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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 names | 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 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 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. |
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. |