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Covid live: Javid ‘we’ve got to act early’ over Omicron; South African president Ramaphosa has ‘mild symptoms’ after positive Covid test Covid live: Javid says ‘we’ve got to act early’ over Omicron; SA president Ramaphosa has ‘mild symptoms’ after positive Covid test
(31 minutes later)
Britain’s vaccine booster shot rollout to increase to 1m a day to avoid imposing further restrictions; those in England urged to work from home from Monday in line with ‘plan B’ guidanceBritain’s vaccine booster shot rollout to increase to 1m a day to avoid imposing further restrictions; those in England urged to work from home from Monday in line with ‘plan B’ guidance
Australia’s most isolated state will fully reopen its borders on 5 February after almost two years sealed off from Covid and the world.
The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, announced on Monday plans to allow interstate and international travellers to enter the state without quarantine from midnight on 5 February, when the state was expected to hit its 90% fully vaccinated target.
But the premier warned that once the state’s hard border was eased, unvaccinated or “high-risk” arrivals will still be required to quarantine for 14 days – unless they are under 12 or exempt on medical grounds.
“I’m confident that this is the right time and the right way to take this important step,” McGowan said.
“West Australians have lived a normal life inside our Covid-free bubble and nearly 2 million people have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated.
The announcement comes on the same day Scott Morrison said that visa-holding skilled workers and students will be allowed into Australia from Wednesday.
Read more of Narelle Towie’s report here: Western Australia to reopen border on 5 February after almost two years sealed off from the world
The boss of the organisation which represents NHS trusts said pressure on health services is “not sustainable”. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told Sky News a combination of record highs in 999 calls, the second-highest ever number of emergency department admissions, elective procedure backlogs, the extension of the booster campaign, and social care pressure mean the NHS is “busier than its ever been before.”
He said: “That’s obviously a worry because it’s before the traditional winter peak in January and it’s before any cases really coming into hospitals and we are now starting to do in terms of Omicron cases, so we’re already at beyond full stretch, in our view, before either of those things occur so it’s a worrying time, but as you’d expect everybody on the NHS frontline is doing absolutely the best they can to provide the best possible care.”
He added yesterday’s request from the prime minister for “extraordinary effort” comes as staff are “very, very tired”.
PA Media quote Hopson saying: “I think staff are worried, to be frank, that this level of pressure is going to become normalised and it’s not sustainable.”
He also told Sky News a social care staff shortage and the removal of some beds to control coronavirus infections meant hospitals were trying to operate with 30-35% fewer beds.
He said 11% of beds were occupied by patients who were fit to leave hospital but could not be discharged due to a lack of social care staff, meanwhile hospitals were operating at between 94% and 96% capacity.
He explained how the social care sector could not deliver 1.5m hours of at-home care for patients because workers had left to take jobs in retail, logistics, and hospitality because of better pay and sign-on bonuses, revealing a lack of a “sustainable workforce model” in the NHS and social care.
One line of questioning for UK health secretary Sajid Javid this morning has been the effectveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine. PA Media quote him saying it would be “completely unfair” to suggest the AstraZeneca vaccine was not as good as once thought.
Javid was asked on Sky News: “Is it because AstraZeneca wasn’t as good as we initially thought and actually the booster, either Pfizer or Moderna, is what’s helping?”
He replied: “No, I think that would be completely unfair. AstraZeneca has played a phenomenal role in protecting our country.”
He added: “The difference now is... this variant, and different types of vaccines will react in different ways. But whether it’s AstraZeneca you had for your first two doses or its Pfizer or Moderna, you still need a booster shot to be protected against this new variant.”
There’s been some advice from Ami Jones, an intensive care doctor from Wales on BBC television this morning in the UK to avoid sitting in unventilated rooms with people you don’t know.
Associated Press writer Justin Spike has an interesting piece this morning looking at the difficulty of reporting on Covid in Hungary, and how some people argue that a paucity of official information is playing into low vaccination rates.
Although Hungary has secured vaccine doses from China and Russia in addition to those provided by the European Union, nearly a third of its adults still have not received a single shot. That hesitancy is something immunologist Andras Falus said can be partly attributed to official communications about the pandemic being “extremely poor, inconsistent and totally incapable of maintaining trust.”
“A significant proportion of the population no longer believes when they receive real data, or resign themselves to not paying attention to the data because they feel almost viscerally that it is inconsistent and unreliable,” said Falus, professor emeritus at Semmelweis University in Budapest.
Illes Szurovecz of the Hungarian news website 444.hu says the information released by the conservative government of Viktor Orbán does not provide a clear picture of how the outbreak is developing and that it is opaque and difficult to follow.
“There’s a lot we don’t know,” Szurovecz said. “If there was more detailed data, people would be better able to judge how severe the pandemic is and how dangerous the virus is. ... Doctors from different parts of the country would be better able to compare their results and care could be improved.”
In lieu of more comprehensive data from official channels, Szurovecz and his colleagues track what few numbers the government releases and create detailed data visualizations on trends in the pandemic. Without that, he said, “it would be virtually impossible to look back in Hungary today and see how the pandemic has gone.”
Lacking official information on how hospitals are faring, many journalists have tried to report from inside Covid wards to get a clearer picture.
But Hungary’s government has barred journalists from entering medical facilities to report on the pandemic, and prohibited medical staff from giving interviews, something journalists say has made it impossible to report on worsening conditions, creating a false picture of the situation’s severity.
Russia says it has detected Omicron in 16 people who returned from South Africa. The Interfax news agency cited deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova giving the figures this morning.
We know that Russia reported its first two Omicron cases on 6 December. Reuters say that it was not immediately clear if the 16 cases announced this morning included the two reported earlier this month.
The UK government health minister Sajid Javid has defended the government’s work from home if possible advice in England, which comes into effect from today. He said on Sky News:
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has said “we’ve got to act early” over the Omicron variant because of the threat of exponential growth, despite a low-level of hospitalisations and no reported deaths in the UK yet involving the new variant. On Sky News, interviewer Kay Burley put several Covid-sceptic points to him, suggesting that reports so far show that people infected with the Omicron variant only suffer from a mild illness. Javid said:UK health secretary Sajid Javid has said “we’ve got to act early” over the Omicron variant because of the threat of exponential growth, despite a low-level of hospitalisations and no reported deaths in the UK yet involving the new variant. On Sky News, interviewer Kay Burley put several Covid-sceptic points to him, suggesting that reports so far show that people infected with the Omicron variant only suffer from a mild illness. Javid said:
To just put those figures into a bit more context there, what Javid is saying is if you have 1m infections with Omicron, and that leads to 1% of people being hospitalised, you would have 10,000 hospital admissions. To put those figures into a bit more context, what Javid is saying is that if you have 1m infections with Omicron, and that leads to 1% of people being hospitalised, you would have 10,000 hospital admissions.
Then the number of infections would double again within three days, and you would have another 20,000 people requiring hospitalisation. The peak level of daily hospitalisations in the UK at the pervious height of the pandemic in January 2021 was around 4,500. Then the number of infections would double again within three days, and you would have another 20,000 people requiring hospitalisation. The peak level of daily hospitalisations in the UK at the previous height of the pandemic in January 2021 was around 4,500.
Javid went on to say:Javid went on to say:
The first salvo of UK health secretary Sajid Javid’s interview on Sky News has been a restating of the government’s case to expand the booster programme as set out by the prime minister on TV last night. Javid said:The first salvo of UK health secretary Sajid Javid’s interview on Sky News has been a restating of the government’s case to expand the booster programme as set out by the prime minister on TV last night. Javid said:
He also made a direct appeal to viewersHe also made a direct appeal to viewers
Here is a reminder of the latest situation in the UK. Over the last seven days there have been 360,480 new coronavirus cases recorded in the UK. Cases have increased by 11.9% week-on-week.Here is a reminder of the latest situation in the UK. Over the last seven days there have been 360,480 new coronavirus cases recorded in the UK. Cases have increased by 11.9% week-on-week.
There have been 834 deaths recorded with 28 days of a positive Covid test in the last week. Deaths have increased by 0.5% week-on-week.There have been 834 deaths recorded with 28 days of a positive Covid test in the last week. Deaths have increased by 0.5% week-on-week.
Hospital admissions have increased by 3.7% week-on-week. At the latest count on the UK government’s own dashboard, there were 7,413 people in hospital in total with coronavirus, of whom 900 are in ventilation beds.Hospital admissions have increased by 3.7% week-on-week. At the latest count on the UK government’s own dashboard, there were 7,413 people in hospital in total with coronavirus, of whom 900 are in ventilation beds.
Hello, it’s Martin Belam here in London taking over from Samantha Lock in Sydney. The UK media round is being done by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, this morning. He is up on Sky News first, so I’ll have the key lines from that shortly.Hello, it’s Martin Belam here in London taking over from Samantha Lock in Sydney. The UK media round is being done by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, this morning. He is up on Sky News first, so I’ll have the key lines from that shortly.
New work from home guidance takes effect in England today, following recently tightened coronavirus guidance.New work from home guidance takes effect in England today, following recently tightened coronavirus guidance.
British prime minister Boris Johnson made the announcement at a Downing Street press conference last week, saying people must work from home where possible from Monday.British prime minister Boris Johnson made the announcement at a Downing Street press conference last week, saying people must work from home where possible from Monday.
Although the government instruction that people in England should work from home where possible from Monday is advice and not legally mandatory, organisations across the country are switching to home working where possible.Although the government instruction that people in England should work from home where possible from Monday is advice and not legally mandatory, organisations across the country are switching to home working where possible.
However, some companies have told workers they can continue to come to the office if required for their mental health.However, some companies have told workers they can continue to come to the office if required for their mental health.
Ukraine has just released its daily Covid count.Ukraine has just released its daily Covid count.
Another 4,073 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were recorded for Sunday, 12 December.Another 4,073 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were recorded for Sunday, 12 December.
The country also reported 188 deaths.The country also reported 188 deaths.
If you’ve just joined us, here is a quick run-down of all the latest Covid developments.If you’ve just joined us, here is a quick run-down of all the latest Covid developments.
British prime minister Boris Johnson is gambling on an unprecedented ramping up of vaccinations, rolling out 1m booster jabs a day to stem an incoming “tidal wave of Omicron” and avoid imposing further restrictions.British prime minister Boris Johnson is gambling on an unprecedented ramping up of vaccinations, rolling out 1m booster jabs a day to stem an incoming “tidal wave of Omicron” and avoid imposing further restrictions.
Announcing the booster offensive, Johnson said two doses of vaccine were not enough, but scientists were confident that three would make a huge difference.Announcing the booster offensive, Johnson said two doses of vaccine were not enough, but scientists were confident that three would make a huge difference.
The US is approaching the grim milestone of 50m coronavirus cases with a total of 49,921,405 reported since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths stand at 797,346.The US is approaching the grim milestone of 50m coronavirus cases with a total of 49,921,405 reported since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths stand at 797,346.
Although infections appeared to be in decline, daily increases have been reported for the past two weeks, with the number of hospitalised Covid patients also rising and up 20%.Although infections appeared to be in decline, daily increases have been reported for the past two weeks, with the number of hospitalised Covid patients also rising and up 20%.
States in colder parts of the country are seeing the biggest surge in new infections on a per capita basis, including Vermont, New Hampshire and Michigan.States in colder parts of the country are seeing the biggest surge in new infections on a per capita basis, including Vermont, New Hampshire and Michigan.
Britain faces a “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it, prime minister Boris Johnson warned, as he accelerated the nation’s booster rollout programme.Britain faces a “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant and two vaccine doses will not be enough to contain it, prime minister Boris Johnson warned, as he accelerated the nation’s booster rollout programme.
Russia has recorded a cumulative total number of Covid cases that now exceeds 10 million.Russia has recorded a cumulative total number of Covid cases that now exceeds 10 million.
The European Central Bank’s vice-president Luis de Guindos has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, the ECB said.The European Central Bank’s vice-president Luis de Guindos has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, the ECB said.
The US is set to reach 800,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.The US is set to reach 800,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine is the “optimal care” but two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains the US government’s official definition of fully vaccinated, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.Three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine is the “optimal care” but two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains the US government’s official definition of fully vaccinated, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.
Australia will shorten the wait time for people to receive a Covid-19 booster following a rise in Omicron cases.Australia will shorten the wait time for people to receive a Covid-19 booster following a rise in Omicron cases.
More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies have suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province.More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies have suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province.
Australians are preparing for quarantine-free travel across most of the country during the Christmas period as the state of Queensland opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people for the first time in nearly five months.Australians are preparing for quarantine-free travel across most of the country during the Christmas period as the state of Queensland opened its domestic borders to all vaccinated people for the first time in nearly five months.
South Korea will test artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition to track Covid-19 cases.South Korea will test artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition to track Covid-19 cases.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, 69, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, though is showing only mild symptoms, the presidency said.South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, 69, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, though is showing only mild symptoms, the presidency said.
Indonesia will start administering Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six to 11 on Tuesday, a health ministry official said.Indonesia will start administering Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six to 11 on Tuesday, a health ministry official said.
New Zealand health authorities are investigating claims that a man received up to 10 Covid-19 vaccination doses in one day on behalf of other people, believed to be skirting tough restrictions on the unvaccinated.New Zealand health authorities are investigating claims that a man received up to 10 Covid-19 vaccination doses in one day on behalf of other people, believed to be skirting tough restrictions on the unvaccinated.
More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies said they had suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province in response to local government’s tightened Covid-19 curbs, Reuters reports. Share prices have also reportedly plunged.More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies said they had suspended production in coronavirus-hit parts of China’s eastern Zhejiang province in response to local government’s tightened Covid-19 curbs, Reuters reports. Share prices have also reportedly plunged.
Zhejiang reported a total of 173 locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms during the 6-12 December period, official numbers showed on Monday, marking the province’s first domestic cluster outbreak this year. In October, the province reported just one local case.Zhejiang reported a total of 173 locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms during the 6-12 December period, official numbers showed on Monday, marking the province’s first domestic cluster outbreak this year. In October, the province reported just one local case.
A slew of companies, including Ningbo Homelink Eco-Itech Co Ltd (301193.SZ), Zhejiang Zhongxin Fluoride Materials Co Ltd (002915.SZ), Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co Ltd (300316.SZ) and Zhejiang Fenglong Electric Co Ltd (002931.SZ), announced the production suspension through exchange filings over the weekend.A slew of companies, including Ningbo Homelink Eco-Itech Co Ltd (301193.SZ), Zhejiang Zhongxin Fluoride Materials Co Ltd (002915.SZ), Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co Ltd (300316.SZ) and Zhejiang Fenglong Electric Co Ltd (002931.SZ), announced the production suspension through exchange filings over the weekend.
Their shares fell sharply in early trading on Monday with some falling more than 7%.Their shares fell sharply in early trading on Monday with some falling more than 7%.
India has just released its daily Covid report.India has just released its daily Covid report.
The country reported 7,350 new cases in the last 24 hours with an active caseload of 91,456; the lowest in 561 days.The country reported 7,350 new cases in the last 24 hours with an active caseload of 91,456; the lowest in 561 days.
Another 202 deaths were also reported.Another 202 deaths were also reported.
Super-spreader events in NSW and reinfections in Victoria have health authorities worried as Covid-19 infections continue to grow.Super-spreader events in NSW and reinfections in Victoria have health authorities worried as Covid-19 infections continue to grow.
Victoria reported 1,290 new cases and two deaths, while New South Wales recorded 536 new cases, amid increasing numbers of the Omicron variant.Victoria reported 1,290 new cases and two deaths, while New South Wales recorded 536 new cases, amid increasing numbers of the Omicron variant.
Health authorities in NSW are battling to contain several large transmission events, including cases of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant – with 64 cases of the new strain now recorded in the state.Health authorities in NSW are battling to contain several large transmission events, including cases of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant – with 64 cases of the new strain now recorded in the state.
Of the 536 new cases announced in the state on Monday, nine were confirmed to have the Omicron variant, with NSW Health saying “more are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed”.Of the 536 new cases announced in the state on Monday, nine were confirmed to have the Omicron variant, with NSW Health saying “more are expected as results of genomic testing are confirmed”.
Read the full story here.Read the full story here.
Germany is reporting an additional 21,743 new daily Covid cases and 116 deaths, according to recently published figures from the Robert Koch Institute.Germany is reporting an additional 21,743 new daily Covid cases and 116 deaths, according to recently published figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
The numbers are a significant drop from previous days, with 39,585 cases reported on 10 December 45,460 cases on 9 December.The numbers are a significant drop from previous days, with 39,585 cases reported on 10 December 45,460 cases on 9 December.
Covid infections have been steadily decreasing in the European nation since new lockdowns were introduced.Covid infections have been steadily decreasing in the European nation since new lockdowns were introduced.