Coronavirus - 5 February 2022

Summary for Saturday, 5th February 2022

The main Coronavirus news events so far today:

• Tory MP Stephen Hammond has said he is “considering very carefully this weekend” whether he still has confidence in the prime minister and it “certainly looks like” the beginning of the end for Johnson
  
  
• Culture secretary Nadine Dorries insisted the prime minister tells the truth “to the best of his knowledge” and suggested those calling for his resignation were Remainers. She added that health secretary Sajid Javid had told her “he is 100% behind the prime minister”
  
  
• New Labour MP Christian Wakeford has called on Conservative MPs to submit letters of no confidence in the prime minister, saying they “owe it to the country”
  
  
• The US death toll from Covid-19 has hit 900,000
  
  
• Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has tested positive for Covid-19
  
  
• Russia reported a record daily number of Covid-19 cases with new daily cases of 177,282. The government coronavirus task force also reported 714 deaths.
  
  
• South Korea reported more than 30,000 daily Covid-19 infections for the first time
  
  
• Hong Kong reported a record 351 daily cases of coronavirus
  
  
• Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases have exceeded 100,000, marking a new high, public broadcaster NHK reported
  
  
• About 50 of Iran’s 290 parliamentarians have contracted Covid-19, a senior MP has said
  
  
• Compulsory vaccination for over-18s came into force in Austria today
  
  
• The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said he discussed with the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, the need for stronger collaboration to investigate the origins of Covid-19
  
  
• Canadian cities, including Toronto, are braced for further disruptions this weekend as protests against vaccine mandates spread from the capital of Ottawa
  
  

US Covid-19 death toll hits 900,000

The US death toll from Covid-19 hit 900,000 on Friday, less than two months after eclipsing 800,000, reports the Associated Press.
The two-year total, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Indianapolis, San Francisco, or Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr Ashish K Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said: “It is an astronomically high number. If you had told most Americans two years ago as this pandemic was getting going that 900,000 Americans would die over the next few years, I think most people would not have believed it.”
He added that most of the deaths happened after the vaccine gained authorisation.
“We got the medical science right. We failed on the social science. We failed on how to help people get vaccinated, to combat disinformation, to not politicise this,” Jha said. “Those are the places where we have failed as America.”
In a statement on Friday night, the president, Joe Biden, lamented the grim milestone and acknowledged the “emotional, physical, and psychological weight of this pandemic” urging people to get vaccinated.

Russia reports record daily Covid-19 cases

Russia reported a record daily number of Covid-19 cases on Saturday as the Omicron coronavirus variant continued to spread, authorities said.
New daily cases jumped to 177,282, from 168,201 a day earlier. The government coronavirus task force also reported 714 deaths.

New Zealand reported a record 243 new Covid-19 daily cases on Saturday
as officials warned more cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant were expected.
Reuters reports:
Covid response minister Chris Hipkins said: “I urge people not to panic but to plan for that.
“The best thing you can do to prevent illness is to get vaccinated and get your booster.”

Hong Kong reports record 351 daily cases of coronavirus

Hong Kong reported 351 cases of coronavirus on Saturday, a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic, reports Reuters.
This adds further pressure on the government’s “dynamic zero-Covid” strategy as other major cities opt to live with the virus.
Health secretary, Sophia Chan, said she expects cases to rise “exponentially” following the lunar new year holiday because of an increase in family and social gatherings.
She appealed for people to “stay at home” and urged people, especially the elderly, to get vaccinated.
About 160 of the latest cases had no clear source and were still being investigated, authorities said.
On Friday, Hong Kong reported 131 positive cases, compared with 142 on Thursday. The previous daily record was 164 cases in late January.
In total, Hong Kong has recorded 213 Covid-19 deaths and around 15,000 cases since early 2020, according to the government.
It added that on Friday two pet cats had tested positive for coronavirus and urged pet owners to avoid kissing animals.

Compulsory vaccination rules come into force in Austria

From today, Austrians over the age of 18 must be vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they are exempt, or face the possibility of a heavy fine, an unprecedented move in the European Union, reports Agence-France Presse.
The new measure, adopted on 20 January by Austria’s parliament, was signed into law by the president, Alexander Van der Bellen, on Friday.
The government’s tougher approach has been met with criticism within the country.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Germany, a similar law championed by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was debated last month in the Bundestag, but has not made progress because of divisions on the issue.

Malaysia reported 9,117 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, the highest daily figure in four months
Reuters reports:
The new cases bring the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 2,904,131. Malaysia has also reported over 32,000 deaths.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Noor Hisham Abdullah the director-general of health said:

Although the number of cases is expected to rise in the next couple of days and weeks, due to the high transmissibility of Omicron variant, it causes a less severe form of the disease in those who have had full vaccination and taken their booster shot.

About 97.9% of Malaysia’s adult population has received two doses of the vaccine, while 52.3% have also received the booster shot. About 88.7% of 12- to 17-year-olds have also received two doses.
This week Malaysia began vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds.

About 50 of Iran’s 290 parliamentarians have contracted Covid-19, a senior MP has said.
Alireza Salimi, speaking to YJC, a news agency linked to Iran’s state TV, said this week’s parliamentary session would be held in accordance with health regulations.
Parliament was suspended for two weeks last April due to an outbreak among MPs, Reuters reports. In the early days of the pandemic, several lawmakers died from the virus.
Iran has experienced a sharp rise in cases and in recent days reported an average of more than 30,000 new infections daily. On Saturday however, the health ministry reported 23,130 fresh cases.
More than 50 million people of the country’s 85 million strong population have received two doses of the vaccine, and more than 19 million have received three doses.
Iran has logged more than 6.5 million infections and more than 132,500 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

South Korea logs record daily number of new Covid cases

South Korea on Saturday reported more than 30,000 daily Covid-19 infections for the first time, as the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency logged a record 36,362 new Covid-19 infections.
The latest figure is a dramatic increase from the previous daily record of 27,443 reported on Friday.
The government extended social distancing rules on Friday for two weeks until 20 February, including a 9pm curfew for restaurants, bars and gyms, as infections with Omicron continue to soar.
The prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, said extending the restrictions, which were due to end on Sunday, was necessary to slow the spread of the variant amid fears the lunar new year holiday may have fuelled infections.
Health authorities have warned that daily infections could possibly reach 100,000 in coming weeks, the Korea Herald reported.

People form a long queue at a Covid-19 testing station in Seoul, South Korea, on 4 February 2022. Photograph: YONHAP/EPA

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has tested positive for Covid-19, he said on Saturday.
“Today my wife and I tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms. Thankfully, we’re experiencing slight symptoms that we have learned is the omicron variant,” he tweeted.
“We are on duty. We will continue to work at home. We look forward to your prayers.”

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan crossing the courtyard to welcome the Serbian president at the presidential residence in Ankara. Photograph: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images

Erdoğan, 67, made the announcement after appearing via videolink at a tunnel-opening ceremony from Istanbul, having cancelled his appearance in person, citing bad weather, AP reports.
The president showed no signs of illness in his televised appearance.
Turkey has seen record levels of Covid-19 cases in recent days, with 111,157 cases reported on Friday.
Deaths are also rising in the country, with 248 virus-related fatalities reported on Friday, a level not seen since October.

Singapore reports 10,390 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
CNA
SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 10,390 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Saturday (Feb 5), comprising 10,208 local and 182 imported infections. 
There were two fatalities, according to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health (MOH) website. This takes the death toll from coronavirus complications to 868.
The weekly infection growth rate is 1.44, up from Friday's 1.39.
Under MOH's new approach of presenting infection numbers, the daily case count includes the number of Protocol 2 cases - those who are well or assessed to have a mild condition.
Among the cases reported on Saturday, 7,505 are Protocol 2 infections, comprising 31 imported cases and 7,474 local ones.
Another 2,885 cases were confirmed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests - 151 of them imported and 2,734 local infections.
As of Saturday, Singapore has recorded 390,071 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
There are 1,068 patients in hospital, with 86 requiring oxygen supplementation. Twenty-three patients are in the intensive care unit.
As of Friday, 92 per cent of Singapore's eligible population have completed their full vaccination regimen under the national vaccination programme.
About 59 per cent of the total population have received their vaccine booster shots.

UAE announces 1,991 new COVID-19 cases and 4 deaths

Gulf Today
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it has conducted 488,153 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours and detected 1,991 new coronavirus cases.
The new cases bring the total number of infections in the UAE to 855,642.
According to a Ministry statement all the infected individuals belong to various nationalities and are in a stable condition.
They all are receiving the necessary care, said the statement.
Total number of deaths in the country due to COVID-19 infections rose to 2,262 after the Ministry announced 4 new deaths on Saturday.
An additional 1,149 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 783,119.
The MoHAP has also announced that 28,710 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given in the past 24 hours.
The total number of doses provided up to today stands at 23,698,742 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 239.61 doses per 100 people.
The Ministry statement  stressed that its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment.
Expressing its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased the Ministry called on all members of the society to adhere to the instructions and physical distance to ensure the health and safety of all.

Azerbaijan breaks daily Covid record with over 7,700 new cases

Azerbaijan State News Agency
Baku, February 5, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan broke its record for daily Covid-19 infections, reporting 7,704 cases on Saturday, the Task Force under the Cabinet of Ministers told AZERTAC.
Deaths rose 23 to 8,846, while total registered cases reached 691,180.
As many as 4,109 people were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 641,538.

Spotify’s attempt to use the Facebook playbook over Joe Rogan won’t wash
John Naughton - The Guardian
Founder Daniel Ek’s bid to make the anti-vaxxer controversy go away ignores the fact that it is paying the US comedian to appear on its service

Neil Young demanded Spotify remove his music from its service over remarks made by Joe Rogan, right, on his podcast. Photograph: AP

Two decades ago, the late and much-lamented David Bowie said something that was eerily prophetic. “Music itself,” he observed, “is going to become like running water or electricity.” His point was that in 2002 we were still carrying our music in little bottles called iPods, just as Victorian travellers in India carried bottles of drinking water because you couldn’t rely on their being a safe and sanitary public supply.
Spool forward 20 years and Spotify, the Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, is, in Bowie’s terms, the global music authority, providing sanitised recorded music everywhere, on demand. At the moment, it has something like 406 million active monthly users, of whom more than 180 million pay for its “premium” (advertising-free) service.
Read more here.

UK death toll increases by 259

A further 259 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 158,243, the government said.
The figures now include deaths in England following possible reinfections of Covid-19, which is why there has been a jump in the cumulative total and why the daily figure is higher than recently.
There were 60,578 cases of Covid-19 reported in the UK which includes reinfections in England and Northern Ireland that are more than 90 days after a previous positive test.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has criticised website GoFundMe after $9 million in donations were sent to support protesting truckdrivers in Canada.
He pledged to investigate what he called “deceptive practices” by the website.
GoFundMe took down the so-called Freedom Convoy’s page on Friday, saying it violated its terms of service.
It said donors had two weeks to request a refund, then remaining funds would be disbursed to “credible and established charities.”
DeSantis, a Republican, said he would work with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to investigate.
He tweeted: “(T)hese donors should be given a refund.”

Russia will ease some of its Covid-19 restrictions from Sunday, the consumer health watchdog announced, despite reporting a record daily number of cases as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
The number of daily infections has been surging since January. But the highly transmissible Omicron variant has not led to a significant increase in deaths, and the Kremlin has recently dismissed concerns about the risk of new lockdowns. According to the latest order from the consumer health watchdog, from Sunday people will no longer need to self-isolate after contacting those infected with the virus, Reuters reports. In Moscow, schools and nurseries may end isolation requirements for pupils from next week, the capital’s coronavirus task force said.

Italy reported 93,157 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, down from 99,522 the day before
The number of deaths decreased to 375 from 433, Reuters reports. Italy has registered 148,542 deaths linked to Covid-19, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 11.54 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 18,615 on Saturday, down from 19,000 a day earlier, Reuters reports.
There were 104 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 114 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 1,411 from a previous 1,440.
Some 846,480 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 884,893, the health ministry said.