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Coronavirus live: Germany sees highest ever seven-day Covid incidence rate; Auckland lockdown set to end Coronavirus live: Germany sees highest ever seven-day Covid incidence rate; Auckland lockdown set to end
(31 minutes later)
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute records incidence rate of 201.1; Lockdown of New Zealand’s largest city likely to end this monthGermany’s Robert Koch Institute records incidence rate of 201.1; Lockdown of New Zealand’s largest city likely to end this month
Hungarian drugmaker Richter Gedeon has made Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for its over 12,ooo workers to ensure business continuity after a government decision allowing companies to do so, chief executive Gabor Orban said on today.
“We have made the decision to make (vaccinations) mandatory,” Orban told a news conference.
“The only question is the time frame over which we will be able to carry this out the most efficiently,” he said, adding that the company was conducting a survey on the number of employees already inoculated against COVID-19.
Reuters report the company said nearly 80% of its total workforce had been given a shot already. Those refusing the shot would be sent on unpaid leave.
“The vaccine is not mandatory, but then, neither is working at Richter,” Orban said. “It is extremely important that we retain our ability to keep the company running, to protect our workers’ health and their jobs.”
In the US, the Biden administration is encouraging local school districts to host clinics to provide Covid-19 vaccinations to kids — and information to parents on the benefits of the shots — as the White House looks to speedily provide vaccines to those ages 5 to 11.
Zeke Miller reports for the Associated Press that today first lady Dr Jill Biden and surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy are set to visit the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, to launch a nationwide campaign to promote child vaccinations. The school was the first to administer the polio vaccine in 1954.
The visit comes just days after federal regulators recommended the Covid-19 vaccine for the age group. The White House says Biden will visit paediatric vaccination clinics across the country over the coming weeks to encourage the shots.
At the same time, health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra and education secretary Miguel Cardona are sending a letter to school districts across the country calling on them to organise vaccine clinics for their newly eligible students. The officials are reminding school districts that they can tap into billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money to support paediatric vaccination efforts.
According to research by Aviva, British households spent an eye-watering £6.6 billion on purchases they no longer use during the pandemic. Our community team would like to hear from you if you a hasty purchase during the pandemic that you regret.According to research by Aviva, British households spent an eye-watering £6.6 billion on purchases they no longer use during the pandemic. Our community team would like to hear from you if you a hasty purchase during the pandemic that you regret.
All Aer Lingus flights to the US were full on Monday after Covid travel restrictions were finally lifted, the chief executive of the airline Lynne Embleton has said.All Aer Lingus flights to the US were full on Monday after Covid travel restrictions were finally lifted, the chief executive of the airline Lynne Embleton has said.
Dublin is one of the key hubs for travel to the US because of a facility to clear immigration at the airport and avoid queues stateside.Dublin is one of the key hubs for travel to the US because of a facility to clear immigration at the airport and avoid queues stateside.
In the US Delta said it has seen a 450% increase in bookings since the travel ban was lifted by Joe Biden, while United Airlines said it was expecting 30,000 passengers to arrive on Monday, a 50% hike on last Monday’s experience.In the US Delta said it has seen a 450% increase in bookings since the travel ban was lifted by Joe Biden, while United Airlines said it was expecting 30,000 passengers to arrive on Monday, a 50% hike on last Monday’s experience.
Delta Airlines warned passengers to be patient as the airports re-open to international travel.Delta Airlines warned passengers to be patient as the airports re-open to international travel.
“It’s going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately,” Ed Bastian chief executive said.“It’s going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately,” Ed Bastian chief executive said.
Russia has ended the national week long paid holiday that it hoped would break the Covid transmission chain and lead to reduced case numbers. It will take a couple of weeks to see any impact in the figures – today Russia reported 39,400 new Covid cases, including 4,982 in Moscow. There were 1,190 further official deaths.Russia has ended the national week long paid holiday that it hoped would break the Covid transmission chain and lead to reduced case numbers. It will take a couple of weeks to see any impact in the figures – today Russia reported 39,400 new Covid cases, including 4,982 in Moscow. There were 1,190 further official deaths.
Not all restrictions have ended though, as the Moscow Times reports this morning:Not all restrictions have ended though, as the Moscow Times reports this morning:
Angela Monaghan reports for our business desk on the resumption of transatlantic flights:Angela Monaghan reports for our business desk on the resumption of transatlantic flights:
Flights carrying the first UK leisure travellers to the US since the pandemic began have taken off from Heathrow, after Joe Biden permitted a reopening of the US border.Flights carrying the first UK leisure travellers to the US since the pandemic began have taken off from Heathrow, after Joe Biden permitted a reopening of the US border.
Setting aside a longstanding rivalry, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic planes took off simultaneously in what the bosses of the two airlines described as a “pivotal moment” for the battered industry. Both airlines have reported huge losses and laid off thousands of staff during 20 months of restricted travel.Setting aside a longstanding rivalry, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic planes took off simultaneously in what the bosses of the two airlines described as a “pivotal moment” for the battered industry. Both airlines have reported huge losses and laid off thousands of staff during 20 months of restricted travel.
British Airways flight BA001 – a number previously reserved for Concorde – and Virgin flight VS3 took off from London Heathrow on parallel runways for New York’s JFK airport at about 8.30am, more than 600 days since the US travel ban was introduced.British Airways flight BA001 – a number previously reserved for Concorde – and Virgin flight VS3 took off from London Heathrow on parallel runways for New York’s JFK airport at about 8.30am, more than 600 days since the US travel ban was introduced.
Read more of Angela Monaghan’s report here: UK flights to US take off from Heathrow as border reopensRead more of Angela Monaghan’s report here: UK flights to US take off from Heathrow as border reopens
A quick snap from Reuters here that Singapore and Malaysia will allow quarantine-free travel between both countries for individuals vaccinated against Covid-19, they said in a joint statement on Monday.A quick snap from Reuters here that Singapore and Malaysia will allow quarantine-free travel between both countries for individuals vaccinated against Covid-19, they said in a joint statement on Monday.
The two neighbours will launch a vaccinated travel corridor between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 29 November, it said.The two neighbours will launch a vaccinated travel corridor between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 29 November, it said.
Prof Peter Openshaw, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the need for boosters had become “very clear”.Prof Peter Openshaw, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the need for boosters had become “very clear”.
PA Media quotes the professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London telling Times Radio: “We don’t know how long a vaccine is going to last until we’ve had sufficient time to watch the immunity drifting downwards and I think that’s something which has become very clear recently is that these vaccines don’t appear to be forever – they do provide a lot of protection, but they have to be boosted.”PA Media quotes the professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London telling Times Radio: “We don’t know how long a vaccine is going to last until we’ve had sufficient time to watch the immunity drifting downwards and I think that’s something which has become very clear recently is that these vaccines don’t appear to be forever – they do provide a lot of protection, but they have to be boosted.”
Asked if it is just the elderly at risk of not getting their booster, he added: “Well if we look at the people who are sadly still dying of Covid, it’s predominantly in those over 50.Asked if it is just the elderly at risk of not getting their booster, he added: “Well if we look at the people who are sadly still dying of Covid, it’s predominantly in those over 50.
“And it’s that group that really does need to have the boosters in order to stop them from dying - particularly those over 60 and especially in those over 70.”“And it’s that group that really does need to have the boosters in order to stop them from dying - particularly those over 60 and especially in those over 70.”
He also urged people who are still yet to take up any offer of the vaccine to get jabbed “as soon as possible”.He also urged people who are still yet to take up any offer of the vaccine to get jabbed “as soon as possible”.
He also said the NHS was in a “serious situation” and that Covid “is not over”.He also said the NHS was in a “serious situation” and that Covid “is not over”.
“There’s an awful lot of Covid still around,” he said. “At the moment we’re seeing admission rates running at something like 1,000 people per day and there’s currently over 1,000 people on mechanical ventilators in our hospitals.“There’s an awful lot of Covid still around,” he said. “At the moment we’re seeing admission rates running at something like 1,000 people per day and there’s currently over 1,000 people on mechanical ventilators in our hospitals.
“And I just don’t think people realise the serious situation that there is out there in the National Health Service hospitals, with so many people on ventilators and over 9,000 people actually in the hospital currently with Covid-19. Covid isn’t done. It’s not over.”“And I just don’t think people realise the serious situation that there is out there in the National Health Service hospitals, with so many people on ventilators and over 9,000 people actually in the hospital currently with Covid-19. Covid isn’t done. It’s not over.”
Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) advising ministers in the UK, has said “we are not out of the woods yet” but the UK was not facing a winter lockdown.Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) advising ministers in the UK, has said “we are not out of the woods yet” but the UK was not facing a winter lockdown.
Asked about the prospect of a winter lockdown, PA Media quotes him telling Sky News:Asked about the prospect of a winter lockdown, PA Media quotes him telling Sky News:
Asked about the future of booster jabs, he said “I remember having these sorts of discussions about nine months ago when the vaccinations were starting to roll out, that it’s possible that this virus could become endemic, so circulate in the population every year in the way that flu does.Asked about the future of booster jabs, he said “I remember having these sorts of discussions about nine months ago when the vaccinations were starting to roll out, that it’s possible that this virus could become endemic, so circulate in the population every year in the way that flu does.
“It’s possible that every year … we’re having to go out and get our Covid jabs in the same way a lot of people are currently getting their flu jabs.”“It’s possible that every year … we’re having to go out and get our Covid jabs in the same way a lot of people are currently getting their flu jabs.”
Dr Tildesley said the booster programme was “going in the right direction but there clearly is work to do for the people over 50, for vulnerable adults”.Dr Tildesley said the booster programme was “going in the right direction but there clearly is work to do for the people over 50, for vulnerable adults”.
He added: “Immunity will be starting to wane from the second jab so it is really important that that acceleration continues and hopefully we get as many people protected as possible as we move into the colder months.”He added: “Immunity will be starting to wane from the second jab so it is really important that that acceleration continues and hopefully we get as many people protected as possible as we move into the colder months.”
NHS workers in England must be legally required to get Covid vaccinations before the winter, former UK health secretary Matt Hancock has said, in his first intervention since leaving government.NHS workers in England must be legally required to get Covid vaccinations before the winter, former UK health secretary Matt Hancock has said, in his first intervention since leaving government.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Hancock, who resigned as health secretary in June after it emerged he had breached Covid-19 social distancing restrictions with Gina Coladangelo, an adviser with whom he was having an affair, warned ministers against delaying mandatory jabs for nurses and doctors.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Hancock, who resigned as health secretary in June after it emerged he had breached Covid-19 social distancing restrictions with Gina Coladangelo, an adviser with whom he was having an affair, warned ministers against delaying mandatory jabs for nurses and doctors.
Hancock’s comments come as the chief executive of NHS England said the country faced “a difficult winter”, with hospital Covid admissions 14 times higher than they were this time last year.Hancock’s comments come as the chief executive of NHS England said the country faced “a difficult winter”, with hospital Covid admissions 14 times higher than they were this time last year.
It has been reported that the government is expected to say the law will not be changed to require Covid jabs for the NHS’s 1.45 million staff in England until spring 2022.It has been reported that the government is expected to say the law will not be changed to require Covid jabs for the NHS’s 1.45 million staff in England until spring 2022.
The law has already been changed to make Covid jabs mandatory for care workers in England, with the requirement to come into effect on Thursday.The law has already been changed to make Covid jabs mandatory for care workers in England, with the requirement to come into effect on Thursday.
Read more of Jamie Grierson’s report here: NHS England staff should have Covid vaccine before winter, Hancock saysRead more of Jamie Grierson’s report here: NHS England staff should have Covid vaccine before winter, Hancock says
Dozens of crossings at the Mexico-US border reopened to non-essential travel on Monday after a 20-month closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lizbeth Diaz reports for Reuters from Tijuana that ahead of the reopening, hundreds of cars formed lines stretching back kilometres from the border, while queues at pedestrian crossings grew steadily.
Differing rules over coronavirus vaccines threaten to hold up family reunions. Some inoculated Mexicans will not be able to enter the US immediately if they received vaccines in Mexico that have not been approved by the World Health Organization such as China’s CanSino and Russia’s Sputnik V.
“I never imagined that because I got the CanSino vaccine I wouldn’t be able to cross,” lamented Donato Suarez, a driver at a private university in Tijuana who had hoped to visit relatives in the United States he has not seen for nearly two years.
“We even had plans to do something when the border reopened,” he added, noting around 300 people where he works are in the same predicament. “We’ll have to wait.”
School students could undertake daily Covid tests rather than quarantine at home under a “test to stay” approach being considered by Australia’s state and territory leaders.
The Doherty Institute has released modelling which examines what would happen to infection numbers in a school outbreak under various scenarios.
It finds that incursions into schools would be “inevitable” during rising cases of community transmission, and notes that returning students to in-person learning and keeping schools open safely has been identified as a national priority.
The findings, provided to national cabinet on Friday, recommend surveillance testing to allow for early detection of positive Covid cases in schools, which would reduce the likelihood of an outbreak, and suggests that in the event of a positive case, close contacts should not have to quarantine.
“We compared a seven-day quarantine of classroom contacts to a strategy called a ‘test to stay’ … where for seven days, if there’s a case in a school, their classroom contacts need to have a daily rapid antigen test before attending school, and they can continue attending school provided they keep testing negative,” Dr Nick Scott, who oversaw the schools modelling for the Doherty Institute, said on Monday.
Read more of our Australian chief political correspondent Sarah Martin’s report: Daily Covid tests being considered to replace home quarantine for school students
Ukraine recorded 13,068 new Covid-19 cases and 473 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours. There were 3,532 hospitalisations registered. The seven-day average for new cases has been running at about 23,000 for the last week.
It’s a one picture story really, but here are the scenes a little while ago at Heathrow airport in London, where Sean Doyle, British Airways Chairman and CEO and Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive have been posing for pictures ahead of the resumption of transatlantic passenger flights. The two airlines were planning a synchronised departure on parallel runways, with both planes heading from London to New York.
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has been recording some of the highest numbers of cases that the country has seen since the start of the pandemic. Germany’s incidence rate – measuring the number of new coronavirus infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days – has risen to 201.1 today. This is the highest recorded by the RKI.
Agence France-Presse report that in the eastern state of Saxony, where the incidence rate is more than twice the national average at 491.3, unvaccinated people face new restrictions from Monday.
Access to indoor dining and other indoor events will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or can show proof of recovery.
The new rules are the toughest state-wide restrictions in Germany against non-inoculated people. Only children as well as those who cannot receive jabs for medical reasons will be exempt.
Indonesia plans to give booster shots to the general public after 50% of its population has been fully vaccinated, its health minister said today, which he expects to happen at the end of next month.
Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has inoculated 29% of its population of 270 million people, using a variety of vaccine brands.
Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a parliamentary hearing the government decided on boosters at the 50% mark due to vaccine inequity concerns at home or abroad.
“Issues of injustice or ethics are so high in the world, because some countries haven’t gotten a lot of first shots,” he said.
Stanley Widianto reports from Jakarta that the minister’s plan prioritises the elderly and the poor who are insured by the government, while the rest of the population may have to pay for them. Many health workers have already received boosters.
Hello, it is Martin Belam here in London taking over from Samantha Lock. I’ll bring you any Covid lines that come out of the early interviews in the UK media round – it is Anne-Marie Trevelyan who is appearing for the government. Here are the latest UK Covid numbers.
Auckland’s near-three-month lockdown is likely to end later this month with some coronavirus restrictions eased from Tuesday, according to prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
The city’s outbreak has grown to more than 4,500 cases with about 150 new infections reported each day over the past week.
Ardern said the city’s improving vaccination rate among people age 12 and older meant it could continue cutting back on restrictions during an announcement on Monday.
“Auckland hit 90% first dose and 80% second dose over the weekend, and it’s now a matter of weeks away from 90% double-dose,” she said. “And so while we’re getting those rates higher still, we are easing into our reopening.”
From Tuesday, retail stores and malls in Auckland can reopen, along with libraries, museums and zoos. Outdoor gatherings will be increased from a maximum of 10 people to 25.
Other facilities such as gyms and movie theatres will remain shut, and many Aucklanders will continue working from home.
Japan recorded no daily deaths from Covid-19 for the first time in 15 months on Sunday, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Prior to Sunday, there hadn’t been a day without a Covid-19 death since 2 August, 2020, according to a tally by the broadcaster. The latest figures from the health ministry showed three deaths on Saturday.
Covid cases and deaths have fallen dramatically throughout Japan as vaccinations have increased to cover more than 70% of the population.
New daily infections peaked at more than 25,000 during an August wave driven by the infectious Delta variant. The country has had more than 18,000 deaths from the disease during the course of the pandemic.
The government plans to start booster vaccine shots next month and is working to secure pill-based treatments for milder cases to reduce hospitalisations and gird against a possible rebound this winter.
A very happy Monday to all and thanks for joining us for today’s live Covid coverage.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be reporting to you from Sydney, Australia, to bring you all the top headlines from around the world.
For the first time in 18 months, the US is lifting travel restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated.
From today, 8 November, those travelling to the US by flight from 33 countries or through land borders with Mexico and Canada will be able to enter the country.
Up until now the US had restricted non-essential travel for non-US citizens from several destinations around the world, including the UK and EU.
It’s also good news for those in New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland after prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced it would likely end an almost three-month lockdown later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions to be eased from Tuesday, AP reports.
An outbreak of the delta variant has grown to more than 4,500 cases with about 150 new infections reported each day over the past week.
Summary of today’s developments
US lifts bans on travel from 33 countries from Monday, allowing in international travellers, but they must be vaccinated. The US is also reopening the land borders with Canada and Mexico for vaccinated people.
Germany reports 15,513 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours, a decrease from yesterday’s 23,543 reported cases, the Robert Koch Institute reports.
India’s daily Covid cases rose by 11,451 to reach a total of 34.37m and deaths rose by 266 for a total death toll of 461,057 the health ministry reports.
Russia and Ukraine hit record Covid numbers. Low vaccination rates are a major factor in the sharp rise in cases.
Australia will begin administering booster shots of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine from Monday amid an accelerating immunisation drive against the coronavirus.
More than 10 million people have had Covid booster jabs in the UK, according to figures, as people were told to get their top-up to help prevent restrictions this Christmas.
Northern Ireland’s health minister is suing Van Morrison after the singer accused him of being “very dangerous” over his handling of Covid restrictions.
UK government could restrict travel for people who refuse Covid boosters as government sources confirmed they are looking at plans for travel restrictions on people who do not take up the booster offer.
The UK will start to roll out Merck’s molnupiravir Covid-19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month, Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday.
US president Joe Biden is pushing forward with an ambitious plan to require millions of private sector employees to get vaccinated by early next year, while simultaneously battling to convince workers in his own federal government to get the shot.
Analysis puts the pandemic’s death toll between 10 million and 19 million people.