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Covid live: Egypt starts vaccine trial; Austria to put unvaccinated people in lockdown
Covid live: Egypt starts vaccine trial; Austria to put unvaccinated people in lockdown
(32 minutes later)
Israel’s decision follows similar move by US; Austria vaccination rate ‘shamefully low’, says chancellor Alexander Schallenberg
Israel’s decision follows similar move by US; Austria vaccination rate ‘shamefully low’, says chancellor Alexander Schallenberg
The British government is expected to extend the Covid-19 booster programme to people under the age of 50 to drive down transmission rates as winter approaches, The Times reported.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to give its approval on Monday to extending the rollout, the newspaper reported, adding the precise details of the age groups have not been confirmed.
Good morning it’s Samantha Lock reporting to you from over here in Sydney to kick off the week’s Covid news.
Good morning it’s Samantha Lock reporting to you from over here in Sydney to kick off the week’s Covid news.
First up, some numbers out of Australia for you.
First up, some numbers out of Australia for you.
The state of Victoria has recorded 860 new local Covid cases and five deaths with a vaccination rate for those aged 12 and over at 87%. NSW has recorded 165 cases and one death with a cracking 91.1% of those over 16 double dosed.
The state of Victoria has recorded 860 new local Covid cases and five deaths with a vaccination rate for those aged 12 and over at 87%. NSW has recorded 165 cases and one death with a cracking 91.1% of those over 16 double dosed.
South Australia also plans to open its borders the state premier has promised.
South Australia also plans to open its borders the state premier has promised.
Over in sunny Queensland, some restrictions are set to ease after the state reached the 70% fully vaccinated milestone.
Over in sunny Queensland, some restrictions are set to ease after the state reached the 70% fully vaccinated milestone.
Stay tuned for more developments throughout the day.
Stay tuned for more developments throughout the day.
Brazil reported on Sunday 61 new Covid-19 deaths, the lowest death toll on a Sunday in more than a year.
Brazil reported on Sunday 61 new Covid-19 deaths, the lowest death toll on a Sunday in more than a year.
The ministry of health reported 4,129 new cases of coronavirus, taking the country’s overall tally to a total of 21,957,967 cases.
The ministry of health reported 4,129 new cases of coronavirus, taking the country’s overall tally to a total of 21,957,967 cases.
Egypt’s national research body said on Sunday that it will start clinical trials for a domestically made coronavirus vaccine.
Egypt’s national research body said on Sunday that it will start clinical trials for a domestically made coronavirus vaccine.
The Associated Press reports:
The Associated Press reports:
Here some more detail on Israel’s decision to roll out Covid vaccines to children aged five to 11 from AFP:
Here some more detail on Israel’s decision to roll out Covid vaccines to children aged five to 11 from AFP:
Israel said on Sunday that children aged 5 to 11 would now be eligible for vaccination against Covid-19.
Israel said on Sunday that children aged 5 to 11 would now be eligible for vaccination against Covid-19.
The decision, announced by the health ministry, followed approval by an expert panel last week, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use of Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s vaccine for the age group at a 10-microgram dose, Reuters reports.
The decision, announced by the health ministry, followed approval by an expert panel last week, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use of Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s vaccine for the age group at a 10-microgram dose, Reuters reports.
The number of Covid cases recorded each day on average in France has risen above 10,000, for the first time since 11 September - a rise of 39% in one week.
The number of Covid cases recorded each day on average in France has risen above 10,000, for the first time since 11 September - a rise of 39% in one week.
12,496 positive cases were identified in 24 hours, compared to 8,547 last Sunday.
12,496 positive cases were identified in 24 hours, compared to 8,547 last Sunday.
Hospitalisations in France continue to increase moderately, with 317 people hospitalised with Covid on Sunday, versus 190 admitted a month ago, and 77 Covid patients admitted to critical care today, compared to 44 daily critical care admissions one month ago.
Hospitalisations in France continue to increase moderately, with 317 people hospitalised with Covid on Sunday, versus 190 admitted a month ago, and 77 Covid patients admitted to critical care today, compared to 44 daily critical care admissions one month ago.
A total of 50,557,065 first doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by 13 November, government figures show.
A total of 50,557,065 first doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by 13 November, government figures show.
This is a rise of 31,806 on the previous day, while 46,009,463 second doses have been delivered in total, an increase of 23,668.
This is a rise of 31,806 on the previous day, while 46,009,463 second doses have been delivered in total, an increase of 23,668.
A combined total of 12,613,256 booster and third doses have also been given, a day-on-day rise of 448,670.
A combined total of 12,613,256 booster and third doses have also been given, a day-on-day rise of 448,670.
Separate totals for booster and third doses are not available.
Separate totals for booster and third doses are not available.
Bulgarians were voting Sunday for the third time this year, hoping the latest general election will finally produce a government to fight the country’s deadliest coronavirus wave.
Bulgarians were voting Sunday for the third time this year, hoping the latest general election will finally produce a government to fight the country’s deadliest coronavirus wave.
This from AFP:
This from AFP:
Germany is preparing a return to working from home, as the country tries to tackle an unprecedented new wave of coronavirus cases.
The measure is being reintroduced under draft legislation seen by AFP on Sunday, after the home working restriction was lifted at the beginning of July.
Employers in Germany would be forced to offer the option to work from home in the absence of a “compelling business reason” to come to the office.
Anyone going into work would also be asked to show they have protection against the virus either through antibodies or vaccination or have tested negative.
Infections and deaths have been climbing steeply since mid-October, in a fourth wave blamed on Germany’s comparatively low vaccination rate of just over 67%.
At 289 cases per 100,000 people, the recorded incidence of the virus reached a new high in Europe’s most populous country on Sunday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency.
Ahead of a “Covid summit” of federal and state leaders on Thursday, new measures to curb rising infections are being debated. The chairmen of the three so-called traffic light parties, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, want to tighten the Infection Protection Act again, and restrictions on contact for unvaccinated people are also being discussed, Handelsblatt reports.
“The coming wave will overshadow all the previous waves,” Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer, whose region is currently amongst the worst hit, told German weekly Bild am Sonntag.
The legislation will be presented to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, for approval on Thursday, before being signed off by the upper house on Friday.
Italy reported 36 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 7,569 from 5,822 fresh cases that were logged a week prior.
A week ago, Italy had reported 26 deaths from the virus.
Italy has registered 132,775 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.9 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 3,647 on Sunday, up from 3,597 a day earlier.
There were 29 new admissions to intensive care units against 39 on Saturday. The total number of intensive care patients edged up to 458 from a previous 453.
Some 445,593 coronavirus tests were carried out over the past 24 hour period, compared with a previous 540,371, the health ministry said.
The UK reported 36,517 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, as well as 63 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government data.
A week ago, the UK had logged 29,843 new infections and 62 deaths.
Hello everyone, I’m Jedidajah Otte and will be taking over for the next few hours. As ever, feel free to get in touch if you have anything to flag you think we should be covering, I’m on Twitter @JedySays or you can email me.
That’s it from me. Thank you for your time. Handing over to my colleague Jedidajah Otte.
Key developments so far today
Austria is placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus on lockdown as of Monday to deal with a surge in infections to record levels, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said. Roughly 65% of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe.
In The Netherlands, it has been reported that fifteen people were arrested after protests broke out over a newly-imposed COVID-19 lockdown. Hundreds of people gathered in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden on Saturday night, where videos showed them setting off fireworks and holding flares billowing smoke.
In the UK more than two million people received their Covid-19 booster in the past week, with health officials describing the numbers as record-breaking. NHS England said 2.1 million boosters were delivered between November 6-12, an increase on the 1.7 million boosters given out during the previous seven days.
More than one million 12 to 15-year-olds in England have been vaccinated against Covid-19. NHS England said more than 3,500 schools have hosted clinics, while 95% of all schools have either already been visited or have a visit planned in the coming weeks.
Cambodia will stop requiring quarantine for travellers who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 starting on Monday, prime minister Hun Sen said. The country has required lengthy quarantine for more than 18 months.
China donated 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday to Syria, which has one of the world’s lowest inoculation rates and what the UN called an alarming rise in cases
Russia on Sunday confirmed 38,823 Covid-19 infections and 1,219 deaths.The Moscow Times said health passes will be introduced for access to public places, restaurants and intercity trains and planes in a radical move designed to boost Russia’s vaccination campaign.
Australia could start administering the vaccine shots for children under the age of 12 in January. Health minister Greg Hunt said medical regulators are still reviewing the health and safety data for the vaccinations to be administered for children between the ages of five and 11 and are unlikely to decide this year.
Three men died when a fire broke out in a Covid-19 ward of a hospital in the southern Bulgarian city of Sliven early on Sunday.A cigarette, lit by a patient, was the most probable cause of the fire, the health ministry said.
In the UK, new research suggests that workers who were furloughed are six times more likely to have lost their jobs than other employees. But the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) is likely to have led to only a small increase in the number of people not working, said the Resolution Foundation.
Covid-19 victims and bereaved families in Northern Ireland should mobilise immediately to influence the terms of reference of any statutory investigation, a leading expert has said. Public inquiry lawyer Michael Imperato, said victims, their families, and the public and private sectors must have their say on any future probe into the pandemic.
In Chile, some 2,835 new cases of Covid-1i were registered on Sunday, of which 1,811 were cases with symptoms, and 683 cases without symptoms.
Thailand recorded 7,079 Covid-19 cases and 47 deaths, according to nationthailand.com . The ministry of public health said of the new cases that 171 had been found in prisons.
China donated 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday to war-torn Syria, which has one of the world’s lowest inoculation rates and what the UN called an alarming rise in cases ,AFP reports.
The latest shipment raises to almost two million the number of such deliveries to Syria in a week. Less than two percent of Syria’s population have been vaccinated and cases of infection are spiking, United Nations under secretary-general Martin Griffiths warned last month.
Damascus last week received more than 1.3 million doses of Chinese-made vaccine Sinovac under the global Covax programme set up to try to ensure an equitable delivery of jabs. Health minister Hassan Ghabash, speaking to journalists, praised the latest donation of another Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm.
Three snow leopards have died at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska of complications from Covid-19.
The zoo described the deaths of the three leopards – named Ranney, Everest, and Makalu – as “truly heartbreaking”.
The zoo began treating the leopards and two Sumatran tigers for the virus last month. The zoo said the tigers, Axl and Kumar, have made a recovery.
