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Coronavirus live news: UK aviation industry warns of impact of travel corridor curbs; India begins world's largest vaccination drive Coronavirus live news: Keir Starmer suggests he would back tougher measures; India begins world's largest vaccination drive
(32 minutes later)
Death toll reaches 2 million people; UK shuts travel corridors and requires negative tests to enter; German vaccine officials forced to guess who is eligible from namesDeath toll reaches 2 million people; UK shuts travel corridors and requires negative tests to enter; German vaccine officials forced to guess who is eligible from names
AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Pakistan, the health minister said on Saturday, making it the first coronavirus jab to be allowed for use in the South Asian country.
Pakistan, which is in the midst of a second wave of infections, has said it would procure more than a million doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine, but the Chinese vaccine has not yet been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
“DRAP granted emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine,” the country’s health minister, Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.
Pakistan reported 2,432 new coronavirus infections and 45 deaths on Friday, taking the total number of cases to more than 516,000 and deaths close to 11,000.
Keir Starmer has suggested he would back further Covid curbs, saying “the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control”.
Answering questions following a speech to the Fabian Society’s new year conference, the Labour leader said he was “still worried” by the number of infections despite signs they are falling.
He said the “sense that we are through the worst” of the third wave is wrong, as he welcomed further restrictions on travel announced by the Government on Friday.
Starmer explained:
Greece started vaccinations among the elderly on Saturday, after first inoculating tens of thousands of frontline workers to halt the spread of coronavirus.Greece started vaccinations among the elderly on Saturday, after first inoculating tens of thousands of frontline workers to halt the spread of coronavirus.
More than 75,000 healthcare workers and nursing home residents and carers have received the shot of the vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech since the country rolled out the plan along with other EU countries last month.More than 75,000 healthcare workers and nursing home residents and carers have received the shot of the vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech since the country rolled out the plan along with other EU countries last month.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, has said the aim is to have 2 million people inoculated by March. The country has a population of about 11 million.Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, has said the aim is to have 2 million people inoculated by March. The country has a population of about 11 million.
Snow has forced all three rapid Covid testing centres in Luton to close, the local council has said, adding the decision would protect staff and public safety.Snow has forced all three rapid Covid testing centres in Luton to close, the local council has said, adding the decision would protect staff and public safety.
China has finished building a 1,500-room hospital for Covid patients to fight a surge in infections believed to have arisen from infected people or goods arriving from abroad.China has finished building a 1,500-room hospital for Covid patients to fight a surge in infections believed to have arisen from infected people or goods arriving from abroad.
The hospital is one of six with a total of 6,500 rooms being constructed in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei province, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.The hospital is one of six with a total of 6,500 rooms being constructed in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei province, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
A total of 645 people are being treated in Nangong and the Hebei provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, Xinhua said.A total of 645 people are being treated in Nangong and the Hebei provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, Xinhua said.
The latest infections spread unusually fast, the National Health Commission said, adding in a statemen: “It is harder to handle”. The latest infections spread unusually fast, the National Health Commission said, adding in a statement: “It is harder to handle”.
It attributed the latest cases to “abnormal management” and “inadequate protection of workers” involved in imports but gave no further details.It attributed the latest cases to “abnormal management” and “inadequate protection of workers” involved in imports but gave no further details.
The statement said: Part of the statement said:
A plane carrying one million doses of Sinopharm’s Covid vaccine arrived on Saturday in Serbia, making it the first European country to receive the Chinese vaccine for mass inoculation programmes.A plane carrying one million doses of Sinopharm’s Covid vaccine arrived on Saturday in Serbia, making it the first European country to receive the Chinese vaccine for mass inoculation programmes.
President Aleksandar Vučić was accompanied by Beijing’s ambassador to the Balkan country at Belgrade’s airport as containers carrying the vaccines were unloaded from an Air Serbia plane, Reuters reports.President Aleksandar Vučić was accompanied by Beijing’s ambassador to the Balkan country at Belgrade’s airport as containers carrying the vaccines were unloaded from an Air Serbia plane, Reuters reports.
“I would like to thank President Xi Jinping and Chinese leadership for sending us one million doses of the vaccine,” Vucic told reporters.“I would like to thank President Xi Jinping and Chinese leadership for sending us one million doses of the vaccine,” Vucic told reporters.
Hello everyone, it is Yohannes Lowe here. I am taking over the liveblog from Damien for an hour or so, so feel free to drop me a message on Twitter for coverage suggestions.Hello everyone, it is Yohannes Lowe here. I am taking over the liveblog from Damien for an hour or so, so feel free to drop me a message on Twitter for coverage suggestions.
Nearly three-quarters of black people in the UK have said they are unlikely to consent to Covid-19 vaccination, a survey has found. Linda Geddes, a Guardian science correspondent, has the story:Nearly three-quarters of black people in the UK have said they are unlikely to consent to Covid-19 vaccination, a survey has found. Linda Geddes, a Guardian science correspondent, has the story:
A further 4,029 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia, the country’s health ministry has announced, the biggest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic.A further 4,029 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Malaysia, the country’s health ministry has announced, the biggest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic.
So far the country has recorded 155,095 infections.So far the country has recorded 155,095 infections.
The health ministry also reported eight new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 594.The health ministry also reported eight new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 594.
Adverse reactions to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may have contributed to the deaths of some frail and elderly patients in Norway, the country’s medicines agency has said.Adverse reactions to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may have contributed to the deaths of some frail and elderly patients in Norway, the country’s medicines agency has said.
In a statement published on Friday, the Norwegian medicines agency said it had recorded 23 deaths “associated with Covid-19 vaccination,” adding that “common adverse reactions may have contributed to a severe course in elderly people who are frail.”In a statement published on Friday, the Norwegian medicines agency said it had recorded 23 deaths “associated with Covid-19 vaccination,” adding that “common adverse reactions may have contributed to a severe course in elderly people who are frail.”
Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said:Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said:
The statement pointed out that while trials of the vaccine did not include “patients with unstable or acute illness” and few over the age of 85, the country’s vaccination programme was now focused on the elderly and people in nursing homes with serious underlying conditions, “therefore it is expected that deaths close to vaccination time may occur.”The statement pointed out that while trials of the vaccine did not include “patients with unstable or acute illness” and few over the age of 85, the country’s vaccination programme was now focused on the elderly and people in nursing homes with serious underlying conditions, “therefore it is expected that deaths close to vaccination time may occur.”
“We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the vaccine occurring within the first days following vaccination (such as fever and nausea) may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease,” the statement added.“We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the vaccine occurring within the first days following vaccination (such as fever and nausea) may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease,” the statement added.
Police in Wales have fined a woman £500 for organising protests over the death of a young black man hours after he was released from police custody.
The family of Mohamud Hassan allege that he was beaten by South Wales police and had a number of serious injuries at the time of his death. The police have referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Protests took place outside Cardiff Bay police station for three days after Hassan’s death.
Regarding the fine, South Wales police said:
The medicines regulator in Switzerland is set to approve AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine this month, according to a local media report.
The NZZ newspaper on Saturday cited two unnamed sources as saying that the watchdog, Swissmedic, will hold a meeting at the end of the month to confirm its approval of the vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, which both use a novel mRNA mechanism, are already approved for use in Switzerland.
“If everything proceeds in an exemplary manner and we get the necessary data soon, the next approval decision can come very quickly,” the paper cited a Swissmedic spokesman as saying without giving a date, according to Reuters.
The Swiss government has told the country’s 8.6 million residents that everybody can be vaccinated for free by the middle of the year.
From today people in mainland Scotland may not leave or remain outside their homes for any other than essential purposes, as toughened lockdown restrictions come into force.
Working from home is the default position for all businesses through statutory guidance and services, with only those unable to do so allowed to continue going to their workplaces. Guidance previously issued to only allow essential work to be undertaken inside people’s homes has also been placed into law.
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that police can challenge people for doing something considered not to be essential after they have left the house.
Entering businesses to purchase takeaway food and drinks has also been banned. Now, premises will need to operate using a hatch or counter at the door.
Drinking alcohol in public outdoors has also been banned.
India has begun one of the world’s biggest Covid-19 vaccination programmes, the first major developing country to rollout the vaccine and marking the beginning of an effort to immunise more than 1.3 billion people, writes Hannah Ellis-Petersen, the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent.
The first dose was administered to a health worker at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital, New Delhi, after the prime minister, Narendra Modi, kickstarted the campaign with a nationally televised speech.
“We are launching the world’s biggest vaccination drive and it shows the world our capability,” Modi said. He implored citizens to keep their guard up and not to believe any “rumours about the safety of the vaccines”.
It is not clear if Modi, 70, has taken the vaccine himself, like other world leaders, as an example of the shot’s safety. His government has said politicians will not be considered priority groups in the first phase of the rollout.
Cafes and restaurants will reopen in Azerbaijan from the beginning of February, but other coronavirus restrictions will be extended until April, the government has said.
According to Reuters, Azerbaijan’s coronavirus measures were introduced in late March and have been extended several times, with borders closed as the number of new cases keeps rising.
Shopping malls will stay closed and the metro service in the capital, Baku, will remain suspended.
As of Saturday, the country of about 10 million people in the south Caucasus had registered 226,549 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 2,983 deaths.
A leading British epidemiologist has warned against the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in the UK at the end of February, saying it would be a disaster that would put enormous pressure on the NHS.
Prof John Edmunds, who works on the government’s coronavirus response as part of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
The UK airport industry has warned of devastating consequences from the country’s drastic tightening of border controls.
Responding to the announcement that all travel corridors will be suspended, Karen Dee, Airport Operators Association chief executive, said:
This morning the same coronavirus-related story is leading nearly all the UK national papers this morning.
The Saturday print editions of the Guardian, the Times and the Telegraph all lead with the news of the UK drastically tightening its border controls. As Peter Walker, one of our political correspondents, writes:
The same story also leads the Express, but its mid-market rival the Daily Mail leads with something about the royal family.
Russia on Saturday reported 24,092 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including 4,674 in Moscow, Reuters reports.
The latest update takes the country’s national tally to 3,544,623, the world’s fourth largest.
Authorities also confirmed 590 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 65,085.