That’s all from me, Samantha Lock, for today.
We will be launching another live Covid blog a little later today but in the meantime you can catch up with all the latest developments here.
Thanks for following along and, as always, I appreciate your tips and reader insights. You can email me at [email protected] or via Twitter @Samantha__Lock
Summary of key developments
Here are all the international Covid updates from today:
Europe:
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Boris Johnson said he welcomes a police inquiry into Downing Street parties and will help “draw a line” under matters. Earlier, Metropolitan police said they would begin investigating parties held at No 10 during coronavirus lockdowns. The development piles further pressure on the prime minister after fresh revelations of two more gatherings, including one to celebrate his birthday.
- Sue Gray’s inquiry report is reportedly set to come this week after the Met said there is no need to hold material back.
- The UK reported 439 deaths within 28 days of a Covid-positive test. That’s the highest tally since February 2021. Tuesday’s data showed 94,326 new daily cases. The figures are often higher on a Tuesday when most deaths at the weekend are included in the tally. Last Tuesday, 438 deaths were reported.
- The UK’s health secretary, Sajid Javid, said 77,000 NHS workers remain unvaccinated, and Covid policies – including on mandatory jabs for NHS staff – should be kept “under review”.
- Scotland will allow people to return to offices from Monday, in a “phased” plan announced by Nicola Sturgeon. The first minister asked employers to begin a phased return to work by introducing hybrid working next week after a continuing decline in Omicron variant cases in Scotland, in an update to MSPs at Holyrood.
- Italy’s daily cases have more than doubled in a day to 186,740. This is up from 77,696 a day earlier, the health ministry said. The number of deaths jumped to 468 from 352, though more tests had been taken in the past day than on Monday.
- In Germany, the anti-vaccination movement is ramping up, with thousands of people taking part in weekly protests across the country. More than 2,000 rallies were held on Monday.
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Russia has cut the isolation time for Covid contacts from 14 days to seven, amid a surge in infections driven by the Omicron variant. On Tuesday, daily cases reached the record high of 67,809, official figures show.
- Doctors have discovered an “antibody signature” that can help identify patients most at risk of developing long Covid.
- Malta will start to scrap a requirement for people to present a vaccination certificate for entry to restaurants and other venues from next month.
- Bars, restaurants and theatres in the Netherlands can reopen on 26 January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, further relaxing restrictions despite record infection levels.
United States:
- The US Department of Labor said it will withdraw its Covid-19 vaccine-and-testing requirement for large employers after the Supreme Court blocked the rule.
Asia:
- South Korea’s daily count of new cases topped 8,000 for the first time, despite the recent extension of strict social-distancing rules.* Two years since its first infection, Australia recorded one of its highest number of Covid-related deaths in a day.
- Japan expanded regions subject to tighter curbs to cover 70% of the country, as the government tried to counter a record wave of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.
Middle East:
- An Israeli government advisory panel has recommended offering a fourth vaccine dose to all adults, on condition that at least five months have passed since they received the third or recovered from the illness.
Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, have begun testing a vaccine specifically designed to fight the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the companies have announced.
