Germany to introduce tighter curbs on unvaccinated
Germany will limit access to restaurants, bars, gyms, hairdressers, cinemas, theatres, and events to the vaccinated in many regions, Justin Huggler reports.
In the worst-hit regions the vaccinated will also have to show a recent negative test to attend such events.
Germany will impose new restrictions by region based on the hospitalisation rates.
The rate is measured by the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days.
Where the rate is over three, access to restaurants, bars, gyms, hairdressers, cinemas, theatres, and events will be limited to the vaccinated (and those who have recovered from the virus).
Where the rate is over six, access will be limited to the vaccinated and they will have to show a negative test.
Where the rate is over nine, regional governments will be empowered to take unspecified additional measures as they see necessary.
This is in addition to the decision earlier today that access to the workplace and public transport requires a negative test, and anyone who fails to provide one at work can be sent home and have wages docked.
Greece to impose further restrictions on those not vaccinated
Greece will impose further restrictions for those not vaccinated against coronavirus next week, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister, has said.
The measures were announced by Mr Mitsotakis in a televised address to the nation and include barring unvaccinated citizens from all indoor spaces including cinemas, museums and gyms.
Swiss cases hit 2021 high but government will not introduce new Covid rules
Switzerland's health minister insists new Covid-19 restrictions are not necessary, despite daily new cases quadrupling in a month to an all-year high.
"We are clearly facing the fifth wave," Alain Berset told a news conference, adding that the course of the pandemic "will depend on the behaviour of all of us".
He said the surge in cases was worrying as "the number of adults who have no immunity is too big".
A vaccination drive last week lifted the sluggish jab uptake of recent months and ministers hope the increased pace can be sustained.
Local authorities given new powers to impose face masks in schools UK
Face masks are set to return to schools as local public health directors have been given new powers to bypass Whitehall and introduce tougher restrictions on children,
Camilla Turner reports.
Changes to official guidance now mean that
regional public health officials can impose masks on secondary school pupils without the move being sanctioned by Downing Street.
Previously, local authorities needed the Government's sign off before introducing new Covid restrictions in schools.
Covid infections rise sharply among UK's school children
Covid-19 case rates among school children in England have risen sharply, new figures show.
A total of 722.9 new cases per 100,000 people aged five to nine were recorded in the seven days to Nov 14, up week-on-week from 484.5.
The rate for 10- to 19-year-olds is 694.2, up from 571.7.
The figures, from the UK Health Security Agency, are likely to reflect the return of pupils to school after the half-term holiday in late October.
Case rates have also jumped for all age groups between 20 and 59, though the week-on-week increase is smaller. Rates have fallen in age groups for people aged 60 and over.
Cases up 14.5 per cent in the UK compared to previous week
The United Kingdom recorded 46,807 daily Covid-19 cases today, the highest since Oct 22, and 199 deaths, official data showed.
On a seven-day basis, cases were up 14.5 per cent on the week before, and deaths within 28 days of a person testing positive for Covid-19 were down by 9.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, a total of 50,679,073 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by Nov 17, government figures show. This is a rise of 33,092 on the previous day.
Some 46,087,958 second doses have been delivered, an increase of 22,120.
A combined total of 13,879,311 booster and third doses have also been given, a day-on-day rise of 384,421.
US buys 10 million courses of Pfizer’s coronavirus treatment pill
Joe Biden, the US president, has announced the United States is buying 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid-19 treatment pill, in a $5.3 billion (£4 billion) deal he touted as "critical" to fighting the pandemic.
This week, Pfizer applied for US emergency use authorisation for its Paxlovid antiviral pill, shown to be highly effective in preventing hospitalisation and death among high-risk patients.
While the deal hinges on the treatment's approval by the Food and Drug Administration, Mr Biden said he had taken "immediate steps to secure enough supply for the American people".
"Today, I'm announcing that we have purchased 10 million treatment courses of the Pfizer antiviral Covid-19 pill, with delivery starting at the end of this year and across 2022," he said in a statement, adding that the treatments would be "easily accessible and free".
The president said that widely-available vaccines remain America's 'strongest tool' in the fight against Covid-19 Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/Shutterstock
Mr Biden said the antiviral "treatment could prove to be another critical tool in our arsenal that will accelerate our path out of the pandemic".
Among newly-infected high-risk patients treated within three days of the onset of symptoms, Pfizer's pill has been shown to cut hospitalisation or death by nearly 90 per cent.
Italy’s daily tally of new infections increases
Italy reported 69 coronavirus-related deaths today after 72 yesterday, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 10,638 from 10,172.
Italy has registered 133,034 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 4,088 on Thursday, up from 4,060 a day earlier.
There were 55 new admissions to intensive care units, increasing from 39 on Wednesday. The total number of intensive care patients rose to 503 from a previous 486.
Czech Republic and Slovakia tighten restrictions for unvaccinated
The Czech Republic and Slovakia tightened restrictions on people who have not had Covid-19 shots on Wednesday to try to encourage more to get vaccinated and ease the burden on hospitals.
The measures echo steps taken against unvaccinated people in Austria and parts of Germany as Europe faces rising infections.
The Czech government approved plans to allow only those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months to enter restaurants, attend certain events and use various other services from Monday.
Slovakia took a similar step, in what Prime Minister Eduard Heger called a "lockdown for the unvaccinated".
Italy debates lockdown for unvaccinated
Italy is debating whether to follow Austria’s example and introduce restrictions for the non-vaccinated, a contentious move which has divided opinion.
Vienna announced on Monday that it was placing two million of its citizens who have not been fully vaccinated under a new lockdown. They are only allowed to leave home for necessities such as going to work and buying food.
The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting the same approach, amid growing alarm over a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Although 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed, that still leaves around seven million who have still refused to have the vaccination.
Potential Italy lockdown faces backlash
The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting a lockdown for the unvaccinated - but they are facing pushback.
The group includes Matteo Salvini, the leader of the hard-Right nationalist League, and Giuseppe Conte, another recent prime minister.
Walter Ricciardi, an advisor to the health ministry, also said that for the moment Italy does not need to follow Austria’s example. “We don’t need a lockdown for the unvaccinated,” he told a radio programme on Wednesday.
“Austria took this decision because it is behind with the vaccination programme and has a rate of Covid cases that is 10 times greater than ours.”
Only around 65 per cent of Austrians are vaccinated – one of the lowest rates in Western Europe - while 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed.
Why are deaths high in Russia?
Russia is seeing record Covid-19 deaths and high case numbers, something health experts have blamed on low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes toward taking precautions.
Fewer than 40 per cent of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine months before most of the world.
Graves at Novoye Kolpinskoye Cemetery where deceased Covid-19 patients are buried in St Petersburg, Russia Credit: Peter Kovalev/TASS
To boost immunisation rates, the government said new restrictions would take effect next year and limit access to many public places, as well as domestic and international trains and flights, to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 or are medically exempt from vaccination.
In total, the coronavirus task force has reported over 9.2 million confirmed infections and more than 260,000 Covid-19 deaths, the highest death toll in Europe.
Reports by Russia's statistical service, Rosstat, that tally coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively reveal much higher mortality. They say 462,000 people with Covid-19 died between April 2020 and September of this year.
Poland could see 40,000 cases
Poland saw the number of positive tests increase to 24,882 on Thursday, and deaths climb to 370, reports Matthew Day from Warsaw.
The rapid rise in infection numbers from around 2,500 cases a month ago has triggered warnings that case numbers could soon hit 40,000 in the worst case scenario, according to Adam Niedzielski, the Polish defence minister.
Despite the increases the Polish government has been reluctant to introduce any new restrictions.
It has so far preferred to strengthen the enforcement of existing regulations such as the wearing of facemasks in confined public spaces, while encouraging people to get vaccinated. Only about 53 percent of the Polish population has been fully vaccinated.
Italy debates lockdown for unvaccinated
Italy is debating whether to follow Austria’s example and introduce restrictions for the non-vaccinated, a contentious move which has divided opinion.
Vienna announced on Monday that it was placing two million of its citizens who have not been fully vaccinated under a new lockdown. They are only allowed to leave home for necessities such as going to work and buying food.
The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting the same approach, amid growing alarm over a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Although 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed, that still leaves around seven million who have still refused to have the vaccination.
AstraZeneca's new Covid antibody treatment 'more effective than vaccines after six months'
A coronavirus drug derived from immune cells of Covid survivors gives better protection than vaccines after six months and could last for a year, trial results suggest.
AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday that its antibody injection AZD7442 reduces the risk of symptomatic Covid by 83 per cent six months after a single dose.
In contrast, vaccines can wane substantially in the months following an injection, even after two doses, with the AstraZeneca vaccine falling to around 40 per cent effectiveness, and Pfizer about 60 per cent.
Lockdown the unvaccinated if cases grow, says Italian minister
Restrictions should be imposed on the non-vaccinated if Italy's virus situation worsens, a minister said today, reports our Italy Correspondent
Nick Squires.
During the worst of the pandemic, Italy's 20 regions were designated either yellow, orange or red, depending on the number of contagions, with yellow signifying the most moderate number of cases and red the highest.
The colour designations have not been used for a while but if any region turns orange again, a special lockdown for the unvaccinated should be considered, says Pierpaolo Sileri, the undersecretary for health.
"A lockdown for the unvaccinated is not the strategy to be implemented with the current numbers, but it could be weighed in the case of a move to an orange zone," he told Italian radio.
"It should be kept on the table, like many other options, but the situation is under control".
The governors of five regions have called for new restrictions to be imposed on the unvaccinated, as has happened in neighbouring Austria.
On the ground in Austria
Austria is currently battling one of the severest outbreaks of the virus in Europe, reports Justin Huggler.
It recorded more than 15,000 new cases on Thursday, and has a seven-day incidence of 989 per 100,000 inhabitants — nearly three times as high as the UK’s.
Hospitals in Salzburg and Upper Austria are overloaded and there are unconfirmed reports of dead bodies being stored in the corridors.
A medical staff tends to a patient on an intensive care unit at a hospital of the Salzburg Credit: BARBARA GINDL/AFP
"You put dead corona patients in an airtight plastic bag, zip it shut, and that's it," an ICU nurse told the Austrian Press Agency.
Austria has already seen widespread protests against the lockdown for the unvaccinated, and the new measures are expected to provoke further anger.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Graz, Austria’s third largest city, on Wednesday chanting anti-lockdown slogans, and a major rally is planned for Saturday in Vienna.
Full lockdown to hit Austria
A full coronavirus lockdown will be reimposed in at least two regions of Austria next week, reports our Berlin Correspondent
Justin Huggler.
Austria became the first European country to impose a lockdown on the unvaccinated this week, while those who have had both jabs remain free.
But Salzburg and Upper Austria say that is not enough. They plan to put everybody, including the vaccinated, back under lockdown from next week.
Regional governments in the two states have been lobbying for a full national lockdown, and announced on Thursday if there is no agreement they will go it alone.
Austria is currently battling one of the severest outbreaks of the virus in Europe. It recorded more than 15,000 new cases on Thursday, and has a seven-day incidence of 989 per 100,000 inhabitants — nearly three times as high as the UK’s.
Details of the restrictions under consideration were not immediately available, but the two regions could be the first in Europe to go back into full lockdown.
Cases skyrocket in France
France registered more than 20,000 new confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday for the first time since Aug 25 as the fifth wave of the epidemic picked up speed.
The health ministry reported 20,294 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 7.33 million and the seven-day moving average of new cases to above 12,400.
France's Covid-19 incidence rate - the number of new cases per week per 100,000 people - rose further to 129, although that remained well below neighbouring countries such as Germany, Britain and Belgium where such rates are several times higher.
What could be next for Germany?
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said a national effort was needed to block the wave of infections battering the country.
Ms Merkel wants tighter restrictions and new steps to be introduced by federal and regional leaders, particularly those in severely affected areas.
A draft of the document set to be discussed by the chancellor and officials includes measures forcing people to show proof of vaccination or recovery or a negative Covid-19 test on public transport and at work and imposing tighter restrictions for leisure activities.
A man is tested at a Corona testing station in Duisburg, western Germany Credit: INA FASSBENDER /AFP
In addition, financial aid for companies and individuals hit by the crisis could be extended by three months to the end of March 2022.
Ms Merkel appealed to vaccine-sceptics to change their minds and called for a speedier distribution of booster shots.
"If enough people get vaccinated that is the way out of the pandemic," she told a congress of German city mayors.
Belgium: Alarm signals are red
Belgium has tightened its coronavirus restrictions in a last ditch effort to avoid a full lockdown.
"All the alarm signals are red," said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. "Europe's map is quickly going red, and we are the same."
Children over the age of 10 will face compulsory mask-wearing, lowering the bar from the current age of 12.
Working from home will be enforced from Saturday for four days of the week.
And a Covid Safe Ticket, a pass showing vaccination, testing or recovery status, will be required for all theatres, cinemas and museums.
It is thought Belgium will roll out a third booster vaccination by the end of April 2022.
- Melbourne's pubs and cafes can have unlimited patrons from Thursday night, while stadiums can return to full capacity as authorities lifted nearly all remaining Covid restrictions for the vaccinated residents in Australia's second-largest city.
- Indian states are sitting on more than 200million doses of vaccines due to a reluctance among people to get inoculated, the chief executive of top vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India has said.
- Overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs during the pandemic is helping bacteria develop resistance that will render these important medicines ineffective over time, the Pan American Health Organization has warned.
- Moderna Inc said it had applied to the US Food and Drug Administration for authorisation of its Covid booster vaccine for all adults aged 18 and older.
T
he bold Text is not mine....