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Coronavirus live news: 2 million could die before vaccine ready, warns WHO; cases surge in Europe Coronavirus live news: 2 million could die before vaccine ready, warns WHO; cases surge in Europe
(about 1 hour later)
WHO warns death toll could be higher than 2m without concerted action; Madrid braced for lockdown as Spain reaches 716,481 total infections; surge in cases AthensWHO warns death toll could be higher than 2m without concerted action; Madrid braced for lockdown as Spain reaches 716,481 total infections; surge in cases Athens
This week in Australia, the Queensland government announced it would expand the border zone further into New South Wales, to include councils taking in Byron Bay and other northern communities. There has been pressure on Queensland premier Annastacia Palasczuk for weeks to ease border restrictions, but the state is keen to avoid cases in Victoria and New South Wales from entering.
On Saturday the premier tweeted that the “solid health response” had kept Queenslanders safe.
The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, is standing firm on his calls for the independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus and urged all nations to share a vaccine once it is proven.
Morrison’s pre-recorded speech on the virtual stage on Saturday morning to the 75th United Nations general assembly, praised the World Health Organization for establishing an inquiry into the global response to coronavirus, AAP reports.
“There is also a clear mandate to identify the zoonotic source of the Covid-19 virus and how it was transmitted to humans,” he said.
“This virus has inflicted a calamity on our world and its peoples. We must do all we can to understand what happened for no other purpose than to prevent it from happening again.”
The inquiry resolution backed by 145 countries in May does not mention China, instead committing to an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation.
China eventually supported the European Union motion. Ties between the two nations have since been fraught, with tariffs being imposed on some goods and Australian journalists being evacuated from China.
Morrison urged other leaders to share a coronavirus vaccine if they discover one. He has previously said if Australia found a vaccine, it would be shared across the world.
“This is a global responsibility and it’s a moral responsibility for a vaccine to be shared far and wide,” he said. “Some might see short-term advantage or even profit. But I assure you to anyone who may think along those lines, humanity will have a very long memory and be a very, very severe judge.”
AFP reports that on Friday the American credit rating agency Fitch Ratings left Britain’s debt rating unchanged at AA- and the outlook at negative, after downgrading both in March on fears of economic damage from Covid-19.
The affirmed negative outlook “reflects the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the UK economy and the resulting material deterioration in the public finances, with Fitch forecasting the fiscal deficit to materially widen this year and government debt set to increase to well over 120% of GDP over the next few years,” it said.
Fitch saw Britain’s deficit climbing to 17.7% of GDP this year from 2.2% in 2019, an increase well above that seen during the 2008-10 global financial crisis, which the agency blamed on the slowdown in economic activity and government measures to fend off the pandemic.
The deficit is predicted to drop back to about 12% of GDP by next year and below 10% of GDP in 2022.
The forecast comes after the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced a raft of new restrictions in England earlier this week, mirrored to varying extents in other UK nations, to try to curb a rise in coronavirus cases.
The numbers in Victoria remain in the low double digits, with 12 new cases announced by the health department on Saturday morning. One person died.
Over the past week Victoria has recorded its lowest daily numbers since June, with new cases under 20 on five days including today. On Monday, just 11 new Covid-19 cases were announced.
Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average is now 23.6, and regional Victoria’s is 0.8, while the death takes the state toll to 782 and the national death toll to 870.
Here is a list of the latest Victoria case locations and outbreaks.
Melissa Davey here in Melbourne, Australia taking over the blog from Nadeem Badshah. We are expecting the daily case numbers for Victoria to come through shortly, with much of the state still under stage four lockdown, which means a 9pm-5am curfew and strict restrictions on travel.
On Friday, the state’s premier Daniel Andrews made his long-awaited appearance before the hotel quarantine inquiry, which is examining how infection control protocols were breached, spreading the virus beyond the hotels housing returned international travellers. The virus then spread into the broader community, triggering a second wave.
After six weeks of inquiry hearings, it is still not known who made the decision to use security guards instead of the police or the Australian Defence Force, which assisted in securing travellers in the quarantine hotels in other states.
The premier, health minister Jenny Mikakos, jobs minister Martin Pakula and police minister Lisa Neville have all denied being involved in the decision. Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton, his predecessor Graham Ashton, chief health officer Brett Sutton and multiple senior public servants have also pleaded ignorance.
Andrews said he was disappointed no one in his government knows who made the fateful decision.
“There’s just no one who says it was them. Are you aware of that?” counsel assisting the inquiry Rachel Ellyard asked.
“I am,” the premier replied.
“Do you know who it was?”
“No, I don’t.”
The death toll in Brazil has risen to 140,537 from 139,808 yesterday, the country’s health ministry said.The death toll in Brazil has risen to 140,537 from 139,808 yesterday, the country’s health ministry said.
The country has also registered 4,689,613 confirmed cases, up from 4,657,702 on Thursday.The country has also registered 4,689,613 confirmed cases, up from 4,657,702 on Thursday.
Boris Johnson will urge world leaders to overcome their differences and unite in the battle against coronavirus as he outlines measures to prevent future pandemics.Boris Johnson will urge world leaders to overcome their differences and unite in the battle against coronavirus as he outlines measures to prevent future pandemics.
The UK prime minister is set to tell foreign counterparts at the United Nations General Assembly that the “notion of the international community looks tattered” after the Covid crisis.The UK prime minister is set to tell foreign counterparts at the United Nations General Assembly that the “notion of the international community looks tattered” after the Covid crisis.
He will call for states to “reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts”, as he announces a plan, developed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Wellcome Trust, to help stop future pandemics.He will call for states to “reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts”, as he announces a plan, developed with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Wellcome Trust, to help stop future pandemics.
The proposals include developing a global network of “zoonotic hubs” to identify dangerous pathogens before they jump from animals to humans, as well as improving manufacturing capacity for treatments and vaccines.The proposals include developing a global network of “zoonotic hubs” to identify dangerous pathogens before they jump from animals to humans, as well as improving manufacturing capacity for treatments and vaccines.
Other measures include designing a global pandemic early warning system, improving the ability to collect and analyse samples and distribute the findings, and agreeing common protocols on information sharing to PPE supplies around the world.Other measures include designing a global pandemic early warning system, improving the ability to collect and analyse samples and distribute the findings, and agreeing common protocols on information sharing to PPE supplies around the world.
Johnson is also proposing states reduce trade barriers on Covid-critical products, such as soap, to help the global response, and he will commit 500 million in aid funding for the Covax vaccines procurement pool to help poor countries access a coronavirus jab.Johnson is also proposing states reduce trade barriers on Covid-critical products, such as soap, to help the global response, and he will commit 500 million in aid funding for the Covax vaccines procurement pool to help poor countries access a coronavirus jab.
In a pre-recorded speech to be played on Saturday afternoon, the Prime Minister will say: “After nine months of fighting Covid, the very notion of the international community looks tattered.In a pre-recorded speech to be played on Saturday afternoon, the Prime Minister will say: “After nine months of fighting Covid, the very notion of the international community looks tattered.
“We know that we cannot continue in this way. Unless we unite and turn our fire against our common foe, we know that everyone will lose.“We know that we cannot continue in this way. Unless we unite and turn our fire against our common foe, we know that everyone will lose.
“Now is the time therefore, here at what I devoutly hope will be the first and last ever Zoom UNGA, for humanity to reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts.“Now is the time therefore, here at what I devoutly hope will be the first and last ever Zoom UNGA, for humanity to reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts.
“Here in the UK, the birthplace of Edward Jenner who pioneered the world’s first vaccine, we are determined to do everything in our power to work with our friends across the UN to heal those divisions and to heal the world.”“Here in the UK, the birthplace of Edward Jenner who pioneered the world’s first vaccine, we are determined to do everything in our power to work with our friends across the UN to heal those divisions and to heal the world.”
Romilly Greenhill, UK director of The One Campaign, which fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, said: “This is powerful leadership from the British Government at a moment when it could not be more important.”Romilly Greenhill, UK director of The One Campaign, which fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, said: “This is powerful leadership from the British Government at a moment when it could not be more important.”
Saturday’s Guardian front page.Saturday’s Guardian front page.
A selection of some of Saturday’s UK front pages, starting with the Telegraph.A selection of some of Saturday’s UK front pages, starting with the Telegraph.
A challenge laid down to US President Donald Trump.A challenge laid down to US President Donald Trump.
Spain’s Fernando Verdasco questioned the French Open’s Covid-19 testing protocols after having to withdraw from the tournament due to a positive result, which he deemed was false.Spain’s Fernando Verdasco questioned the French Open’s Covid-19 testing protocols after having to withdraw from the tournament due to a positive result, which he deemed was false.
Verdasco, 36, pulled out of the final Grand Slam of the year in Paris on Thursday, alongside Canada’s Milos Raonic and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.Verdasco, 36, pulled out of the final Grand Slam of the year in Paris on Thursday, alongside Canada’s Milos Raonic and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
The Spaniard said he had returned a negative result on several occasions before he arrived in Paris, including at this month’s Italian Open in Rome, where he lost in the qualifiers.The Spaniard said he had returned a negative result on several occasions before he arrived in Paris, including at this month’s Italian Open in Rome, where he lost in the qualifiers.
The world number 58 criticised the French Open’s testing procedures after he was denied a re-test.The world number 58 criticised the French Open’s testing procedures after he was denied a re-test.
“In August, I passed the COVID-19 asymptomatically,” he said in a statement on Twitter“In August, I passed the COVID-19 asymptomatically,” he said in a statement on Twitter
“Since then I have done multiple PCR tests, with negative results... I tested negative again a few days ago in the test I took before going to Hamburg...“Since then I have done multiple PCR tests, with negative results... I tested negative again a few days ago in the test I took before going to Hamburg...
“My team and family travelled to Paris on Tuesday... they all tested negative except me. I explained my history and situation to try to request another test...“My team and family travelled to Paris on Tuesday... they all tested negative except me. I explained my history and situation to try to request another test...
“The Roland Garros organisation refused to do another test, even taking into account all these circumstances, and that there were enough days to repeat the tests before the competition and the draw ceremony. Still, I was disqualified.”“The Roland Garros organisation refused to do another test, even taking into account all these circumstances, and that there were enough days to repeat the tests before the competition and the draw ceremony. Still, I was disqualified.”
Verdasco said he had undergone two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and an antibody test since his withdrawal from the French Open and returned a negative result in all three tests.Verdasco said he had undergone two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and an antibody test since his withdrawal from the French Open and returned a negative result in all three tests.
“I want to communicate my total frustration and outrage with the organisation of Roland Garros for taking away my right to participate even without giving me the opportunity to take another test with a new sample to confirm that the result of the first could be an error,” he said.“I want to communicate my total frustration and outrage with the organisation of Roland Garros for taking away my right to participate even without giving me the opportunity to take another test with a new sample to confirm that the result of the first could be an error,” he said.
On Wednesday, Bosnian Damir Dzumhur said he was taking legal action against the French Open organisers after he was barred from entering the qualification round after his coach Petar Popovic tested positive for the virus.On Wednesday, Bosnian Damir Dzumhur said he was taking legal action against the French Open organisers after he was barred from entering the qualification round after his coach Petar Popovic tested positive for the virus.
The French Open, moved from its usual late May slot due to the coronavirus pandemic, begins on Sunday.The French Open, moved from its usual late May slot due to the coronavirus pandemic, begins on Sunday.
A tweet from Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau on potential vaccines.A tweet from Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau on potential vaccines.
Colleges and universities in the US have now counted more than 130,000 coronavirus cases on campus, most of those since the return for the fall semester.Colleges and universities in the US have now counted more than 130,000 coronavirus cases on campus, most of those since the return for the fall semester.
More than 35 colleges have reported at least 1,000 cases, The New York Times reported.More than 35 colleges have reported at least 1,000 cases, The New York Times reported.
Governor Ron DeSantis has lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in Florida, in a move to reopen the economy despite the spread of the coronavirus.
The governor, a close Trump ally, has also banned local fines against people who refuse to wear masks.
The AP reported:
Costa Rica’s government said it has signed up for the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility vaccine program to be able to pre-order more than one million doses of the vaccine once it is made available.
The global death toll could double to 2 million people before a successful vaccine is widely used, the World Health Organization warned. Dr Mike Ryan, the head of the body’s emergencies programme, said it could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US has passed 7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
France has reported 15,797 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total past 500,000.
The body’s technical lead on Covid-19 Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said numbers in Europe are going in the wrong direction. She indicated that the upcoming start of the flu season could exacerbate the problem.
Lockdown conditions were recommended for the whole of Madrid. The Spanish government said the whole of the capital should be covered by restrictions. But the regional government refused, saying only selected districts should be locked down.
South Korea said it would impose tighter restrictions during the Chuseok autumn holiday weeks. People traditionally reunite with families during the period, flagging the risks of new clusters of infections.
The UK borrowed £35.9bn in August in an effort to tackle the economic fallout, official figures showed. It means the national debt hit a record £2.024tn at the end of that month – £249.5bn more than the same time last year – according to the Office for National Statistics.
A cluster of about 100 cases in Iceland were traced back to two French tourists who refused to isolate. The country’s chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason said the pair arrived in mid-August and were instructed to remain in isolation after testing positive.
The global death toll passed 980,000 on Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. With the number of deaths confirmed daily averaging more than 5,000, it looks likely the toll will pass 1 million within days. There are 32m cases worldwide.
The virus is continuing to mutate throughout the course of the pandemic, according to new research, with experts believing it is probably becoming more contagious. The study did not find that mutations of the virus had made it more lethal or changed its effects.
India’s coronavirus case tally surged to 5.82 million after it recorded 86,052 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed on Friday. India has regularly been confirming daily case numbers above 80,000 since late August, according to Johns Hopkins University. A total of 1,141 people died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the ministry said, taking mortalities to 92,290, which is a relatively low 1.6% of all cases.
Brazil cancelled its carnival parade, which usually takes place in February, for the first time in 100 years. Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA, announced that the spread of the coronavirus had made it impossible to safely hold the traditional event.Rio’s authorities are yet to announce a decision about the carnival street parties that also take place across the city. But its tourism promotion agency said in a statement to the Associated Press on 17 September that without a coronavirus vaccine, it was uncertain when large public events could resume.
In Europe, the pandemic is worse now than at the March peak in several member countries, the European Union warned, as governments reimpose drastic measures. New infections are soaring once again, prompting the bloc’s disease control agency to flag seven countries of “high concern”. The EU’s health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, said in “some member states, the situation is now even worse than during the peak in March”.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US has passed 7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Here’s a link to their map, which shows 7,015,242 cases and 203,240 deaths.
A single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response against coronavirus in an early to mid stage clinical trial, according to interim results.
The vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, was equally well tolerated at two different doses, the results showed. A single shot versus a rival two-dose approach being tested by Moderna and Pfizer could simplify distribution of the vaccine.
However, it is unclear whether elderly people, one of the populations most at risk from the virus, will be protected to the same degree as younger people with the J&J vaccine.
The trial in close to 1,000 healthy adults, which is backed by the US government, began after the J&J vaccine was found in July to offer strong protection in a single dose to monkeys.
Based on the current results, J&J on Wednesday kicked off a final 60,000-person trial, which could pave the way for an application for regulatory approval. The company said it expects results of that phase three trial by the end of the year or early next year.
The results, released on the medical website medRxiv, have not been peer-reviewed.
Researchers, including those from J&J’s unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said 98% of participants with data available for the interim analysis had neutralising antibodies, which defend cells from pathogens, 29 days after vaccination.
However, immune response results were available from only a small number of people – 15 participants – over 65 years old, limiting the interpretation.
Dr Barry Bloom, a professor at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the J&J trial, told Reuters: “Overall, the vaccine is doing what you would expect it to do if you were to move it to phase three trials.”
After 127 students at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK tested positive for coronavirus, a local lockdown for student accommodation at the Birley campus and Cambridge Halls has been implemented.
All students in the accommodation will be instructed to self-isolate for 14 days even if they have no symptoms. Medical, welfare and emotional wellbeing support will be put in place for them.
Dr Yasmin Ahmed-Little, from Public Health England North West, said: “We are working closely with Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester city council and partners to provide public health advice aimed at helping stop the spread of the virus.
“It is really important for all students follow the advice from the university and the city council to stay safe.
“Young people play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus to protect those at much greater risk.”
Officials have stopped a Covid-19 testing study in the US after multiple reports that state and federal public health workers were threatened and face racial slurs.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pulled federal surveyors out of Minnesota this week after they experienced verbal abuse and intimidation. In Eitzen, along the Iowa border, one survey team was boxed in by two cars and threatened by three men, including one with a gun.
The team felt the intent was clearly to intimidate and scare them, said Stephanie Yendell, who supervised Minnesota’s role in the survey.
Dr Ruth Lynfield, state epidemiologist, said frustration with the state’s response to the pandemic is understandable, but there is “no justification for this, the enemy is the virus and not the public health workers who are trying to help.”
The survey teams were going to 180 neighborhoods this month to offer free testing for Covid-19 and for antibodies, and to try to understand how the virus was spreading, particularly among people with no known symptoms.
Anti-lockdown activists are aiming to stage their biggest protest yet in central London tomorrow, as the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, warned it had reached “a worrying tipping point” with Covid-19 hospital admissions increasing.
Facebook groups and other social media channels being used to organise the event indicate that large numbers are planning to travel into the city from other parts of the country, using public transport and other means.The rally in Trafalgar Square comes six months on since the Coronavirus Act 2020 came into force and week on from protests against lockdown and mass vaccinations, when police made dozens of arrests in London.Speakers tomorrow will include the conspiracy theorist David Icke, who was joined on stage by Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers and others at a previous rally, which drew thousands of participants.The same coalition of groups, who draw support from 5G conspiracy theorists, coronavirus sceptics and “anti-vaxxers”, are involved in this weekend’s demonstration. Another event, billed as a People’s network and family picnic, is being organised by the same activists for Sunday in Hyde Park.An activist from one of the groups involved, Save our Rights UK, said that the idea of submitting a risk assessment to authorities so that the event could gain some official approval was being explored and there had been some correspondence about how it could proceed in a “Covid-secure way”.“Whether we can or not is in question. We are not sure if we are going to get that [approval]. On the day we will be doing what we can,” she told viewers of a video broadcast on its Facebook account.
Organisers were eager to work with the police as much as possible and were working hard to ensure it would be a peaceful event.“A lot of the police probably are on our side but they are stuck and torn and we have to recognise they are following orders,”The Metropolitan police had yet to respond to queries about whether the protest was illegal and what action the force planned to take.
Two former heads of a veterans home in the US have been indicted on criminal neglect charges for their roles in handling a Covid-19 outbreak that killed 76 people.
Massachusetts attorney Maura Healey said the criminal case against the former officials at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was believed to be the first yet linked to an outbreak at a US nursing facility during the pandemic.
The case against former superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director David Clinton stemmed from a March decision to consolidate two dementia units, putting Covid-19 positive residents within feet of ones without symptoms, Healey said.
In a tribute to the victims, Healey said: “They risked their lives from the beaches of Normandy to some, the jungles of Vietnam ... And to know that they died under the most horrific of circumstances is truly shocking.”
Authorities began investigating the Soldiers’ Home, a 247-bed, state-run facility in Holyoke that provides healthcare, hospice care, nursing and other services to veterans, after learning of “serious issues” with infection control procedures.
The US justice department has also launched a related investigation into conditions at the facility.
The indictment in Hampden county superior court charges Walsh and Clinton with five counts of “wantonly or recklessly” committing or permitting bodily injury, and five counts for abuse, neglect or mistreatment of an elderly or disabled person.
Walsh plans to plead not guilty, his lawyer, Tracy Miner, said.
“It is unfortunate that the attorney general is blaming the effects of a deadly virus that our state and federal governments have not been able to stop on Bennett Walsh,” she said.