Covid live: fourth vaccine dose ‘could be needed against Omicron’; not enough data on severity, says WHO | World news

Denmark will tighten restrictions in public colleges, with pupils and workers taking two weekly checks, workers and oldsters to put on facemasks and make contact with lowered between college students in efforts to roadblock Omicron.

The brand new restrictions will start when college students return on 5 January, training minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil mentioned, reports the Copenhagen Submit. Lecturers might be exempt from carrying masks in school rooms.

It comes after colleges proceed to drive infections. The Submit stories that lately, nearly 2,500 out of each 100,000 faculty children aged 6-11 had been contaminated, twice as many as some other age group.

Denmark has seen circumstances surge in latest weeks. 13,057 Covid infections had been detected on Tuesday, a 106% climb on the 6,324 optimistic checks on Tuesday two weeks in the past.

Canada will broaden assist for individuals and companies hit by the Omicron wave.

“We’re in for some even harder instances forward. That’s true and that’s actually exhausting,” finance minister Chrystia Freeland mentioned on Wednesday. She introduced Ottawa would briefly broaden applications on the price of lease and wages till 22 February.

It adopted restrictions introduced earlier by states Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia to try to push again the virus. Prime minister Justin Trudeau mentioned at a authorities briefing three of his workers, plus three safety element employees, have Covid.

Canada reported 11,300 new circumstances prior to now 24 hours, a 220% improve on the three,529 new infections on Wednesday two weeks in the past.

Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s secretary of the nationwide safety and protection council, mentioned the nation expects a brand new wave to take off in February, native media Ukrinform reports.

“As of in the present day, the scenario is below management. The continued fourth wave declines now, we’re following it. We anticipate the following wave to begin on February 10 – 15. All of it relies on vaccination tempo,” Danilov mentioned.

Ukraine skilled spiking circumstances in late-October and early-November, with each day infections typically hitting 27,000.

However in latest weeks the epidemic has receded. Ukraine reported 6,363 Covid circumstances prior to now 24 hours, Ukrinform reported, a 36% decline on the 9,895 new circumstances on Wednesday two weeks in the past.

An additional 301 individuals died from Covid-related causes on Wednesday, down 37% from 480 individuals on Wednesday two weeks in the past.

Within the US, California’s governor Gavin Newsom mentioned healthcare employees in “high-risk congregate settings” would require a Covid vaccine booster by 1 February, in indicators booster photographs are being built-in into present mandates as information emerges three doses are required for defense towards Omicron.

A earlier mandate for Californian healthcare employees to be vaccinated got here on 30 September. (Staff can apply for a non secular of medical exemption.)

In response to the state’s data, 70.4% of individuals statewide are double-vaccinated and 42.4% of persons are boosted. Healthcare employees not but boosted should submit to 2 Covid take a look at per week forward of 1 February, Newsom mentioned.

Individuals who take a look at optimistic with the Omicron variant are on common 15% much less seemingly than Delta circumstances to attend hospital and have a 40% decrease threat of being hospitalised for an evening or extra, UK information suggests.

The Imperial School outbreak modelling crew led by Prof Neil Ferguson analysed hospitalisations and vaccine data amongst all PCR-confirmed Covid circumstances in England between 1 and 14 December.

In a report revealed on Wednesday, the scientists discovered that any attendance at hospital was a fifth to 1 / 4 decrease with Omicron versus Delta circumstances, and between 40% and 45% decrease when the go to resulted in being admitted for at the very least sooner or later.

My colleague Ian Pattern can have an extended report on this shortly.

Listed below are the UK’s record-breaking Covid case numbers – leaping over 100,000 for the primary time – in context.

That is Jem Bartholomew in London taking cost of the worldwide weblog for the following few hours. Do get in contact with suggestions and tales, it’s all the time nice to listen to from readers.

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Right here’s a fast roundup of what’s been occurring up to now:

• Well being regulators within the United States issued an emergency use authorisation for a capsule made by Pfizer that can be utilized to deal with Covid-19 at house. The US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) mentioned the capsule, bought below the model identify Paxlovid, might be used to deal with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults and youngsters 12 years and older, as long as they’ve examined optimistic for the virus and are at excessive threat of extreme Covid signs.
• The UK recorded 106,122 new Covid circumstances on Wednesday, the best each day determine because the starting of the pandemic and the primary time circumstances have handed 100,000. Authorities figures confirmed an extra 140 deaths had been additionally reported, bringing the full to 147,573.
• The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been accredited to be used in susceptible main faculty kids within the UK, following a advice by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
• A most of six individuals might be allowed to satisfy in pubs, cinemas and eating places in Wales from 6am on 26 December, the primary minister has introduced. The 2-metre social distancing guidelines will even return in public locations and outside occasions might be restricted to 50, and 30 indoors. Nightclubs in Northern Eire will shut on Boxing Day.
• South Africa has reported information on Covid circumstances pushed by the Omicron variant that seems to provide added impetus to claims the nation is experiencing a decrease severity of illness. “In South Africa, that is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a manner that’s much less extreme,” mentioned one of many authors of the research.
• France reported 84,272 new coronavirus circumstances in the present day, near the each day report of simply lower than 87,000 in November 2020. French well being minister Olivier Véran warned the nation may quickly have round 100,000 new Covid circumstances a day, however mentioned no new restrictions had been on the desk for now.
• Live performance halls, cinemas and different leisure venues in Belgium will shut due to the surging variant, the federal government introduced. From Sunday, no indoor actions might be allowed apart from museum visits, train, weddings or funerals and sports activities followers is not going to be allowed into stadiums.
• In Spain, face masks will as soon as once more be obligatory always outside even when a distance of 1.5m from different individuals could be maintained, the nation’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez mentioned. The announcement comes a day after Spain recorded its highest each day case numbers because the pandemic started.
  
• Germany’s new well being minister Karl Lauterbach instructed a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose can be required to be able to defend towards Omicron. He mentioned the brand new variant will turn into the dominant pressure inside three weeks and the nation has ordered 80m doses of Omicron-specific vaccine for supply in April or Might.
• Israel is about to turn into the primary nation on the earth to supply a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccines in an effort to guard towards the Omicron variant. Individuals over the age of 60 and healthcare employees might be eligible for a second booster shot, the prime minister, Naftali Bennett, mentioned.
• The pinnacle of the World Well being Group (WHO) mentioned the world can have sufficient doses of Covid vaccines within the first quarter of 2022 to inoculate all the international grownup inhabitants – if western nations don’t hoard these vaccines to make use of in blanket booster programme.
• Individually, a WHO official mentioned it’s too quickly to say whether or not the brand new variant is extra transmissible than the Delta variant. “We do have some information suggesting that charges of hospitalisation are decrease,” mentioned WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove, however she warned towards drawing conclusions from early information as a result of “we now have not seen this variant flow into lengthy sufficient in populations all over the world”.

That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, for in the present day as I hand over the weblog to my colleague Jem Bartholomew, who will proceed to deliver you the most recent coronavirus information from all over the world.

France reported 84,272 new circumstances, coming near its all-time excessive of just about 87,000 circumstances in November 2020.

The newest determine marks the largest one-day improve on report and the nation’s second-highest this 12 months.

Earlier in the present day, France’s well being minister Olivier Véran warned the nation may quickly have round 100,000 new Covid circumstances a day. He mentioned no new restrictions had been on the desk for now, though nothing might be dominated out.

US President Joe Biden has examined detrimental for Covid-19, days after he was in touch with a White Home aide who later examined optimistic for the virus.

The White Home introduced the outcomes after Biden informed reporters hours earlier that he had obtained a PCR take a look at however was ready on outcomes.

On Monday, the White Home mentioned a “mid-level workers member” who examined optimistic on Monday had spent about half-hour “in proximity to the president” on Air Pressure One as Biden flew from South Carolina to Pennsylvania on Friday.

The staffer, who’s totally vaccinated and boosted, had examined detrimental earlier than getting on the aircraft and didn’t expertise signs till Sunday, in accordance with White Home press secretary Jen Psaki.

Right here’s extra on the US Meals and Drug Administration’s authorisation of Pfizer’s antiviral Covid-19 capsule, which might be bought below the model identify Paxlovid.

The company authorised the oral drug – the primary at-home therapy for Covid – for the therapy of high-risk grownup sufferers and pediatric sufferers at the very least 12 years of age with Covid-19 exterior of the hospital.

The drugmaker mentioned it was prepared to begin instantly supply in the US and raised its manufacturing projections to 120m programs of therapy from 80m in 2022. The US authorities’s contract for 10 million programs of the Pfizer drug is priced at $530 per course.

Knowledge from Pfizer’s scientific trial confirmed its two-drug antiviral routine was 90% efficient in stopping hospitalisations and deaths in sufferers at excessive threat of extreme sickness. Latest information suggests it retains its effectiveness towards the Omicron variant.

The capsules are supposed to be taken each 12 hours for 5 days starting shortly after the onset of signs.

Live performance halls, cinemas and different leisure venues in Belgium will shut from this weekend due to the surging Omicron variant, the federal government has introduced.

From Sunday, sports activities followers is not going to be allowed into stadiums and indoor venues and teams coming into a store might be restricted to 2 adults. No indoor actions might be allowed apart from museum visits, train, weddings or funerals.

Bars and eating places might be allowed to stay open till 11pm, below curtailed hours imposed because the begin of the month.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo mentioned though total Covid infections had been down 60% from three weeks in the past, worryingly three out of 10 optimistic checks had been now of the Omicron variant.

“We have now to be extra cautious than ever on this interval the place there are lots of uncertainties,” he mentioned.

He didn’t rule out stricter restrictions being introduced in if the rise in Omicron circumstances led to extra hospitalisations.

Face masks will as soon as once more be obligatory always outside in Spain, the nation’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez introduced.

Individuals might be required to put on a face masks outside even when a distance of 1.5m from different individuals could be maintained.

Sánchez is because of maintain a cupboard assembly tomorrow to approve the decree, the Spanish authorities mentioned in an announcement. It isn’t identified but when the rule will come into impact.

The announcement comes a day after Spain recorded its highest each day case numbers because the pandemic started.

Well being regulators within the United States have cleared use of a Covid-19 capsule from Pfizer, the primary drug that newly-infected sufferers can now take at house to remain out of the hospital.

The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorisation for Pfizer’s Paxlovid for the therapy of mild-to-moderate coronavirus illness in adults and sufferers aged 12 or older.

Paxlovid is out there by prescription solely and needs to be initiated as quickly as attainable after analysis and inside 5 days of symptom onset.

A World Health Organization (WHO) official has mentioned it’s too quickly to say whether or not the brand new variant is extra transmissible than the Delta variant, nearly a month after South Africa first raised the alarm about its emergence.

“We do have some information suggesting that charges of hospitalisation are decrease,” WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove, mentioned.

However she warned towards drawing conclusions from early information as a result of “we now have not seen this variant flow into lengthy sufficient in populations all over the world, definitely in susceptible populations”.

She mentioned the information on the brand new variant was nonetheless “messy” as nations reported its arrival and unfold.

Italy has recorded 36,293 new circumstances, in contrast with 30,798 the day prior to this, the well being ministry mentioned. An additional 146 deaths had been additionally reported, taking the full to 136,077. It’s the second-highest demise toll in Europe after Britain and ninth-highest on the earth.

The variety of sufferers in hospital with Covid – not together with these in intensive care – stood at 8,544 on Wednesday, up from 8,381 a day earlier. The entire variety of intensive care sufferers fell to 1,010 from a earlier 1,012.

Right here’s a bit extra on these newest UK figures. The brand new each day whole is 106,122, which is greater than 13,000 increased than the earlier report – 93,045 on Friday final week.

The entire variety of new circumstances over the previous week is up 58.9% on the full for the earlier week.

As I discussed within the earlier put up, case numbers are solely comparable since mass testing started in Might and June final 12 months. Specialists have mentioned there are more likely to be tons of of hundreds of infections per day, with many being missed.

In contrast with the earlier week, the variety of each day deaths has decreased by 2.7% within the final seven days.

As of yesterday, a complete of 8,008 individuals had been in hospital with Covid. That is the best quantity since 22 November and up 4% on per week earlier – however nonetheless a great distance off the 39,254 hospitalisations recorded on 18 January.

The UK recorded 106,122 new Covid circumstances on Wednesday, the best each day determine because the starting of the pandemic and the primary time circumstances have handed 100,000.

(Comparisons are solely acceptable with the second and third waves, as a result of there was little or no testing throughout the first wave, which saved recorded circumstances very low.)

Government figures confirmed an extra 140 deaths had been additionally reported, bringing the full to 147,573.

Youngsters between the ages of 5 and 11 in Finland might be eligible to obtain a Covid vaccine, well being officers mentioned.

Till now solely kids in susceptible teams have been in a position to obtain the jab. Earlier this month, the Finnish Well being Institute advisable that kids aged 5 and over needs to be vaccinated towards Covid in the event that they or somebody of their family had been at excessive threat of extreme an infection.

The transfer comes alongside new restrictions to curb Christmas consuming and tighten border controls. Bars will cease serving alcohol at 9pm on Christmas Eve, adopted by a three-week alcohol gross sales ban previous 5pm in bars and eating places from 28 December.