England's Covid prevalence reaches record 1 in 45 people – latest updates

Thursday, December 23, 2021

England's Covid prevalence hits new high as Omicron spreads

Around 1.2 million people in England were likely infected with Covid-19 last week, representing 1 in 45 of the population and a new pandemic record as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, official estimates showed.

London was worst hit with an estimated 1 in 30 people infected with the coronavirus last week, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Omicron is likely by now the dominant variant circulating in England, the analysis suggested.

Modelling from the ONS showed Omicron, as of December 16, had already matched the existing Delta variant in terms of the percentage of positive cases in England.

The rapid spread of Omicron has driven a surge in cases in the last seven days, with the total rising by 643,219, or 59%, according to government data.

Meanwhile, Britain reported a record 119,789 new daily Covid-19 cases, and 147 deaths, according to government data.

Lufthansa axes 10% of flights this winter due to Omicron

German national carrier Lufthansa will cut its winter flight plan by "around 10 percent" as the spread of the Omicron variant fuels uncertainty about travel, CEO Carsten Spohr has said.

"From the middle of January to February, we see a sharp drop off in bookings", leading the airline to cancel "33,000 flights or about 10 percent" of its flights this winter, Spohr said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Denmark to require negative virus test

Denmark has announced that foreigners seeking to enter the country will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test, regardless of vaccination status.

The requirement, which will come into force on December 27, follows similar announcements from Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland earlier this week.

Under the new rules, all non-citizens and non-residents seeking to enter the country will need to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours, or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours, the Danish Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Those exempt from the new requirement are people who can prove they have recovered from Covid-19, children and people living in the border region.

US regulator authorises Merck's Covid pill

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised Merck's Covid pill for high risk adults, a day after a similar pill by Pfizer was given the green light.

"Today's authorisation provides an additional treatment option against the Covid-19 virus in the form of a pill that can be taken orally," said FDA scientist Patrizia Cavazzoni.

Kuwait mandates third vaccine for citizens who wish to travel

Kuwait's civil aviation directorate has mandated a third Covid-19 vaccine dose for citizens vaccinated more than 9 months ago who wish to travel out of the country, state news agency KUNA reported. 

Morocco government extends health emergency status

The Moroccan government has extended the nationwide health state of emergency to January 31, the country's state news agency reported.

Italy set to tighten curbs to rein in infections

The Italian government will tighten restrictions in an effort to curb a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, including making mask wearing mandatory outdoors again, the prime minister's office has said.

Among other measures that look set to be approved when the cabinet meets later in the day are a reduction in the validity of Covid-19 health certificates, that give access to an array of places and services, to six months from nine months.

The statement said Italy was also considering closing discos and clubs up until New Year's Eve. 

Russia's coronavirus death toll tops 600,000

Russia's coronavirus death toll passed the 600,000 mark, Reuters news agency calculations based on official data showed, after a surge of infections linked to the Delta variant.

Russia had the third highest toll in the world with 600,434 fatalities, behind the United States, which has recorded around 813,000 deaths and Brazil with 618,000.

The Omicron variant which is spreading fast in other countries has so far made little impact on the Russian data. Officials said this week they had detected only 41 cases.

South African health regulator approves J&J boosters

South Africa's health regulator approved the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine for a second dose or booster, paving the way for the shot widely used in South Africa to shore up protection against the Omicron variant.

The country already announced in December that it was preparing to offer people booster doses of both the Pfizer and J&J shots, but it did not specify when J&J boosters would be available.

The South African Health Products Authority said in a statement on Thursday that it had approved J&J shots for use as a second dose or booster at least two months after the completion of the person's primary vaccination, with either J&J's single-shot course or another approved mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.

Xi'an residents hunker down for city lockdown

Taking crucial exams in lockdown, adapting to home-schooling and cancelling family reunions, Xi'an residents are enduring a near-total city closure to curb a tiny outbreak, as China presses on with its zero-Covid strategy ahead of the Winter Olympics.

The city transformed as all 13 million residents were ordered to stay home: streets emptied, people formed long lines at Covid-19 testing stations, and officials cordoned-off apartment compounds.

The historic former capital, a popular destination for international tourists prior to the pandemic, was swiftly sealed off after more than 200 Covid cases were detected this month.

S. Korea marks deadliest day of pandemic

South Korea set a new record for Covid-19 deaths as officials warned that the highly transmissible omicron variant could soon become the dominant strain.

In recent weeks, South Korea has been grappling with soaring infections and deaths after it significantly relaxed restrictions in early November as part of efforts to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said a record 109 people died in the last 24-hour period, raising the country’s total number of pandemic fatalities to 5,015. It said the number of patients in serious or critical conditions also hit a fresh high of 1,083.

British data indicates lower hospitalisation rate for Omicron

Two studies from Britain have shown that Covid infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalisation compared to the Delta variant, the latest research confirming a trend first identified in South Africa.

The preliminary studies, one paper from Scotland and the other from England, were cautiously welcomed by experts, who nonetheless stressed that any advantage in milder outcomes could still be negated by the new strain's heightened infectiousness, which may still lead to more overall severe cases.

"We're saying that this is qualified good news, qualified because these are early observations, they are statistically significant, and we are showing a reduced risk of hospitalizations," Jim McMenamin, a co-author of the Scottish research, told reporters on a call.

The Scottish paper examined Covid cases recorded in November and December and grouped them by cases caused by Delta against those caused by Omicron.

Australia reports major spike in Covid cases

Australia has reported a major spike in coronavirus infections, a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected lockdowns or mask mandates to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

The most populous state, New South Wales, recorded 5,715 new cases, up from 3,763 and almost as many as were recorded across all of Australia on Wednesday. 

New South Wales also reported one death.

There were 347 people in New South Wales hospitals, up from 302 the previous day, and 45 in intensive care units, up from 40. Victoria state also saw a sharp increase, reporting 2,005 new infections on Thursday and 10 deaths. 

US court to take up Biden vaccine mandate cases

The US Supreme Court has agreed to take up disputes over the Biden administration's nationwide vaccine-or-testing Covid-19 mandate for large businesses and a separate vaccine requirement for healthcare workers.

The brief court order said the court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 7 in the two cases, with rulings likely to follow in short order.

An appeals court on Friday allowed the workplace mandate, which covers 80 million American workers, to go into effect, prompting businesses, states and other groups challenging the policy to ask the Supreme Court to block it.

The other case concerns whether the administration can require healthcare workers at facilities that treat federally funded Medicare and Medicaid patients to receive shots while litigation continues.

Venezuela reports seven more cases

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that seven cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected in the South American country.

All the cases occurred in people who had travelled from other countries, including Panama, Dominican Republic, Spain, and Turkey, and got positive test results at the airport, Maduro said on state television.

Maduro added his government wants to vaccinate 90 percent of the Venezuelan population by the end of the year and to begin giving out booster shots in the first week of January.

US authorises Pfizer Covid pills

The United States has authorized Pfizer's anti-Covid pill for high-risk people aged 12 and up, as a surge of cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant threatened holiday plans and Americans struggled to find tests.

Paxlovid, which comprises two types of tablets, was granted an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration after it was shown in a clinical trial to reduce the risk of hospitalizations and deaths among at-risk people by 88 percent.

The US has spent $5.3 billion procuring 10 million courses of the treatment, with the first 265,000 to be delivered in January 2022, and the rest by late summer, White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on a call.