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Covid live: UK test shortages ‘very worrying’ ahead of New Year; six Canadian provinces see record daily case rises Covid live: UK test shortages ‘very worrying’ ahead of New Year; six Canadian provinces see record daily case rises
(32 minutes later)
Nervtag’s Prof Openshaw warns New Year’s Eve ‘perfect’ conditions to transmit virus; Canadian provinces including Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia set recordsNervtag’s Prof Openshaw warns New Year’s Eve ‘perfect’ conditions to transmit virus; Canadian provinces including Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia set records
Good morning from New Orleans. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be bringing you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.comTwitter: @lucy_campbell_
Prof Peter Openshaw, who sits on the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) has warned the conditions at a New Year’s Eve gathering were “perfect” for spreading coronavirus, and said a lack of availability of testing in the UK was “very worrying indeed”.
At the time of writing, there were no lateral flow tests available for delivery from the UK government website. Scotland and Wales still had bookable PCR tests, but Northern Ireland had “very few available” and no region of England had any available.
NHS England confirmed that it was creating new small-scale “Nightingale” facilities with up to 100 beds each at eight hospitals across the country. The health service said it had asked trusts to identify empty spaces to accommodate beds in places such as gyms or teaching areas. NHS managers are aiming to create up to 4,000 beds as surge capacity if needed.
Prof Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said he feels “most worried” about unvaccinated people. “Those who are unvaccinated remain at risk here in the UK and in other countries around the world, so that perhaps needs to be our focus.”
Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts has said staff absences due to Covid-19 were “clearly now having a significant impact” across the whole economy and parts of the health service.
Labour’s shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, has repeated calls for action over viral disinformation about vaccines being spread online. She said “It’s becoming an issue for the whole of society, who might now be facing further restrictions or huge pressure on the NHS because there are people who are choosing not to have the vaccine because of myths and misinformation that they are being fed online.”
Coronavirus infections set new one-day highs in six of Canada’s provinces, prompting several provinces to impose more restrictions in hopes of containing the spread of the omicron variant.
In Australia, fewer people will be told to get tested for Covid, with most states backing a much narrower definition of a close contact, as a record 21,000 new daily cases were recorded nationwide.
Americans are again facing a stay-at-home New Year’s Eve as US political leaders and senior health advisers have urged people to scrap party plans and avoid larger public events as daily cases of Covid-19 break all previous records.
India is on the threshold of a potential new wave of coronavirus – probably fuelled by the Omicron variant. Cases have surged by 86% in the Indian capital New Delhi in 24 hours, and doubled in Mumbai in the same period.
Health leaders in Eastern European countries with low vaccination rates like Romania are warning of a January wave of infections after the holiday period.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that reducing mandatory isolation periods for people with Covid-19 was a trade-off between controlling transmission and keeping economies up and running. Michael Ryan told a news conference “If people shorten the quarantine period, there will be a small number of cases that will develop disease and potentially go on to transmit, because they have been let out of quarantine earlier. But that will be a relatively small number, and a lot of people who won’t transmit will also be released from that quarantine.”
Armed police in Jingxi, in southern China, have paraded four alleged violators of Covid rules through the streets, state media reported, a practice that was banned but which has resurfaced in the struggle to enforce a zero-Covid policy.
That is it from me, Martin Belam. I am off to host our silly Thursday quiz. Lucy Campbell will be here shortly to bring you the rest of the days news on Covid from the UK and around the world.
US airline JetBlue has said it is reducing its schedule through to 13 January by about 1,280 flights due to a surge in crew members falling sick from the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Carriers have been canceling hundreds of flights every day in the United States since Christmas Eve as they grapple with staff shortages due to Covid infections and bad weather in parts of the country.
“We expect the number of Covid cases in the northeast, where most of our crewmembers are based, to continue to surge for the next week or two,” JetBlue’s spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “This means there is a high likelihood of additional cancellations until case counts start to come down.”
The chairman of the Royal College of GPs has criticised “mixed messages” over the supply of Covid tests in the UK after the health secretary was quoted as saying there was a global shortage.The chairman of the Royal College of GPs has criticised “mixed messages” over the supply of Covid tests in the UK after the health secretary was quoted as saying there was a global shortage.
Prof Martin Marshall said that the demand for tests had gone up “dramatically” as people seek to check their Covid status before socialising or coming out of isolation. PA Media quote him telling Times Radio: Prof Martin Marshall said the demand for tests had gone up “dramatically” as people seek to check their Covid status before socialising or coming out of isolation. PA Media quote him telling Times Radio:
The Spectator has very firmly nailed its colours to the mast that Omicron is going to be milder and lead to fewer and shorter hospital admissions than previous coronavirus variants. The Spectator has firmly nailed its colours to the mast that Omicron is going to be milder and lead to fewer and shorter hospital admissions than previous coronavirus variants.
One of their data journalists, Michael Simmons, has extracted this chart from numbers included in recent Sage documents, which paints an optimistic picture of shorter hospital stays since December for patients who survive a Covid hospitalisation. One of its data journalists, Michael Simmons, has extracted this chart from numbers included in recent Sage documents, which paints an optimistic picture of shorter hospital stays since December for patients who survive a Covid hospitalisation.
As with the numbers from the UK dashboard earlier, I suspect this chart will either confirm you in your beliefs that the UK government and the devolved authorities have been over-reacting to a mild new Covid strain, or will do little to persuade you that the health service isn’t already under pressure with a potentially huge wave of hospitalisations still coming as the UK continues to rack up record daily case numbers.As with the numbers from the UK dashboard earlier, I suspect this chart will either confirm you in your beliefs that the UK government and the devolved authorities have been over-reacting to a mild new Covid strain, or will do little to persuade you that the health service isn’t already under pressure with a potentially huge wave of hospitalisations still coming as the UK continues to rack up record daily case numbers.
This will be a familiar sight to anybody who has been trying to book a rapid lateral flow test from the government website in the UK, and it is the state of play again at the moment.This will be a familiar sight to anybody who has been trying to book a rapid lateral flow test from the government website in the UK, and it is the state of play again at the moment.
Officials and experts in low-vaccinated eastern European countries are anticipating a post-holiday explosion of Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 cases in much of the region.Officials and experts in low-vaccinated eastern European countries are anticipating a post-holiday explosion of Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 cases in much of the region.
Adriana Pistol, the director of Romania’s National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, warned on Wednesday that the country could see a peak of 25,000 new daily cases during the expected next wave. Romania is the European Union’s second-least vaccinated member nation.Adriana Pistol, the director of Romania’s National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, warned on Wednesday that the country could see a peak of 25,000 new daily cases during the expected next wave. Romania is the European Union’s second-least vaccinated member nation.
Noting that roughly 60% of Romania’s people over the age of 65 or living with chronic diseases remain unvaccinated, Pistol said: “Even if the Omicron strain does not have the same level of severity ... the health system will be overloaded anyway and reach levels recorded this year in October.”Noting that roughly 60% of Romania’s people over the age of 65 or living with chronic diseases remain unvaccinated, Pistol said: “Even if the Omicron strain does not have the same level of severity ... the health system will be overloaded anyway and reach levels recorded this year in October.”
Stephen McGrath reports from Sibiu in Romania for Associated Press that Romania saw huge lines at borders before Christmas as hundreds of thousands of citizens flocked home, many from the west. The government started requiring travellers to complete passenger locator forms as of 20 December to help track infections, but Pistol said many had failed to fill them out. Only 40% of Romania’s population of around 19 million have been fully inoculated.Stephen McGrath reports from Sibiu in Romania for Associated Press that Romania saw huge lines at borders before Christmas as hundreds of thousands of citizens flocked home, many from the west. The government started requiring travellers to complete passenger locator forms as of 20 December to help track infections, but Pistol said many had failed to fill them out. Only 40% of Romania’s population of around 19 million have been fully inoculated.
“It’s very clear that the fifth wave will probably hit us in January,” Dragos Zaharia, a primary care doctor at the Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology in Bucharest, said. “We just hope that there will be fewer deaths, fewer severe cases, and fewer hospital admissions.”“It’s very clear that the fifth wave will probably hit us in January,” Dragos Zaharia, a primary care doctor at the Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology in Bucharest, said. “We just hope that there will be fewer deaths, fewer severe cases, and fewer hospital admissions.”
Our community team are interested to hear from people living in the UK who were against getting the Covid vaccine but subsequently decided to get inoculated. They’d like to hear why you did not want to get the vaccine initially, and which factors ultimately changed your mind.Our community team are interested to hear from people living in the UK who were against getting the Covid vaccine but subsequently decided to get inoculated. They’d like to hear why you did not want to get the vaccine initially, and which factors ultimately changed your mind.
You can find more details here: Tell us – have you changed your mind on getting vaccinated against Covid?You can find more details here: Tell us – have you changed your mind on getting vaccinated against Covid?
PA Media is also carrying some quotes this morning from Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts. He said staff absences due to Covid-19 were “clearly now having a significant impact” across the whole economy and parts of the health service.PA Media is also carrying some quotes this morning from Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts. He said staff absences due to Covid-19 were “clearly now having a significant impact” across the whole economy and parts of the health service.
It was “obviously a particular issue for NHS trusts if they can’t provide right quality of care due to Covid absences” and he added that if the pressures continued to rise then so would calls to reduce the self-isolation period to five days.It was “obviously a particular issue for NHS trusts if they can’t provide right quality of care due to Covid absences” and he added that if the pressures continued to rise then so would calls to reduce the self-isolation period to five days.
The head of the Oxford Vaccine Group has said he feels “most worried” about unvaccinated people amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.The head of the Oxford Vaccine Group has said he feels “most worried” about unvaccinated people amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Prof Andrew Pollard said developers had begun “first steps” towards preparing for modifying vaccines to combat future strains of coronavirus but that the “focus” should be on those who have still not received a first dose.Prof Andrew Pollard said developers had begun “first steps” towards preparing for modifying vaccines to combat future strains of coronavirus but that the “focus” should be on those who have still not received a first dose.
“I actually feel most worried today about the unvaccinated people, whether they’re here in the UK or elsewhere in the world, because we do have now a variant which spreads remarkably effectively so it’s going to be finding many of those unvaccinated people in the weeks ahead,” PA Media quote him telling BBC Breakfast.“I actually feel most worried today about the unvaccinated people, whether they’re here in the UK or elsewhere in the world, because we do have now a variant which spreads remarkably effectively so it’s going to be finding many of those unvaccinated people in the weeks ahead,” PA Media quote him telling BBC Breakfast.
“Those who are unvaccinated remain at risk here in the UK and in other countries around the world, so that perhaps needs to be our focus.”“Those who are unvaccinated remain at risk here in the UK and in other countries around the world, so that perhaps needs to be our focus.”
“One thing we have to do is to continue monitoring what happens as new variants emerge,” he added.“One thing we have to do is to continue monitoring what happens as new variants emerge,” he added.
“There is still a lot of work to do. There are people in many countries who are still not vaccinated. We have some countries where that is still due to supply constraints because there’s more doses to be distributed; in other countries it’s around addressing vaccine hesitancy.”“There is still a lot of work to do. There are people in many countries who are still not vaccinated. We have some countries where that is still due to supply constraints because there’s more doses to be distributed; in other countries it’s around addressing vaccine hesitancy.”
There are concerns over the availability of tests in the UK this morning from Prof Peter Openshaw, who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag). He said the conditions at a New Year’s Eve gathering were “perfect” for spreading coronavirus.There are concerns over the availability of tests in the UK this morning from Prof Peter Openshaw, who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag). He said the conditions at a New Year’s Eve gathering were “perfect” for spreading coronavirus.
Asked about the prospect of untested people mixing due to a shortage of lateral flow devices, PA Media quoted him telling BBC Radio 4’s Today:Asked about the prospect of untested people mixing due to a shortage of lateral flow devices, PA Media quoted him telling BBC Radio 4’s Today:
Just a quick one from Associated Press here, that French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has tested positive for Covid-19, casting doubt on her place in the Australian Open beginning on 17 January.Just a quick one from Associated Press here, that French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has tested positive for Covid-19, casting doubt on her place in the Australian Open beginning on 17 January.
The 30-year-old Russian confirmed she has the coronavirus and is isolating after arriving in Australia on Tuesday.The 30-year-old Russian confirmed she has the coronavirus and is isolating after arriving in Australia on Tuesday.
“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors. Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I’ll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”“I was fully vaccinated and was preparing for the start of the season in Dubai,” Pavlyuchenkova said on social media. “But we live in a very difficult and unpredictable time. Right now I am in complete isolation, in a special hotel and following all the protocols under the supervision of doctors. Now it’s important to take care of yourself and the health of others. I’ll be back on court when it’s safe for everyone.”
In the UK, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, has appeared on Sky News, repeating calls for action over viral disinformation about vaccines being spread online. She said:In the UK, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, has appeared on Sky News, repeating calls for action over viral disinformation about vaccines being spread online. She said:
In response to the scenes in Milton Keynes yesterday where anti-vaccine activists stormed a Covid testing centre, Powell said:In response to the scenes in Milton Keynes yesterday where anti-vaccine activists stormed a Covid testing centre, Powell said:
I was just having a look at the government website to book a PCR test in the UK, and already it seems stocks are low again across all regions of England, with none available in the north east of England.I was just having a look at the government website to book a PCR test in the UK, and already it seems stocks are low again across all regions of England, with none available in the north east of England.
Tests are currently available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Tests are currently available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Overnight Andrew Madden has reported for the Belfast Telegraph on the latest situation in Northern Ireland. He writes:Overnight Andrew Madden has reported for the Belfast Telegraph on the latest situation in Northern Ireland. He writes:
Read more here: Belfast Telegraph – New Northern Ireland rules for PCR testing as demand outstrips supply due to rise of OmicronRead more here: Belfast Telegraph – New Northern Ireland rules for PCR testing as demand outstrips supply due to rise of Omicron
Fewer Australians will be told to get tested for Covid, with most states backing a much narrower definition of a close contact, as a record 21,000 new daily cases were recorded nationwide.Fewer Australians will be told to get tested for Covid, with most states backing a much narrower definition of a close contact, as a record 21,000 new daily cases were recorded nationwide.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, cited “some very practical problems” caused by the more infectious Omicron variant – including the huge strain on the PCR testing scheme that had been at the centre of Australia’s response for two years.The prime minister, Scott Morrison, cited “some very practical problems” caused by the more infectious Omicron variant – including the huge strain on the PCR testing scheme that had been at the centre of Australia’s response for two years.
Speaking after a snap national cabinet meeting on Thursday, Morrison called for a “reset” because it was unfeasible to “have hundreds of thousands of Australians or more taken out of circulation based on rules that were set for the Delta variant”.Speaking after a snap national cabinet meeting on Thursday, Morrison called for a “reset” because it was unfeasible to “have hundreds of thousands of Australians or more taken out of circulation based on rules that were set for the Delta variant”.
The changes come on the same day the OzSage group of scientists and economists warned that a “let it rip” and “defeatist” approach to Covid would disrupt the health system and be felt most by vulnerable groups.The changes come on the same day the OzSage group of scientists and economists warned that a “let it rip” and “defeatist” approach to Covid would disrupt the health system and be felt most by vulnerable groups.
Read our full report: Fewer Australians to have Covid tests as national cabinet agrees to new definition of close contactRead our full report: Fewer Australians to have Covid tests as national cabinet agrees to new definition of close contact