reference to Macron’s legislative push to require proof of vaccination to enter venues such as cafes, bars and museums.

The protesters accuse Macron of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

TV images showed skirmishes between protesters and police at one site. Protesters also rallied through the streets in Marseille, Nantes and Le Mans among other cities.
“(Macron’s remarks) were the last straw. We are not irresponsible,” said hospital administrator Virginie Houget, who has avoided a mandatory vaccine order for health workers because she caught COVID-19 late last year.
The protesters accuse Macron of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally. He says freedoms carry responsibilities that include protecting the health of others.
France recorded more than 300,000 new coronavirus infections for the second time in a week on Friday. Hospitalisations, including COVID-19 patients in intensive care (ICU), are rising steadily, putting the healthcare system under strain.
Some hospitals have reported that some 85% of ICU patients are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Data shows that 90% of over-12s eligible for the COVID shot are fully vaccinated.
People in France already have to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter restaurants and bars and use inter-regional trains. But with Omicron infections surging, the government wants to drop the test option.
Three months before a presidential election, Macron’s blunt language appeared to be calculated, tapping into a mounting frustration against the unvaccinated.
Conservative challenger Valerie Pecresse said Macron was driving a wedge through the country. Far-right candidate Eric Zemmour denounced what he called the president’s puerile remarks.
On the capital’s streets, protesters accused Macron of politicising the pandemic ahead of the election.
“I want him to piss off drug dealers and criminals, not the average person,” said one 55-year-old protester who requested anonymity because he runs a business.

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UK surpasses 150,000 officially recorded Covid deaths

Jedidajah Otte - The Guardian
The UK government said on Saturday a further 313 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths recorded in this way to 150,057.
The UK is the seventh country to pass 150,000 deaths, after the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 174,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Covid has now killed 150,000 people in UK - but new cases fall to 10-day low
Dave Burke - The Mirror
A further 313 people have died from Covid-19 - bringing the UK's official death toll past 150,000.
The tragic figure, the highest daily number since February last year according to the Department of Health's daily dashboard, means 150,057 lives have been lost to coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
It means the UK is just the seventh country to pass the devastating landmark, following the USA, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Peru.
Today the department said 146,390 people had tested positive for Covid in 24 hours - a drop of more than 15,000 from a week ago and the lowest number since December 28.
Figures released this afternoon show 2,434 people were admitted to hospital in 24 hours - bringing the seven day total to 15,812.
This is 57.7 per cent higher than the previous week.
More than 1.2 million cases have been confirmed in the past week across the UK as the Omicron variant rips through the country.
A week ago - on New Year's Day - the Department of Health announced 162,572 new cases of the virus and 154 fatalities.
There were 18,454 people in hospital with the virus on Thursday, of which 868 were in ventilator beds.
The number of patients requiring ventilators is at its lowest level since October.
Earlier this week the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it estimated a staggering one in 15 people in England had Covid in the final week of 2021.
Across the UK, researchers said they believed around 3.7 million people had the virus on any given day, with one in 20 people in Wales and Scotland and one in 25 in Northern Ireland thought to have Covid.
The latest data now suggests that the North East and North West are now becoming the UK's Covid epicentre.
Figures showed that three of the five UK areas with the biggest week-on-week rises in Covid case rates are Middlesbrough (748.8 to 2,651.4 per 100,000 people), Copeland (1,731.3 to 3,525.8) and Redcar & Cleveland (846.8 to 2,564.3).
Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick highlighted these regions, along with the Midlands, as areas of concern.
He said cases in London are "slowing down", but scientists need two weeks to see if this continues.
And he said Omicron is possibly the "first ray of light" in ensuring Covid-19 becomes endemic and easier to live with, similar to the common cold.
Dr Tildesley told Times Radio on Saturday: "Most other parts of the country are about two to three weeks behind where London is in their epidemic profile.
"Particularly concerning is the North East and the North West - if you look at hospital admissions in those two regions they are going up, also the Midlands, where I live, that's also a little bit concerning, so it is a worry.
Read more.

Here are the main developments in Covid-19 news from around the world so far on Saturday:

• Novak Djokovic had written clearance from Australia’s immigration department before travelling to the country with a medical exemption from its vaccination rules, his lawyers said in a court filing on Saturday. According to the filing, the world No 1 tennis player contracted Covid-19 last month.
  
• Two people connected to the Australia Open have left Australia, with the the Australian Border Force (ABF) saying the individuals voluntarily departed. The ABF did not confirm their names, but one is understood to be Czech player Renata Voráčová, according to Sky News.
  
• Video of an NHS doctor challenging the UK health secretary over vaccine mandates for healthcare workers went viral on social media. The scene, which was caught by Sky News cameras, was first broadcast on Friday after Javid visited Kings College Hospital in south London.
  
• The Omicron variant could make Covid endemic in the UK, a government adviser said. Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), told Times Radio that the latest mutation of the virus was more contagious but less severe than previous iterations.
  
• Two million new coronavirus cases were recorded on average across the world every day between 1 and 7 January, with figures doubling in 10 days, according to a tally kept by Agence-France Presse. New global case numbers have soared 270% since Omicron was discovered in South Africa in late November.
  
• The crown princess of Sweden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing cold-like symptoms, the country’s royal court announced. Victoria’s parents, the king and queen of Sweden, both also tested positive this week, according to the Reuters news agency.
  
• Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, has said the country needs to step up Covid-19 vaccinations, as its campaign founders in the face of apathy from the public. Nearly 40% of South Africa’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, less than the government had hoped for by this stage.
  
• Anti-vaccine protesters have rallied in cities across France, responding to Emmanuel Macron’s threat to “piss off” people refusing Covid vaccines with the chant: “We’ll piss you off”. The protesters accuse Macron of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally.
  

The current explosion of infections with the Omicron variant is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services across the US:
With hospitals reaching capacity in Kansas; employee shortages in New York City causing delays in trash and subway services and diminishing the ranks of firefighters and emergency workers; and schools across the nation struggling to find enough teachers.
The Associated Press reports:

“This really does, I think, remind everyone of when Covid-19 first appeared and there were such major disruptions across every part of our normal life,” said Tom Cotter, director of emergency response and preparedness at the global health nonprofit Project HOPE.
“And the unfortunate reality is, there’s no way of predicting what will happen next until we get our vaccination numbers — globally — up.”
First responders, hospitals, schools and government agencies have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep the public safe, but they are worried how much longer they can keep it up.
In Kansas’ Johnson County, paramedics are working 80 hours a week. Ambulances have frequently been forced to alter their course when the hospitals they’re heading to tell them they’re too overwhelmed to help, confusing the patients’ already anxious family members driving behind them.
[...]
[The Omicron variant’s] easy transmissibility has led to skyrocketing cases in the US, which is affecting businesses, government offices and public services alike.
In downtown Boise, Idaho, customers were queued up outside a pharmacy before it opened Friday morning and before long, the line wound throughout the large drugstore. Pharmacies have been slammed by staffing shortages, either because employees are out sick or have left altogether.
In Los Angeles, more than 800 police and fire personnel were sidelined because of the virus as of Thursday, causing slightly longer ambulance and fire response times.
In New York City, officials have had to delay or scale back trash and subway services because of a virus-fueled staffing hemorrhage. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said about one-fifth of subway operators and conductors — 1,300 people — have been absent in recent days. Almost one-fourth of the city sanitation department’s workers were out sick Thursday, Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson said.
“Everybody’s working ‘round the clock, 12-hour shifts,” Grayson said.
The city’s fire department also has adjusted for higher absences. Officials said Thursday that 28% of EMS workers were out sick, compared with about 8% to 10% on a normal day. Twice as many firefighters as usual were also absent.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, two checkpoints at the airport’s busiest terminal were shut down because not enough Transportation Security Administration agents showed up for work, according to statements from airport and TSA officials.
Meanwhile, schools from coast to coast tried to maintain in-person instruction despite massive teacher absences.
In Chicago, a tense standoff between the school district and teachers union over remote learning and Covid-19 safety protocols led to classes being canceled over the past three days.
In San Francisco, nearly 900 educators and aides called in sick Thursday.
In Hawaii, where public schools are under one statewide district, 1,600 teachers and staff were absent Wednesday because of illness or pre-arranged vacation or leave.

Italy reports a further 197,552 new cases on Saturday
Italy reported 197,552 Covid-19 related cases on Saturday, against 108,304 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths fell to 184 from 223.
A week ago, the country recorded 141,256 daily cases and 111 deaths.
Italy has registered 138,881 deaths linked to Covid-19 since the pandemic began, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world.
The country has logged 7.28 million cases to date.

Djokovic pictured maskless at public event one day after positive Covid test
The Guardian


Novak Djokovic faced fresh controversy over his attempt to enter Australia to take part in the Open tennis tournament after pictures emerged on social media of his appearances at public events after a positive Covid test was recorded in mid-December, which allowed him an exemption from the country’s strict Covid rules.
Djokovic, who has spoken against vaccine mandates, has been kept in a Melbourne hotel since Thursday after his visa was cancelled due to problems with the medical exemption from vaccination granted by the organisers of the Australian Open.
Djokovic faces decision day on Monday as his appeal against the cancellation of his visa gets underway, after which he could be deported from the country.
According to court documents released on Saturday ahead of the trial, Djokovic’s Covid-19 infection was recorded by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia on 16 December, which provided the basis for the medical exemption he received by the Tennis Australia and Victoria State government medical panels. He was then granted his exemption on 30 December.
However, pictures on social media of Djokovic attending indoor events without a mask shortly after his Covid-19 test was recorded raise questions about Djokovic’s infection.
On 17 December, a day after the Covid-19 test was recorded, Djokovic posted pictures of himself at an event commemorating his own postal stamp. On the same day, Djokovic was present at the Tennis Association of Belgrade for an award ceremony.
It is not clear whether he knew he had Covid when the pictures were taken. Djokovic had attended a Euroleague basketball match between Red Star and Barcelona in Belgrade in the days before, during which numerous people present tested positive for Covid-19.

Philippines reports record daily infections

The Philippines broke its own record for the highest single day tally of new Covid-19 cases, with 26,458 new infections reported by the health department as of 8 January 4pm local time.
102,017 people are currently reported as being sick with the virus, while the positivity rate also reached a new record high of 43.7%.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles on Saturday denied rumors that a “total lockdown” will be imposed in the country, CNN Philippines reports.
265 new deaths were logged, taking the death to toll to over 52,000, as well as 1,656 recoveries.

A health worker walks past people queueing up for coronavirus swab tests outside a gymnasium in Manila on 7 January, 2022, as infections driven by the Omicron variant have tripled in the last two days in the nation’s capital. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Dissident Iranian poet and filmmaker Baktash Abtin, 48 has died after contracting Covid-19 in a hospital in the capital Tehran after being released on a furlough from prison where he was infected twice, Iranian news agencies said on Saturday.
“The poet and documentary filmmaker [...], who had contracted Covid earlier also while serving his sentence, was transferred to a hospital in Tehran [but] the treatment did not succeed and he died today,” the semi-official ISNA news agency said.
Rights group PEN America said on Twitter: “Covid is a natural killer, but Abtin’s death was aided and abetted by the Iranian government every step of the way.”
Abtin was also hospitalised last year, when a picture showing him apparently shackled to a bed caused an uproar on social media, prompting the head of Iran’s prisons, Mohammad Mehdi Hajmohammadi, to tweet that those responsible had been “dealt with,” Reuters reports.
Abtin, who was serving a six-year sentence for “anti-government propaganda” and “actions against national security,” died shortly after PEN America and 18 other rights groups voiced concern over his treatment in a letter to Iran’s Supreme letter Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Unfortunately, mistreatment of prisoners and denial of medical care is a systemic problem in Iranian prisons,” said the letter, posted on the website of Human Rights Watch.
Iran denies any mistreatment and its prisons directorate said Abtin was granted furlough 35 days ago to be moved to a private hospital by his relatives, state media reported.

The British government may stop giving out free lateral flow tests under plans for living with Covid, which prime minister Boris Johnson will announce within weeks
Sunday Times
After more than £6 billion of public money has been spent on testing the population with lateral flow devices, the government could move to providing free tests only in high-risk settings such as care homes, hospitals and schools, and to people with symptoms, while the tracing of people who have come into contact with the infected by NHS Test and Trace is also likely to be scaled back.
A senior Whitehall source said:

I don’t think we are in a world where we can continue to hand out free lateral flow tests to everybody for evermore. It’s likely we will move to a scenario where there is less testing but where we have a capacity to ramp it up if necessary, such as in the winter.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned UK prime minister Boris Johnson that axing universal free lateral flow tests would be an “utterly wrongheaded” approach to dealing with coronavirus.
She urged Johnson against the move after it was reported they could be limited to high-risk settings - such as care homes, hospitals and schools - and to people with symptoms.
Sturgeon said the Scottish government had not signed up to the move, but if Johnson was “really considering this” it would be “utterly wrongheaded”.
“Hard to imagine much that would be less helpful to trying to ‘live with’ Covid,” she tweeted.

She questioned what would happen to funding for UK nations for testing under the Barnett formula if the British government went ahead with the move, adding: “Testing so vital, we’d have to consider continued funding but it would then come from existing budgets.”
The Department of Health and Social Care is yet to comment, but a government source disputed the report and said it was too early to say what the future holds for free lateral flows, PA reports.
The rapid tests were made available to everyone in England, including those without symptoms, in April.