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Coronavirus live news: WHO says UK variant detected in 60 countries as Beijing steps up Covid measures Coronavirus live news: WHO says UK variant detected in 60 countries; Dutch government set to introduce curfew
(32 minutes later)
North Korean defector numbers plunge amid pandemic; UK coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries: WHO; Beijing introduces new Covid measures Variant first detected in Britain found in at least 60 countries; Dutch curfew set to be introduced between 8.30pm and 4.30am; Beijing introduces new measures
Morning everyone, this is Yohannes Lowe. I’ll be running the live blog until the evening. Please feel free to drop me a message on Twitter if you have any coverage suggestions.
The Dutch government is set to add the first nationwide curfew since the second world war to its already broad lockdown on Wednesday in a bid to limit the spread of new coronavirus mutations in the Netherlands, broadcaster RTL said.
The curfew would allow only people with pressing needs to leave their homes between 8.30pm and 4.30am as of Friday night, RTL said, citing government sources.
Schools and non-essential shops have already been closed since mid-December, following the shutdown of bars and restaurants two months earlier. This lockdown will remain in place until at least 9 February, the prime minister Mark Rutte said last week.
The introduction of the first night curfew since that imposed on the Dutch by German occupiers in the second world war is highly contentious, and various political parties have already said they will never back it.
The government is discussing the curfew and other possible measures on Wednesday morning, and has said it will announce its decisions early in the afternoon.
It will then seek the backing of parliament for its measures in a debate. The curfew however can be imposed without the backing of opposition parties.
The government is also considering whether to ban travel to and from the UK and South Africa, RTL said, to limit the spread of the highly contagious variants of the virus which were first discovered there.
Infections in the Netherlands have decreased steadily in the past three weeks, but health authorities say the new variants will lead to a new surge by next month if social distancing measures are not tightened.
The Dutch government currently has a caretaker status, as Rutte last Friday handed his resignation to King Willem-Alexander following a damning report on his cabinet’s handling of childcare subsidies.
Rutte has said he will remain able to take decisions on Covid-19 policies until a new government is formed after 17 March elections, seeking broad support for measures from both coalition and opposition parties.
Jeanne Becart, mayor of the Paris suburb of Garches, said public health officials told her to get ready to administer 1,200 Covid-19 vaccines a week. But for this week, the vaccination centre she set up has only been allocated 420 doses.
“I am a bit angry,” Becart said inside the vaccination hub off the town square, where over the course of Monday the 15 volunteers, nurses and doctors on duty between them vaccinated 90 patients.
She had a plea for the French president Emmanuel Macron. “Please Mr. President, buy vaccines whatever the cost.”
France is not experiencing problems with the supply of vaccines, according to government officials. They say that, apart from minor fluctuations, France is getting the doses from the manufacturers that were allocated to it.
The problem for France is that demand has exploded and is far outstripping the number of jabs available.
Many French people were initially sceptical, but as they have seen acquaintances get vaccinated with no adverse effects, large numbers decided the benefits outweigh the risks, say health officials.
“People have understood now that the vaccination is the solution,” said Barbara Thery, head of a vaccination centre in Le Cannet, just outside Cannes.
“So the relationship between the number of people who come forward and want to be vaccinated, and the speed at which we can do it, is not what we need,” she said.
Her centre has enough doses for 50 vaccinations per day but could easily dispense 200 a day if it had the doses, she said.France has approved both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for use.
The government ditched a plan to initially give the vaccine only to those in elderly people’s homes, meaning everyone 75 and over - a total of more than 6 million people in France - became eligible for the jab, but without the doses in place to vaccinate them straight away.
The health minister Olivier Veran said as fast as they were being produced, the vaccines were being shipped to vaccination centres.
A Health Ministry official said the supply was speeding up and the government was on track to meet its target of vaccinating 2.4 million people by the end of February.
In Saint-Denis, on the northern edge of Paris, the local mayor’s office set up a vaccination centre in a municipal building. For this week, it has been allocated 132 doses.
“Unfortunately that does not match the need,” said Katy Bontinck, the deputy mayor in charge of health. Because of the limited doses, the centre only opens on weekday afternoons.
The Portuguese economy minister Pedro Siza Vieira has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in self-isolation, his office reported late on Tuesday, the third cabinet member to be diagnosed with the virus in a week.The Portuguese economy minister Pedro Siza Vieira has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in self-isolation, his office reported late on Tuesday, the third cabinet member to be diagnosed with the virus in a week.
He had already been in quarantine at home since Saturday as a precautionary measure after Fthe fnance minister Joao Leao tested positive following a meeting with top EU officials.He had already been in quarantine at home since Saturday as a precautionary measure after Fthe fnance minister Joao Leao tested positive following a meeting with top EU officials.
Siza Vieira and the prime minister Antonio Costa were also at that meeting.Siza Vieira and the prime minister Antonio Costa were also at that meeting.
Siza Vieira was the third minister to be diagnosed with the coronavirus in the past week, following Leao and the labour minister Ana Mendes Godinho.Siza Vieira was the third minister to be diagnosed with the coronavirus in the past week, following Leao and the labour minister Ana Mendes Godinho.
Portugal, currently reporting the highest average of new cases per capita worldwide according to the ourworldindata.org website supported by Oxford University, has seen 566,958 confirmed coronavirus cases and 9,246 deaths so far and went back into lockdown on Friday.Portugal, currently reporting the highest average of new cases per capita worldwide according to the ourworldindata.org website supported by Oxford University, has seen 566,958 confirmed coronavirus cases and 9,246 deaths so far and went back into lockdown on Friday.
The spread of the coronavirus in France could accelerate sharply in the coming months due to the emergence of a more contagious variant, two Paris hospital executives said on Wednesday, raising fears of a third lockdown in the country.The spread of the coronavirus in France could accelerate sharply in the coming months due to the emergence of a more contagious variant, two Paris hospital executives said on Wednesday, raising fears of a third lockdown in the country.
Karine Lacombe, head of infectious diseases at Paris’s Saint Antoine hospital, and Martin Hirsch, the director general of the Paris hospitals system, both warned of the extra strain this could put on healthcare infrastructure.Karine Lacombe, head of infectious diseases at Paris’s Saint Antoine hospital, and Martin Hirsch, the director general of the Paris hospitals system, both warned of the extra strain this could put on healthcare infrastructure.
The two previous lockdowns enforced by the government last year were aimed at preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed by patients with Covid-19.The two previous lockdowns enforced by the government last year were aimed at preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed by patients with Covid-19.
“We know this variant spreads much more quickly and, above all, it is more infectious. So, yes, we think that it will change the dynamic of the pandemic in the weeks to come,” Lacombe told BFM TV.“We know this variant spreads much more quickly and, above all, it is more infectious. So, yes, we think that it will change the dynamic of the pandemic in the weeks to come,” Lacombe told BFM TV.
The spread of this variant, first detected in England, has prompted the UK, Germany and Ireland to reimpose strict lockdowns. France has stopped short such a measure for now – opting instead for a national 6pm curfew – but members of the government have warned it is not off the table.The spread of this variant, first detected in England, has prompted the UK, Germany and Ireland to reimpose strict lockdowns. France has stopped short such a measure for now – opting instead for a national 6pm curfew – but members of the government have warned it is not off the table.
“All the models reckon that some time between mid-February, early February, so in about 15 days or three weeks time and by mid-March, we will have an increase that could risk, if we cannot do otherwise, resembling what the English, the Irish and the Germans have been witnessing recently,” Hirsh said on France Info radio.“All the models reckon that some time between mid-February, early February, so in about 15 days or three weeks time and by mid-March, we will have an increase that could risk, if we cannot do otherwise, resembling what the English, the Irish and the Germans have been witnessing recently,” Hirsh said on France Info radio.
Tuesday’s figures show the seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out daily data reporting irregularities, increased to 18,820, the highest since 23 November. The number of patients in intensive care units for the disease has now gone up for 10 consecutive days, to 2,839, a sequence unseen since early November, when France had just entered its second lockdown.Tuesday’s figures show the seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out daily data reporting irregularities, increased to 18,820, the highest since 23 November. The number of patients in intensive care units for the disease has now gone up for 10 consecutive days, to 2,839, a sequence unseen since early November, when France had just entered its second lockdown.
“We fear it will be extremely tough, especially in March. On a local level … when the number of admissions in ICU units will ramp up, we probably will need more restrictive measures than the curfew,” Lacombe said. “We must remain alert and act as soon as we spot a deterioration of the indicators.”“We fear it will be extremely tough, especially in March. On a local level … when the number of admissions in ICU units will ramp up, we probably will need more restrictive measures than the curfew,” Lacombe said. “We must remain alert and act as soon as we spot a deterioration of the indicators.”
Zimbabwe’s foreign minister, Sibusiso Moyo, has died after contracting Covid-19, presidential spokesman George Charamba said on Wednesday.Zimbabwe’s foreign minister, Sibusiso Moyo, has died after contracting Covid-19, presidential spokesman George Charamba said on Wednesday.
Moyo, a former army general who rose to national fame when he announced the military coup that led to the removal of the late long-serving leader Robert Mugabe in November 2017, died at a local hospital early on Wednesday, Charamba said.Moyo, a former army general who rose to national fame when he announced the military coup that led to the removal of the late long-serving leader Robert Mugabe in November 2017, died at a local hospital early on Wednesday, Charamba said.
“The nation will be kept apprised of further developments regarding this untimely demise of the late minister, himself a decorated soldier and freedom fighter,” Charamba said.“The nation will be kept apprised of further developments regarding this untimely demise of the late minister, himself a decorated soldier and freedom fighter,” Charamba said.
Moyo was one of several generals who, after helping plot the coup, were rewarded with senior positions in the president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet and the ruling Zanu-PF party.Moyo was one of several generals who, after helping plot the coup, were rewarded with senior positions in the president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet and the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Another cabinet minister, the retired general and agriculture minister Perrance Shiri, died of the virus last July.Another cabinet minister, the retired general and agriculture minister Perrance Shiri, died of the virus last July.
Zimbabwe has suffered a surge in Covid-19 infections, with more than half of the 28,675 total cases and 825 deaths being recorded since New Year’s Day.Zimbabwe has suffered a surge in Covid-19 infections, with more than half of the 28,675 total cases and 825 deaths being recorded since New Year’s Day.
Speaking to a friend when infected with the coronavirus could be as dangerous as coughing near them thanks to lingering particles, research has suggested.Speaking to a friend when infected with the coronavirus could be as dangerous as coughing near them thanks to lingering particles, research has suggested.
Coronavirus can be spread through a number of routes, including virus-containing droplets emitted when an infected person breaths, speaks or coughs – a factor experts said could help to explain why it seems to spread more easily in indoor settings.Coronavirus can be spread through a number of routes, including virus-containing droplets emitted when an infected person breaths, speaks or coughs – a factor experts said could help to explain why it seems to spread more easily in indoor settings.
While large droplets fall to the ground over short distances, tiny droplets known as aerosols can carry the virus over distances greater than two metres, and linger.While large droplets fall to the ground over short distances, tiny droplets known as aerosols can carry the virus over distances greater than two metres, and linger.
Now experts have developed models to explore the risk posed by large droplets and aerosols, and explore ways to mitigate it. Their results suggest it takes just a couple of seconds for expelled particles to travel beyond 2 metres.Now experts have developed models to explore the risk posed by large droplets and aerosols, and explore ways to mitigate it. Their results suggest it takes just a couple of seconds for expelled particles to travel beyond 2 metres.
Russia on Wednesday reported 21,152 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 2,452 in Moscow, pushing the national tally to 3,633,952. Authorities said a further 597 people had died overnight, taking the official death toll to 67,220.Russia on Wednesday reported 21,152 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 2,452 in Moscow, pushing the national tally to 3,633,952. Authorities said a further 597 people had died overnight, taking the official death toll to 67,220.
Taiwan’s emerging Covid-19 outbreak has grown to a cluster of 10 people, after a new case was confirmed on Wednesday.Taiwan’s emerging Covid-19 outbreak has grown to a cluster of 10 people, after a new case was confirmed on Wednesday.
The cases are linked to a hospital in Taoyuan, where a doctor and nurse were first infected while treating a patient with Covid-19 who had flown in from the US. According to local media, the cases now include two doctors, four nurses, a caregiver, and the husband and daughter of one of the nurses.The cases are linked to a hospital in Taoyuan, where a doctor and nurse were first infected while treating a patient with Covid-19 who had flown in from the US. According to local media, the cases now include two doctors, four nurses, a caregiver, and the husband and daughter of one of the nurses.
Taiwan has recorded just 11 locally transmitted cases since April 2020 – the 10 linked to the hospital, and one woman in the capital, Taipei, who caught the virus from her friend, a pilot, in December, after he flew between the US and Taiwan while infectious and failed to disclose his symptoms or movements to authorities.Taiwan has recorded just 11 locally transmitted cases since April 2020 – the 10 linked to the hospital, and one woman in the capital, Taipei, who caught the virus from her friend, a pilot, in December, after he flew between the US and Taiwan while infectious and failed to disclose his symptoms or movements to authorities.
The new outbreak has emerged just weeks before the beginning of the lunar new year holiday, which typically sees widespread travel across the region as people visit friends and family. Numerous local governments in Taiwan have already cancelled lantern festivals as a result of the outbreak. Taipei has postponed its lantern festival and cancelled its lunar new year market.The new outbreak has emerged just weeks before the beginning of the lunar new year holiday, which typically sees widespread travel across the region as people visit friends and family. Numerous local governments in Taiwan have already cancelled lantern festivals as a result of the outbreak. Taipei has postponed its lantern festival and cancelled its lunar new year market.
The Covid-19 death toll and the level of hospital admissions in the UK means it is far too early to speculate about when the lockdown may be lifted or eased, the home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Wednesday.The Covid-19 death toll and the level of hospital admissions in the UK means it is far too early to speculate about when the lockdown may be lifted or eased, the home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Wednesday.
She told Sky:She told Sky:
The number of foreign visitors to Japan plunged 87% in 2020 to a 22-year low as the country mostly closed its borders in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan National Tourism Organization data showed on Wednesday.The number of foreign visitors to Japan plunged 87% in 2020 to a 22-year low as the country mostly closed its borders in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan National Tourism Organization data showed on Wednesday.
The number of foreign arrivals, which include tourism and business arrivals, fell to about 4.1 million last year from 31.9 million in 2019. It was the lowest annual figure since 1998.The number of foreign arrivals, which include tourism and business arrivals, fell to about 4.1 million last year from 31.9 million in 2019. It was the lowest annual figure since 1998.
With the pandemic disrupting our learning, jobs, money and health, it’s no surprise many of us are feeling blue this January, Ruth Bushi reports.With the pandemic disrupting our learning, jobs, money and health, it’s no surprise many of us are feeling blue this January, Ruth Bushi reports.
Even without a pandemic, “this time of year is usually challenging for students anyway,” says Gareth Hughes, clinical lead of the advice site Student Space. The following tips won’t make you immune to financial hardship or job worries, but there are ways to ease the pressure:Even without a pandemic, “this time of year is usually challenging for students anyway,” says Gareth Hughes, clinical lead of the advice site Student Space. The following tips won’t make you immune to financial hardship or job worries, but there are ways to ease the pressure:
Good morning from London. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be bringing you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next few hours.Good morning from London. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be bringing you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next few hours.
Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.comTwitter: @lucy_campbell_Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.comTwitter: @lucy_campbell_
Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for Covid-19, government officials said, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament’s quarantine bill. A total of 10 people associated with the Grand Slam, including four players, have now tested positive for the virus, Reuters reports. More than 70 players and members of their entourages are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days and unable to train for the 8-21 February Australian Open after passengers on three charter flights returned positive tests.A number of players have complained about the conditions, drawing a backlash from Australians, who have criticised the players for being “entitled” even as thousands of the nation’s citizens remain stranded overseas:Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for Covid-19, government officials said, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament’s quarantine bill. A total of 10 people associated with the Grand Slam, including four players, have now tested positive for the virus, Reuters reports. More than 70 players and members of their entourages are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days and unable to train for the 8-21 February Australian Open after passengers on three charter flights returned positive tests.A number of players have complained about the conditions, drawing a backlash from Australians, who have criticised the players for being “entitled” even as thousands of the nation’s citizens remain stranded overseas:
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. If you’d like a break from the news why not read about these large, hummingbird-like, tear-drinking moths:That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. If you’d like a break from the news why not read about these large, hummingbird-like, tear-drinking moths: