Covid-19-News: The Moderna vaccine seems to work against new variants

Latest coronavirus news from 25pm on January 25th

According to Moderna, the existing vaccine appears to be effective against new coronavirus variants

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by the US company Moderna appears to be work against new, highly contagious variants of the coronavirus according to preliminary investigations by the company. In laboratory tests, antibodies from eight vaccinated people were able to neutralize the highly transmissible coronavirus variants identified for the first time in Great Britain and South Africa. One point of concern raised in the study is that the antibodies neutralized the South African variant six times less effectively than the original strain.

As a precautionary measure, Moderna announced that it would start two new studies to investigate a third booster jab and a vaccine specific to the South African variant. “The virus is changing its stripes and we’re going to change to make sure we can get the virus where it goes,” said Stephen Hoge, President of Moderna Washington Post.

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Another US pharmaceutical company, Merck, announced this Stop development of two formulations of Covid-19 vaccine candidates After the results of a phase I study showed that they provoked inadequate immune responses. The company will continue to investigate whether at least one of the vaccine candidates may be more effective if given by a different route of administration. Both vaccine candidates are currently formulated for intramuscular injection.

Other coronavirus news

People coming to the UK by air There may soon be a mandatory hotel quarantineBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday. The quarantine is expected to apply at least to people coming to the UK from Brazil and South Africa, where new coronavirus variants have recently been identified. However, the ministers have not ruled out extending the plan to all passengers. “We need to be clear that there is at least the theoretical risk that there is a new variant, a vaccine-busting variant,” said Johnson. “So we have to keep this under control.” The UK government is considering and will be relaxing some restrictions in mid-February Include when schools in England can reopen “As soon as we can,” said Johnson. There is growing calls from parliament for more clarity on the question.

The highly transmissible coronavirus variant sequenced for the first time in Great Britain has now been found in at least 22 US statesAccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 200 cases have been identified in the US to date. The new variant may be up to 70 percent more contagious than the original variant, and there are some concerns that it could be more deadly as well.

Has taken a two day effort to test 2 million people in Beijing, China identified a coronavirus case. According to Chinese state media668,346 people were tested for the virus in Dongcheng and 1.13 million people in Xicheng. The only test that gave a positive result was that of a person in Xicheng. Beijing overall reported three new symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, all of which were in Daxing District went into full lockdown on January 21 after 12 cases were reported.

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.13 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud. More than 99.3 million Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest information on the coronavirus from New Scientist

Coronavirus spread: The debate over whether the coronavirus is spreading more via surfaces or aerosols continues, but scientists and activists are now calling for stricter precautions to limit airborne spread.

Herd immunity: It is estimated that 76 percent of people in Manaus, Brazil will contract Covid-19 between March and October. Many people claimed the population had achieved herd immunity. Then there was a second wave.

Important information about the coronavirus

Everything you need to know about the pandemic

Where did the coronavirus come from? And other Covid-19 questions were answered

What is covid-19?

You could be spreading the coronavirus without even realizing you have it

Which Covid-19 treatments work and how close are we to achieving more?

What does it take to bring a Covid-19 vaccine into the world?

What to read, see and hear about coronavirus

The New York Times tracks the occupancy of hospital beds in England in an interactive graphic.

Panorama: The race for a vaccine is a BBC documentary about the inside story of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine development against Covid-19.

Race against the virus: chasing a vaccine is a Channel 4 documentary that tells the story of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of frontline scientists.

The New York Times evaluates the progress of various vaccine candidates and potential drug treatments for Covid-19 and rates them for effectiveness and safety.

People from COVID-19 is a project shedding light on the experiences of key frontline workers in the UK’s fight against coronavirus through social media.

Belly Mujinga: In Search of Truth is a BBC Panoramic investigation into the death of Covid-19 transport worker Belly Mujinga after being reported coughed and spat on by a customer at Victoria Station, London.

Coronavirus, explained on Netflix is ​​a short documentary series that explores the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, efforts to fight it, and ways to manage mental health.

New Scientist Weekly provides updates and analysis on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic. Every week on our podcast, journalists from the magazine discuss the biggest scientific stories that hit the headlines – from technology and space to health and the environment.

COVID-19: The Pandemic That Should Never Have Happened And How To Stop The Next One by Debora Mackenzie is about how the pandemic happened and why it will happen again if we don’t do things differently in the future.

The rules of contagion is about the new science of contagion and the surprising forms of our life and behavior. Author Adam Kucharski is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, and in the book he studies how diseases spread and why they stop.

Previous updates

REUTERS / John Sibley

22nd of January

A new variant of the coronavirus in the UK may be more deadly than the original virus

Preliminary evidence suggests the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus first identified in the UK can also be more deadlyBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a press conference on Friday. The government was briefed by researchers from the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats, who are evaluating the data on the variant that appears to be about 30 percent more lethal. Researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London who analyzed data about the new variant concluded it was 29 to 36 percent more fatal, while researchers at the University of Exeter put the figure at 91 percent. UK Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance said the evidence of lethality was “not yet strong”, adding, “But it’s obviously a problem.”

The UK coronavirus epidemic could shrink R number – The number of people with any person infected with Covid-19 infections was at or below 1.0 for the first time since the beginning of December. The last official estimate for the R number it is between 0.8 and 1.0. Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics ” random swab test survey suggest that the number of new cases may decrease slightly in England, Wales and Scotland, although cases in Northern Ireland appear to be still increasing sharply. An estimated one in 55 people in England had the virus in the week leading up to January 16, compared with one in 50 people two weeks earlier. In Northern Ireland, the estimated infection rate rose from one in 200 in the previous survey to one in 60 in the last. Equivalent numbers for Wales and Scotland last week were one in 70 and one in 100 people estimated to have the virus.

Other coronavirus news

People in england Participation in house parties with more than 15 people will be fined £ 800 starting next week. Home Secretary Priti Patel said at a press conference on Downing Street that there is “a small minority who refuse to do what is right”. Some scholars, including members of the Independent SAGE Group, are calling on the government to tighten restrictions in England, arguing that the main problem is that the existing rules are too tolerant and not by people who do not obey them. “The problem is not that people change the rules, but that the rules are too flexible,” said Stephen Reicher of the University of St. Andrews Independent SAGE briefing. When people break the rules – for example, by not staying home when they have symptoms – – It’s often because they have no other choice, added Susan Michie of University College London. “People go out because they don’t have enough income to stay home,” she said at the meeting.

The UK government said this is the case No plans to pay £ 500 to people who test positive for the coronavirus in England Reports in the Guardian that the ministers considered the idea. “There are no plans to introduce an additional payment of £ 500,” said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The idea was reportedly inspired by government surveys, which indicated that only 17 percent of people with symptoms show up for testing.

A platform organized by the World Health Organization for the exchange of coronavirus information for pharmaceutical companies has not received any contributions since its inception in May 2020 the Guardian reported.

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.09 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud. More than 97.7 million Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Nicolas Briquet / SOPA Images / Sipa USA

21th January

Too early to say when the restrictions in England could be lifted, says the British Prime Minister

It’s too early to say if coronavirus restrictions in England could be liftedBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson told journalists on Thursday. This is because the rate of new infections in England does not seem to be decreasing under lockdown and hospitals remain congested as daily death rates hit records. One in 63 people in England was infected with the coronavirus between January 6 and January 15, according to the latest results Imperial College London REACT-1 study. That’s 1.58 percent of the English population and the highest number the study has reported since it began in May. It’s also 50 percent higher than in early December. The interim results, based on random swab tests of nearly 143,000 people, show that the rate of new infections did not decrease within 10 days of England’s nationwide lockdown, which began January 5. “In the REACT survey we see the contagion of the new [coronavirus] The variant we saw arrived just before Christmas, ”said Johnson.

Other coronavirus news

US President Joe Biden signed 10 executive orders aimed to step up the country’s fight against Covid-19, including stopping the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Emergency legislation also aims to speed up the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program, increase coronavirus testing, and increase the production of personal protective equipment like masks. Biden is expected to issue a guideline Thursday with the intention of joining WHO’s COVAX vaccine acceleration program, which is being worked on Deliver vaccines to low-income countries. Overall, the Biden administration is striving to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the pandemic. Biden’s Coordinator of the Covid-19 Task Force, Jeff Zients, said journalists. The U.S. has recorded more than 24.4 million coronavirus cases and more than 406,000 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

The The European Union can ban travel from the UK and restrict movement across internal borders to curb the spread of new coronavirus variants. Those responsible will discuss possible measures on Thursday evening. “The danger is that this mutation will become a quasi-majority variant with increasing infections in a country and the infection can then no longer be controlled,” said Helge Braun, chief of staff of Chancellor Angela Merkel, to the German broadcaster ARD. “And that’s why even stricter entry regulations at our internal borders are inevitable, and since not everyone wants that, it is important that we work together now.”

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.08 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest information on the coronavirus from New Scientist

Virus development: As the new coronavirus evolves, it could follow the same path as other coronaviruses we already live with and become far less deadly in the future.

Vaccination Challenge: More communicable coronavirus variants, coupled with questions about whether the vaccines are preventing transmission, may mean that Covid-19 may not be eradicated.

Guy Bell / Shutterstock

January 20th

Hospitals in the UK are under “enormous pressure,” says the chief scientific advisor

British hospitals are under significant strain Chief Scientific Advisor has warnedas hospital admissions and deaths continue to rise. “It might not look like it when you walk in the park, but when you go to a hospital it’s very, very bad right now with tremendous pressure and in some cases it looks like things in relation to a war zone that people have to deal with, ”said Patrick Vallance. There is for now 39,068 people hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country, 3947 were ventilated. On Wednesday the Britain reported 1,820 deaths from Covid-19 within 28 days of a positive test – the highest daily increase since the pandemic began. In the seven days ending January 17, the UK reported an average of 1,218 deaths per day.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would Don’t use resources to make a request into UK government’s Covid-19 response while healthcare is under pressure. “The NHS is under unprecedented pressure [and] The entire British state is trying to take action against Covid in order to bring the largest vaccination program in the history of our country to the market, ”Johnson told Parliament. “The idea that we should focus now […] Huge government funding for an investigation in the middle of the pandemic doesn’t make sense to me, “he said, adding,” but of course we will learn lessons in due course. “

Other coronavirus news

A formula for distributing Covid-19 vaccines in England that didn’t take into account the size of the family doctor’s offices has led to this less people getting the push in LondonAccording to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. He told that Guardian The care model is now being revised after a crisis meeting with British vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi last week. NHS England figures show that 388,437 people in London received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – the lowest of any region in England – despite London being one of the largest NHS regions in the country with a population of 8.6 million. The Midlands region, home to 10.6 million people, has given the first vaccine doses at 713,602. “Some areas had different logistical challenges than others,” said a spokesman for Boris Johnson Guardian.

US President Joe Biden held a vigil in Washington DC on Tuesday to commemorate the more than 400,000 people in the US who have died of Covid-19. “In order to heal, we have to remember,” he said at the memorial. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation.”

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.06 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud. More than 96.3 million Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest information on the coronavirus from New Scientist

UK variant: The highly infectious coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 from Great Britain has now been reported in more than 50 countries, which gives new urgency to the race to vaccinate people at risk.

Mutating virus: New versions of the coronavirus that could spread faster and evade the immune system are creating fears about the effectiveness of the vaccine and an increase in deaths from Covid-19. Here’s what you need to know:

SIMON DAWSON / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

January 19th

It is estimated that one in ten people in the UK had Covid-19 antibodies in December

over one in ten people in private households across the UK are appreciated to have had antibody against the coronavirus in her blood in December 2020, according to the latest results of an infection survey by the National Statistics Office (ONS). Detection of antibodies in the blood is an indication of previous infection, but does not indicate exactly when this infection occurred. In England one would have expected that around one in eight people – the equivalent of 5.4 million people – would have tested positive for antibodies in the same period. That is an increase of about one in eleven people in the previous month. Equivalent estimates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland put the December numbers at one in ten, one in eleven, and one in 13 people who were expected to test positive for coronavirus antibodies, although those estimates are based on a lower number of Individuals based positive antibody tests.

“This study shows that infection with the [coronavirus] is much more widespread in the UK than previously thought, ”said Lawrence Young of the University of Warwick in a Explanation. “The consequences are that the infection rates increased significantly between November and December.”

In the week ending January 8, a total of 6,586 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded in the UK, bringing the total registered number to nearly 96,000.

Other coronavirus news

Deaths in nursing homes in England have reached theirs highest level since mid-Mayaccording to the latest figures reported to the Care Quality Commission. In the week ending January 8, nursing homes in England had reported about 1,260 deaths with Covid-19, up from 824 the previous week.

US President Donald Trump Lifting of travel bans related to coronaviruses for non-US citizens traveling to the US from Brazil and large parts of Europe on or after January 26th. President-elect Joe Biden plans to reintroduce the restrictions once in office, said a spokesman.

Germany will Extension of the nationwide lockdown until February 14th with most shops and schools closed.

People aged 40 and over in Israel can now get a Covid-19 vaccineannounced its health ministry.

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.04 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud. More than 95.7 million Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest information on the coronavirus from New Scientist

New variants: It looks like some of the new coronavirus variants may bypass parts of our immune response, but it is not yet clear if we need to update the vaccines.

Darren Staples / Getty Images

January 18th

People over 70 and clinically at risk are the next to line up for Covid-19 vaccines in the UK

People in the four UK countries aged 70 and over, as well as those at high clinical risk in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will do so Receive invitations to vaccinate against covid-19 this week. “Today is a significant milestone in our vaccination program as we make it accessible to millions of people who are most at risk from Covid-19,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in one Explanation On Monday. “We still have a long way to go and challenges will no doubt lie ahead – but by working together we are making tremendous strides in the fight against this virus,” he said. People in the top two priority groups, which include nursing home residents and employees, those aged 80 and over, and frontline health and care workers, will continue to be prioritized first. That is true recommendations British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said this from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization. “If an area has already reached the vast majority of Groups 1-2, they can now open the program to Groups 3-4,” Hancock said.

over 3.8 million people have received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine so far in the UK. Nadhim Zahawi, the British minister responsible for introducing Covid-19 vaccines, told the BBC’s breakfast show that he believed that restrictions in England could be gradually eased, possibly two to three weeks after People in the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated. However, he said it will depend on what we learn about the vaccine’s impact on coronavirus transmission: it’s still not clear whether vaccination will prevent people from spreading the infection to others.

Meanwhile hospitals in England stay under pressure The enrollment of patients with Covid-19 and the number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation continue to increase. The latest figures from NHS England show that 10 out of 140 hospital trusts were at full capacity in the week ending January 10, up from four the week before.

Other coronavirus news

Straight 25 Covid-19 vaccine doses were given in low-income countries, compared to 39 million doses given to people in more affluent countries, according to World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described it as a “catastrophic moral failure”. All 25 doses were given in Guinea, the only low-income country to have given Covid-19 shocks to date. “It is not right for younger, healthier adults in rich countries to be vaccinated in front of health workers and older people in poorer countries,” he said at a meeting of the WHO Executive Board on Monday.

It is It is unlikely that Australia will fully open its borders in 2021According to Australian Health Minister Brendan Murphy, the majority of the population will be vaccinated against Covid-19. “I think we’ll be driving with significant border restrictions for most of this year,” Murphy told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday. “Even if a large part of the population is vaccinated, we don’t know if it will prevent the virus from being transmitted.” Quarantine requirements for travelers to Australia are also likely to remain in place for some time, he said.

Coronavirus deaths

The global death toll from Covid-19 has exceeded 2.03 million. The number of confirmed cases is loud. More than 95.1 million Johns Hopkins Universityalthough the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest information on the coronavirus from New Scientist

Vaccine dates: The race to vaccinate as many people as possible against Covid-19 is on, but if countries don’t track who gets the vaccine, we can’t ensure the benefits are shared fairly, Layal Liverpool says.

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP via Getty Images

15. January

Concern about new coronavirus variants detected in travelers from Brazil is growing

Travelers from countries in South America as well as from Portugal, Cape Verde and Panama are now Entry into Great Britain prohibited amid growing concerns about a new variant of the coronavirus first identified in people traveling to Japan from Brazil. The ban went into effect on Friday at 4:00 a.m. GMT. As with the other coronavirus variants identified in the UK and South AfricaThe new variant contains mutations in the coronavirus spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells. Both of these new variants are highly transferable, which has raised concerns that the variant, first found among travelers from Brazil to Japan, could also spread rapidly.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4 on Friday that the worrying variant does not “as far as we know” exist in the UK. In the Brazilian state of Amazonas, where the new variant is believed to have appeared for the first time, Krankenhäuser werden überfordert. In der Stadt Manaus gab es eine Zunahme von Coronavirus-Fällen und Todesfällen. In einigen Krankenhäusern der Stadt wurde von schwerem Sauerstoffmangel berichtet. “Es gibt keinen Sauerstoff und viele Menschen sterben”, sagte ein örtlicher Angestellter im Gesundheitswesen in einem Video auf Twitter gepostet. „Wenn jemand Sauerstoff hat, bringen Sie ihn bitte in die Klinik. Es sterben so viele Menschen. “

Andere Coronavirus-Nachrichten

Einige schwerkranke Covid-19-Patienten sind von Krankenhäusern in London nach Newcastle verlegt, weil auf den Intensivstationen in London die Kapazitäten knapp werden. “Der Umzug von Intensivpatienten über große Entfernungen im ganzen Land ist ein klarer Indikator dafür, dass der NHS in London von covid-19 überfordert wurde”, sagte Lucy Watson, Vorsitzende der Patientenvereinigung Wächter. “In einer solch besorgniserregenden und beängstigenden Zeit wird die Rolle der Verbindungsbeamten in der Familie, die den Kontakt zwischen Patienten, ihren Familien und Klinikern aufrechterhalten, umso wichtiger sein”, sagte Watson. “Dies gilt insbesondere für diejenigen, deren Angehörige weit weg sterben.”

Pfizer wird vorübergehend Verringerung der Lieferungen seines Covid-19-Impfstoffs nach Europa, in Zusammenarbeit mit BioNTech entwickelt, während Upgrades durchgeführt werden, um die Produktionskapazität zu erhöhen. „Wir hatten in Woche 3 (nächste Woche) 43.875 Impfstoffdosen von Pfizer erwartet. Jetzt scheinen wir 36.075 Dosen zu bekommen “, sagte das norwegische Institut für öffentliche Gesundheit (FHI) Reuters am Freitag. “Diese vorübergehende Reduzierung wird alle europäischen Länder betreffen”, sagte der FHI und fügte hinzu, dass derzeit nicht klar ist, wann Pfizer zur maximalen Produktionskapazität zurückkehren wird. Viele Die Nationen der Europäischen Union haben sich beschwert dass sie weniger Lieferungen erhalten als erwartet.

China ist Bau eines medizinischen Isolationszentrums in der Provinz Hebei, um einen neuen Covid-19-Ausbruch einzudämmen. Das Zentrum wird voraussichtlich Platz für 3000 provisorische Stationen mit einer Kapazität von mehreren tausend Personen bieten. China meldete am Freitag mit 144 neuen Fällen den höchsten täglichen Anstieg der Coronavirus-Fälle seit mehr als 10 Monaten. In den Provinzen Hebei und Heilongjiang leben mehr als 28 Millionen Menschen unter neuen Sperren.

Coronavirus Todesfälle

Die weltweite Zahl der Todesopfer bei Covid-19 hat 1,99 Millionen überschritten. Die Zahl der bestätigten Fälle beträgt laut. Mehr als 93,2 Millionen Johns Hopkins Universität, obwohl die wahre Anzahl der Fälle viel höher sein wird.

Mark Thomas / Shutterstock

14. Januar

Rekordzahl von Menschen, die in England auf eine nicht-covid-19-NHS-Behandlung warten

Die Coronavirus-Pandemie hat eine “Katastrophale Auswirkungen” auf andere medizinische Behandlungen In England sagte der Präsident des Royal College of Surgeons, Neil Mortensen, als von NHS England veröffentlichte Daten zeigten, dass Millionen von Menschen auf eine Krankenhausbehandlung warteten, die nichts mit Covid-19 zu tun hatte. Ungefähr 4,46 Millionen Menschen warteten darauf, im November letzten Jahres in England mit der Krankenhausbehandlung zu beginnen. Dies war die höchste Zahl, die jemals verzeichnet wurde. “Wenn wir irgendwann aus dieser Krise hervorgehen, brauchen wir nachhaltige Investitionen, um all diejenigen zu behandeln, die geduldig auf die Behandlung gewartet haben”, sagte Mortensen. Die Zahlen von NHS England zeigen dies ebenfalls 192.169 dieser Leute hatten 52 Wochen oder länger gewartet bis November 2020 gegenüber nur 1400 Personen im Vorjahr.

Andere Coronavirus-Nachrichten

Die Mehrheit der Menschen, die Covid-19 hatten und sich erholt haben, sind geschützt davor, es wieder zu bekommen für mindestens fünf Monate nach einer Studie von Beschäftigten im Gesundheitswesen von Public Health England. Im Public Health Englands SIREN-StudieZwischen dem 18. Juni und dem 24. November wurden regelmäßig 20.787 Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen auf das Coronavirus getestet. Diejenigen, die zu Beginn der Studie positiv auf Coronavirus-Antikörper getestet wurden – 6614 der Teilnehmer – hatten ein um 83 Prozent geringeres Risiko einer erneuten Infektion als diejenigen, die zu Beginn negativ getestet wurden.

EIN World Health Organization team has arrived in Wuhan, China, where it will investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, China recorded its first death from covid-19 since May 2020 in Hebei province. The area is experiencing a new outbreak and tens of millions of people are under newly imposed lockdowns.

UK ministers are expected to announce a ban on travel from Brazil, following the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in people who travelled from Brazil to Japan.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.98 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 92.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist

Vaccine boost: A positive outlook, even just on the day of receiving a vaccine, as well as strong social ties and a happy relationship can help increase antibodies made in response to a shot.

REUTERS/Hannah McKay

13 January

UK reports record 1564 deaths in a single day

Das Vereinigte Königreich reported 1564 deaths from covid-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Wednesday, the highest daily increase since the pandemic began. The country also reported 47,525 new coronavirus cases. UK prime minister Boris Johnson said the government plans to open 24/7 covid-19 vaccination centres “as soon as we can”. “We have a huge network of 233 hospitals, 1000 GP surgeries, 200 pharmacies and 50 mass vaccination centres and they are going […] exceptionally fast,” he told parliament on Wednesday. “At the moment the limit is on supply.” On Tuesday, 223,726 people received a dose of covid-19 vaccine, up from 165,844 on Monday.

Thousands of hospital patients in England could be discharged early and sent to hotels in order to free up beds for severely ill covid-19 patients, the Wächter reported. Some covid-19 patients could also be discharged directly from hospitals into care homes, without a negative test if they have isolated for 14 days and shown no new symptoms. “This is a dire situation, in which the NHS often has no good options available. Discharging patients early from hospital is likely to be one of few options open to the NHS to manage the scale of the current need,” chair of the Patients Association, Lucy Watson, told the Wächter.

Other coronavirus news

The US recorded 4327 deaths from covid-19 on Tuesday, the country’s highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic. On the same day, US officials recommended that states broaden vaccination eligibility to people 65 or over who have chronic health conditions that make them more vulnerable to covid-19.

China saw its biggest daily rise in coronavirus cases in more than five months on Tuesday. There were 115 new confirmed cases reported in the mainland on 12 January – the largest daily increase since 30 July, according to its National Health Commission.

Es gibt concerns about a new variant of the coronavirus first detected in people travelling  to Japan from Brazil. Boris Johnson said he was concerned about the variant and that steps were being taken to protect the country from new infections entering from abroad. The new variant is different from the highly transmissible variants identified in the UK and South Africa.

Israel’s health ministry reported that initial data suggests the vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech reduces infections by 50 per cent after 14 days. Israel has so far vaccinated almost 2 million people – about 20 per cent of the country’s population.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.96 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 91.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist

UK variant: The faster spreading coronavirus variant first identified in the UK has officially reached nine US states and could soon cause a massive surge in covid-19 cases that makes the post-holiday spike look minimal, an expert has warned.

Delaying vaccine doses: To vaccinate more people quickly, the UK is making people wait up to three months for a booster shot rather than the few weeks tested in trials. Here’s what the evidence says about the situation.

Victoria Jones/PA Images

12 January

Pandemic caused UK excess deaths to rise to highest level since second world war

The UK has recorded the largest increase in excess deaths in the country since 1940 during the second world war. Last year there were approximately 697,000 deaths in the UK, almost 91,000 more than would have been expected based on the average in the previous five years. This does not account for the impact of deaths in December 2020, as figures are only available until November. “The UK has one of the highest rates of excess deaths in the world, with more excess deaths per million people than most other European countries or the US,” Richard Murray, chief executive of health charity the King’s Fund, told the BBC. “It will take a public inquiry to determine exactly what went wrong, but mistakes have been made.”

Other coronavirus news

Despite record numbers of people in hospitals in England, the pressure on the NHS may not peak until next month, MPs have been told. That is because the infection rate will not decrease as fast as it did after the first lockdown in March. “It’s going to go down more slowly because of the increased transmissibility of the new strain,” said Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts in England. Hopson was referring to the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the UK in September. “It now looks like the peak for NHS demand may actually now be in February,” he said. “If that’s right, that’s going to basically mean there’s a higher level and a more extended period of pressure on the NHS than we were expecting even a week ago.”

Germany’s lockdown could last another eight to 10 weeks, as concerns about the spread of the UK variant in the country grow.

Israel may start vaccinating children over the age of 12 against covid-19 within the next two months, if pharmacological research shows this is safe, according to a local health official.

David Attenborough has been vaccinated against covid-19. The natural historian and TV presenter is 94 years old.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.95 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 91 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist

UK variant spreads: Authorities in Australia have responded swiftly to contain potential outbreaks of a highly transmissible coronavirus variant. The more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, first sequenced in the UK in September, has now reached at least 45 countries.

Missing vaccine data: Demographic data about vaccination programmes could reveal problems early on. So far, no figures about ethnicity have been released in England, even though people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are at greater risk from covid-19.

SIMON DAWSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

11 January

Hospitals in England struggle to cope with growing numbers of covid-19 patients

England’s chief medical officer on Monday issued a stark warning about what the country can expect in the coming weeks and urged people to avoid all unnecessary contact with others. “The next few weeks are going to be the worst weeks of this pandemic in terms of numbers into the NHS,” Chris Whitty told the BBC. He said there were more than 30,000 people with covid-19 in hospitals in England, compared to about 18,000 during the peak of the first wave in April last year. Hospitals around the country are taking exceptional measures to cope with the influx of people with covid-19, including putting trainees on wards and making nurses responsible for a greater number of patients than usual. Southend Hospital in England has been forced to reduce the amount of oxygen it uses to treat patients, because the hospital’s oxygen supply has “reached a critical situation”, according to documents seen by the BBC.

“We need to really double down, this is everybody’s problem, any single unnecessary contact you have with someone is a potential link in a chain of transmission that will lead to a vulnerable person,” said Whitty. “We’ve all got to, as individuals, help our NHS, help our fellow citizens, by minimising the amount of unnecessary contacts we have.”

Other coronavirus news

UK prime minister Boris Johnson said 2 million people have been vaccinated against covid-19 in the country so far, including about 40 per cent of people over the age of 80 and 23 per cent of older care home residents. Later, UK health minister Matt Hancock said 2.6 million doses of covid-19 vaccine had been given to 2.3 million people in the country. The UK has now published full details of its vaccination programme, including its plan to be administering at least two million vaccinations per week in England by the end of January, and to have vaccinated 15 million people by mid-February. “It’s a race against time, because we can all see the threat that our NHS faces,” said Johnson.

A highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first identified in the UK accounted for almost half of the most recent sample of positive tests in Ireland, according to local authorities.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.93 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 90.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

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8 January

London mayor Sadiq Khan urges Londoners to stay at home “to protect our NHS”

London mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a major incident in London in response to surging coronavirus cases and hospitalisations in the city. More than 100 firefighters have been drafted in to drive ambulances in London, to help cope with the increased demand. Khan said the London Ambulance Service is currently taking up to 8000 emergency calls per day, compared to 5500 on a typical busy day. “Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices and I am today imploring them to please stay home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave,” said London mayor Sadiq Khan in a Erklärung. “If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die. Stay at home to protect yourself, your family, friends and other Londoners and to protect our NHS,” said Khan. A major incident is one that presents a serious threat to the health of the community or that causes significant numbers or types of casualties requiring special arrangements to be implemented. Previously, major incidents have been declared in London for the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and for terror attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.

In London more than 7000 people are in hospital with covid-19, making up more than half of the capital’s occupied beds. The Office for National Statistics estimates that one in 30 people across the city had the virus on 2 January. Infections in London, as well as in England and in the UK as a whole, are estimated to be growing by up to 6 per cent each day. Across the UK the most recent official estimate of the R number is between 1.0 and 1.4, which means every 10 infected people infect an average of 10 to 14 others.

Other coronavirus news

Vorläufig Suchvorschläge the covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is effective against the highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus identified in the UK and South Africa. Antibodies isolated from the blood of 20 people who had received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were still able to neutralise viruses containing one of the key mutations in laboratory tests. The research has not been peer-reviewed. Concerns that covid-19 vaccines will not work against the variant identified in South Africa prompted the introduction of testing for new arrivals into England and Scotland from abroad, according to UK transport minister Grant Shapps.

EIN third covid-19 vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. The UK has ordered an additional 10 million doses of the mRNA vaccine developed by US company Moderna, on top of 7 million which it pre-ordered last year, but supplies for the additional doses are not expected to arrive until spring.

Mehr als 4000 people in the US died from covid-19 in a single day for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The country recorded 4033 deaths due to covid-19 on Thursday, according to the COVID Tracking Project, passing its previous record of 3903 deaths on 30 December.

Greater Brisbane in Australia was put under a strict lockdown after one case of the highly transmissible UK variant was detected on Thursday.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.90 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 88.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

7 January

England hospitals cut back on services as nearly a third of patients have coronavirus

Es gibt 26,467 covid-19 patients in hospital in England, accounting for nearly a third of all people in hospital. Many hospitals have had to cancel routine operations to accommodate a growing number of people with covid-19. The BBC reported that there are indications this is beginning to happen for cancer care as well. “The impact of the pandemic is taking care away from other illnesses such as cancer and heart disease,” Rupert Pearse, an intensive care consultant at the Royal London Hospital told the BBC. “We’re really struggling to provide the quality of patient care that we think patients deserve,” said Pearse.

The number of covid-19 patients in England hospitals has increased by more than 50 per cent since Christmas, with average daily hospitalisations now exceeding 3000 per day – three times the usual winter rate for respiratory conditions.

Other coronavirus news

Birmingham could run out of stocks of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech as soon as Friday, according to local leaders. The city has not yet been supplied with the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca. Birmingham leaders called for more clarity on the covid-19 vaccination programme in their city in a letter to UK health minister Matt Hancock. “It remains unclear who is responsible for overseeing the vaccination programme in Birmingham, and whom we should hold accountable for progress and delivery,” it said. In a briefing on Tuesday, UK prime minister Boris Johnson said 1.3 million people in the UK had been vaccinated with a first dose so far and data from NHS England published today revealed 308,541 people received a jab in England in the week ending 3 January. The government aims to vaccinate 13 million people in four priority groups by mid-February.

Almost half of the residents in an East Sussex care home in England died from covid-19 over the Christmas and New Year period, with more than a third of the staff also testing positive during the outbreak, the Wächter reported. Of the 27 residents at Edendale Lodge care home in Crowhurst, 13 died with confirmed or suspected covid-19 since 13 December. Prime minister Johnson told parliament on Wednesday that 10 per cent of care home residents and 14 per cent of staff had so far been vaccinated against the disease. “That clearly needs to be stepped up,” he said.

As coronavirus vaccines continue to be rolled out across the US, health officials have stressed that the risk of severe illness and death from covid-19 still outweighs the risk of developing a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. In the US, 29 people have so far developed anaphylaxis after being vaccinated against covid-19 and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it currently appears that cases are occurring at a rate of about 5.5 per 1 million vaccine doses administered.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.88 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 87.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

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6 January

UK reports 1041 deaths from covid-19 in a single day

The UK reported 1041 deaths from covid-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since 21 April, when 1224 deaths were reported. There were 62,322 new cases of coronavirus reported on Wednesday. “This upward trend of cases (and hospitalisations and deaths) is likely to continue for another 2-3 weeks as the impact of social mixing during Christmas/New Year continues to be felt,” said Julian Tang at the University of Leicester in a Erklärung.

A quarter of all deaths in England and Wales in the week leading up to Christmas were due to covid-19. New figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 2912, or 25 per cent, of the 11,520 deaths registered across England and Wales in the week ending 25 December mentioned covid-19 on the death certificate. Wales has been under a lockdown since 23 December and England and Scotland both entered nationwide lockdowns on Tuesday.

Other coronavirus news

A World Health Organization (WHO) team sent to China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has been denied entry to the country. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “I’m very disappointed with this news, given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute, but had been in contact with senior Chinese officials.”

Coronavirus cases and hospitalisations are surging in California. The state recorded more than 74,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday and 21,597 people were hospitalised, both record daily increases since the start of the pandemic. “It is getting harder and harder for healthcare workers to care for those coming to the hospital with gunshot wounds, heart attacks, strokes and injuries from car accidents,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis told the Los Angeles Zeiten.

People arriving in the UK from abroad may soon be required to show a negative coronavirus test in order to enter the country. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport told the BBC: “With a new strain of the virus on the loose in South Africa and a more infectious variant already widespread in the UK we need to do more.” The Department for Transport said full details of additional measures, which may also include testing before departure, remain to be agreed. Certain travellers, such as haulage drivers, may be exempt.

The European Medicines Agency has recommended a covid-19 vaccine developed by US company Moderna for authorisation in the EU. The vaccine has already been authorised for emergency use in the US.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.87 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 86.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

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5 January

Lockdowns imposed in England and Scotland to try to curb surging virus cases

Strict new nationwide lockdowns came into force in England and Scotland, which cabinet office minister Michael Gove said could last in some form until March. UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced the new lockdown rules for England during a televised address on Monday evening, saying that vaccination of key groups of people by mid-February could allow the restrictions in England to be eased. But on Tuesday, cabinet office minister Michael Gove erzählte Sky Nachrichten: “We can’t predict with certainty that we’ll be able to lift restrictions in the week commencing [15 to 22 February]. What we will be doing is everything we can to make sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated, so that we can begin progressively to lift restrictions. I think it’s right to say that, as we enter March, we should be able to lift some of these restrictions – – but not necessarily all.” The top four priority groups for vaccinations include older care home residents and their carers, people over 70, frontline health and social care workers, and clinically extremely vulnerable people.

The UK reported 60,916 new daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday, surpassing 60,000 daily new cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic. One in 50 people in England and one in 30 in London are estimated to have the coronavirus, according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics, England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said during a televised briefing on Tuesday. By comparison, one in 900 people were infected in early September.

In Tuesday’s press conference, Johnson said that 1.3 million people in the UK have so far received the first dose of a covid-19 vaccine. However, more than 4 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were delivered to the UK before the end of 2020, das Financial Times berichtet, prompting questions about the gap between the number of vaccine doses secured and the number of people who have been vaccinated. Asked about the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in partnership with the University of Oxford, of which the government has said it hopes to have 2 million doses a week by the end of January, NHS England director Stephen Powis told the Financial Times: “Certainly this month we’ll be able to get up to that sort of number but that would depend on supplies. We’ll be delivering it as soon as we get it.”

Other coronavirus news

Researchers in South Africa are investigating whether a new variant of coronavirus spreading in the country might be resistant to existing covid-19 vaccines. “It’s a theoretical concern. A reasonable concern […] that the South African variant might be more resistant,” Shabir Madhi, who led trials of the Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine in South Africa, told the BBC. Madhi said it was unlikely that the mutation in the South African variant would render current vaccines useless but said it might weaken their impact.

Deutschland will extend its nationwide lockdown until at least the end of January. After a partial lockdown introduced in early November failed to sufficiently reduce infections, Germany entered a second nationwide lockdown on 16 December, which was originally due to be lifted on 10 January.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.85 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 85.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

James Veysey/Shutterstock

4 January

England expected to tighten restrictions and Scotland announces national lockdown

Much of the UK faces new lockdown measures as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there is “no question” that restrictions in England will be tightened, and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a strict new lockdown in Scotland starting at midnight on 5 January. Johnson is expected to announce tougher restrictions in England this evening in a televised appearance, which could include schools being closed and Tier 4 restrictions across the country. The UK recorded 58,784 new coronavirus cases on Monday and 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, and the Joint Biosecurity Centre is expected to be raising the country’s covid-19 threat level to 5 – the highest level.

Die meisten primary schools in England reopened today, despite calls from teaching unions and some councils to keep schools shut. Primary schools in London and south-east England remain closed until 18 January. Council leaders in many areas including Manchester and Birmingham said they would support the decision of head teachers who think it is unsafe to reopen their schools.

First Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines administered in the UK

An 82-year-old man became the first person to receive the coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca, as part of the UK’s mass vaccination programme. Brian Pinker received the jab at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford and 530,000 doses were ready for use on Monday. AstraZeneca has said it expects to supply about 2 million doses of the vaccine every week by the middle of January in the UK.

Other coronavirus news

Coronavirus cases in the UK are continuing to surge, with concern growing about a variant of the virus first detected in South Africa. “I’m incredibly worried about the South African variant, and that’s why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa,” UK health minister Matt Hancock told BBC radio. “It’s even more of a problem than the UK new variant,” he said. John Bell at the University of Oxford told the Telegraph there was “a big question” as to whether existing vaccines would be effective against the South Africa variant, which contains mutations that affect part of the virus that is recognised by antibodies. However, he added that it should be possible to make new vaccines quickly, if this or any future variant of the coronavirus emerges that is resistant to the current ones. “It might take a month, or six weeks, to get a new vaccine, so everybody should stay calm. It’s going to be fine,” he said. “We’re now in a game of cat and mouse, because these are not the only two variants we’re going to see. We’re going to see lots of variants.”

Indien approved two coronavirus vaccines for emergency use on Sunday, including the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and a vaccine called Covaxin being developed by Indian company Bharat Biotech. Gagandeep Kang at the Christian Medical College, Vellore in India expressed concerns about India’s approval of Covaxin, as phase III trials of the vaccine haven’t yet been completed. Kang told the Indische Zeiten Zeitung that she had “never seen anything like this before”, adding that “there is absolutely no efficacy data that has been presented or published.”

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.84 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 85.2 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

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17 December

Regions in the east and south-east of England face tier three rules from Saturday

Almost 70 per cent of England’s population will be living under strict tier three coronavirus rules from Saturday as “pressures on the NHS remain”, said UK health minister Matt Hancock on Thursday. Regions in the east and south-east of the country, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire will move into tier three one minute after midnight on Saturday 19 December, as will parts of Surrey, East Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire. “I know that tier three measures are tough, but the best way for everyone to get out of them is to pull together, not just to follow the rules, but to do everything they possibly can to stop the spread of the virus,” Hancock told parliament. There will be 38 million people in the country living in tier three from Saturday, including other parts of England already under tier three rules.

Hancock said cases in the south-east of England had risen by 46 per cent in a week, with hospital admissions up by more than a third, while cases in the east of England had gone up by two-thirds in a week and hospital admissions had risen by nearly half. He also announced that Bristol and North Somerset would be able to move down to tier two on Saturday and that Herefordshire would also be able to move down, to tier one. “I think this is a wise precautionary measure – to damp down virus transmission in the lead up to the Christmas 5-day relaxation – and afterwards, to restrict wider virus  transmission coming out of this break,” said Julian Tang at the University of Leicester, UK, in a Erklärung.

Yesterday, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments released a joint statement with advice on household mixing during Christmas. “The safest way to spend this Christmas is with your own household or your existing support bubble in your own home – and we strongly recommend that this is what you do if at all possible,” the statement said. It also stressed that “scientific advice is clear: the longer you meet others for, the higher the risk of you catching and spreading the virus” and that “if you do intend to form a bubble, you should keep the bubble small and your visits short”.

Other coronavirus news

Zwei healthcare workers in Alaska developed allergic reactions after receiving the coronavirus vaccine developed by US company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, including a woman who did not have a history of allergies to vaccines and who was admitted to hospital. Both individuals received treatment and have recovered. The woman’s reaction appears to be similar to the allergic reactions experienced by two healthcare workers who were vaccinated in the UK last week. Following the two allergic reactions in the UK, US Food and Drug Administration officials said they would require Pfizer to monitor severe allergic reactions and submit data on this later on.

French president Emmanuel Macron tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the Élysée Palace said Macron would “self-isolate for seven days in line with the health protocol applicable to everyone” and that he would continue to work remotely.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 1.65 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 74.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universität, though the true number of cases will be much higher.

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