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08:28
A whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals within the UK might be compelled to self-isolate on Christmas Day after a report 122,186 examined optimistic for Covid, the very best day by day determine for the reason that pandemic started.
In case you are self-isolating at Christmas and feeling alone, you’re removed from the one one. You may be a part of the comic Sarah Millican’s #JoinIn Twitter hashtag on Twitter and converse to others in your place.
Now in its eleventh yr, #JoinIn is an area for individuals who haven’t chosen to be alone however discover themselves on their very own on Christmas Day.
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08:18
The Omicron variant has turn into the dominant pressure in Portugal, one of many nations with the very best Covid vaccination charges worldwide, officers mentioned.
“The Omicron variant is already dominant in Portugal,” the Common Directorate of Well being mentioned, “accounting for 61.5% of circumstances on December 22.”
On Friday, Portugal recorded 11 deaths and 12,943 circumstances – a report since 29 January.
Colleges, bars and golf equipment are closed till 10 January, with individuals advised to work at home and face masks obligatory indoors.
07:52
Germany recorded 22,214 new circumstances, in contrast with 35,431 the day earlier than, officers mentioned. An extra 157 deaths have been recorded.
The newest figures got here after well being authorities admitted they’re struggling to hint the contacts of individuals contaminated with Covid. In an interview revealed yesterday, Ute Teichert, chair of the Federal Affiliation of Docs within the Public Well being Service, mentioned “complete followup [of Covid cases] is nearly not going down for the time being.”
In some German states together with Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Hamburg, contact tracing has been utterly suspended as officers deal with recording the “quite a few coronavirus infections”, she added.
07:35
Hundreds of individuals throughout England will obtain a Christmas Day booster jab because the vaccination effort continues within the face of report case charges.
Queues have been noticed at pharmacies as individuals wait for his or her “jingle jabs” with appointments accessible in places in London, Manchester, Swindon and Eastbourne. Vaccination clinics in Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire are closed immediately.
NHS England has thanked workers who’re working or volunteering on Christmas Day. In a tweet, it mentioned: “From vaccinators to volunteers, porters to paramedics, midwives to psychological well being practitioners, and all different important employees – thanks to everybody who’s working over the festive interval!”
In the meantime, the federal government says it will likely be sending thousands and thousands of textual content messages on Boxing Day urging individuals to “get boosted now”.
The message will say: “Each grownup wants a Covid-19 booster vaccine to guard towards Omicron. Get your Covid-19 vaccine or booster.”
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06:58
Malaysia has detected its first native case of the Omicron variant, officers have mentioned. In a briefing immediately, the nation’s well being minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, mentioned the case was reported within the Borneo state of Sarawak on Christmas Eve.
The person, a 38-year-old Chinese language nationwide, is totally vaccinated and has not travelled overseas just lately, he added. The reason for the an infection will not be recognized and investigations are ongoing.
Malaysia has a complete of 62 Omicron circumstances, about half of that are from Saudi Arabia, adopted by 5 from the UK, 4 from Qatar and three from the US.
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06:21
New Covid measures in England could possibly be in place till late March beneath measures examined by the UK authorities’s scientific advisers, Press Affiliation studies.
The modelling by consultants from Warwick College thought of a bundle of measures together with a ban on socialising with one other family indoors and a return to the rule of six outside, according to the Step 2 restrictions in place in England earlier this yr.
The analysis, revealed on Christmas Eve by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (Spi-M-O), checked out imposing Step 2 restrictions on both 28 December or New Yr’s Day and preserving them in place till 15 or 18 January or 28 March 28. A abstract learn:
A discount in mixing equal to half that of Step 2 ends in solely a really small discount in extreme outcomes in comparison with Plan B alone.
Step 2 has a a lot bigger impact, lowering the variety of deaths as much as thirty first Could by 39% (24-54%) if saved in place from 28 December till 28 March , and 18% (12-27%) if saved in place till 15 January.
The work was accomplished earlier than the most recent information suggesting the Omicron variant might produce much less extreme sickness than the Delta pressure.
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06:07
Australia’s most populous state information highest ever day by day circumstances
New South Wales has recorded its highest ever Covid day by day caseload, with 6,288 new infections introduced immediately – by far the very best variety of circumstances in any Australian state for the reason that pandemic started.
Report Covid circumstances have been reported throughout Australia on Christmas Day as overwhelmed testing clinics have been compelled to shut and tens of 1000’s of individuals spent the vacation in isolation.
Covid transmission additionally continued to surge in Victoria, the place authorities introduced 2,108 new Covid-19 infections and 6 deaths from the virus.
Queensland introduced a day by day report of 765 new circumstances, with the state’s well being minister, Yvette D’Ath, declaring “this virus is in all places now”. D’Ath confirmed 151 of these circumstances had the Omicron variant.
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05:55
The main Catholic in England and Wales, the archbishop of Westminster, has urged the federal government to not reintroduce restrictions on church buildings amid report Covid-19 an infection charges.
Information revealed on Thursday, suggesting the Omicron pressure may trigger much less extreme sickness than the beforehand dominant Delta variant, has fuelled hypothesis in Westminster that Boris Johnson will resist imposing additional restrictions in England after Christmas.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols mentioned it was clear that giant areas equivalent to church buildings have been “not locations the place we unfold the virus”. He advised the BBC previous to midnight mass at Westminster Cathedral:
I’d sincerely attraction that they don’t once more think about closing church buildings and locations of worship.
He added:
I feel this nation has proven that individuals could make good judgements themselves.
We’re at that time of claiming we perceive the danger. We all know what we must always do. Most individuals are wise and cautious. We don’t want stronger impositions to show us what to do.
It comes after an additional 122,186 lab-confirmed Covid-19 circumstances have been recorded within the UK as of 9am on Christmas Eve, one other report day by day determine, whereas 137 individuals died inside 28 days of testing optimistic.
Learn the total article right here:
05:45
In Bethlehem, the town the place Christians consider Jesus was born, 1000’s normally pack the streets in the course of the Christmas interval. On common, Bethlehem welcomed 3 million guests a yr earlier than the pandemic, with Christmas alone drawing 10,000 individuals to the town’s motels, round half from overseas.
However Israel, which controls all entrances to Bethlehem within the occupied West Financial institution, has barred its borders to foreigners in an effort to rein in infections from Omicron. In Manger Sq., numbers have been noticeably decrease as Covid fears overshadowed celebrations for a second straight yr.
“It’s very unusual,” mentioned Kristel Elayyan, a Dutchwoman married to a Palestinian, who got here to Bethlehem from Jerusalem advised Agence-France-Presse, including:
Earlier than (the pandemic), you had a bunch of individuals coming in from completely different nations to rejoice Christmas, and now you already know that everyone who’s right here might be not a vacationer.
Final yr, Bethlehem curtailed celebrations sharply with a digital tree lighting and only a handful of visiting scouts. This yr, the celebrations have been extra vibrant – however nonetheless a fraction of their common measurement.
One store proprietor, Victor Epiphane Tabash, mentioned it was his 57th Christmas behind the counter. For him, as for a lot of shopkeepers round Manger Sq., “there may be nothing to say about Christmas”.
He mentioned he saved his enterprise alive in the course of the pandemic by exporting as a result of no prospects got here to purchase in particular person. He in contrast the pandemic to 2 earlier Palestinian uprisings, or intifadas, including:
We now have lived by means of the intifadas, wars. However the coronavirus is worse.
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05:32
Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture has confirmed its first an infection with the Omicron variant, officers mentioned. The case was a results of attainable neighborhood transmission because the an infection route was unclear, its governor Seitaro Hattori mentioned.
New Omicron infections have been additionally detected within the Kyoto prefecture and got here a day after neighborhood transmissions of the variant have been present in one other western metropolis of Osaka on Friday.
In Tokyo, 38 new circumstances have been recorded immediately, marking the eighth consecutive day for the variety of new circumstances to exceed that of the earlier week.
05:08
The variety of individuals getting their first jab of a Covid vaccine in England rose by round 46% within the week as much as 21 December, figures by the UK’s Division for Well being and Social Care present.
In whole, 221,564 first doses have been administered in England within the week of 15-21 December, a 46% enhance from the earlier week. The full variety of individuals getting a second dose was 279,112, a 39% bounce from the week earlier than.
The biggest enhance was seen amongst younger individuals, with an 85% enhance in first doses for these aged 18 and 24 and a 71% enhance in first doses for these aged 25 to 30, PA studies. Within the week as much as 21 December, extra over 60s had had a primary dose than throughout any seven-day interval since early June.
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04:39
China studies highest variety of circumstances in 4 months
Officers in China are dashing to include outbreaks in a number of areas, together with the north-western metropolis of Xi’an the place 13 million residents have been beneath lockdown since Thursday.
Of the 140 new infections reported immediately, 87 have been regionally transmitted, based on officers, in contrast with 55 a day earlier.
In Xi’an, households have solely been permitted to ship one member exterior each two days to buy requirements. Town has recorded 330 regionally transmitted symptomatic circumstances for the reason that first case was reported on 9 December.
Instances from Xi’an have thus far unfold to 5 different cities together with Beijing, based on state media. China is on excessive alert for brand spanking new infections because it prepares to carry the Winter Olympics in February in Beijing.
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04:27
The primary physician to alert South African authorities in regards to the Omicron variant says India will see a surge in circumstances pushed by the pressure however the an infection could also be delicate in most individuals as in South Africa.
The Occasions of India quotes Dr Angelique Coetzee as saying current vaccines will certainly management the contagion however unvaccinated individuals “will probably unfold the virus 100%”, including:
I consider it will likely be tough [for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to end soon]. I presume it’ll turn into endemic.
India will see a surge in Omicron-driven Covid-19 circumstances and concurrently there might be a high-positivity charge. However hopefully nearly all of the circumstances might be as delicate as what we’re seeing right here in South Africa.
04:12
Christmas journey chaos as airways cancel greater than 4,500 flights
Passengers travelling over the Christmas vacation have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline firms cancelled greater than 4,500 flights, based on a flight monitoring web site.
A surge of cancellations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day got here because the quickly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant meant carriers have been unable to workers their flights.
The web site of the flight monitoring agency FlightAware confirmed that 2,175 flights all over the world had been scrapped on Christmas Eve, a usually heavy day for journey. Round 1 / 4 of these have been within the US. One other 1,779 flights have been scrapped worldwide on Christmas Day, together with 402 extra that had been scheduled for Sunday.
The majority of the cancellations got here from 5 companies, with China Japanese cancelling 474 journeys, whereas Air China scrapped 188. United cancelled 177 flights, Air India 160 and Delta known as off 150.
Learn the total article by my colleague Clea Skopeliti right here:
04:00
A United States Navy warship has delayed its deployment to South America due to a Covid outbreak amongst its crew, officers mentioned.
The USS Milwaukee, which deployed from Mayport, Florida, on 15 December will stay in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, the place it had stopped for a scheduled go to, Related Press studies.
In a press release, the Navy mentioned the ship’s crew is “100% immunised” and that every one of those that examined optimistic for Covid-19 have been remoted on the ship away from different crew members.
Early final yr a significant army outbreak of the virus noticed the USS Theodore Roosevelt sidelined in Guam for practically two months, and greater than 1,000 of the 4,800 crew members examined optimistic. One sailor died, and your entire crew went by means of weeks of quarantine in a rotation that saved sufficient sailors on the ship to maintain it secure and operating.
03:54
Morning abstract
Hi there and welcome to the Guardian’s rolling protection of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Léonie Chao-Fong. Right here’s a rundown of every part you may need missed.
- Passengers travelling over the Christmas vacation have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline firms cancelled greater than 4,500 flights, because the quickly spreading Omicron variant meant carriers have been unable to workers their flights. Round 1 / 4 of these have been within the United States.
- The Chinese language metropolis of Xi’an, house to 13 million individuals, reported a rise in day by day Covid-19 infections because the nation’s newest hotspot entered its third day of lockdown. China as an entire reported 140 new confirmed coronavirus circumstances for Friday, a rise of 62% from 87 circumstances the day earlier than, its well being authority mentioned.
- One in 35 individuals in England had Covid final week, new figures present, with 1.7 million individuals testing optimistic throughout the UK – the very best quantity on report thus far. In London, hospital admissions because of Covid have practically doubled week-on-week, the most recent figures present. Throughout England, 1,246 admissions have been recorded on December 22, up 55% week-on-week and the very best quantity for a single day since February 16.
- Ministers may meet as quickly as Monday to find out whether or not new restrictions are wanted in England over the brand new yr amid rising considerations that hovering Covid circumstances may hit public providers.
- France reported a report 94,124 new day by day Covid-19 infections on Friday whereas the variety of individuals hospitalised for the illness reached a seven-month excessive at near 16,200, based on official information. The seven-day transferring common of recent circumstances additionally reached a brand new report of 66,417, a complete that has tripled in only one month.
- Folks in South Africa with out Covid signs will not have to check or self-isolate if a contact checks optimistic, the federal government introduced on Friday. Moreover, South Africans might be provided a booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine from Friday after the well being regulator permitted its use for most people.
- The US will subsequent week elevate the journey ban imposed on a number of southern African nations when the Omicron variant of Covid was first detected, AFP studies. The ban utilized to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Please do get in contact with me on Twitter or by electronic mail if in case you have something to flag you suppose we ought to be overlaying.
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