Coronavirus - 25 January 2022

Summary for Tuesday, 25th January

• Travel industry bosses hope demand will soar after changes to Covid testing rules were announced
  
• Measures are to be eased for double-vaccinated people travelling to England or Scotland
  
• From 11 February, they will no longer need to take a Covid test but will have to fill out a passenger locator form
  
• Passengers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will no longer be required to do a day eight test after arrival or to self-isolate
  
• The boss of airline easyJet says travel testing should become "a thing of the past"
  
• And Jet2 boss Steve Heapy says it is a "game-changer" for the industry
  
• Later, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to update Holyrood on Covid rules
  

Good morning

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK news so far this morning:

• The travel industry is welcoming changes to rules that mean double-vaccinated travellers to England and Scotland will not need to take a Covid test from 11 February
  
• Airline bosses say the move will return rules to “near-normality” for the fully vaccinated, adding that testing rules should become a “thing of the past”
  
• Downing Street admits that staff gathered in No 10 during the first lockdown to mark Boris Johnson’s birthday
  
• ITV News reports
  
• up to 30 people attended the June 2020 event, sang Happy Birthday and were served cake
  
• In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to give an update on the Covid rules later. It comes after measures were eased there - including the reopening of nightclubs
  
• Over-50s and younger adults with underlying health conditions are being urged to participate in a study of life-saving treatments for Covid-19
  
• School leaders' union, the NAHT, is calling on the government to consider making further changes to GCSE and A-level exams in England this year, because of the disruption caused by the pandemic
  

Here is a comprehensive rundown of all the latest international Covid developments:

Europe:

• Italy said that the Omicron wave had peaked in the country as case numbers begin to fall.
  
• The UK announced plans to end testing rules for all doubly vaccinated travellers from 11 February.
  
• Rules requiring a vaccine passport to enter hospitality businesses and take public transport came into force in France.
  
• The European Union’s drug regulator is set to decide whether to approve Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill at the end of this month, before doing a final review of Merck’s similar but less effective drug in February, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
  
• Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Britain will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test, while Germany extended its current pandemic measures.
  
• Norway will end its system of mandatory quarantines for non-vaccinated travellers and close contacts of infected persons, replacing it instead with a daily test regime.
  

Asia:

• Covid-related deaths surged in Australia and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from holidays next week.
  
• Japan announced plans to extend coronavirus restrictions beyond the current 9pm curfew in a bid to tackle the spread of Omicron. The country is poised to double the number of regions subject to restrictions such as shortened restaurant opening hours in order to rein in a record surge in cases.
  
• Organisers of next month’s Beijing Winter Olympics slightly eased the strict Covid-19 requirements for participants.
  
• One of China’s longest lockdowns in the northern city of X’ian comes to an end after its 13 million residents were confined to their homes on December 22.
  

Middle East:

• Israel’s health minister said he did not think Israel will offer a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to most people after the government made it available to over 60s and other high-risk groups.
  

United States:

• The US advised against travel to 15 countries and territories.
  

Medical developments:

• A third booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson increases antibody levels significantly in those who have previously received two doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac shot, a study has found.
  
• Omicron can survive longer than earlier versions of the coronavirus on plastic surfaces and human skin, Japanese researchers found in laboratory tests.
  
• British scientists will begin testing Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ antiviral pill molnupiravir as a possible treatment for patients hospitalised with Covid-19.
  
• The US Food and Drug Administration is likely to restrict the use of Covid-19 antibody treatments from Regeneron and Eli Lilly as they are ineffective against Omicron, the Washington Post reported.
  
• World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a press conference in which he warned that conditions remain ideal for more coronavirus variants to emerge and said it was dangerous to assume Omicron was the last one, but added that the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year if some key targets were met.
  

Downing Street crisis continuing to reach new lows

Boris Johnson is facing renewed anger from MPs and bereaved families after the disclosure that his fiancee threw him a surprise lockdown birthday party, as sources said an official inquiry had uncovered “appalling evidence of mismanagement” at the heart of Downing Street.
Sue Gray, the senior civil servant leading the inquiry into Downing Street parties, is expected to make deeply critical recommendations on overhauling No 10’s operation after hearing of repeated failures of leadership, according to a Whitehall source who spoke to the inquiry.
In the latest alleged breach of rules, No 10 admitted that Carrie Johnson held a party for the prime minister and up to 30 staff on 19 June 2020 despite Covid rules banning indoor social gatherings. Outdoor gatherings were limited to groups of six.

 

Met Police to investigate Downing Street parties

The Metropolitan Police will investigate a number of events at Downing Street and Whitehall in relation to potential breaches of Covid regulations, the force's commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announces.

Travel forms will be with us for some time - Heathrow boss

The boss of Heathrow Airport says the requirement for travellers to fill out forms will be "with us for some time".
Passengers travelling to England and Scotland will still be required to fill out passenger locator forms after the 11 February changes, although the government has said it will try to make them simpler, while other countries also require similar documentation.
John Holland-Kaye tells Sky News that while the forms feel too complicated the reality is they will continue to be part of life.
"But if that's the price we have to pay to be able to see our loved ones or to go about doing our business, then I think it's a price worth paying and at least we don't have the very expensive tests that the government had been requiring until quite recently," he says.
In addition to the end of testing for vaccinated travellers, Holland-Kaye says there are other things the international travel sector will need in order to recover - including a playbook for what happens if there is another variant of concern.
He says this would mean "we don't have the handbrake being slammed on by government" and would help people travel with confidence.

Josephine, seven, right to postpone her birthday party - minister

A letter written by (then) seven-year-old Josephine Booth to the prime minister telling him that she didn't mind her birthday party being cancelled in March 2020 because she wanted "everybody to be OK" has been getting a lot of attention on Twitter, following the latest Downing Street gathering row.
Boris Johnson tweeted on 21 March 2020 saying that she set a "great example to us all".

Asked about the letter on the Today programme, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said postponing birthday parties should have been done "in all cases".
"I think that she did exactly the right thing. I think that should have been done in all cases, and I don't seek to say otherwise."

 

Met Police to investigate Downing Street parties

The Metropolitan Police will investigate a number of events at Downing Street and Whitehall in relation to potential breaches of Covid regulations, the force's commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announces.

Number of events are being looked at, police chief says

Dame Cressida Dick tells the Greater London Assembly's police and crime committee that the Met is "now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years".
She says officers have assessed several other events which appear to have taken place, but on the available information these do not meet the threshold for further investigation.
"The fact we are now investigating does not of course mean that fixed penalty notices will be issued in every instance and to every person involved," she adds.

'Not normal to investigate after the fact' - Dick

Dame Cressida Dick says it would not normally be a proportionate use of officers' time to investigate after the fact what "could have been thousands of complaints", describing them as summary offences.
But she says that some officers and high-profile people have been investigated after the fact.
"The occasions on which we have done that is where they appeared to be the most serious and flagrant type of breach," she says.
She says there are four factors the Met guidelines considered:

• There has to be some evidence
  
• Those involved knew or ought to have known they were breaking the law
  
• Where not investigating would significantly undermine the legitimacy of law
  
• There was little ambiguity around the absence of any reasonable defence.
  

Japan to place 70% of the country under new Covid curbs

Justin McCurry - The Guardian
Japan is expected to expand quasi-emergency measures to more parts of the country from Thursday in an attempt to stem a surge in Omicron cases.
Restrictions on opening hours and alcohol sales at bars and restaurants are already in place in 16 of the country’s 47 prefectures, but the measures will go into effect in a further 18 prefectures from Thursday until 20 February, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, is expected to announce the new measures, covering more than 70% of the country, later today.
The western prefectures of Osaka and Kyoto are among the areas covered by the measures.

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks cross the road at Umeda district in Osaka, Japan. Photograph: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

The advisory panel is also expected to greenlight an extension through 20 February of the so-called quasi-emergency measures prevailing in three regions.
The measures have prompted complaints that Japan’s nighttime economy is being unfairly targeted as governors in those regions can request restaurants and bars to shorten business hours and stop serving alcohol.
Mitsuru Saga, the manager of an izakayapub in Tokyo, said he would serve alcohol but close at 8pm, even though he will receive less compensation from the government. “We can’t do business without serving alcohol,” Saga told Nippon TV. “It seems only eateries are targeted for restraints.”
Packed trains and crowded shopping districts suggest people are tiring of requests to limit their movements two years into the pandemic, although mask wearing is still the norm.
Japan logged more than 44,000 new cases on Monday, a tally by public broadcaster NHK showed.
Kishida is coming under increasing pressure to speed up Japan’s booster rollout. While about 80% of of the 125 million population has received two vaccine doses, less than 2% has received a booster shot.

South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases surpassed 8,000 for the first time on Tuesday

This is despite the recent extension of strict social-distancing rules to slow infection.
A total of 8,571 new infections were reported for Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), exceeding the previous peak of 7,848 in mid-December.
The new record came amid the spread of the Omicron variant, which became dominant across the country last week.
South Korea reimposed tougher distancing curbs in December as record-breaking numbers of daily cases and critically ill patients threatened to overwhelm its medical system before the Omicron wave hit.
Daily tallies had almost halved to around 4,000 this month but began rising again last week because of Omicron infections.
The surge fuelled worries about a potentially bigger wave ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, when tens of millions of Koreans usually travel across the country.
Prime minister Kim Boo-kyum issued a special statement on Monday to plead for people to refrain from travel and gatherings during the break, which starts on Saturday.
“It is no different to adding fuel to the raging flames if many people move around the country and meet each other,” he told a briefing.
More than 95% of South Korean adults have been fully vaccinated and nearly 58% have received a booster shot, KDCA data showed.

New York judge strikes down mask mandate

A New York judge has struck down the state’s mask mandate, ruling that it was unconstitutional and a violation of state law, according to the court decision.
Judge Thomas Rademaker, of New York State Supreme Court on Long Island, wrote in his decision, which reportedly takes effect immediately, that the state legislature last year curbed any governor’s ability to issue decrees, such as a mask mandate, amid a declared state of emergency.
Rademaker argued that because New York was no longer under a state of emergency at the time the mask mandate was announced, the governor and health commissioner did not have the additional authority to order such a mandate, adding the mandate is now unenforceable.

People line up for Covid-19 testing at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx, New York City. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

The legislature’s action “prevents the type of mandates and directives that former Governor Cuomo included in his various Covid-19 related Executive Orders,” the judge wrote.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement:

My responsibility as governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and save lives.
We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.

Rademaker wrote in his decision that he had no doubt there was good intention behind the mask mandate and said his ruling is not intended “in any way to question or otherwise opine on the efficacy, need, or requirement of masks as a means or tool in dealing with the Covid-19 virus.”

The Czech Republic recorded 30,350 new Covid-19 cases on Monday,
the European country’s highest daily count since the pandemic began, health ministry data showed on Tuesday.
The country is bracing for a surge in cases from the new Omicron variant which could peak this month, the health minister said.

Germany has reported another daily rise of 126,955 coronavirus cases and 214 deaths, according to recently released figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
The numbers take the nationwide tally of confirmed coronavirus cases to 8,871,795 and 116,960 deaths.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organising Committee has said that 15 new positive cases of Covid-19 were detected among games-related personnel on Monday.
Twelve of the confirmed positive cases were among new arrivals, the committee said. The other three were found among those already in the closed loop, and of those three, one was an athlete or team official, a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website reads.

Russia reports record Covid cases for fifth consecutive day

Russia has reported a record number of daily new Covid cases for the fifth successive day, the government coronavirus task force said.
Reuters report that the new daily cases jumped to 67,809, from 65,109 a day earlier. The previous single day peak of Covid in Russia was in November 2021, when the country briefly recorded just over 40,000 cases in one day.

Japan’s daily count of new Covid-19 infections surpassed 60,000 for the first time on Tuesday, broadcaster FNN has said.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have published new information about Abu Dhabi’s entry requirements for tourists
Michael Sainato - The Guardian
Unlike residents and citizens, vaccinated tourists do not need to show proof of a booster shot to cross into the capital.
Associated Press report that the tourism-specific change comes as confusion swirls around entry rules for Abu Dhabi, which has taken a more stringent approach to containing the coronavirus than neighbouring city Dubai.
The pandemic had prompted Abu Dhabi to erect a hard border with Dubai, forcing all drivers to come to a halt for vaccination and Covid checks before entering .
Ever-changing requirements have caused some headaches for commuters, with drivers from Dubai who had not received booster shots unexpectedly turned away from the capital last week. The emirate later clarified that all citizens and residents seeking entry must now show proof of a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated and maintain a “green status” on the government health app.
The updated Abu Dhabi tourism website now says that the new rule does not apply to international visitors, who may enter the city-state if they have received both doses.

Too young to retire but at risk for Covid, older Americans struggle to find work

Elaine Simons, a 61-year-old substitute art teacher in the Seattle, Washington area, was on a 10-month contract and hoping to settle into a more permanent role at the school where she was teaching when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the US in March 2020.
Her school shut down for the remainder of the school year, with Simons having to pack up her classroom and learn to navigate the technology necessary to teach remotely. In June 2020, Simons was informed her teaching contract would not be renewed.
Some 5.7 million workers ages 55 or older lost their jobs in the US in March and April 2020, 15% of workers in an age demographic that has also experienced the vast majority of Covid-19 deaths. The unemployment rate for workers ages 65 and older hit a record rate of 7.5% in 2020.
Simons was able to find a summer teaching position but had to file for unemployment assistance before the fall 2020 school year began. Since then, she has switched back and forth between taking periods of substitute teaching jobs whenever they’re available, and reverting to unemployment during periods where she’s been unable to find work.
She found, despite claims of substitute teacher shortages, that longer term substitute contract positions weren’t being offered, and older workers at higher risk for Covid-19 like herself aren’t willing to take substitute gigs day by day, at various different schools without any compensation for quarantine if they catch or are exposed to Covid-19. Simons is fully vaccinated and boosted, but still worried about catching Covid-19 and exposing her elderly mother, whom she helps care for.

Sue Gray report to be delayed

The Cabinet Office will not publish Sue Gray's report while the Met Police are investigating events at Downing Street and Whitehall during lockdown, the BBC has been told.
It is not clear how long this investigation will take.
The Cabinet Office put out a statement earlier to say the investigation by Gray, a senior civil servant, would be continuing while maintaining "ongoing contact" with the police.
The terms of reference of the Gray investigation say: "As with all internal investigations, if during the course of the work any evidence emerges of behaviour that is potentially a criminal offence, the matter will be referred to the police and the Cabinet Office’s work may be paused."

Analysis: What does report delay do to Tory MPs' mood?

Alex Forsyth - BBC Political correspondent


Don't underestimate the significance of this decision by the police
The immediate impact is that it will delay publication of that report being written by Sue Gray.
Remember, a lot of Conservative MPs were waiting for the Sue Gray report before deciding what to do next - crucially before deciding on the prime minister's fate.
We had been expecting that report in the next couple of days
Now it has been delayed, the big question is what does that do to the mood of Conservative MPs?
Some will think let's wait for the outcome of those two investigations.
Others worry this drip-drip of damaging stories could potentially drag on and that could crystallise some sort of action against the prime minister.
At the moment MPs are digesting this information.
It is worth saying since Prime Minister's Questions last week, we've heard a bit more of a robust tone from Downing Street.
That signals Boris Johnson is very keen to fight on.

'Surreal' - Tory MPs react to Met Police's parties investigation

Portcullis House in Parliament - one of the places MPs exchange gossip

BBC correspondents have been in Parliament taking the temperature of Conservative MPs, following this morning's announcement that the Met Police have launched an investigation into parties held in No 10 during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some snippets of what MPs have been saying.

• An ex-minister: "People might think, phew, it gives us a bit of time."
  
• Another former minister: "This is surreal - it is extraordinary to think a serving PM is being investigated by the police... we know we are on an inevitable path but this may mean people wait a few more weeks."
  
• A backbencher: "The more it looks like a witch-hunt the more sympathy he gets."
  
• And from a senior MP: "He can't stay now... this may trigger a few more to put their letters in."
  

If 54 Conservative MPs submit letters expressing that they have no confidence in Johnson, it would trigger a leadership contest in the party.

Denmark is expected to scrap all Covid restrictions by the end of this month
Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten reported on Tuesday citing several sources. It is believed the prime minister Mette Frederiksen will announce the changes tomorrow.

Netherlands is also expected to lift Covid rules later today, despite record numbers of infections
The Dutch government is expected to announce later today that it will allow restaurants, bars and theatres to re-open, despite record numbers of coronavirus infections. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Ernst Kuipers are expected to announce the new rules at a news conference at 7pm (1800 GMT).
Late last night, the government released official advice of health experts and local government officials who support the end of a strict lockdown that has been in effect since mid-December.
Reuters note that despite record infections, the experts said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is now dominant in the Netherlands, “has a less serious clinical picture” than the Delta variant, which caused an earlier wave.
Foreign studies show hospital admissions with Omicron are between 40% and 60% lower, while intensive care admissions halved, they said.
Government advisers said bars, restaurants and theatres should be allowed to open until 10pm.

One in 20 pupils in England absent with Covid last week

Richard Adams - Education editor, The Guardian
The DfE’s latest attendance figures show that more than 5% of state school pupils in England were absent for Covid-related reasons (previously 3.9%), almost all with confirmed or suspected infections. That accounts for 374,000 pupils.
The figures estimate 9% of teachers were off – half with Covid. Concerns over children’s safeguardian and education are being raised as attendance in both primary and secondary schools slips to below 90%.

A quick update from Reuters on France:
French health minister Olivier Veran has told LCI TV he hoped the country would reach the peak of the current Covid-19 wave in the next few days.
Almost 400 people in France who were hospitalised due to a Covid infection died over the past 24 hours, official data showed for Monday, the highest figure since April.

Hospitals in the Czech Republic are recording a surge in Covid patients as the Omicron variant spreads through the country
According to figures released by health ministry, the number of hospitalised people with Covid jumped to 1,695 on Monday, up from 1,537 the previous day.
It had been declining since 6 December when the previous wave, caused by the Delta variant, peaked at 7,135 people needing hospital treatment.
Anticipating the surge, the government has shortened the isolation period for those testing positive for Covid-19 from 14 to five days, and also similarly cut the quarantine time for close contacts of infected people.
Czech doctors, nurses and care home workers are allowed to keep working even if they have Covid, the government announced on 14 January. Those who are infected but are required to keep working will only be allowed to go from home to the workplace and back.

A Covid outbreak has hit an Australian aid ship bound for virus-free Tonga
Twenty-three Covid cases were found among sailors onboard an Australian warship expected to arrive in Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday. There are more than 600 crew onboard, who are all fully-vaccinated.
The Australian Associated Press reports:

The Department of Defence confirmed the positive cases and close contacts were isolating as per Covid-safe protocols, adding the ship would continue on to Tonga and arrive off its coast early Wednesday morning.
HMAS Adelaide would fulfil its mission to support the relief effort, with humanitarian and medical supplies, engineering equipment and helicopters on board, the department said in a statement.
“Defence recognises the Covid-free status of Tonga, and will ensure the humanitarian supplies and equipment on board are delivered in a Covid-safe manner,” it said.
HMAS Adelaide has “excellent” medical facilities on board and a 40-bed hospital. The recorded positive cases are mild or asymptomatic.
The Australian defence minister, Peter Dutton, said the government was working with Tonga to ensure no threat to the Pacific nation.

“They need the aid desperately but they don’t want the risk of Covid,” the minister told Sky News. We will work through all of that as quickly as we can. We are not going to put the Tongan population at risk.”
It is the second aid shipment from Australia where a positive case has turned up. A C-17 plane turned around mid-flight after someone was diagnosed with Covid-19.

The UK reports 94,326 Covid cases and 439 deaths

In the last 24 hours, 94,326 people have tested positive and 439 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test, the government said.
This is up from 88,447 new Covid cases and 56 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded a day earlier.

‘Not logical’: WA needs more than border closures to fight Covid, experts say
Melissa Davey - Medical editor, The Guardian
Western Australia, which has mostly dodged the virus by sealing itself off from the rest of the world, has scrapped plans to reopen next month due to fears of Omicron spreading. But experts say more public health measures are needed to ease the burden of staff shortages.
The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid, said:

 It takes something to be really on the horizon for you to understand how urgent it is to actually prepare. One of the good things about the 5 February date was it focused the health system’s collective mind on getting ready. You could finally see some action.

Now the 5 February border reopening has once again been delayed Khorshid is concerned some of that earlier momentum will be lost and may lead to a false sense of security. But with Covid-19 already spreading in the community, Khorshid said it was only a matter of time before health plans would need to swing into action.
On Sunday the state’s health minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson, conceded it would not be possible to eliminate Covid in WA. The premier, Mark McGowan, said the delay in border reopening was to give people more time to get their booster shot.
But Khorshid said borders should be opened to help address critical health worker shortages. At the same time, he wanted public health measures like venue density limits and social distancing to be introduced to slow spread and reduce the health system burden.

Italy's daily cases more than double to 186,740

Italy recorded 186,740 Covid-linked cases on Tuesday. This is up from 77,696 a day earlier, the health ministry said. The number of deaths jumped to 468 from 352, though more tests had been taken in the past day than on Monday.
Some 1.4m Covid tests were carried out in the past 24 hours, compared with a previous 519,293, the health ministry added.
Italy has registered 144,343 deaths linked to the virus since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 10.2m cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid – not including those in intensive care – stood at 20,027 on Tuesday, increasing from 19,862 a day earlier.
This makes for bleak reading considering yesterday, a health official said Italy has reached a peak in the number of Omicron infections with cases of the variant now declining.
Covid emergency commissioner Francesco Paolo Figliuolo told journalists in Milan:

There is good news: it seems that we have reached the plateau of the curve for what concerns Omicron and it is going downhill.
In the past two days, even in Lombardy [where death rates are highest] the number of admissions to the hospital is lower than the number of discharged. This bodes well.

Sue Gray’s report into the Downing Street parties could arrive at No 10 tonight
Pippa Crerar - Political editor, the Daily Mirror
It’s up to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, when the report will be made public.

No 10 has always said it expects to release the report to MPs, and to the public, soon after receiving it from Gray and her team.
ITV’s Robert Peston has also been told that the Sue Gray report is set for publication within the next 24 hours.

Scotland to ease home-working guidance from Monday

Nicola Sturgeon is giving an update on Covid to the Scottish Parliament, where she says the data shows a positive picture, with cases falling.
The first minister says the current guidance on working from home will be eased, paving the way for a phased return to offices.
From Monday 31 January, she says employers should consider implementing hybrid working - with some time spent in the office and some time working from home.
However, Sturgeon says she would not expect to see "a wholesale return to the office" next week as a mass return at this stage "is likely to be counterproductive" and set back progress.
Currently, people in Scotland are asked to work from home wherever possible.

Neil Young wants his music scrubbed from Spotify because of vaccine misinformation on the platform
Scottie Andrew - CNN

Neil Young wants his music removed from Spotify because he said the music streamer spreads vaccine misinformation through popular podcasters like Joe Rogan.

Neil Young, an outspoken advocate for Covid-19 safety and prevention, doesn't want his music to share a home with vaccine misinformation.
In a now-deleted post on his website, Young asked his managers and record label to remove his music from Spotify because he said the music and podcast platform is "spreading fake information about vaccines -- potentially causing death to those who believe this disinformation spread by them."(Rolling Stone originally reported the text of the deleted post.)

"I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,"

the 76-year-old said in Monday's post, according to Rolling Stone.

"They can have Rogan or Young. Not both."

"Rogan" refers to Joe Rogan, the exceedingly controversial podcast host who has made frequent false and inaccurate claims surrounding vaccines and Covid-19. Earlier this month, a group of more than 250 scientists, doctors and nurses penned an open letter to Spotify condemning the streamer for platforming Rogan and calling on Spotify to warn its listeners about misinformation.
"The Joe Rogan Experience" was Spotify's most popular podcast globally in 2021, according to Variety. It became a Spotify exclusive in 2020, when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming service, thought to be worth more than $100 million, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
CNN has reached out to Young's manager, his publicist at Warner Records and Spotify for comment.
Frank Gironda, Young's manager, did confirm to the Daily Beast that the two had discussed Young's concerns and were "trying to figure this out right now." He said, too, that Young was "very upset about this disinformation."

Father denied heart transplant because he won’t get Covid vaccine
Gustaf Kilander - Independent.ie
A young father is being denied a heart transplant because he won’t get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The 31-year-old’s father David Ferguson told CBS Boston that his son DJ is fighting to stay alive at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“My son has gone to the edge of death to stick to his guns and he’s been pushed to the limit,” Mr Ferguson told the TV station.
DJ’s family say that he was at the front of the line to receive a heart but that according to hospital policy, he is not eligible because he has not been vaccinated.
Mr Ferguson said getting vaccinated is against his son’s “basic principles” and that “he doesn’t believe in it”.
“It’s a policy they are enforcing and so because he won’t get the shot, they took him off the list of a heart transplant,” he said.
The hospital said in a statement that “like many other transplant programs in the United States – the Covid-19 vaccine is one of several vaccines and lifestyle behaviours required for transplant candidates in the Mass General Brigham system in order to create both the best chance for a successful operation and also the patient’s survival after transplantation”.
The Head of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Dr Arthur Caplan, told CBS Boston that the vaccine is necessary because after any kind of transplant, “your immune system is shut off”.
“The flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, Covid could kill you. The organs are scarce, we are not going to distribute them to someone who has a poor chance of living when others who are vaccinated have a better chance post-surgery of surviving,” Dr Caplan said.
DJ has two children and a third is coming, with the family saying they are unsure how they are going to proceed. They are considering having him transferred, but he may not be strong enough for the move.
“We are aggressively pursuing all options, but we are running out of time,” Mr Ferguson said.
The family has said that DJ has been given great care at the hospital but that they don’t agree with the vaccination policy.
“I think my boy is fighting pretty damn courageously and he has integrity and principles he really believes in and that makes me respect him all the more,” Mr Ferguson added.
“It’s his body. It’s his choice,” he said.
About 868,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, according to data from The New York Times.
Around 210 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 63.2pc of the population, according to Our World In Data.

Sir Elton John tests positive for Covid-19 and reschedules shows
Gareth Milner - Senior Digital Producer, GB News

Photo: Matt Croswick

Sir Elton John has tested positive for Covid-19 and expressed “disappointment” at having to reschedule some of his shows in the US.
On his Instagram story, the musician, 74, said: “Hi everyone, wanted to send a message to let you know that I have contracted COVID and so have had to reschedule my shows in Dallas.
“If you have tickets, you’ll be contacted with the new dates really soon.
“It’s always a massive disappointment to move shows and I’m so sorry to anyone who’s been inconvenienced by this but I want to keep myself and my team safe.
“Fortunately, I’m fully vaccinated and boosted and my symptoms are mild so I’m fully expecting to be able to make the Arkansas shows this weekend.
“As always, thank you for all your love and support and I can’t wait to see you all soon!”

Russian skeleton medallist tests positive for COVID-19 before Beijing Games
Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Christian Radnedge - Reuters
MOSCOW, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Russian skeleton racer Nikita Tregubov, silver medallist at the 2018 Winter Olympics, has tested positive for COVID-19 before his team is set to fly to China to compete in the Beijing Games next month, his coach said.
Speaking to RIA news agency, coach Danil Chaban said Tregubov, 26, had twice tested positive for the virus during a training camp in Sochi in southern Russia and that he was now in quarantine.
"Today or tomorrow Nikita will be tested for the coronavirus again," RIA quoted Chaban as saying. "We hope that the result will be negative and we will see how the situation develops."
Chaban added that it was still unclear whether Tregubov would need to be replaced but that Evgeny Rukosuev was ready step in if needed.
The Russian skeleton team is scheduled to fly to Beijing on Jan. 31.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Figure Skating Federation said Mikhail Kolyada would miss next month's Beijing Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 and be replaced with Evgeny Semenenko.
At the Beijing Games, which run from Feb. 4-20, Russians will be competing as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee without their flag or anthem because of doping sanctions.

Rapid tests denied to Australians despite millions being used in the UK
David Crowe - Sydney Morning Herald
Australians are being denied a chance to use a rapid antigen test approved by the United Kingdom’s health authority and issued free to millions of people over the past year, in a tussle over standards after a ban on the kits in the United States.
Australian importers have struggled to gain local approval to sell the Biotime test despite its widespread use in the UK, where the National Health Service (NHS) rebadges the kit with the government brand so that people can test themselves and record the results online.
With households facing a shortage of kits across the country, the long dispute over the Biotime rapid antigen test (RAT) has kept one of the world’s biggest RAT suppliers out of the country since the first application for its approval in December 2020.
The test is produced by Xiamen Biotime Biotechnology of China and has been bought by the NHS in large volumes under contracts worth an estimated £3.7 billion ($6.98 billion) for the product’s distributor as part of the UK government’s “Operation Moonshot” bid for mass daily testing.
Sydney company Rapid Test & Track wants approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to sell the same tests but believes the process has taken too long because of a controversy over the product with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“I think we’ve been unfairly assessed and [the TGA’s] view has been tainted by the FDA criticisms and they have been unwilling or unable to call upon the UK regulator to verify that the product is suitable and should be deployed immediately,” the company’s chief executive, Alan Higgins said.
The controversy centres on the US distributor of the kits, Innova Medical Group of California, which breached FDA standards last year by selling the tests without marketing approval, clearance, or authorisation from the peak US agency.
The FDA forced Innova to recall products and told Americans they should not use the kits.
“The FDA has significant concerns that the performance of the test has not been adequately established, presenting a risk to health,” it said.
“Labelling distributed with certain configurations of the test includes performance claims that did not accurately reflect the performance estimates observed during the clinical studies of the tests.
“Finally, the test has not been authorised, cleared, or approved by the FDA for commercial distribution or use in the United States, as required by law.”
Read more.

‘Peace, freedom, no dictatorship!’: Germans protest against Covid restrictions
Kate Connolly - The Guardian
In Germany, protests against Covid rules are escalating, with more than 2,000 rallies being held across the country on Monday alone.
On Monday evening on the dot of 7pm people emerged from dimly lit side streets and gathered on the Oberkirchplatz square in Cottbus for what has become a weekly ritual in towns and cities across Germany: a protest against coronavirus protection measures.
The demonstrations have grown in strength as cases of the Omicron variant have surged, and in recent weeks a looming decision on bringing in a vaccine mandate has become the focus of protesters’ ire.
In Cottbus, a university city south-east of Berlin, a familiar pattern played out. Moments after the protest started, police declared over megaphone that it was illegal – the participants did not wear masks or physically distance from each other. Groups then broke away and began the Spaziergänge, walks that snake in a variety of directions and are designed to overwhelm any police response.
“I just want my freedom back,” said one elderly woman. Another younger woman said she was trying to stop the government from forcibly vaccinating her nine-year-old, though there is currently no plan to oblige parents to have children vaccinated. A physiotherapist, one of the few protesters who was wearing a mask, said she was fearful of losing her job if she refuses to get vaccinated under plans for a mandate for medical staff, due to be introduced next month.
Asked why there was need for resistance, Maik, a landscape gardener who refused to wear a mask – calling them “chin nappies” – said: “When injustice becomes law, resistance is our duty.”

Russia has cut the isolation time for Covid contacts from 14 days to seven, amid a surge in infections driven by the Omicron variant
On Tuesday, daily cases reached the record high of 67,809, official figures show.
AP reports:

Prime minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the new rules apply to those who had close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid, not for those with a confirmed infection. Those who have Covid are still required to isolate for 14 days, with a mandatory test on day 10 or 11.
Daily new infections in Russia have been rising sharply for the past two weeks, increasing more than four-fold — from about 15,000 on 10 January to 67,809 on Tuesday, the highest daily tally in the pandemic.
However, according to health minister Mikhail Murashko, there has been no significant increase in hospitalisations nationwide. Hospital admissions grew by 6.4%.

116,000 Covid patients were being treated in hospitals on Tuesday, leaving about 50,000 remaining hospital beds unoccupied.
According to Anna Popova, head of Russia’s public healthcare watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, more than half of all new infections have hit the capital Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city.
The surge in Moscow, which reported nearly 19,000 new cases on Tuesday, has put a strain on the city’s outpatient clinics. Social media users have posted long lines of people waiting to see a doctor. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the influx of patients to outpatient facilities has grown four-fold.