Coronavirus - 11th January 2022

Good morning

• About 100 people were invited to a"bring-your-own-booze" drinks event in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown, the BBC understands.
  
  
• Witnesses say the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended the gathering on 20 May 2020. The Met Police has contacted No 10 over the gathering. Boris Johnson has declined to say if he attended
  
  
• New testing rules in England mean people without Covid symptoms now no longer need a confirmatory PCR test to confirm a positive lateral flow. The UK Health Security Agency says the change reflects the high prevalence of the virus in the community, and the accuracy of rapid tests
  
  
• The controversy over Novak Djokovic's Australian visa application been "damaging on all fronts", the men's professional tennis tour has said. The ATP also called for more clarity of the rules to enter Australia and urged players to get vaccinated
  
  
• Boris Johnson was accused on Monday night of an “utterly outrageous” breach of lockdown rules as a leaked email showed one of his top officials invited more than 100 Downing Street staff to a “bring your own booze” party during the first lockdown. The police are now investigating.
  
  
• Boris Johnson has ordered officials to examine plans to cut Covid isolation to five days in England as scientists urged caution over the lack of evidence to support a change.
  
  
• NHS England has struck a deal with private healthcare providers under which their hospitals will be ready to start treating NHS patients who cannot get the Covid or non-Covid care they need because their local NHS hospital is under too much pressure.
  
  
• Pfizer Inc chief executive Albert Bourla said on Monday that moving toward a redesigned Covid-19 vaccine that is specifically targeted to combat the Omicron variant is the “most likely scenario.”
  
  
• The small number of people in Italy’s population who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 are largely responsible for the continued health crisis, prime minister Mario Draghi said on Monday.
  
  
• In the US, a new record has been set for the number of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19, with 132,646 currently on wards, according to Reuters. The latest figure, which comes as the highly contagious Omicron strain spreads across the country, surpassed the record of 132,051 set in January last year.
  
  
• Moderna has announced it expects record sales of about $18.5bn (£13.6bn) in contracts for its Covid vaccine in 2022.
  
  
• Novak Djokovic’s brother reportedly ended a press conference after questions about why the tennis ace appeared in public in Belgrade a day after he had tested positive for Covid-19.
  
  
• Emmanuel Macron has condemned protesters on the French overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon who pelted an MP with seaweed and dirt during a protest against vaccine passes.
  
  
• Stricter pandemic measures are to be introduced in Sweden in response to a rising number of Covid cases and pressure on hospitals, the prime minister has said.
  
  
• The prime minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has called for European officials to consider ditching detailed pandemic tracking for Covid in favour of a flu-like monitoring system. The change would mean treating Covid-19 as an “endemic illness” rather than a pandemic, Sánchez said on Monday. He pointed out that deaths as a proportion of recorded cases has fallen since the pandemic began.
  

No 10 refuses to comment on new lockdown event revelations

Covid PCR tests end for asymptomatic cases in England

Covid around the world

• In Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tested positive for coronavirus for the second time. He says his symptoms are mild. He's previously been accused of playing down the severity of the pandemic and turned up to a news conference without wearing a face mask on Monday.
  
• Chile has become the first Latin American country to start giving out fourth doses of the Covid vaccine. The campaign started on Monday and is prioritising immuno-compromised people.
  
• Hong Kong has announced further steps to combat a small but growing number of Covid cases, including the temporary closure of nursery and primary schools. Vaccinations will also be given to children as young as five.
  
• The Czech Republic has said that it will allow critical workers such as doctors and teachers to go to work after getting a positive Covid test. It's the latest European country to ease restrictions to keep services running as cases surge.
  

France eases Covid rules for schools as infections soar

The school health protocol will be simplified: if a positive case is detected in a class, the students can stay there until the end of the day, 3 negative self-tests will suffice for contact cases [and] only one parental certificate will be necessary.”

Japan to maintain most border restrictions until end of February

Thanks to the toughest border rules in the G7 nations, we’ve been able to keep the spread of Omicron to a minimal level, giving us time to prepare to deal with domestic infection.
We’ll maintain the current framework of measures until the end of February for the time being, while taking necessary measures from the perspective of humanitarian and national interests.”

The latest Covid numbers are now being reported across Asia:

• South Korea is reporting a daily rise of 3,097 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 43 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  
• Thailand is reporting a daily rise of 7,133 cases and 12 deaths, according to the Department of Disease Control.
  
• Malaysia is reporting a daily rise of 2,641 cases and 18 deaths, according to government data.
  
• India is reporting a rise of 168,063 new Covid cases and 277 deaths, according to health ministry figures.
  

Millions more locked down as China battles Omicron spread

We know that delays in diagnosis lead to much poorer outcomes for patients with these rapidly-advancing cancers. We also know the trauma associated with receiving a diagnosis in an emergency setting for both patients and families.
These cancers are currently difficult or impossible to treat at later stages and the time from diagnosis to death is often brutally short compared to more survivable cancers. The situation is critical and has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The taskforce is calling for a significant increase in research funding as well as a commitment to increasing resources for early diagnosis for less survivable cancers so we can close the deadly cancer gap

Here is a round-up of the top Covid stories from the day so far:

• Scars left by the Covid-19 pandemic have deepened the divide between rich and poor countries and will make it harder to find common cause in the fight against global heating, according to the World Economic Forum.
  
• The UK’s main statistical body has reported more than 175,000 deaths involving Covid since the start of the pandemic where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate.
  
• Germany is reporting a daily rise of 45,690 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 322 deaths, according to the latest figures released by the Robert Koch Institute.
  
• Porfirije, the 46th Patriarch of the influential Serbian Orthodox Church, the country’s largest Christian denomination, has tested positive for Covid, his office said on Tuesday.
  
• Poland’s total Covid-19 death toll has surpassed 100,000.
  
• Health officials have clarified that the recommended Covid self-isolation period in the US is shorter than in the UK at a time when the prime minister is considering reducing it to five days.
  
• Nearly 1 million Hindu worshippers are expected to gather on the banks of the Ganges River this Friday and Saturday for a holy bathe despite soaring Covid infections across the country, an official told Reuters.
  
• The central Chinese city of Anyang has ordered five million people to begin home confinement today in a new lockdown to curb the spread of Omicron variant. Residents are not to leave their homes or drive cars on the roads, while all non-essential businesses have been closed and outbound travel is restricted, state news agency Xinhua reports.
  
• France announced an easing of Covid rules for schools as record-high case numbers shut down thousands of classes across the country.
  
• At least 600,000 passengers cancelled plans to fly from Heathrow in December due to the Omicron coronavirus strain and the introduction of tougher travel restrictions, the airport said.
  
• Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has said the government has secured enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for all eligible Canadians to receive a booster as well as a fourth dose.
  
• Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced he has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, saying that he only has light symptoms.
  
• Taiwan has tightened its entry requirements for new arrivals in the latest move to head off a large-scale Omicron outbreak.
  

WHO: Most Europeans could contract Omicron by March

At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks.

Omicron could infect 50% of Europeans in next two months, says WHO

France to announce record 350,000 new infections

Another 350,000 new infections will be reported this evening, even a little more than that. We have never before seen such numbers since the start of the health crisis.

It would be disproportionate to implement large-scale quarantines at schools when they have not been a high-risk environment to begin with.
Mandating quarantines is no longer an effective way to control the epidemic.

UK reports 379 new Covid deaths

Italy reports record 220,532 new cases

Turkey warns of Omicron danger after record new cases

As cases due to the Omicron variant become dominant, Omicron will be a source of danger for those in risk groups and it may lead to death among the elderly and the chronically ill.

France confirms record 368,149 new cases

The main change and recommendation is as follows: if you have boosted immunity currently you are asked to restrict your movements for five days. That requirement would go completely. So no restricted movement if you have boosted immunity.

I don’t know if you’ve seen on social media, or if you’ve heard people say, ‘Well, why bother? Omicron is everywhere and I might as well just get infected now’. That’s a very dangerous question and it’s one worth answering.

We don’t know the implications of Omicron, which replicates in the upper respiratory tract as opposed to the lower respiratory tract and if that has any implication on your chances of developing longer term effects.

I’ve heard some very scary stories about, you know, parties of people and trying to get infected. Please, that is very unsafe.

UK reports 379 new Covid deaths

• Boris Johnson is under intense pressure to answer questions about a party held during the first Covid lockdown in May 2020
  
• 30 people were at the gathering, it's understood, and two witnesses have told the BBC the prime minister and his wife were there
  
• In the Commons this afternoon, Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis said MPs needed to wait for an investigation into Downing Street parties to conclude before passing judgement
  
• Labour's Dame Angela Eagle said Ellis had been sent to "defend the utterly indefensible" and Johnson should "fess up"
  
• In Scotland, restrictions on large outdoor events will be lifted from Monday, allowing football and rugby fans to fully return to matches
  
• Another 379 deaths have been recorded in the UK and 120,821 new cases reported
  
• Meanwhile, Serbia's prime minister says she's hopeful tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was nearly deported from Australia, will be able to stay in the country to defend his singles title
  
• And the World Health Organization warns that half of Europe will catch Omicron within six to eight weeks.
  
• France’s health ministry is expected to announce a record of more than 350,000 new Covid infections over a 24-hour period, according to the health minister, Olivier Véran.
  
• Novak Djokovic’s defence of his Australian Open title remains in doubt after reports that he might have given misleading information to Australian immigration officials.
  Immigration Minister Alex Hawke is still considering whether to cancel Djokovic’s visa despite his court victory on Monday. Officials are concerned about Djokovic’s claim on his entry form that he had not travelled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia on January 6.
  
• Sweden has announced a record 70,641 new Covid cases since Friday. It also said there were a 54 new deaths from Covid.
  
• The US has recorded a record number of hospitalisations due to Covid-19, as the daily infection rate soared to more than 1.35m. There were 145,982 people hospitalised with coronavirus on Monday, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
  
• The UK has recorded another 379 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. It also reported another 120,821 new cases, down on Monday’s new cases total of 142,224.
  
• Some local authorities in Finland are defying government isolation measures in schools. Taina Isosomppi, Helsinki’s chief epidemiologist, said: “It would be disproportionate to implement large-scale quarantines at schools when they have not been a high-risk environment to begin with.”
  
• More than half of people in Europe could contract the Omicron in the next two months if infections continue at current rates, the World Health Organization has warned.
  Regional director Hans Kluge said: “At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasts that more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks.”
  
• The WHO also warned that it is too too soon to treat Omicron as a flu-like endemic illness. Senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said: “We still have a huge amount of uncertainty and a virus that is evolving quite quickly, imposing new challenges. We are certainly not at the point where we are able to call it endemic.
  
• Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was hoarse and had a sore throat after testing positive for Covid for the second time. “It’s like a cold” he told reporters in a video message.
  
• Germany has reported a daily rise of 45,690 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 322 deaths, according to the latest figures released by the Robert Koch Institute.
  
• Germany’s health minister, Karl Lauterbach, has called England’s relatively lax Covid rules an “unethical bet”. He warned against copying England’s pandemic response.
  
• Poland’s death toll from Covid has surpassed 100,000. health minister Adam Niedzielski announced the grim milestone, saying: “Today we can say it is another sad day, but especially so because we have passed the level of 100,000 Covid deaths.”
  
• The central Chinese city of Anyang has ordered five million people to begin home confinement in a new lockdown to curb the spread of Omicron variant. Residents are not to leave their homes or drive cars on the roads, while all non-essential businesses have been closed and outbound travel is restricted, state news agency Xinhua reports.