Summary
Here is a brief round-up of today’s top Covid news stories:
- The acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70% of the world gets vaccinated, the World Health Organization chief has said.
- The US Food and Drug Administration said it was postponing the advisory committee meeting to discuss request for authorisation of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age.
- In the UK, Boris Johnson has received his questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in No 10, Downing Street has said.
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Belgium announced further easing of Covid restrictions to allow nightclubs to reopen and drop the requirement for primary school pupils to wear masks, as Omicron cases fell from an end-of-January peak.
- Iceland will ease some Covid restrictions at the weekend, including limits on crowd numbers and restaurant opening hours, before lifting all measures at the end of the month, two weeks ahead of schedule.
- Spain announced it would loosen its border requirements, with children over 12 from non-EU countries no longer needing to be fully vaccinated.
- Brazil recorded 166,009 new coronavirus cases and 1,135 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours, its Health Ministry said on Friday.
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Canada’s Ontario province declared a state of emergency and the premier, Doug Ford, threatened fines and jail terms as authorities came under increasing pressure from the US to end anti-vaccine mandate protests that have drastically cut trade between the two nations.
- South Africa’s efforts to produce vaccines are key to helping the African continent become more self-sufficient in inoculations to combat Covid-19 and many other diseases, the chief of the World Health Organization said on Friday.
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The UK recorded a further 58,899 Covid cases and 193 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
- France will no longer require people to wear masks indoors in public places where entry is subject to the Covid vaccine pass from 28 February, the health ministry said in a statement, citing an “improvement in the health situation”.
- The UK’s vaccines watchdog is set to announce new recommendations for vaccinating younger children next week, after a long and complex evaluation.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the global Covid live blog for today.
You can keep up-to-date with all the latest Covid news here. Goodbye for now.
Updated
In the US, California would mandate that all businesses require their employees and independent contractors to receive the Covid vaccine under legislation announced on Friday by Democratic state lawmakers.
Employees or contractors who qualify for medical or religious exemptions would have to be regularly tested under a planned amendment to the bill.
New employees would have to get at least one dose by the time they start work and the second dose within 45 days of being on the job.
Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks introduced her bill months after delaying an original proposal last fall. The previous version would have allowed workers to submit to weekly testing as an alternative to getting vaccinated, but that is not an option in her new proposal.
Vaccines mandates are highly controversial and there have been many rallies at the state Capitol in Sacramento opposing such requirements.
For those wondering, being sent a questionnaire means that police have reason to believe someone was at an event that may have breached the Covid restrictions.
Announcing the criminal inquiry last month the Met commissioner Cressida Dick said police would investigate the “most serious and flagrant” breaches, where there was evidence the rules were broken.
Earlier this week the Met explained its approach and the role the questionnaire would play in its investigation.
In a statement the Met said:”This document, which asks for an account and explanation of the recipient’s participation in an event, has formal legal status and must be answered truthfully. Recipients are informed that responses are required within seven days. In most cases contact is being made via email.”
“It should be noted that being contacted does not mean a fixed penalty notice will necessarily be issued to that person. Nevertheless, if following an investigation, officers believe it is appropriate because the Covid regulations have been breached without a reasonable excuse, a fixed penalty notice will normally be issued.”
If police decide laws have been broken, then they will send the paperwork to the criminal records office, who will formally issue the fixed penalty notice.
A spokesperson for the Met police on Friday declined to confirm the news that the PM had received the questionnaire nor whether those receiving them were being treated as potential suspects or witnesses.
More from the UK on the news that Boris Johnson has received a legal questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.
The Met say the questionnaires ask for an “account and explanation of the recipient’s participation in an event” and have “formal legal status and must be answered truthfully”.
The move means Johnson will have to provide a credible reason as to why he was at events during coronavirus restrictions or face a fine for breaking coronavirus laws, PA Media reported.
Officers working on Operation Hillman are sending the questionnaires to more than 50 individuals across Downing Street and widergovernment as they investigate 12 events.
The prime minister is alleged to have been at up to six of them, including the “bring your own booze” party in the No 10 garden in May 2020 during the first lockdown.
Johnson allegedly attended another organised by his wife Carrie Johnson in the official Downing Street residence in November that year, during which Abba songs were reportedly heard on the night of former chief adviser Dominic Cummings’ departure.
Updated
In the UK, Boris Johnson has received his questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in No 10, Downing Street has said.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “We can confirm the prime minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan police. He will respond as required.”
Johnson’s political future is at stake over allegations that he attended parties while the UK was under strict Covid curbs.
Updated
Brazil recorded 166,009 new coronavirus cases and 1,135 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours, its Health Ministry said on Friday.
Brazil has registered 27,285,509 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 637,152, according to ministry data.
France will ease some restrictions on foreign travellers from Saturday to reflect the improving pandemic situation.
Travellers with a European vaccination certificate will no longer be required to take a Covid test before departing for France, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Non-vaccinated travellers must still show proof of a negative test to enter the country but travellers coming from countries where the circulation of coronavirus is moderate, the so-called “green countries”, will no longer have to undertake a test and self-isolate upon arrival, it said.
In the UK, the Treasury is pushing for most free Covid testing to end as soon as next month to save billions despite warnings from public health experts and scientists.
Several sources told the Guardian that Rishi Sunak’s department wants to end most PCR testing for people with Covid symptoms, possibly by the end of March. The exception would be those in hospitals, high-risk settings and for the 1.3m extremely vulnerable people who are eligible for antivirals if they contract Covid.
Under the plans, everyone else with symptoms would be either given some free lateral flow tests or no testing at all. A third option would be restricting the offer of lateral flows to symptomatic people over 50 and the clinically vulnerable. The advice for people without symptoms to take routine lateral flow tests is expected to be scrapped entirely.
In Europe, PCR tests can cost more than £30 each while some in the US are double that price. Rapid tests cost £5 to £10 in many countries.
It is understood the Treasury has been pushing for the lowest cost options of ending as much testing as possible amid concerns about the huge price tag for mass community testing, which has run into many billions throughout the pandemic.
Hello. I’m Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you the latest Covid news from around the world over the next four hours.
We start with the news that messenger service Telegram, which has proved popular with far-right groups and people opposed to Covid-related restrictions, has blocked 64 of its channels in Germany, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday, without giving a source for the information.
The move came after Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office sent shutdown requests to the messenger service, the paper said.
Telegram has been blamed in Germany for fuelling an increasingly virulent subculture of anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists who exchange news about supposed dangers and arrange protests that have spilled over into violence.
The newspaper said the channels affected included that of Attila Hildmann, a vegan celebrity chef who spreads conspiracy theories about coronavirus to more than 100,000 followers on the messaging service.
Updated
'Acute phase' of Covid pandemic could end by midyear if 70% of world gets vaccinated, says WHO chief
This report is from AFP.
The acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70% of the world gets vaccinated, the World Health Organization chief has said.
“Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70% vaccination [target is achieved] by mid this year around June, July,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in South Africa.
“If that is to be done, the acute phase can really end, and that is what we are expecting. It’s in our hands. It’s not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.”
He was speaking during a visit to Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, which has produced the first mRNA Covid vaccine made in Africa using Moderna’s sequence.
“We expect this vaccine to be more suited to the contexts in which it will be used, with fewer storage constraints and at a lower price,” said the WHO boss.
The vaccine will be ready for clinical trials in November, with approval expected in 2024.
Afrigen is leading the pilot project, backed by the WHO and the Covax initiative.
Set up in July, the tech transfer hub will train other countries and hand out production licences to poor nations left out in the race for the life-saving shots.
Tedros said WHO was “committed to supporting the development of local manufacturing in Africa and around the world, to increase regional health security”.
Just over 11% of Africans are vaccinated, the lowest rate in the world. Last week the WHO’s Africa office said the continent must boost its vaccination rate “six times” to reach the 70% target.
The US Food and Drug Administration said it was postponing the advisory committee meeting to discuss request for authorisation of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age.
In a separate statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said they planned to extend the process of submitting data to US regulators for authorisation of their Covid vaccine in children under 5.
CNBC has more on this story.
Updated
People who have been vaccinated abroad can now have their jabs validated at the Science Museum in London.
People who have been double jabbed abroad have so far been unable to have their status updated on NHS systems, meaning difficulty accessing vaccine passports and booster jabs.
Anyone can can use this service if they are:
- Aged 16 or over.
- Have an NHS number.
- Have received a Covid vaccine dose outside of England that is one of the four MHRA-approved vaccine types – Astra Zeneca (Vaxzevria), Pfizer (Comirnaty), Janssen or Moderna (Spikevax).
Welcoming the opening of the Validation Centre at the Science Museum, Cem Kemahli, Kensington and Chelsea council’s lead member for public health said:
I want to encourage our residents who have been vaccinated abroad to get their vaccine validated as soon as possible. If you have had your first or second jab, you’ll be able to get your other vaccinations here. This can make it much easier to go on holiday, if you need an up-to-date vaccine passport, you’ll be able to get this through the NHS once your records are updated. Go to the national booking system and get a slot to update your records.
The other vaccination validation sites in north-west London are:
- CP House (Ealing)
- Brent civic centre (Brent)
- The Gordon hospital (Westminster)
An appointment can be made through the National Booking Service or by calling 119.
Updated
Summary
Here is a quick recap of some of the main developments from today so far:
- Belgium announced further easing of Covid restrictions to allow nightclubs to reopen and drop the requirement for primary school pupils to wear masks, as Omicron cases fell from an end-of-January peak. “The successive waves have not been easy for us,” the prime minister, Alexander De Croo, told a news conference, referring to back-to-back Omicron and Delta variant surges. “But we have got through them and we have got through them together.” From next Friday, nightclubs will be allowed to reopen, bars will be able to extend their hours beyond the current limit of midnight and end curbs on the number of customers per table and concerts will be possible with a standing audience. Indoor access will still be largely based on a Covid pass, showing vaccination or a recent test or recovery from infection. Limits, from 70% to full capacity, will be based on the activity and the degree of ventilation. Non-essential workers will also no longer need to work from home for at least four days a week and consumers will be able to go shopping in groups of more than two.
- Iceland will ease some Covid restrictions at the weekend, including limits on crowd numbers and restaurant opening hours, before lifting all measures at the end of the month, two weeks ahead of schedule. From midnight on Saturday, the limit on the number of people allowed to gather in public will increase from 50 to 200, and sports centres and ski resorts will be allowed to operate at full capacity, the government announced on Friday. Bars, restaurants and discos will be allowed to stay open until 1am. Then, from 25 February, the remainder of pandemic restrictions will be lifted, including the limit on crowd numbers and the obligation to wear a mask, as long as no new virus variant emerges and the number of cases does not overwhelm the country’s healthcare system, the government said.
- Canada is reviewing its pandemic-related border restrictions and will probably announce changes next week, as the worst of an Omicron-driven wave appears to have passed, the health minister said. “With the worst of Omicron now behind us, our government is actively reviewing the measures in place at our borders and we should be able to communicate changes on this next week,” Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters. CBC earlier reported that the federal government was close to removing mandatory Covid-19 PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadians who travel outside Canada. Canada requires all travellers entering the country to provide proof of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of arrival. It also requires all non-essential foreign travellers to be fully-vaccinated.
- Spain announced it would loosen its border requirements, with children over 12 from non-EU countries no longer needing to be fully vaccinated. The Spanish government announced it was relaxing its travel rules from Monday, which will be a boost for British holidaymakers planning to head abroad in February half-term. Children aged 12 to 17 will now be able to visit by showing a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival in Spain, as an alternative to presenting a Covid certificate with proof of having been fully vaccinated. All other UK travellers, excluding children under 12, will still need to present a Covid certificate showing proof of being fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain. If more than 270 days have passed since the last dose was administered, proof of a booster jab is also required. Prior to travelling to Spain, all passengers must also present a QR code which is obtained from filling in the Health Control Form (FCS in Spanish) available via Spain Travel Health (SpTH). Story here.
- Canada’s Ontario province declared a state of emergency and the premier, Doug Ford, threatened fines and jail terms as authorities came under increasing pressure from the US to end anti-vaccine mandate protests that have drastically cut trade between the two nations. The “Freedom Convoy” by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, mirrored by the US government, began with the occupation of the Canadian capital, Ottawa. The truckers then blocked the Ambassador Bridge earlier this week, and shut down two other smaller border crossings. The closure of the bridge, North America’s busiest international land border crossing and a key supply route for Detroit’s carmakers, has halted some auto output and left officials scrambling to limit economic damage. “I will convene cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and service along critical infrastructure,” Ford said in a press briefing on Friday. Ford also pledged new legal action against protesters, including fines and potential jail time for non-compliance with the government’s orders. More here.
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The UK recorded a further 58,899 Covid cases and 193 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the government’s coronavirus dashboard. Separately, the estimated range of England’s Covid reproduction “R” number is between 0.8 and 1.0, similar to its range the previous week, the UK Health Security Agency said, with the daily reduction in cases also around the same level.
- France will no longer require people to wear masks indoors in public places where entry is subject to the Covid vaccine pass from 28 February, the health ministry said in a statement, citing an “improvement in the health situation”. Masks will remain mandatory in public transport and in indoor places not subject to the vaccine pass. The rules apply to public spaces like bars and restaurants, sports and leisure activities which now require proof of vaccination to enter. The new rule is in line with a health council recommendation and follows a slowdown of the Covid-19 infection rate. France had already dropped its requirement for people to wear a mask outdoors on 2 February. The change in the rules on Friday also reduces from three to one the number of tests people must take if they come into contact with a confirmed case of Covid.
- The UK’s vaccines watchdog is set to announce new recommendations for vaccinating younger children next week, after a long and complex evaluation. The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) made its decision last week, and a formal announcement was due on Friday afternoon but has been delayed. Thus far, only clinically vulnerable children in the five to 11 age group have been offered vaccinations, a decision made in December.
Updated
South Africa’s efforts to produce vaccines are key to helping the African continent become more self-sufficient in inoculations to combat Covid-19 and many other diseases, the chief of the World Health Organization said on Friday.
On his visit to Cape Town, the WHO director general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, is viewing three facilities that are starting work to manufacture vaccines.
Tedros visited the Biomedical Research Institute at the Tygerberg campus of Stellenbosch University on Friday. He is also scheduled to visit Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines and the Biovac laboratories in Cape Town.
The pandemic had shown the need for local production of vaccines in low and middle-income countries, he said addressing a press briefing on Friday.
“More than half of the world’s population is now fully vaccinated, and yet 84% of the population of Africa is yet to receive a single dose,” he said.
Much of this inequity has been driven by the fact that globally vaccine production is concentrated in a few, mostly high-income countries. One of the most obvious lessons of the pandemic, therefore, is the urgent need to increase local production of vaccines, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Tedros was also scheduled to visit the Afrigen lab that, with support from the WHO, is creating a Covid vaccine from scratch. The laboratory is replicating the Moderna vaccine using mRNA vaccine technology. The Afrigen facility has backing from WHO and several other partners including the governments of South Africa, France and Belgium. The initiative is also supported by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tedros said it was expected that clinical trials for the vaccine candidate developed by Afrigen would start in 2022 and it was hoped that approval for its use would be granted in 2024.
“Delighted to be in South Africa to visit the groundbreaking WHO mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in Cape Town.” Tedros tweeted on Friday.
If Covid-19 has taught the world anything, it is all countries need equitable access to knowledge and tools that protect health. The hub is making this possible in South Africa.
Updated
Iceland to lift Covid restrictions earlier than planned
Iceland will ease some Covid restrictions at the weekend - including limits on crowd numbers and restaurant opening hours – and lift all measures at the end of the month, two weeks ahead of schedule, AFP reports.
From midnight on Saturday the limit on the number of people allowed to gather in public will increase from 50 to 200, and sports centres and ski resorts will be allowed to operate at full capacity, the government announced on Friday. Bars, restaurants and discos will be allowed to stay open until 1am.
From 25 February, the remainder of pandemic restrictions will be lifted, including a limit on crowd numbers and the obligation to wear a mask, as long as no new virus variant emerges and the number of cases does not overwhelm the country’s healthcare system, the government said.
Updated
Canada to announce changes to Covid border restrictions next week
Canada is reviewing its pandemic-related border restrictions and will probably announce changes next week, as the worst of an Omicron-driven wave appears to have passed, the health minister said on Friday.
“With the worst of Omicron now behind us, our government is actively reviewing the measures in place at our borders and we should be able to communicate changes on this next week,” Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters.
CBC earlier reported that the federal government was close to removing mandatory Covid-19 PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadians who travel outside Canada.
Canada requires all travellers entering the country to provide proof of a negative PCR test conducted within 72 hours of arrival. It also requires all non-essential foreign travellers to be fully vaccinated.
Updated
The UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced this week that he aimed to abolish all Covid regulations, including the requirement to isolate after testing positive, in England from 24 February.
Here’s what experts around the world think of that plan, which would make Britain something of an outlier when it comes to coronavirus precautions: ‘Why so fast?’: world experts react to England ending Covid curbs
My colleague Gwyn Topham has been to chatting to excited English holidaymakers heading abroad and sparking a mini-boom for the Covid-hit travel industry. Love that for them: ‘I’m so excited!’: English enjoy lifting of overseas travel restrictions
Updated
Belgium to reopen nightclubs and ease mask mandate as infections fall
Belgium has announced further easing of Covid restrictions to allow nightclubs to reopen and drop the requirement for primary school pupils to wear masks, as Omicron cases fell from an end-of-January peak, Reuters reports.
“The successive waves have not been easy for us,” the prime minister, Alexander De Croo, told a news conference on Friday, referring to back-to-back Omicron and Delta variant surges. “But we have got through them and we have got through them together.”
Covid infections have fallen from a record 75,000 on 24 January to an average of around 23,000 in the week to 7 February. Hospital admissions have also declined and the numbers of patients in intensive care was far lower than during previous waves.
From next Friday, nightclubs will be allowed to reopen, bars will be able to extend their hours beyond the current limit of midnight and end curbs on the number of customers per table and concerts will be possible with a standing audience.
Indoor access will still be largely based on a Covid pass, showing vaccination or a recent test or recovery from infection. Limits, from 70% to full capacity, will be based on the activity and the degree of ventilation.
Non-essential workers will also no longer need to work from home for at least four days a week and consumers will be able to go shopping in groups of more than two.
The easing of measures follows those already announced in Belgium’s neighbours. France has set in motion a gradual easing through February.
The Dutch government said on Thursday it aims to drop most coronavirus restrictions by the end of the month, but with Covid passes for access to many public places.
Updated
Spain’s border requirements have loosened for non-EU 12 to 17-year-olds in time for UK half-term holidays, Nazia Parveen reports.
Spain has announced it will loosen its border requirements, with children over 12 from non-EU countries no longer needing to be fully vaccinated.
The Spanish government announced that it is relaxing its travel rules from Monday, which will be a boost for British holidaymakers planning to head abroad in February half-term.
Children aged 12 to 17 will now be able to visit by showing a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival in Spain, as an alternative to presenting a Covid certificate with proof of having been fully vaccinated.
Reyes Maroto, Spain’s minister for trade, industry and tourism, said:
As one of the world’s favourite tourism destinations, we are committed to making travel to Spain a safe and easy experience for our visitors, especially for families travelling with children.
All other UK travellers, excluding children under 12, will still need to present a Covid certificate showing proof of being fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain. If more than 270 days have passed since the last dose was administered, proof of a booster jab is also required.
Prior to travelling to Spain, all passengers must also present a QR code which is obtained from filling in the Health Control Form (FCS in Spanish) available via Spain Travel Health (SpTH).
Tourism bodies welcomed the move, with a spokesperson for ABTA, the British Travel Association, saying the changes to the rules will mean more families will be able to enjoy a break in one of the UK’s most popular overseas holiday destinations.
“This, along with the UK also relaxing its travel requirements, means it is getting easier for people to set off on their long-awaited holidays abroad.
“With two-thirds of families saying their holidays are more important to them now than before the pandemic, the latest changes should give more people confidence to book their much-missed foreign holiday,” the spokesperson added.
More here: Spain to drop Covid vaccine requirement for UK teenagers
Canada's Ontario province declares state of emergency, and threatens to fine or jail protesters to end blockade
This report is from Reuters.
Canada’s Ontario province declared a state of emergency on Friday and premier Doug Ford threatened fines and jail terms as authorities came under increasing pressure from the United States to end anti-vaccine mandate protests that has drastically cut trade between the two nations.
The “Freedom Convoy” by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, mirrored by the US government, began with the occupation of the Canadian capital, Ottawa. The truckers then blocked the Ambassador Bridge earlier this week, and shut down two other smaller border crossings.
The closure of the bridge, North America’s busiest international land border crossing and a key supply route for Detroit’s carmakers, has halted some auto output and left officials scrambling to limit economic damage.
“I will convene cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and service along critical infrastructure,” Ford said in a press briefing on Friday.
Ford also pledged new legal action against protesters, including fines and potential jail time for non-compliance with the government’s orders.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday said she has been pushing the Canadian government to get the protest under control and that the bridge blockade was hurting her state. “The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to safely and swiftly resolve this,” Whitmer told CNN.
Canadian autoparts maker Magna International on Friday said the shutting of the Ambassador Bridge has started to have some initial impact in some areas of the company’s operations, as it became the latest company to swept up in the truckers protest. The company’s stock fell 4.4%.
The Biden administration on Thursday urged Canada to use federal powers to ease the disruption.
The Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he was working with municipal leaders to end the blockade. Public safety minister Marco Mendicino said federal police forces would be deployed to Windsor, near the bridge, and to Ottawa.
Mendicino is scheduled to speak with US Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday, his office confirmed.
Police in Windsor, Ontario, which borders Detroit, said they had received additional resources from outside jurisdictions to “support a peaceful resolution to the current demonstration at and near the Ambassador Bridge.”
In Ottawa, the epicentre of the protests, police were waiting on Thursday for a request for provincial and federal reinforcements to be completed. They have made 25 arrests so far. City police chief Peter Sloly expects the reinforcements to arrive in the next 48 hours ahead of a potential rise in protesters in the city over the weekend.
“This is an entirely sophisticated level of demonstrators. They have the capability to run strong organisation here provincially and nationally, and we’re seeing that play out in real time,” Sloly told reporters.
Canada sends 75% of its exports to the United States and the bridge usually handles 8,000 trucks a day, representing a quarter of all cross-border trade, or about C$500 million ($392.56 million) per day.
About C$100 million worth of auto parts cross the border each day, with many shipments timed to arrive just as manufacturers need them.
General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Chrysler parent Stellantis and Toyota Motor Corp have been impacted by the blockades.
While officials at the federal, provincial and municipal levels have held regular meetings, they have had limited impact on the ground.
Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens has sought an injunction from the Ontario superior court to have the protesters at the bridge removed, adding that he was striving to resolve the issue peacefully and ensure that nobody gets hurt.
As many pandemic-weary western countries near the two-year mark on coronavirus restrictions, copycat protests have spread to Australia, New Zealand and France, although the wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant has begun to subside in some places.
Updated
UK records another 58,899 Covid cases and 193 deaths
The UK has recorded a further 58,899 Covid cases and 193 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
That compares to 66,638 infections and 206 fatalities reported in the 24 hours prior.
The estimated range of England’s Covid reproduction “R” number is between 0.8 and 1.0, similar to its range the previous week, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday, with the daily reduction in cases also around the same level.
An R number between 0.8 and 1.0 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 8 and 10 other people. Last week the range was 0.8 to 1.1.
The daily growth of infections was estimated at between -3% to 0%, compared to -3% to +1% the previous week.
On Wednesday, Boris Johnson announced plans to end all Covid regulations in England, including the requirement to self-isolate if you are infected with the virus.
The Guardian has spoken to five people who work in public-facing jobs, asking for their reaction to the news and what the ending of all Covid restrictions will mean to them.
Marta, a GP in London, was mainly concerned about the implications for medically vulnerable people. She said:
My particular concern is the suggestion that people will no longer have to isolate themselves if testing positive for Covid, for which I haven’t seen any clear arguments or evidence given.
Having recently had Covid despite being triple vaccinated, it’s not a very pleasant experience. My main concerns are for the medically vulnerable – of which there are many – and the unvaccinated. We have quite a few patients who we have been unable to persuade to be vaccinated and they remain at risk.
I appreciate that we cannot expect people to isolate indefinitely with Covid, but think we should wait until the infection rates and warmer weather indicate that this would not be such a risky strategy.
It should also in my opinion be accompanied by advice to people to not circulate freely if Covid positive, and unwell, but to be considerate to others in the community – the same should apply if people have flu or significant respiratory infections.
Jane, a university professor, feels she will have no choice but to accept students in the classroom who know they have Covid. She said:
I am deeply concerned about the prime minister’s decision. Most people of course are not touched too badly by Covid these days, if they have been boostered. But some still get very ill, or attract long Covid, and the long-term implications just do not seem to count, at all, nor vulnerable people and how to protect them well.
I have to teach groups of students in poorly ventilated rooms, and it looks as if beginning the week after next, I will just have to accept that there might be students in the classroom who know that they have Covid and yet have chosen to come to class, and cannot even be forced to wear a mask. I might be able to protect myself to some extent by wearing a mask, and of course everybody is free to wear one should they so desire.
I’ve been lucky enough to have students this term and last term who have accepted that I prefer them to wear masks, so all my students have done so in class. But I know for some colleagues this hasn’t necessarily been the case throughout. And messaging from government impacts how people behave, and so if the message is “it’s all over and fine”, I think that will have an impact.
You can read the full story here: ‘I’m deeply concerned’: readers on plans to end all Covid regulations in England
Updated
An announcement on new recommendations for vaccinating younger children, scheduled to be made by the UK’s vaccines watchdog on Friday afternoon, may be delayed until Monday, it has emerged.
The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) made its decision last week, and a formal announcement was being prepared for Friday afternoon.
However, officials now say this may not happen before Monday.
Thus far, only clinically vulnerable children in the five to 11 age group have been offered vaccinations, a decision made in December.
It is not known whether the JCVI has recommended this cohort be expanded, and if so how widely.
Updated
The UK government has been urged to reverse plans to scrap the ONS Covid infection survey, the i paper reports.
Funding for the study into how many people have Covid in each week expires in April and has not yet been renewed. And on Thursday the i revealed insiders believe the survey is likely to be scrapped or significantly scaled back.
Boris Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings tweeted that axing the gold-standard coronavirus monitoring system would be “so stupid”.
Abandoning the ONS random sample survey we set up spring 2020, a global standard setter, is so stupid obviously it's tory policy 'to save money'. Failing to prepare for pandemics also 'saved money', then cost 100s of billions & >100k needless deaths
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) February 10, 2022
The Welsh economy minister, Vaughan Gething, also expressed concern at reports the survey could be scrapped, telling Times Radio it was “even more important now” given the prevalence of the virus. He said:
The ONS infection survey is even more important now because of the changes made to testing policy in all parts of the UK. The headline case figures give you an idea about the trend but not really about the overall prevalence of Covid – the ONS survey does just that.
iNews has the story.
*I’m grateful to reader Anne for flagging this to me.
Updated
The Welsh government has strongly criticised Boris Johnson’s signalling that rules on self-isolating after positive Covid tests are set to be scrapped in England, saying it was “ambushed” by the move.
The economy minister, Vaughan Gething, said:
We have always wanted to work alongside all the other governments. When we’ve had alignment on our rules and timing and content it’s easier for the public to understand and do the right thing. We can hardly align and work more closely together when we are ambushed by surprise changes.
Gething was standing in for the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, who is isolating having tested positive for Covid, at a press conference in Cardiff. The Welsh government has said it is not going to scrap the self-isolation rules.
Gething said Johnson did not speak to Drakeford before making his “surprise” announcement on self-isolation. He said:
When previous major changes have happened there’s normally been a conversation between the four health ministers across the UK. There’s normally been some sort of conversation between the chief medical officers of the UK. There’s normally been some sort of advice from Sage. Sage themselves were surprised. The real issue is why is England doing this on their own, why has the prime minister chosen to go it alone. You need to ask him.
There are 400 cases of Covid in Wales per 100,000 people, Gething added. Just under 1,100 people are in hospital with Covid, 16 of them in intensive care.
Gething criticised the idea that has surfaced in reports that the UK government may start charging for lateral flow tests, arguing that this would hit the poorest in society and suggested this was being driven by a “penny pinching chancellor”.
He also expressed concern over reports that the ONS Covid infection survey could also be scrapped.
Updated
France to end face mask requirement for entry to indoor places subject to Covid vaccine pass
France will no longer require people to wear masks indoors in public places where entry is subject to the Covid vaccine pass from 28 February, the health ministry said in a statement on Friday, citing an “improvement in the health situation”.
Masks will remain mandatory in public transport and in indoor places not subject to the vaccine pass. The rules apply to public spaces like bars and restaurants, sports and leisure activities which now require proof of vaccination to enter.
The new rule is in line with a health council recommendation and follows a slowdown of the Covid-19 infection rate.
“In a context where pressure from the epidemic is falling strongly, the vaccine pass allows us to remove the mask-wearing requirement as we have done in previous waves,” the health minister Olivier Véran told AFP.
France had already dropped its requirement for people to wear a mask outdoors on 2 February.
The change in the rules on Friday also reduces from three to one the number of tests people must take if they come into contact with a confirmed case of Covid.
With an election approaching in April and growing discontent among parts of the public about infection control restrictions, President Emmanuel Macron’s government has promised to ease measures within weeks if cases continue to fall.
Updated
Enthusiasm for keeping dogs rose during the pandemic but with more people returning to physical workplaces, UK charities are braced for an increase in abandonment, my colleague Steve Morris reports.
The six puppies were dumped in a crate on the verge of a main road in Kent. Four cocker spaniels and two terrier crossbreeds, bright-eyed and full of life despite being abandoned like fly-tipped rubbish.
A passerby took them to the RSPCA’s Canterbury branch, where they were fed, watered and nursed back to health before being fostered by staff while permanent homes were found.
They are safe, but animal charities have warned that the end of the “puppy mania” that seized so many people in lockdown could mean dangerous times are ahead for countless young dogs.
There is concern that as demand – and thus prices – fall, unscrupulous breeders may find themselves with puppies they cannot turn a profit on and dump them. As more people return to physical workplaces, fears are growing that new owners may try to sell on dogs on to inappropriate homes or simply abandon them.
Over Christmas the RSPCA received reports of 1,478 abandoned dogs and other animals, up 29% on the previous year. A spokesperson said this week:
We have long feared that the combination of a surge in spur-of-the-moment pet ownership during the pandemic, the change in people’s circumstances as some normality returned, and the economic impacts of the pandemic could be a perfect storm for abandonments.
Clive Hopwood, an RSPCA inspector who dealt with the Kent puppies last month, suspects they may have been abandoned by a breeder.
We’ve seen a massive surge in dog ownership. Many people have seen this as an easy opportunity to make money by breeding and selling puppies. We believe these puppies may have failed to sell, so they were abandoned. We’re expecting to see more dogs abandoned.
Read the full story here: ‘Now is the danger time’: why the end of lockdown puts puppies at risk
Updated
Rushing to remove Covid restrictions in England puts our beloved, fantastic but fragile and failing NHS on the line, writes The Secret Consultant for the Guardian today.
Here is an extract:
As things stand, we cannot fill our vacant posts and we do not even have secure funding to keep people in post for the long Covid provision we have managed to set up. It is an uphill, exhausting struggle.
And this is the time that our PM, out of the blue, has chosen to announce the early removal of all restrictions. Everyone I have spoken to has been taken aback by this. Are we still “following the science”? And, in practice, what will this mean?
Do we stop regularly testing ourselves and come to work to cough and splutter over our vulnerable patients? And also, now that the plan to mandate vaccinations for healthcare workers has been quietly shelved, raise the risk of infecting potentially unvaccinated colleagues? Although hospitalisations with Covid are manageable right now there were more than 66,000 new cases on Thursday, even with continued mask wearing, lateral flow testing and self-isolation.
Cases will certainly rise as a result. Whether hospitalisations also will, even only a little, remains to be seen. But a little is all that it would take to destabilise the system.
You can read the full article here:
Updated
JCVI to announce new recommendations for vaccinating younger children
The UK’s vaccines watchdog is set to announce new recommendations for vaccinating younger children later on Friday, after a long and complex evaluation.
The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) made its decision last week, and a formal announcement is due on Friday afternoon.
Thus far, only clinically vulnerable children in the five to 11 age group have been offered vaccinations, a decision made in December.
It is not known whether the JCVI has recommended this cohort be expanded, and if so how widely. Decisions over vaccinating younger children are complex, not least because very few of them become seriously ill with Covid. Many primary-age children have also had the virus recently, with the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The JCVI’s remit allows it only to consider the net benefits to those receiving a vaccine, not wider factors such as reducing transmission. In September it said it could not recommend Covid vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds, instead suggesting ministers seek wider advice.
The JCVI is entirely independent and makes only recommendations. It is up to health ministers in each of the four UK nations to decide if they will accept them, and so far in Covid they always have.
Updated
The former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has said wealthy nations must coordinate resources to accelerate access to vaccines and testing for developing nations, Lizzy Davies reports.
Gordon Brown has urged rich countries to consider “extraordinary measures” similar to those taken during the global financial crisis to increase developing nations’ access to Covid vaccines, calling on governments to fill a $16bn (£11.8bn) funding gap within weeks.
The former British prime minister, who hosted the 2009 G20 summit credited with having staved off a second Great Depression and as chancellor helped unveil a landmark debt relief package at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, said a similar act of international coordination was urgently required on Covid.
“Just as in the way we had to deal with debt relief and then deal with the global financial crisis by taking extraordinary measures to try to overcome these challenges, we have to do this even now,” he said.
Speaking on the Equals podcast hosted by Oxfam on Friday, Brown said the leaders of wealthy countries had weeks to commit to filling a $16bn funding gap announced by the World Health Organization this week for its plan to accelerate equitable access to Covid vaccines and tests.
“Unless the money comes in urgently, we will not be able to fund the next stages of vaccines, treatments, testing, and even the medical oxygen and PPE needed by nurses and doctors [around the world],” he said.
The full story is here: Gordon Brown calls for ‘extraordinary measures’ to tackle Covid inequalities
Updated
Updated
What began as a protest against vaccine requirements for truck drivers has grown into a widening movement as Justin Trudeau refuses to engage with demands, Tracey Lindeman reports from Ottawa.
Diesel fumes and marijuana smoke filled the air outside the Canadian parliament as a “freedom convoy” protest against vaccine mandates headed into a third week.
Columns of big-rig trucks, pickups and RVs have blockaded the heart of the Canadian capital since 28 January. Camped out in the vehicles are several hundred protesters – including many children – who have travelled thousands of kilometres to be here.
Protesters have also blocked the international Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, and two smaller border crossings with the US, prompting growing fears of serious economic impact.
Justin Trudeau, the White House and even the US Teamsters union have called for an end to the protest. But those camped out in downtown Ottawa insist they will not leave until their demands are met: an end to Covid lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
What began as a protest against vaccine requirements for truck drivers entering Canada has grown into a widening protest movement against all Covid public health measures, with copycat demonstrations in the US, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand.
On a bone-chilling night this week, protesters gathered around open fires and propane stoves as police officers looked on, seemingly unwilling to enforce an order against bring fuel into the city centre.
It was quieter than in the earlier days of the protest when truckers infuriated residents by honking their horns late into the night; on Monday, a court injunction was handed down banning air horns for 10 days after a class action lawsuit by sleepless locals. Instead, a semi driver loudly gunned his engine, launching thick black plumes of exhaust into the night sky.
“It was definitely time to take a stand,” says Spencer Bautz, a 24-year-old who drove his truck here from Saskatchewan on day one. Dressed in a black cowboy hat, Bautz described vaccine mandates as “medical segregation” and argued that exclusions for the unvaccinated were an infringement of their freedoms. His views, he said, had been greatly informed by the thinking of the psychology professor and culture war provocateur Jordan Peterson.
“I’m not going to pretend like I know what goes on in upper management or big government. I’m just a farm kid from Saskatchewan,” said Bautz. “But I know that anytime you talk about silencing people, anytime you talk about taking away people’s freedoms … it’s to be taken seriously.”
Read the full dispatch here: Maple leaf flags, conspiracy theories and The Matrix: inside the Ottawa truckers’ protest
Updated
Good morning from London. 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.com
Twitter: @lucy_campbell_
Summary
Here’s a round-up of Friday’s top Covid stories globally so far.
- The World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said on Friday that the world had not yet reached the Covid pandemic’s end – and warned there would be more variants of concern.
- Russia vaulted its 24-hour Covid record again on Friday, sailing over 200,000 daily cases for the first time to bookmark three weeks of almost daily record-breaking.
- The French president, Emmanuel Macron, refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian Covid-19 test when he arrived to see Vladimir Putin this week, and was therefore kept at a distance from the Russian leader.
- The UK ended testing travel restrictions for vaccinated arrivals on Friday, peeling back curbs as the government ploughs on with its “living with the virus” strategy. Meanwhile, GDP grew by 7.5% in 2021, the strongest pace of growth since 1940.
- Spain also announced it would loosen border requirements, with children over 12 from non-EU countries no longer needing to be fully vaccinated.
- In the UK, HM Revenue & Customs has been accused by an influential group of MPs of “ignorance and inaction” on recouping £6bn of fraudulent Covid-19 support payments, drawing an angry backlash from the tax authority.
- China will fully support Hong Kong with its “dynamic zero” coronavirus strategy, its office overseeing matters in the city said, as the territory is expected to hit a new record for daily infections on Friday.
- Malaysia reported more than 20,000 new Covid infections in a day on Friday, for the first time since September.
- Germany’s highest court on Friday rejected petitions to temporarily block a vaccine mandate for healthcare staff – paving the way for compulsory jabs in hospitals and care homes from 15 March.
That’s all from me, Jem Bartholomew, for today. I’ll be back Sunday. Drop me a message via email or on Twitter with tips for then. Over to my colleague Lucy Campbell – bye for now.
Updated
Poland detected 35,777 new Covid infections in the past 24 hours, Polskie Radio reports, a 37.5% drop on the 57,265 new cases on Friday two weeks ago.
Poland has experienced surging, record-breaking cases in recent weeks, but there are signs the wave has now spiked as cases fall.
The health minister, Adam Niedzielski, on Wednesday announced a loosening of restrictions – for instance cutting isolation times after positive Covid tests and lifting quarantine requirements for Covid contacts.
“We are in fact dealing with the beginning of the end of the pandemic,” he told reporters.
A further 290 people died from Covid-related causes in the past 24 hours, taking total deaths to over 107,000, the 15th highest worldwide. (Poland has the 38th biggest population.)
Updated
UK scraps testing requirements for vaccinated arrivals
The UK ended testing travel restrictions for vaccinated arrivals on Friday, peeling back curbs as the government ploughs on with its “living with the virus” strategy.
Robert Courts, the aviation minister, said the UK government was “taking the trouble out of travel” – meaning vaccinated people no longer need to take a rapid Covid test after arrival.
“This has been a long road but due to the success of the vaccination programme, I am really glad to be able to bring you this news this morning that we are taking the trouble out of travel,” Courts told LBC.
Meanwhile, unvaccinated people no longer need to isolate but will still be required to get tested.
The aviation industry welcomed the change, with the Aer Lingus CEO, Lynne Embleton, telling the Guardian that the former rules added “unnecessary complexity and cost,” and BA’s CEO, Sean Doyle, telling PA he hoped other countries follow suit.
Planning a half term trip abroad? ✈️
— FCDO Travel Advice (@FCDOtravelGovUK) January 24, 2022
Good news! From 4am on 11 Feb, eligible fully vaccinated passengers won’t need to take any tests after arriving in England.
Only a Passenger Locator Form will be required.
Don't forget to check entry requirements for your destination! 👇
Updated
Spain to drop mandate for non-EU children over 12 to be vaccinated on entry
Spain has announced it will loosen its border requirements, with children over 12 from non-EU countries no longer needing to be fully vaccinated.
Instead, they will need a negative Covid test.
The changes will come into effect on Monday.
Updated
Germany’s highest court on Friday rejected petitions to temporarily block a vaccine mandate for healthcare staff – paving the way for compulsory jabs in hospitals and care homes from 15 March.
Germany’s federal constitutional court rejected a bid to impose an injunction against the measure until a legal challenge against its constitutionality is formally reviewed.
The policy intends to protect vulnerable groups from the virus. Healthcare staff unable to prove they are vaccinated against Covid will be banned from working.
Updated
Malaysia recorded over 20,000 new Covid infections on Friday for the first time since September.
The health ministry detected 20,939 positive tests over the past 24 hours, the New Straits Times reports, almost four times the 5,522 on Friday two weeks ago.
That’s the first time cases vaulted 20,000 since the 21,176 infections detected on 10 September. Back in autumn Malaysia experienced its last wave; now, Omicron is driving infections back up.
Malaysia has a total 32,065 coronavirus-related deaths, Reuters reports, the 29th highest worldwide. (The country has the 45th highest population.)
Updated
WHO chief scientist: World not at pandemic's end, new concerning variants likely
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said on Friday that the world had not yet reached the Covid pandemic’s end - and warned there would be more variants.
“We have seen the virus evolve, mutate ... so we know there will be more variants, more variants of concern, so we are not at the end of the pandemic,” Swaminathan told reporters in South Africa.
She said 11,000 to 12,000 people were still dying globally every day from Covid, mostly unvaccinated people.
Swaminathan restated the case for scaling up vaccine manufacturing – and delivering shots equitably – as vaccine inequality continues to plague the world.
While many western countries have ploughed on with booster campaigns, many countries in the developing world are yet to double-jab populations. For instance, only one in four African healthcare workers is protected.
Swaminathan’s comments follow the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown’s statements on Wednesday, saying vaccine inequality was a “monumental international policy failure” and warning “history will not be kind” to western leaders for hoarding jabs.
“A small number of countries have monopolised the purchase and therefore control the supply of the vast majority of vaccines,” Brown said. “That means that some of these countries have been hoarding the vaccines, stockpiling them at least, and then they get to a position where they are running out and they are past the use-by date [and must destroy them].”
Updated
Russia vaults daily Covid record again - sailing over 200,000 for first time
Russia vaulted its 24-hour Covid record again on Friday, sailing over 200,000 daily cases for the first time to bookmark three weeks of almost daily record-breaking.
The health ministry detected 203,949 new positive tests, a 110% jump on the 97,284 new infections on Friday two weeks ago – which was itself a record-breaking figure.
Deaths climbed by 722 in the past 24 hours, rising 9% on the 661 deaths on Friday two weeks ago.
Reuters estimates Russia under-reports its Covid death toll. The figure is above 708,000, Reuters says, not the 338,000 authorities claim, making it the world’s second highest toll behind only the US. (Russia has the ninth highest population.)
Meanwhile, Russian troops continue to build-up on Ukraine’s borders, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday, with president Joe Biden warning “things could go crazy quickly”.
UK HMRC attacked for 'ignorance and inaction' over recouping £6bn Covid fraud
In the UK, HM Revenue & Customs has been accused by an influential group of MPs of “ignorance and inaction” on recouping £6bn of fraudulent Covid-19 support payments, drawing an angry backlash from the tax authority.
The public accounts committee (PAC), which monitors state spending, issued a litany of criticisms of HMRC, warning that money surrendered to fraudsters would ultimately add to the cost of living crisis engulfing Britain.
In a series of criticisms described as “damning” by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, the PAC said:
- HMRC has effectively “written off” £4bn of Covid-related fraud.
- Plans to recover fraudulent payments are “unambitious”.
- This risks “rewarding the unscrupulous”.
- Customer service at the tax authority has “collapsed”.
- HMRC is not doing enough to crack down on tax avoidance.
Read on below:
Updated
Ukraine reported 41,229 positive Covid tests in the past 24 hours, local media Ukrinform reports, a 17% climb on the 35,164 new infections on Friday day two weeks ago.
Ukraine, facing geopolitical tensions along its borders, has hit record daily Covid cases recently – driven by Omicron – clocking its highest figure for the pandemic at over 45,000 on Friday last week.
A further 236 people were reported to have died from Covid-related causes in the past 24 hours, a 51% jump on the 156 deaths two weeks ago.
More than 102,000 people have died from Covid-related causes, Reuters estimates, the 16th highest worldwide. (Ukraine has the 35th highest population.)
Updated
In the UK, GDP rose by 7.5% of 2021 despite the end-of-year hit from Omicron, marking the strongest pace of growth since 1940.
But it follows a 9.4% fall in GDP in 2020, when Covid drove the economy into a steep slump.
Real GDP climbed by 1% in the fourth quarter of 2021 - but Britain’s economy shrank by 0.2% in December as Omicron hit consumer spending.
Paul Dales of Capital Economics says:
In 2021 as a whole, GDP rose by an impressive 7.5%, but that needs to be put in context against the 9.4% fall in 2020.
It’s possible that GDP fell in January as that’s when Omicron caused the most people to stay off work and self-isolate. But equally, the timely indicators suggest that activity began to recover from the middle of the month.
Either way, a 2% fall in real household disposable incomes this year (due to higher inflation and taxes) will restrain GDP growth from April. With inflation soaring, we doubt this will prevent the Bank of England from raising interest rates from 0.50% to 1.25% this year and perhaps to 2.00% next year.
Check out The Guardian’s further coverage on the UK business live blog here.
Updated
The Novavax Covid vaccine is available for Australians to receive, with the first person in the country getting the jab today.
Health minister Greg Hunt, giving a press conference at a medical centre in Melbourne, said with the new availability of Novavax there were “no excuses for anybody” not to get a Covid jab – alluding to people who had chosen to wait for this vaccine.
Novavax uses a more traditional protein technology, rather than the cutting-edge mRNA base of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Some Australians who had resisted or declined taking the other vaccines on offer had claimed they were more willing to take Novavax due to the different underpinning medical technology.
Hunt said the government expected “hundreds of thousands” of people would take up Novavax and that “hopefully” the vaccine would be approved for booster shots.
There are those that, for their own personal circumstances, have awaited or been unable to take the other vaccines. This is a new choice. It’s a protein vaccine ... a tried and tested vaccine platform.
Hunt said Novavax doses were being sent to 3,500 clinics nationwide, with bookings available from Monday.
Joining Hunt at the press conference was Angela Luttick, a woman who received Novavax today. She said she was a “virologist by training”, and had chosen to wait for Novavax over other vaccines:
I have preferred a traditional vaccine to be introduced into myself. I’m not anti-vax, I’m pro-choice, and this was my choice.
She also noted that she was co-owner of a company called 360biolabs, which she said had “supported the Novavax vaccine, we’ve done the specialty lab testing for the vaccine”.
The company had worked with Novavax on sample analysis for clinical trials of the vaccine in Australia.
In a statement, Novavax said it was conducting trials on both booster shots and a combined Covid-flu vaccine in Australia.
India detected 58,077 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours, the Times of india reports, a 77% fall on the 251,209 infections reported on Friday two weeks ago.
India experienced surging cases – driven by the infectious Omicron variant – last month, with ministers introducing travel restrictions to keep the variant out. But infections have now spiked and fallen back.
Deaths from Covid-related causes rose by 657 people in the past 24 hours, Reuters reports. Deaths this week have often climbed above 1,000 people a day.
That takes India’s Covid death toll to 507,17 – by some counts the third-highest in the world behind the US and Brazil. (Reuters, however, estimates Russia has a higher death toll than reported, jumping above India and Brazil.)
This is Jem Bartholomew in London taking charge of the international Covid blog for today. Do get in touch via email or Twitter with tips from around the world.
Updated
Macron 'refused Kremlin request for Covid test in Russia'
Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian Covid-19 test when he arrived to see Vladimir Putin this week, and was therefore kept at a distance from the Russian leader, two sources in Macron’s entourage told Reuters.
Observers were struck by images of Macron and Putin sitting at opposite ends of 4-metre-long (13ft) table to discuss the Ukraine crisis on Monday, with some diplomats and others suggesting Putin might have wanted to send a diplomatic message.
But the two sources, who have knowledge of the French president’s health protocol, told Reuters that Macron had been given a choice: either he accepted a PCR test done by the Russian authorities and was allowed to get close to Putin, or he refused and had to abide by more stringent social distancing.
“We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table. But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president’s DNA,” one of the sources told Reuters, referring to security concerns if the French leader was tested by Russian doctors.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Austrian police have announced a ban on any “Freedom Convoy” action inspired by the movement launched in Canada against Covid restrictions, AFP reports.
As several hundred vehicles were set to converge Friday in central Vienna, as well as near a major public park in the Austrian capital, police said they feared the protesters intended to block the city’s main traffic arteries.
Police also said in a tweet that the protesters would cause an “unacceptable nuisance in terms of noise in a popular recreation area”, as well as pollution from fuel emissions.
Similar convoys have been banned in Paris and Brussels.
On Thursday, Canadian police threatened for the first time to crack down on the occupation of the streets of the capital Ottawa as it entered its third week.
Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” movement was launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or test and isolate, when crossing the US-Canada border.
It has rapidly become a broader protest at Covid measures in general and against the Canadian government.
Australia reported a total of 49 Covid deaths and more than 25,000 new cases on Friday.
In other Covid news from down under, the government announced late Thursday that Australians will now need three Covid vaccine doses to be considered “up to date” with their shots.
The new terminology replaces the “fully vaccinated” status which applies to someone who has had two doses, in recognition of the better protection provided by booster shots, particularly against the Omicron variant.
Australian officials have made vaccines mandatory only for some frontline workers, but many private businesses, including major corporations, restaurants and retailers, have made inoculations a requirement for entry.
The country is among the most heavily vaccinated in the world as a result, with 94% of people over 16 double-dosed. Nearly 10 million boosters have been administered so far.
For more on Australia’s new guidance read our report here:
It’s been an interesting day on the financial markets as investors respond to US inflation hitting 7.5% on Thursday, the highest it’s been for 42 years.
The expectation that the US Federal Reserve will start increasing interest rates to cool the economy as it emerges from the pandemic saw stocks in Australia and South Korea fall almost 1% on Friday, while they were down 0.6% in Hong Kong and 0.3% in Shanghai. Japan’s Nikkei is closed for a holiday.
It looks like being a similarly bumpy ride when markets open in Europe in an hour or two with the German DAX30 on course to shed 0.6%, and the FTSE100 in London and French CAC40 both off 1% in futures trade.
Wall Street looks like seeing something along the same lines.
#DOW 35002 -0.70%#SPX 4468 -0.84%#NASDAQ 14577 -0.93%#RUSSELL 2030 -1.04%#FANG 6614 -1.09%
— IGSquawk (@IGSquawk) February 11, 2022
With pandemic restrictions in key markets such as China still very much part of daily life, supply chain problems are expected to keep pressure on prices for the next few months at least.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs think the Fed could hike seven times this year, which would have a profound impact on interests rates not just in the US but all over the world as central banks would scramble to keep in line.
Goldman Sachs raises forecast on Fed tightening this year. Bank now expects 7 straight rate hikes. That's one at every meeting in 2022.
— David Ingles (@DavidInglesTV) February 11, 2022
More protesters gather at New Zealand parliament
More on the protests on parliament’s grounds in Wellington, New Zealand, where Stuff reports that the sprinklers have been turned on and will remain on all night, on the orders of Speaker Trevor Mallard.
The news website points out that heavy rain is also forecast overnight and quotes Mallard as saying:
No one who is here is here legally, and if they’re getting wet from below as well as above, they’re likely to be a little bit less comfortable and more likely to go home. Some people have suggested we add the vaccine in the water, but I don’t think it works that way.”
Updated
Beijing will send in reinforcements to help Hong Kong with its growing outbreak of the Omicron variant, according to the government’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.
Officials from the governments of Guangdong, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as well as mainland experts, will meet on the weekend to “study, formulate and implement policies and measures to support Hong Kong’s prevention and control of the epidemic, ensure the supply of materials to Hong Kong, and maintain the overall social stability of Hong Kong”.
It said the central government would work to ensure cross-border transportation of materials and the supply of vegetables, fresh food, and other daily necessities.
The fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong is raging, which will have a serious impact on the safety and health of citizens, as well as on the economy and people’s livelihood. The central government is highly concerned about this.”
The South China Morning Post reported on Friday the plans included sending in thousands of medical and lab personnel, as well as millions of test kits.
Hong Kong has returned to restrictions not seen since mid 2020, as authorities seek to control the outbreak. Like China, Hong Kong is committed to zero-Covid, but the appearance of the highly transmissible Omicron strain has posed a potentially insurmountable challenge.
Testing facilities have been overwhelmed as residents in districts where Covid-19 has been detected in sewage report for compulsory tests, often queuing for hours.
On Thursday Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, said she was “deeply sorry and anxious” about the lengthy wait for residents. Hong Kong has reported more than 4,000 infections over the past two weeks, up from just two in December.
More people have arrived outside New Zealand’s parliament, as protesters calling for an end to a vaccine mandate and tough Covid-19 restrictions refused to end their demonstrations despite arrests by the police, Reuters reports.
It’s been four days since several thousand protesters, inspired by truckers’ demonstrations in Canada, occupied the parliament lawns in the capital Wellington, and blocked surrounding streets with their trucks, cars, camper vans and motorcycles.
On Thursday, the police arrested 120 people as they attempted to forcefully remove the protesters, but were seen falling back later in the day as the campers refused to move.
The police said in a statement on Friday that there were no incidents of note overnight at the parliament grounds, although 2 more people were arrested for “alcohol-related behaviour”.
“Police continue to take a measured approach to the protesters, who are trespassing on the grounds of Parliament and have been repeatedly asked to leave,” Supt Corrie Parnell said in the statement.
There are a range of different causes and motivations among the protesters, making it difficult to open clear and meaningful lines of communication, the police said, adding that misinformation, particularly on social media, has been identified as an issue.
More tents and even a gazebo went up on the lawn as more protesters arrived from across the country on Friday. But the crowd was peaceful, singing and dancing, unlike the angry demonstrations seen on Thursday.
“At the moment it looks more like a festival here,” one of the organisers said on the microphone.
“Does anybody see a mob here?”
A small number of protesters were also reported to have gathered in other cities like Nelson and Christchurch in solidarity.
The protesters ignored calls from prime minister Jacinda Ardern to “move on”. The continuing stand off is mounting political pressure on Ardern, whose approval ratings have taken a hit in recent opinion polls.
Hello and welcome
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Livingstone.
More people have arrived outside New Zealand’s parliament, as protesters calling for an end to a vaccine mandate and Covid-19 restrictions refused to end their demonstrations despite arrests by the police. It’s been four days since protesters, inspired by truckers’ demonstrations in Canada, occupied the parliament lawns in the capital Wellington.
China will fully support Hong Kong with its “dynamic zero” coronavirus strategy, its office overseeing matters in the city said, as the territory is expected to hit a new record for daily infections on Friday. The global financial hub will report at least 1,325 new coronavirus cases on Friday, broadcaster TVB reported, a new record.
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Prince Charles met the Queen two days before testing positive for Covid for the second time. A palace source said the monarch was not displaying any symptoms, but declined to say whether or not she had tested negative.
- Elsewhere in the UK, Boris Johnson was condemned by former Conservatiove prime minister Sir John Major as a lawbreaker whose disregard for honesty and ministerial standards risks undermining the UK’s long-term democratic future, on another politically bruising day for the prime minister.
- Brussels authorities have banned a pan-European “freedom convoy” of motorists protesting Covid restrictions from entering the Belgian capital, the regional government said in a statement. Reuters reports the convoy was expected to arrive at the home of European Union institutions and NATO on Monday. Authorities in Paris had earlier banned the convoy.
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Spain dropped the mandatory use of face masks outdoors. Although they will remain compulsory at large open-air gatherings where social distancing is not possible, they will no longer be required in school playgrounds.
- New Zealand has hit a new record daily of community Covid cases, with 446 announced on Friday. That is an increase of 140 cases from the previous record, which was set the previous day. Cases are expected to climb steadily now that Omicron is spreading within New Zealand.
- Novavax says its Covid vaccine has proved safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds. Armed with the new data, Novavax plans to soon seek expanded use of its shots down to age 12. Later this year, it plans to begin testing in younger children.
- The Dutch government has said it aims to drop most of its coronavirus restrictions by the end of the month, as record levels of infections in recent weeks have only had a limited effect on hospital numbers.
- The UK recorded another 66,638 Covid infections and a further 206 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data on the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
- Covid passes are to be scrapped and the need to wear face coverings in certain venues removed later this month as coronavirus cases continue to fall, the Welsh government has announced. The changes will be confirmed on Friday during the first three-week review of Wales’s alert level zero measures.
- The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been isolating since Saturday after contracting Covid, has tested negative, the state-owned Anadolu news agency cited his doctor as saying.
- The Costa Rican president, Carlos Alvarado, tested positive for Covid-19, his office said. “He is doing well and will be in isolation at his home,” it added.
- Africa is transitioning out of the pandemic phase of its Covid outbreak and moving towards a situation where it will be managing the virus long term, the World Health Organization’s regional head for Africa said. Dr Matshidiso Moeti also said the number of Covid infections in Africa could be seven times higher than official data suggested, and deaths from the virus two to three times higher.
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