A summary of today's developments
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, for today. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s happened today:
- New Zealand will move to its highest red traffic light setting at midnight on Sunday in an effort to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant. Face coverings are mandatory when travelling on public transport, in retail and to an extent in education. Public facilities and retail outlets are open, with capacity limits.
- The head of Pfizer has said that an annual Covid-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the pandemic. Asked whether he sees booster shots being administered every four to five months on a regular basis, Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla replied: “This will not be a good scenario. What I’m hoping (is) that we will have a vaccine that you will have to do once a year.”
- The UK detected 76,807 new Covid infections in the past 24 hours, a 54% drop on the 176,191 cases detected two weeks ago as the record-breaking Omicron wave appears to have spiked. The UK reported a further 297 people died within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Saturday, 3% up on the 287 deaths reported last Saturday.
- The deadline for health workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 should be delayed to prevent staff shortages in England, the Royal College of GPs has said. Martin Marshall, the chairman of the college, described compulsory vaccination for health professionals as “not the right way forward”.
- The small Pacific nation of Samoa has been placed under a 48-hour nationwide lockdown after 15 passengers on a flight from Australia tested positive for Covid-19. The passengers were on a flight from Brisbane carrying 73 people, all of whom were fully vaccinated and had tested negative for Covid-19 before departure.
- Food banks across the United States are experiencing a critical shortage of volunteers driven by fears over the Omicron variant. The extent of the problem was highlighted this past week during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday, when many food banks were forced to cancel their plans or had far lower numbers than pre-pandemic years.
- Thousands of people took to the streets of Sweden’s two biggest cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg, on Saturday to protest against the use of vaccine passes. In France, hundreds of people took part in small-scale demonstrations two days before tighter restrictions come into force against unvaccinated people.
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Greece has detected two cases of an offshoot of the Omicron variant in passengers arriving at Athens international airport. The travellers, who have the BA.2 sub-variant, are in isolation. The BA.2 sub-variant, of which 426 cases have been sequenced in the UK, may have an “increased growth rate” over the earlier form of Omicron, officially designated as BA.1, according to UKHSA.
New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Arden has cancelled her wedding to partner Clarke Gayford, as the country prepares to move to red traffic light setting at midnight on Sunday.
“My wedding will not be going ahead,” she told reporters, adding she was sorry for anyone caught up in a similar scenario.
Asked how she felt about her wedding cancellation, Ardern replied: “Such is life.” She added: “I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.”
