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Covid news live: up to 100,000 NHS England staff unvaccinated; thousands protest over New Zealand’s vaccine mandates Covid news live: up to 100,000 NHS England staff unvaccinated; thousands protest over New Zealand’s vaccine mandates
(31 minutes later)
Speculation mounts UK government will announce NHS vaccine mandate today; anti-vaccination mandate protesters descend on WellingtonSpeculation mounts UK government will announce NHS vaccine mandate today; anti-vaccination mandate protesters descend on Wellington
More than four in 10 adults in England who were hesitant about getting a coronavirus vaccine have since been vaccinated, figures suggest. Some 44% of people previously hesitant have since been jabbed, while 55% remained unvaccinated, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It found that hesitancy was highest in younger people, but this group was more likely than hesitant older adults to have since taken up an offered vaccine. Two thirds of those now vaccinated said they had been motivated by wanting restrictions to ease and life to return to normal.
Jemma Crew, PA’s social affairs correspondent write that more than half of those who remained unvaccinated said they were worried about potential side effects.
For its Covid-19 Vaccine Opinions Study, the ONS followed up with 2,482 adults who had reported vaccine hesitancy when originally surveyed between 13 January and 8 August.
While there were higher rates of hesitancy among black adults compared with white adults, uptake in these groups was similar.
Overall, out of those who remained unvaccinated, 58% were worried about potential side effects, long-term effects of the vaccine (54%) and not thinking that the jab was safe (32%). Some 55% said they thought the vaccine had been developed too quickly.
A Carlton Australian Football League player is refusing to have his Covid-19 vaccinations before the club’s pre-season training. It is understood the unnamed player is the only Blue who hasn’t agreed to be vaccinated. He would be the first AFL player to refuse his jabs.
The news comes after Adelaide announced last Friday their dual AFLW premiership defender Deni Varnhagen would go on to their inactive list because she will not have her Covid-19 jabs.
The Blues and the AFL would not comment, with Carlton’s AFL players officially starting their pre-season under new coach Michael Voss later this month.
Read more here: Carlton AFL player refusing to get Covid vaccine ahead of pre-season training
A total of 859 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 29 October mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is up 8% on the previous week and is the highest number since the week to September 24.A total of 859 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 29 October mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is up 8% on the previous week and is the highest number since the week to September 24.
PA Media note that a total of 167,367 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the ONS. The highest number on a single day was 1,484 on 19 January.PA Media note that a total of 167,367 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the ONS. The highest number on a single day was 1,484 on 19 January.
In the United States, there is a renewed campaign to vaccinate rural Americans due to the stark difference in Covid-19 cases and deaths among those living in less-populated areas compared with towns and cities.In the United States, there is a renewed campaign to vaccinate rural Americans due to the stark difference in Covid-19 cases and deaths among those living in less-populated areas compared with towns and cities.
Rural residents are now twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as Americans in metropolitan areas. Yet rural areas tend to lag at least 10% behind metropolitan areas when it comes to vaccination – and this hesitancy is exacerbating already existing health issues.Rural residents are now twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as Americans in metropolitan areas. Yet rural areas tend to lag at least 10% behind metropolitan areas when it comes to vaccination – and this hesitancy is exacerbating already existing health issues.
“Rural populations are older, they’re sicker and they’re poorer,” said Fred Ullrich, research analyst at the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis and co-author of a report on Covid’s disproportionate burden on rural communities.“Rural populations are older, they’re sicker and they’re poorer,” said Fred Ullrich, research analyst at the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis and co-author of a report on Covid’s disproportionate burden on rural communities.
Residents of rural areas also tend to have lower rates of insurance, or the insurance they have doesn’t cover as much, which means they may put off seeking care until it’s too late. And they have worse access to healthcare itself – all of which can lead to worse Covid outcomes.Residents of rural areas also tend to have lower rates of insurance, or the insurance they have doesn’t cover as much, which means they may put off seeking care until it’s too late. And they have worse access to healthcare itself – all of which can lead to worse Covid outcomes.
As of early October, 42.6% of rural residents were fully vaccinated, compared with 54.5% in metropolitan areas, according to an analysis by the rural-news publication the Daily Yonder. In September, rural areas saw their biggest leap in vaccinations since June before declining again in recent weeks. Even as new cases of Covid have begun falling, rural areas still have an infection rate that is 80% higher than metropolitan areas – and the death rate is still twice as high.As of early October, 42.6% of rural residents were fully vaccinated, compared with 54.5% in metropolitan areas, according to an analysis by the rural-news publication the Daily Yonder. In September, rural areas saw their biggest leap in vaccinations since June before declining again in recent weeks. Even as new cases of Covid have begun falling, rural areas still have an infection rate that is 80% higher than metropolitan areas – and the death rate is still twice as high.
Read more of Melody Schreiber’s report here: New vaccine campaigns target rural Americans to address disparitiesRead more of Melody Schreiber’s report here: New vaccine campaigns target rural Americans to address disparities
Andrew Sparrow has just gone live with our UK politics blog for the day. I expect he will have enough on his plate with MP’s second jobs and “Tory sleaze” to keep him busy, so I’ll continue to bring you any major UK Covid lines here, as well as coronavirus developments from around the world.Andrew Sparrow has just gone live with our UK politics blog for the day. I expect he will have enough on his plate with MP’s second jobs and “Tory sleaze” to keep him busy, so I’ll continue to bring you any major UK Covid lines here, as well as coronavirus developments from around the world.
Dominic Raab has been pressed again during his media appearances in the UK on when the UK government might introduce a vaccine mandate for NHS staff. On ITV’s Good Morning Britain the deputy prime minister said:Dominic Raab has been pressed again during his media appearances in the UK on when the UK government might introduce a vaccine mandate for NHS staff. On ITV’s Good Morning Britain the deputy prime minister said:
Thailand plans to reopen its borders to workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, a government official said today, in a bid to ease a labour shortage that is hurting its export and tourism-dependent economy.Thailand plans to reopen its borders to workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, a government official said today, in a bid to ease a labour shortage that is hurting its export and tourism-dependent economy.
Pairote Chotikasathien, from the Ministry of Labor, said the rules relating to vaccination status for the migrant workers, quarantine procedures and Covid-19 testing will be decided on Wednesday.Pairote Chotikasathien, from the Ministry of Labor, said the rules relating to vaccination status for the migrant workers, quarantine procedures and Covid-19 testing will be decided on Wednesday.
Reuters report that Thailand’s big exporting industries such as food and rubber production rely heavily on migrant labour. But strict border controls and quarantine rules have virtually halted all labour migration.Reuters report that Thailand’s big exporting industries such as food and rubber production rely heavily on migrant labour. But strict border controls and quarantine rules have virtually halted all labour migration.
Pairote estimated the country needed 420,000 foreign workers at this time, mostly in the construction, manufacturing and seafood industries. Many workers left the country as it battled its worst Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year and have not returned.Pairote estimated the country needed 420,000 foreign workers at this time, mostly in the construction, manufacturing and seafood industries. Many workers left the country as it battled its worst Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year and have not returned.
Unison head of health Sara Gorton said it is wrong to “leap to the law” by bringing in mandatory vaccination instead of trying to persuade NHS workers to get jabbed.Unison head of health Sara Gorton said it is wrong to “leap to the law” by bringing in mandatory vaccination instead of trying to persuade NHS workers to get jabbed.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve been keen to ensure that what our role is, understanding what people are telling us about the reasons why they have fears, about why they are not convinced by the arguments, and making sure that those people can get access to up-to-date information and access to experts who may be able to help them change their mind.”She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve been keen to ensure that what our role is, understanding what people are telling us about the reasons why they have fears, about why they are not convinced by the arguments, and making sure that those people can get access to up-to-date information and access to experts who may be able to help them change their mind.”
PA Media quotes her saying: “And we’ve been really keen to be part of that process. So this isn’t about saying that it’s wrong, the vaccination programme is wrong, it’s saying that it is wrong to leap to the law, rather than stick with persuasion, conversation, peer group support to try and increase those rates beyond what is, let’s face it, a really, really high existing level of vaccination amongst NHS staff.”PA Media quotes her saying: “And we’ve been really keen to be part of that process. So this isn’t about saying that it’s wrong, the vaccination programme is wrong, it’s saying that it is wrong to leap to the law, rather than stick with persuasion, conversation, peer group support to try and increase those rates beyond what is, let’s face it, a really, really high existing level of vaccination amongst NHS staff.”
She described any move to bring in mandatory vaccinations as “really risky”, saying that it could have “really, really difficult consequences for the NHS in what we know is going to be a really difficult winter”.She described any move to bring in mandatory vaccinations as “really risky”, saying that it could have “really, really difficult consequences for the NHS in what we know is going to be a really difficult winter”.
China has broadened its definition of close contact in the latest drive to control the further spread of the virus during winter.China has broadened its definition of close contact in the latest drive to control the further spread of the virus during winter.
The new methodology says that people who happen to be in the same area at the same time as an infected person for a short period of time may be asked to get a test or quarantine, according to notices circulating in Chinese press and on social media in recent years.The new methodology says that people who happen to be in the same area at the same time as an infected person for a short period of time may be asked to get a test or quarantine, according to notices circulating in Chinese press and on social media in recent years.
Officials call this method of reducing infection “spacial-temporal overlap”, but the exact definition of it appears to be varying among provinces. In recent days, explainers are being produced by local media outlets to inform the public of how it works in practice.Officials call this method of reducing infection “spacial-temporal overlap”, but the exact definition of it appears to be varying among provinces. In recent days, explainers are being produced by local media outlets to inform the public of how it works in practice.
In Chengdu, for example, a “spacial-temporal overlap” contact has to meet two criteria: 1) someone’s phone appeared to be within the same 800-metre spacial-temporal grid as the phone of an infected person for more than 10 minutes; 2) either of the party’s phone has lingered there for over 30 hours in the last 14 days.In Chengdu, for example, a “spacial-temporal overlap” contact has to meet two criteria: 1) someone’s phone appeared to be within the same 800-metre spacial-temporal grid as the phone of an infected person for more than 10 minutes; 2) either of the party’s phone has lingered there for over 30 hours in the last 14 days.
Chinese media said that Chengdu police had found 82,000 people at the risk of being identified as “spacial-temporal overlap” having deployed this method. These people have now been alerted by the local CDC, reports said.Chinese media said that Chengdu police had found 82,000 people at the risk of being identified as “spacial-temporal overlap” having deployed this method. These people have now been alerted by the local CDC, reports said.
On Tuesday, 62 new cases were reported in the country, making the total number of Covid cases to at least 941 since 17 October.On Tuesday, 62 new cases were reported in the country, making the total number of Covid cases to at least 941 since 17 October.
The seven-day average for new cases in Bulgaria has been trending downwards since the beginning of November, suggesting the country’s wave of Covid infections may have peaked.The seven-day average for new cases in Bulgaria has been trending downwards since the beginning of November, suggesting the country’s wave of Covid infections may have peaked.
Official figures today show Bulgaria recorded 5,286 positive cases in the last 24 hours. That’s up slightly on the seven-day average, and will no doubt have authorities monitoring the next couple of days very closely. The test positivity rate was 11%.Official figures today show Bulgaria recorded 5,286 positive cases in the last 24 hours. That’s up slightly on the seven-day average, and will no doubt have authorities monitoring the next couple of days very closely. The test positivity rate was 11%.
Bulgarian media reported that of 8,516 patients in hospital in total, 723 are in intensive care. Bulgaria, which has a population of 6.9, has the lowest vaccination rate in the EU, with 29.7% of adults having received at least one dose.Bulgarian media reported that of 8,516 patients in hospital in total, 723 are in intensive care. Bulgaria, which has a population of 6.9, has the lowest vaccination rate in the EU, with 29.7% of adults having received at least one dose.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said he was expecting an announcement on a deadline for mandatory vaccination for NHS staff today.
PA Media quotes him telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “That’s what we’re expecting today – that there will be a mandatory vaccination deadline.”
Hopson continued: “But I suspect that come the deadline, whenever it is set, there will still be some staff who are adamant that they don’t want to get vaccinated and that is a very significant risk for the NHS.”
Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care have said they are not commenting on speculation over the proposals.
Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab refused to be drawn on the issue this morning. He told BBC Breakfast: “I don’t comment on leaked reports about what the government may or may not do, and that’s just not the professional thing for a minister to do.”
Three out of four transport staff in London have been subjected to violence at work during the Covid crisis, research by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) suggests.
RMT said its study of workers in public-facing roles on London Underground and Transport for London rail networks showed they need more support.
More than half of staff reported being threatened with physical violence, 28% were racially harassed, 14% reported being spat at or targeted with bodily fluids and 7% had been sexually assaulted, said the union.
Three out of five respondents said they believed violence had got worse since the pandemic.
Most of the 1,000 workers surveyed said the government’s “mixed messaging” around the lifting of Covid restrictions had made the situation worse for staff.
PA Media quotes RMT general secretary Mick Lynch saying: “Life on the front line of London’s transport has got harder and more dangerous for the key workers who have kept the capital moving during the Covid crisis.
“I don’t want to hear more condescending ‘thank yous’ from government ministers who are trying to drive down our members’ living conditions while sowing chaos in their shambolic response to the coronavirus.
“We need a total sea-change in attitudes toward staff in which we see them as central to rebuilding passenger confidence and to creating a safer working and travelling environment.”
There are between 80,000 and 100,000 NHS workers in England who are unvaccinated against coronavirus, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents England’s NHS trusts, has said this morning.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that as well as the risk of workers infecting colleagues, patients and visitors, there is also a risk to the health service if large numbers of staff leave as a result of mandatory vaccination.
PA Media quotes Hopson saying: “The other risk we need to manage is the fact that there is also a patient safety and a quality of care risk if the NHS does end up as a result of this losing significant numbers of staff.
“And that’s why we’ve said very clearly that we want the government to work very closely with us to maximise the number of people who take up the vaccination voluntarily before we hit the deadline, to think very carefully about the deadline because clearly we’re about to enter what we think is going to be the most difficult winter for the NHS on record.”
He said it is “probably slightly less” than 100,000 staff who remain unvaccinated “because those figures are slightly old and we’ve been working really hard with NHS staff to ensure that they do take up the vaccine”.
Hopson added: “Happy to say somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000.”
Yesterday, in his first intervention into the Covid crisis since leaving government, former UK health secretary Matt Hancock suggested the date for mandatory vaccinations for NHS staff should be far earlier than the currently mooted April.
Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, has been on Times Radio this morning defending UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s appearance at a hospital yesterday without wearing a face mask, which was the subject of much criticism on social media.
Raab said: “In any clinical setting, you follow the rules that are applied there.”
The rules of visiting the hospital, as laid out on the homepage of the Hexham General hospital website, state:
To be clear, there were pictures yesterday of the prime minister wearing a face mask at some point during the visit, but he did not wear it at all times.
India could resume deliveries of Covid-19 shots to global vaccine-sharing platform Covax in a few weeks for the first time since April, two health industry sources have told Reuters. It would end a suspension of supplies that has hurt the vaccination efforts of poorer countries.
Krishna N Das reports that based on an informal approval from India, Covax officials have started planning allocations of the Covishield shot for various countries. Covishield is a licensed version of the AstraZeneca shot made by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker.
SII has nearly quadrupled its output of Covishield to up to 240m doses a month since April, when India stopped all exports in order to inoculate its own people during a surge of cases.
“There will need to be purchase orders confirmed to SII, labelling and packing, export authorisation granted for each of these shipments,” a source told Reuters. “So the first deliveries, assuming the Indian government grants export authorisation, won’t happen until a few weeks from now.”
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told Reuters last month that the company could send 20m to 30m doses a month to Covax in November and December, which would increase to “large volumes” from January once India’s own needs were met.
Ukraine registered a record 833 coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said this morning. The previous high of 793 deaths was on 6 November.
Reuters report that the ministry’s data showed 18,988 new infections were reported over the past 24 hours.
Hello, it is Martin Belam here in London taking over from Samantha Lock in Sydney. I’ll bring you any Covid lines that emerge from the early UK media round interviews. Here is the latest picture of the current Covid outbreaks across Europe.
Helen Davidson reports from Taipei for us:
Residents of a Chinese city bordering Russia have been offered major cash rewards for tips on the continuing Delta outbreak, with local officials declaring a “people’s war” on the virus.
Authorities announced the 100,000 yuan ($15,640) rewards for residents in Heihei, in the north-eastern Heilongjiang Province, as its total tally of cases in this outbreak reached 240.
“It is hoped that the general public could actively cooperate with the tracing of the virus and provide clues to the probe,” the declaration said.
According to state media, officials have urged people in the border city to immediately report any instances of illegal hunting, animal smuggling, or people crossing the border to fish. It also warned of severe penalties for people who intentionally conceal relevant information.
China’s health commission reported another 62 locally transmitted symptomatic cases on Monday, and 43 on Tuesday, adding to the more than 940 cases recorded in at least 20 provinces nationally since October, in the country’s worst outbreak since Wuhan in early 2020.
The government is committed to a Covid zero strategy, and is deploying an escalating array of measures in its attempts to eliminate the virus from the community again.
Read more of Helen Davidson’s report: Chinese city offers cash for clues as Covid outbreak declared a ‘people’s war’
Covid-19 patients in Singapore who remain unvaccinated by choice will have to pay for their hospitalisation bills from 8 December, the government has ruled.
Medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders, other than for those who have tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel, are currently covered by the government.
Health minister Ong Ye Kung described the decision not to pay for unvaccinated people infected by Covid-19 an “important signal” to those who are still holding off on getting their jabs.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday the minister urged all those eligible to get vaccinated.
“Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources,” the ministry of health said.
The new billing measure applies only to those who choose not to be vaccinated despite being medically eligible, and who are hospitalised and are on Covid-19 treatment facilities on or after 8 December, the Straits Times reported, citing the minister.
Those who are ineligible for vaccination, such as children under 12 years of age, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will continue to have their bills fully covered by the government, the ministry said.
Hi it’s Samantha Lock here once again bringing you all the Covid headlines from across the world on your Tuesday.
An intriguing story has emerged out of China today where residents in the city of Heihei, in the north-eastern Heilongjiang Province, are being offered major cash rewards for tips on the continuing Delta outbreak.
Authorities announced the 100,000 yuan ($15,640) rewards as an incentive as its total tally of cases in this outbreak reached 240.
“It is hoped that the general public could actively cooperate with the tracing of the virus and provide clues to the probe,” the declaration said.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand an unusually large protest gathered steam in central Wellington today when about 2,000 people, some threatening violence, rallied against vaccine mandates and lockdowns.
Protests took place across the country with some participants waving large Trump flags. Attacks on both police and reporters were also documented.
Denmark has proposed reinstating the use of a digital “corona pass” to be presented when Danes visit indoor bars and restaurants, as the country is entering a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bulgaria’s daily Covid deaths rise to record high as the European Union’s least vaccinated country grapples with a fourth wave of the pandemic. A further 334 people died of the virus on Tuesday, the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic, Reuters reports.
The US welcomes back travellers after an 18-month non-essential travel ban was lifted on Monday. Travellers from 33 previously banned countries are now allowed in, but they must be vaccinated. The US also reopened its land borders with Canada and Mexico.
Thousands of anti-vaccination mandate protesters, some threatening violence, gathered in Wellington, New Zealand, on Tuesday.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson was seen maskless in Hexham hospital in Northumberland as cases among MPs rise.
The UK will begin rolling out Merck’s molnupiravir Covid-19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month.
UK reports 32,322 Covid cases and 57 deaths.
NHS workers in England must be legally required to get Covid vaccinations before the winter.
French Covid hospitalisations see highest daily rise since August. The number of people hospitalised because of Covid went up by 156 over the past 24 hours, the highest daily rise since 23 August, to reach a one-month peak of 6,865.
New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland will likely end an almost three-month lockdown later this month, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
Japan recorded no daily deaths from Covid-19 for the first time in 15 months on Sunday, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Singapore and Malaysia will allow quarantine-free travel between both countries for individuals vaccinated against Covid-19. The two neighbours will launch a vaccinated travel corridor between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 29 November.
It will be “impossible” for Nigeria to meet its target of vaccinating 40% of its population by the end of the year because Covid is not being taken seriously, health experts warn. Fewer than 1.5% of the country’s 206 million population has been fully vaccinated.