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    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022

    Kitkat
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    • Post n°1

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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 10:24

    Summary for Tuesday, 1st February 2022


    Good morning

    Welcome to today's live coronavirus news updates.

    First, a quick recap of the main events happening around the world over the past 24 hours:


    • Boris Johnson has been left desperately trying to shore up his premiership as detectives were revealed to be investigating 300 photos and 12 events in Downing Street during lockdown, including a party in the UK prime minister’s private flat.

    • UK ministers have announced plans to scrap an order forcing all NHS staff in England to get vaccinated against Covid. Health secretary Sajid Javid said the U-turn would prevent the exodus of thousands of health workers.

    • New research suggested that the world would be better protected against new Covid variants and there would be substantially fewer deaths in low- and middle-income countries if rich nations donated half of their vaccine doses.

    • Justin Trudeau has said that Canadians were disgusted by the behaviour of anti-vaccine protesters, and said he would not be intimidated by those who hurled abuse. His comments came shortly after he tweeted that he had tested positive for the virus.

    • Another 92,000 Covid cases were reported for England on Monday, a steep rise on the day before, after reinfections were included in the statistics for the first time.

    • A study in Denmark has suggested that the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people

    • The UK government will consult on ending mandatory jabs as condition of employment in health and all social care settings, with a view to revoking the regulations.

    • Amnesty International has accused Spanish prosecutors of failing to properly investigate dozens of Covid-related deaths of residents of nursing homes. Amnesty’s Spain director, Esteban Beltrán, said that in some cases authorities closed the investigations without contacting staff or victims’ families.

    • Denmark on Tuesday becomes the first EU country to lift all of its Covid restrictions despite record numbers of cases, relying on its high vaccination rate to cope with the Omicron variant. After a first attempt at lifting all its restrictions between September and November, the country is once again ditching its face masks, Covid passes and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants.

    • British foreign secretary Liz Truss has tested positive for Covid, shortly after sitting in a packed House of Commons without wearing a mask. Truss had been due to travel to Ukraine with the prime minister on Tuesday to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 10:35

    British foreign secretary Liz Truss tests positive

    Jedidajah Otte - The Guardian
    Liz Truss has tested positive for Covid, shortly after sitting in a packed House of Commons without wearing a mask.
    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 2953
    Liz Truss leaving the House of Commons on Monday night. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

    Writing on Twitter on Monday evening, the UK’s foreign secretary said: “I tested positive for Covid this evening. Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.”
    After the session in the Commons, during which she gave a statement about Russia, Truss also attended a packed meeting with Boris Johnson, Tory MPs and ministers on Monday evening at Portcullis House in Westminster, where she also did not wear a face mask.
    All members of the parliamentary Conservative party were invited to the meeting, with the rooms reportedly being so full that some MPs left early.
    Very few Tory MPs, including on the Commons frontbench, wore masks in the Commons on Monday; the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and health secretary, Sajid Javid, were notable exceptions.
    Truss had been due to travel to Ukraine with the prime minister on Tuesday.
    Read more here.

    Denmark to lift all Covid restrictions

    Denmark will on Tuesday becomes the first European Union country to lift all of its Covid restrictions despite record numbers of cases, relying on its high vaccination rate to cope with the milder Omicron variant.
    After a first attempt at lifting all its restrictions between September and November, the Scandinavian country is once again ditching its facemasks, Covid passes and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants, AFP reports.
    “I’m so happy that this is all going to be over tomorrow. It’s good for life in the city, for nightlife, just to be able to be out longer”, 17-year-old student Thea Skovgaard told AFP the day before the lifting.
    Nightclubs reopen on Tuesday, when limits on the number of people allowed at indoor gatherings also come to an end.
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    Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen said last week that the country would return ‘to life as we knew it before corona’. Photograph: Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters

    Only a few restrictions remain in place at the country’s borders, for unvaccinated travellers arriving from non-Schengen countries.
    The easing comes as Denmark registers around 40,000-50,000 new Covid cases a day, or almost one% of the country’s 5.8 million inhabitants.
    “We have an extremely high coverage of adults vaccinated with three doses,” epidemiologist Lone Simonsen of the University of Roskilde told AFP.
    More than 60% of Danes have received a third dose - one month ahead of health authorities’ schedule - compared to an EU average of just under 45%.
    Including those who have recently had Covid, health authorities estimate that 80% of the population are protected against severe forms of the disease.
    “With Omicron not being a severe disease for the vaccinated, we believe it is reasonable to lift restrictions”, Simonsen said.
    The broad spread of the Omicron variant is also expected to lead to a “more robust and long-lasting immunity”, helping the country fend off future waves, she said.
    Two years after the outbreak of Covid-19, the Danish strategy enjoys broad support at home.
    In a poll published Monday by daily Politiken, 64% of Danes surveyed said they had faith in the government’s Covid policy.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 10:51

    Beijing Winter Olympics organizers report 24 new Covid cases

    The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee says a total of 24 new Covid-19 cases were detected among games-related personnel on 31 January.
    Eighteen of the cases were found among new airport arrivals, according to a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website, Reuters reports.
    Six others were among those already in the “closed loop” bubble that separates all event personnel from the public, five of whom were classified as either an athlete or a team official, the notice said.
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    Workers in protective equipment at the National Indoor Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photograph: Matt Slocum/AP

    Mainland China meanwhile reported 66 new cases on 31 January, up from 58 a day earlier, the national health authority said.
    The National Health Commission in its daily bulletin said 27 of the new cases were local infections, with 39 coming from overseas. Of the local transmissions, 13 were in the province of Zhejiang, with 7 in northern Tianjin and two in the capital Beijing.
    The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 32, down from 52 a day earlier.
    The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 106,139, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.

    Rise in Covid cases in England as reinfections included for first time

    Another 92,000 Covid cases were reported for England on Monday, a steep rise on the day before, after reinfections were included in the statistics for the first time.
    Previously daily Covid case figures – which reflect the number of new infections picked up by testing – did not include reinfections for England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, although figures for Wales did, provided the positive tests were more than 42 days apart. In other words, most people were only counted once even if they had caught Covid multiple times.
    However, as the pandemic has gone on, the absence of reinfections in case data led to concerns, with experts noting that a previous infection provides little protection against Omicron, while – two years into the pandemic – there is a bigger pool of people who have had Covid at least once before.
    Scientists noted that it was also important to include reinfections in order to understand the dynamics of the spread of immune-evasive variants that emerge, while it also sheds light on why some individuals may get infected over and over.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 11:01

    Tens of thousands of tonnes of Covid waste threatening health and environment, warns WHO

    Miranda Bryant - The Guardian
    Tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste created by the Covid pandemic are threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report has found.
    The material – including discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles – could expose health workers to burns, needle-stick injuries and germs, the report found, and some of it could still be infectious.
    Reuters reports that communities close to poorly managed landfills could also be impacted by contaminated air from burning waste, poor water quality or disease-carrying pests, according to the findings.
    An estimated 87,000 tonnes of PPE – the equivalent of the weight of several hundred blue whales – was ordered on a UN portal before November 2021, with most of it believed to have become waste.
    It called for reform and investment including in cutting plastic waste.

    UK deputy prime minister says he 'gets the argument about double standards' over Downing Street party allegations

    Dominic Raab, Britain’s deputy prime minister, insisted the public would have to “wait and see” what a police investigation into alleged Downing Street parties find but that he “gets the argument about double standards”.
    Responding to former prime minister Theresa May’s claim yesterday that the Sue Gray report shows that Number 10 “was not observing the regulations they imposed on members of the public,” he told Sky News: “I don’t think that’s actually quite right.”
    It comes after it was revealed that detectives are investigating 300 photos and 12 events in Downing Street, including a party in Boris Johnson’s private flat.
    https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1488415634908192770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1488415634908192770%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F01%2Fcovid-live-news-denmark-lifts-all-covid-restrictions-despite-record-cases-liz-truss-tests-positive
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 11:06

    More than half of hospital beds set aside for Covid patients in Tokyo were occupied today after a sharp rise in admissions
    The city has set aside nearly 7,000 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, reports Reuters. New infections yesterday reached 14,445.
    Governor Yuriko Koike previously said that 50% bed occupancy would trigger a request for an emergency declaration from central government.
    Tokyo and most of Japan are under restrictions in a bid to contain record cases following the emergence of Omicron.
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    Pedestrians in Tokyo today. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/AP

    Russia reports record daily Covid cases

    Russia today reported record daily Covid cases as Omicron spreads across the country.
    The country recorded 125,836 cases, a rise from 124,070 the previous day, reports Reuters.
    In the last 24 hours, 663 people died with the virus, according to government figures.

    Masks on flights globally could stay in place for years

    Masks on flights will be one of the last remaining Covid restrictions globally and could stay in place for years, reports the Times.
    Varying rules between countries will make it “nigh-on-impossible” for airlines to act individually on masks, experts told the newspaper.
    “Until there is a harmonised lifting of mask mandates on flights by governments worldwide it is simpler for airlines to keep the rules in place,” a senior aviation source told the Times.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 11:15

    Romania reports record daily Covid infections

    Romania recorded its highest daily Covid infections to date today as hospitalisations rose.
    A total of 40,018 new people have been infected, according to government data, as the country’s vaccination campaign struggles, reports Reuters.
    Romania has the second least vaccinated population in the EU, at around 41%.
    Yesterday there were 903 Covid patients in intensive care units – 84% of whom are unvaccinated.

    1,484 Covid deaths registered in England and Wales in week ending 21 January

    A total of 1,484 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending 21 January that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
    The latest figures, from the Office for National Statistics, mark a 7% rise on the previous week and is the highest number since the week to 12 March 2021 when there were 1,501 deaths.
    Around one in nine (11.6%) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 21 January mentioned Covid on the death certificate.
    https://twitter.com/ONS/status/1488448442456227842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1488448442456227842%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F01%2Fcovid-live-news-denmark-lifts-all-covid-restrictions-despite-record-cases-liz-truss-tests-positive

    Saudi Arabia records 3,861 COVID-19 cases, one death in 24 hours

    Amani Hamad - Al Arabya
    Saudi Arabia has recorded 3,861 new COVID-19 cases and one virus-related death in the last 24 hours, according to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health.
    A total of 691,125 cases and 8,941 deaths have now been recorded in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the pandemic.
    In the last 24 hours, there were also 4,377 recoveries, bringing the total number to 644,730.
    Authorities in the Kingdom have now administered a total of 57,317,151 vaccine doses to the country’s population of around 35 million.
    Saudi Arabia recorded its first omicron case in early December, thought to have come from an undisclosed north African country.
    Case numbers soared in January as the omicron variant spread worldwide, reaching an all-time-high of 5,928 on January 19.
    The decision instructing people in Saudi Arabia to receive a booster vaccination shot against COVID-19 in order to activate a visible “immune” status in the Kingdom’s contact-tracing "Tawakkalna" app went into effect on February 1, according to the official SPA news agency.
    An “immune” status in the app is required to attend events, enter government buildings, and travel by plane or public transport.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 11:21

    Today's events so far ...

    • The UK’s Covid-19 death toll has passed 180,000, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. A total of 1,264 deaths occurred in England and Wales in the week ending 21 January which mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, taking the UK-wide total to 180,622.
    • A total of 1,484 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending 21 January that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate. The latest figures, from the Office for National Statistics, mark a 7% rise on the previous week and is the highest number since the week to 12 March 2021 when there were 1,501 deaths.
    • Romania recorded its highest daily Covid infections to date today as hospitalisations rose. A total of 40,018 new people have been infected, according to government data, as the country’s vaccination campaign struggles.
    • Russia today reported record daily Covid cases as Omicron spreads across the country. The country recorded 125,836 cases, a rise from 124,070 the previous day, reports Reuters.
    • Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that everybody is “paying the price” for the British prime minister’s actions and that the public “feel they have been taken for mugs” by the Downing Street party allegations. He told Sky News that people have been forced to relive “dark moments” from their lives over the last two years as a result of allegations against Boris Johnson and feel guilt over following the rules.
    • Dominic Raab, Britain’s deputy prime minister, insisted the public would have to “wait and see” what a police investigation into alleged Downing Street parties find but that he “gets the argument about double standards” in an interview with Sky News.
    • Tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste created by the Covid pandemic are threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report has found. The material – including discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles – could expose health workers to burns, needle-stick injuries and germs, the report found, and some of it could still be infectious.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 12:43

    Ireland: New changes on EU COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates to affect over 44,000 people

    Schengenvisainfo News
    The European Union Commission’s decision to shorten the validity of the EU Vaccination Certificates will affect more than 44,000 people who will not be eligible to travel to other countries starting from today.

    The EU Commission announced that the changes applied in order to make the vaccination certificates valid for a period of 270 days will become effective from today, February 1, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

    According to the new rules, EU COVID-19 certificates for all persons who have not taken the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will expire after nine months.

    As reported by the Sunday Times, it is estimated that of a total of 480,000 people who have completed their vaccination process before May 1 last year, over 44,000 of them have to receive the booster shot.
    In this regard, the President of the Irish Travel Agents Association, Paul Hackett, stressed that such new changes affect most persons who have received their second vaccine dose before May last year and who have not yet taken a booster shot.

    “The EU Digital Covid Cert that we received in 2021 has nine months’ validity from the date of the second vaccination. We don’t anticipate any impact on international travel here. This has been widely flagged; this is across the EU – all EU states are applying this nine-month validity rule,” Hackett pointed out in this regard.
    The Commission of the EU adopted new changes after the approval of the European Council on December 16 while stressing that the uniform acceptance of such documents will help the EU Member States to coordinate travel measures amid the ongoing pandemic situation.
    “This validity period takes into account the guidance of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, according to which booster doses are recommended at the latest six months after the completion of the first vaccination cycle. The Certificate will remain valid for a grace period of an additional three months beyond those six months to ensure that national vaccination campaigns can adjust and citizens will have access to booster doses,” the Commission noted.

    The Commission unfolded its plans to make the EU COVID-19 vaccination document valid for nine months on November 25. Several European countries, including the Czech Republic and Austria, have introduced such measures up to this point.

    In addition, in order to make the travel process easier amid the ongoing pandemic situation, the EU Member States were advised to remove the travel restrictions which take into account the epidemiological situation in traveller’s country of origin and focus more on traveller’s health risk.

    However, the recent map published by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that the European continent is profoundly affected by the Coronavirus’ Omicron variant, and therefore it has been recommended to avoid travel for unnecessary reasons, especially persons who have not completed their immunization process against the virus.

    According to the data provided by the ECDC, except for some regions in Poland and Romania, all European Union and Schengen Zone countries are placed in the dark red category, which consists of territories that have reported high rates of COVID-19 infection in the last two weeks.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 12:51

    Do I need a booster to travel? Rules explained- and countries that require a third vaccine for entry

    Some popular holiday destinations have set an expiration date for the validity of Covid vaccine certification
    Claire Schofield - National World
    Recent changes to testing and self-isolation isolation rules for UK arrivals has sparked a boost in bookings for holidays abroad.
    Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced last month that fully vaccinated arrivals in England will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test, while the requirement for those not in that category to self-isolate will be dropped.
    Mr Shapps hailed the changes as a return to the “good old days” of international travel, but warned booster doses are likely to become a requirement of foreign trips in the future.

    Do I need a booster jab to travel abroad?

    Under current rules, a booster vaccine is not an essential requirement to travel abroad.
    Anyone who has had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine is classed as being fully vaccinated in the UK at the moment, but it is expected that rules will soon change to include a booster.
    Mr Shapps said: “Increasingly countries elsewhere are requiring the booster for you to go there.
    “So an important message for people, particularly perhaps younger people who maybe think ‘Oh, I haven’t bothered with the booster, I’ve been jabbed but I haven’t bothered with the booster’, get the booster because this summer.
    “From talking to my counterparts around the world, in Europe and elsewhere, if you want to travel, say go to Spain on holiday this summer, they are almost certainly going to require that booster jab.
    “So you want to get that.”

    Which countries require a third vaccine dose for entry?

    Many popular holiday destinations have already tightened their rules around Covid-19 vaccinations.
    In some locations a booster is now a requirement for entry, while in others an expiration date on current vaccine passports has been set, meaning travellers risk being now being allowed in if their last dose falls outside of the required time period.
    If you are planning a trip abroad, these are the destinations where stricter vaccination rules already apply.

    Spain

    From 1 February, Spain is only allowing UK visitors to enter if they can prove they were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 within the last 270 days.
    This means that anyone who received their second dose more than nine months ago must have had a booster jab to be allowed entry, and this must have been given more than 14 days before travel.
    Spain’s official travel website Safe Spain states: “From February 1, 2022, in order to travel to Spain with a vaccination certificate, the certificate must have been issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin at least 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose of the full course of vaccination, as long as the final dose of that course of vaccination was no more than 270 days ago.”

    France

    UK tourists who have had two doses of a booster vaccine can travel to France.
    However, since 15 January, all travellers who have been fully vaccinated for more than seven months are now required to show proof of a booster dose to enter.

    Italy

    From 1 February, all visitors arriving in Italy from the UK must have had their last vaccine dose within 180 days for the vaccination certificate to be considered valid.
    This rule does not stop tourists from entering the country, but it can restrict venues that people are eligible to visit.

    Switzerland

    From 31 January, Switzerland will only accept vaccination certificates that show the last vaccine dose was given within 270 days.
    This means that UK tourists need to have received their booster within the last nine months to be valid.
    Again, this rule does not currently impact tourists entering Switzerland, as UK travellers who are not vaccinated can enter with a negative PCR (not older than 72 hours) or lateral flow test (not older than 24 hours).

    Austria

    Different vaccine validity rules apply in Austria. Two dose vaccinations are only valid for 180 days (or 210 days for those under 18), while a booster dose is valid for 270 days.
    For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you must show that you received a booster no more than 270 days before arrival.
    If you received a booster more than 120 days after being fully immunised (90 days from 1 February 2022), this must not have been more than 270 days before arrival.

    Belgium

    From 1 March, vaccine certificates in Belgium will only be valid for 150 days after a second vaccine dose, meaning people have five months to get a booster.
    The Belgian Consultation Committee said: “This means that anyone who was vaccinated with one dose (only Janssen) or two doses (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford) before October 1 must have had a booster shot before March 1.
    "Otherwise, the validity of the vaccination certificate will expire."
    This does not affect entry into Belgium from the UK, but could limit where travellers can visit on arrival.

    Greece

    Greek health minister Thanos Plevirs announced on 5 January that vaccine certificates in the country would only be valid for seven months after the last dose of a vaccine.
    This means that anyone who has not had a booster within this time frame is considered unvaccinated.
    This rule does not currently impact tourists entering Greece, as UK travellers only need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed in.
    But this could impact places tourists can visit during their stay if their vaccine certificate has expired.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 13:09

    Italy’s national Catholic military chaplain has accused a vaccine-denying archbishop of inciting subordination among the armed forces and police.
    Archbishop Santo Marciano issued a statement to all military and law enforcement last night in which condemned Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for “his conspiracy theory outbursts”, reports Reuters.
    It came after Vigano, a former Vatican ambassador in Washington who has been in hiding for more than three years since demanding Pope Francis resign, urged them to disobey orders and not be “automatons”.
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    Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano pictured in Baltimore in 2015. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

    UK's Covid death toll exceeds 180,000

    Niamh McIntyre and Georgina Quach - The Guardian
    The UK’s Covid-19 death toll has passed 180,000, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.
    A total of 1,264 deaths occurred in England and Wales in the week ending 21 January which mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, taking the UK-wide total to 180,622.
    The number of deaths in the most recent weeks was above the five-year average in private homes, but below the average in hospitals and care homes.
    The figures also show that there have now been just under 45,000 deaths in care homes in England and Wales since the start of the pandemic.
    Around one in nine or 11.6% of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to January 21 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

    Pet owners are booking private jets to avoid travel bans and get their “fur babies” out of Hong Kong.

    China is one of the last few places in the world pursuing a strict “zero-Covid” policy, which has resulted in bans on incoming flights and transit passengers.
    AFP reports:
    Typically favoured by the ultra-rich, private planes are now a mode of transport desperate pet owners are turning to when departing the increasingly isolated city.
    With commercial airlines already restricting the number of animals that can be transported on a plane, the spate of flight cancellations has created a massive backlog of outbound pets stuck in the city.
    Animal travel company Pet Holidays said December’s flight suspensions alone left 3,000 to 4,000 cats and dogs stranded.
    “No amount of money can buy them a seat” on a commercial flight, said Fanny Liang, the company’s pet emigration consultant.
    For a chartered private jet, an all-inclusive package for a house cat - and their human - runs to about $23,100 (£17,000) at Pet Holidays, though Liang said the costs vary based on the animal’s size.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 14:34

    Analysis: Tory MPs leave PM on probation

    Laura Kuenssberg -Political editor
    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 D6ceabc7-3947-4e40-9c71-945109f824f8

    It was only 12 pages, but there was one very damaging and difficult conclusion in the terse summary of Sue Gray's report.
    It is there now in black and white for all to see - there was rule breaking at the top of government when the country was living through lockdown.
    The prime minister's original claim that all the guidelines were followed seem almost farcical now.
    Downing Street's early dismissals of the claims, even some of Johnson's allies admit, now seem ill-advised. The Tory leader was savaged in the Commons, including by some of his own side, the disbelief and despair led by the former occupant of his address.
    The publication, however, has not toppled over an overwhelming set of dominoes.
    There are Conservative MPs who are incandescent. There are also a band of loyalists who are determined to help him stay on.
    Read more analysis here.

    What do the papers make of it?

    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 8ece354c-edef-46b5-b7c0-0676585dc4c0

    As you might have guessed, Sue Gray's report into lockdown parties leads all the papers today.
    • "A failure of leadership" is the headline in the Metro, quoting Gray's report. It highlights a "booze culture" in Downing Street revealed by Gray.
    • "Now publish the whole damn thing" demands the Mail, which says the release of a "flimsy 12-page update" raises more questions than it answers.
    • The Guardian describes a "wall of anger" the PM faced from Conservative MPs. One unnamed Tory tells the paper Boris Johnson's determination to keep fighting means removing him would be "extremely painful".
    • The Mirror says Johnson has "zero shame", after again refusing to quit.
    • The Telegraph focuses on the PM's request that Sue Gray produces a new report. It says Johnson is seeking to "quell growing anger" among his own MPs, with Downing Street confirming the senior civil servant will write a second update.
    • The Express says simply that the PM "got it wrong" – and calls for him to "get it right" in the future.
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    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 18:30

    Portugal's PM tests positive for Covid

    Portugal’s prime minister, Antonio Costa, has tested positive for Covid, two days after securing a surprise absolute majority in Sunday’s snap election.
    He will stay in isolation for a period of seven days, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

    UK records 112,458 new cases and 219 deaths

    The UK reports another 112,458 new confirmed coronavirus cases.
    That's the highest number for a couple of weeks, but the average over the last seven days is still falling slightly compared to the previous week, with a 2.2% decline.
    There were 219 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test, with the seven-day average showing a sharper fall of 12.3%.

    Prague protesters take grim issue with Covid curbs

    Rob Cameron - BBC Prague Correspondent
    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 8c003bf4-a932-4780-bd92-81bdcea58bfd
    Demonstrations have been taking place in Prague against Covid restrictions imposed by the Czech government

    People protesting against ongoing Covid restrictions have erected makeshift gallows close to the lower house of parliament in the Czech capital Prague.
    MPs are gathered there today to debate amendments to the so-called "Pandemic Law", which gives the country's Covid restrictions full legal force.
    Several hundred protesters, many carrying Czech flags, gathered in Prague's Malostranske square, where a total of six gallows have been erected.
    Hanging from them are effigies labelled "The Economy" and "Education". A similar recent demonstration included signs reading "traitors will swing from the gallows".
    The demonstration is the latest in a series of such protests, which sometimes attract large and hostile crowds, but which have mostly been peaceful.
    The government has recently introduced new measures to combat a rise in cases, including mandatory testing for employees and schoolchildren.
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    Kitkat
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    • Post n°13

    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 Empty Re: Coronavirus - 1 February 2022

    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 18:46

    Several countries are posting their daily coronavirus tallies. Here are some key figures:

    • Italy has posted its daily tally of Covid-19 cases, which comes to 133,142 on Tuesday, against 57,715 the day before, while the number of deaths rose to 427 from 349, health ministry data shows.
    • Turkey has logged more than 100,000 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
    • France is reporting that 3,751 people are in intensive care units for Covid-19, up by 51.
    • The UK has recorded 112,458 new cases, up from 92,367 on Monday.


    Graham Nash removes music from Spotify, calling company ‘enabler that costs lives’

    Ben Beaumont-Thomas - The Guardian
    Another artist has decided to pull their music from Spotify in protest over the Covid misinformation disseminated by the streaming company’s star podcaster, Joe Rogan, writes Ben Beaumont-Thomas.
    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young singer and guitarist Graham Nash has joined his former bandmate Neil Young in taking his music off the platform.
    Last week, Young accused Spotify of allowing Rogan to advance “fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them”. He later added to his criticism, accusing Spotify of “selling lies for money”.

    Norway set to scrap most Covid-19 lockdown measures

    Norway will scrap most of its remaining Covid-19 lockdown measures with immediate effect as an ongoing spike in coronavirus cases is unlikely to jeopardise health services, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
    Restaurants will again be allowed to serve alcohol beyond 11 o’clock at night, working from home will no longer be mandatory and the current limit of 10 visitors in private homes is removed, Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference.
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    Kitkat
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    • Post n°14

    Coronavirus - 1 February 2022 Empty Re: Coronavirus - 1 February 2022

    Post by Kitkat Tue 01 Feb 2022, 18:50

    What happened today?

    It's been another brisk day of coronavirus news, so what have been the major developments?

    • Sub-Saharan Africa sees a significant decrease in Covid cases and deaths over the past two weeks. Track the latest data for the continent
    • Families of care home residents are "overjoyed" as visiting restrictions are relaxed
    • And, Hello, it is him we're looking for - but sadly Lionel Richie has pulled out of his Isle of Wight Festival appearance and other UK dates due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.
    • Denmark has become the first European Union country to lift all of its Covid restrictions despite record numbers of cases, relying on its high vaccination rate to cope with the Omicron variant.
    • A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron strain - BA.2 or “stealth Omicron” - is even more infectious than the original version, according to a Danish study.
    • The World Health Organization warns that the vast amount of waste produced in tackling the pandemic poses a threat to human and environmental health.
    • A pregnant New Zealand journalist who claimed to have nowhere to go but Afghanistan will be allowed to return home after officials grant her an exemption from strict Covid-19 entry restrictions.
    • A senior Olympics official says venues at the Beijing Winter Games – which opens this week – could be up to half-full, countering fears that restrictions would lead to a second consecutive Games without spectators.
    • The swimming world championships scheduled to take place in the Japanese city of Fukuoka in July are postponed until 2023 because of the virus.
    • Wealthy Hong Kongers are chartering private jets to get them and their pets out of the city which has some of the strictest virus travel restrictions in the world.
    • The coronavirus has killed at least 5,671,154 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Tuesday.
    • The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 886,687, followed by Brazil with 627,138 and India on 496,242.
    • Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.
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