COVID-19 News And Updates

Pacific country has made it through nearly two years of the pandemic Covid-free, but a repatriation flight from New Zealand has led to the country’s first case Early on Monday morning, the normally quiet capital of the Pacific country of Tonga, Nuku’alofa city, was packed with cars. There were long queues outside vaccination centres, as well as banks, Western Union outlets and shops as people rushed to prepare for the tiny nation’s first proper lockdown. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

The coronavirus pandemic saw arrivals drop more than 80% in the tourism-reliant nation See all our coronavirus coverage Thailand has reopened to fully vaccinated tourists, with tens of thousands of travellers expected to touch down in Bangkok and Phuket as the country reboots its tourism industry after 18 months of Covid restrictions. The coronavirus pandemic has hammered the kingdom’s economy, with tourism making up almost 20% of its national income. Last year saw its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis with arrivals down more than 80%. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Sydney  airport has been a scene of tearful reunions, with Australians able to fly home and walk straight out of the airport for the first time in 583 days. As fully vaccinated passengers on the first flights from Singapore and Los Angeles walked into the arrivals terminal shortly after 6am, they were greeted by family members. In many cases, they had been separated for years – since before the pandemic began. ‘It’s a little bit scary and exciting,' traveller Ethan Carter said. ‘I’ve come home to see my mum 'cause she's not well. So it's all anxious and excitement and I love her heaps and I can't wait to see her’ Australia news live update Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

People who had second dose at least six months ago can turn up without appointment for another Covid booster jabs are now being given at walk-in clinics in England as the NHS aims to increase vaccine uptake before what is expected to be a challenging winter. From Monday, anyone who had their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine at least six months ago can turn up at one of hundreds of sites to get their top-up without making an appointment. The walk-in centres are also offering vaccinations to 12- to 15-year-olds. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Prof Stephen Powis calls on patients with ‘urgent but not life-threatening’ problems to take pressure off services People are being urged to go online if they need care for something urgent but not life-threatening, instead of rushing to busy A&E departments, as the health service faces a “winter like no other”. NHS England’s national medical director, Prof Stephen Powis, said the coming months are likely to be “extremely tough” due to pressures from a combination of Covid-19 and seasonal flu. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Accolade reflects how use of the short form of ‘vaccine’ rose by 72 times in a year and spread across society In a year when talk over the virtual garden fence has focused on whether you have been jabbed, jagged or had both doses yet, and whether it was Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna you were injected with, Oxford Languages has chosen vax as its word of the year. After deciding last year that it was impossible to sum up 2020 in one word , the company that produces the Oxford English Dictionary said the shorthand for vaccine had “injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language” this year during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Psaki, who did not travel with the president to Europe, says her last contact with Biden was on Tuesday Jen Psaki, Joe Biden’s White House press secretary, said on Sunday she had tested positive for Covid-19. Psaki, 42, did not travel with Biden to Rome , for the G20 summit, from where the president was due to travel on to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate talks. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Conservative LDP along with coalition partner Komeito retain control of parliament but PM’s authority is reduced Japan’s ruling conservative party held on to power in Sunday’s election, but gains by the opposition parties weakened prime minister Fumio Kishida’s authority as he attempts to steer the economy out of the coronavirus pandemic. Kishida’s Liberal Democratic party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, together have won 274 seats as of late Sunday, with about 40 seats still undecided, in the 465-member lower house, the more powerful of Japan‘s two-chamber Diet, public broadcaster NHK reported. The LDP has also won a single majority at 247 seats, with Komeito taking 27 seats, according to NHK. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Never before have our daily routines been so altered. But we need good habits and must rebuild them The pandemic has broken many things, and among them are habits of a lifetime. Some people forged new norms, and discovered in lockdown new routines (working from home, gardening, baking, exercise, petcare), a tendency only underlined by the repetitiveness of the days themselves. The evident popularity of some new habits, such as cycling , will persist. Repeat something once a day for weeks and it begins to feel automatic – a habit, in other words. But the scale of the loss is unprecedented. Some habits were good to lose. It is interesting, for instance, that breaking the habit of going to badly paid, exploitative jobs has meant that far fewer people are willing to go back to them, while others have found respite from drinking or overspending. But many would be missed, especially the habit of spending time with others (including family and friends); the habit of enjoying art – going t...

In deserts in Australia and the US engineers are dusting off aircraft, testing engines and ridding them of rattlesnakes and insects Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing In the red dust of the Australian desert, more than a hundred shiny planes are lined up nose to tail, an aviation long-term parking lot. Hundreds more form geometric patterns in California’s Mojave Desert, where engineers whack the wheel hubs of Qantas A380s to scare off rattlesnakes. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Even before Covid, many suffered as a result of long hours and stress. The pandemic has made it worse for those we rely on to heal us In a busy Melbourne hospital, Paul arrives at work to dozens of patients in the waiting room. The junior doctor is completing a rotation in the emergency departmentand says morale has plummeted with staffing shortages and huge caseloads. “No one wants to be at work at all,” he says. Several of his colleagues have quit, and people are calling in sick for their shifts more often. Paul is sent up to 10 messages a day about shifts that need to be filled within the health service, to be paid at “crisis rates”. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Last-minute rush of jabs boost vaccination rate to 83% Fox News host gets death threats for vaccinations plea One in six New York City municipal workers remained unvaccinated after a Friday deadline to show proof of at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the city said. Despite opposition the city’s vaccine mandate fuelled by rightwing politicians and media and leading to a protest at City Hall this week, a last-minute rush of jabs boosted the vaccination rate to 83% among police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors and other city workers covered by the mandate as of 8pm on Friday. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

1.28 million in UK have coronavirus, but separate figures suggest number of daily infections has declined 14% Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Britain was last week presented with two differing pictures of Covid-19’s spread across the country. Together they suggest infections have reached record levels since the pandemic began but have also raised hopes that the current high wave of cases across the UK may have peaked. The first study is based on a random survey of households that showed about 1.28 million people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were infected with Covid-19 for the week ending 22 October, the highest number of infections to be recorded since the pandemic began in the UK. Carried out by the Office for National Statistics, this weekly survey is rated as the most reliable measure of British infection levels. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Follow the latest updates on the coronavirus from the UK and around the world See all our coronavirus coverage Russia on Sunday reported 40,993 new Covid-19 infections, its highest single-day case tally since the start of the pandemic. The country’s coronavirus task force also reported 1,158 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, Reuters reports. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned double-vaccinated Britons against complacency over Covid, saying that waning immunity over time meant booster jabs were vital for continued protection. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

EU and UK travel bans fuel boom in travel to Serbia for authorised Covid vaccinations Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage When Denis Ovchinnikov read the news this summer that his Russian Sputnik V vaccine would not be recognised in Europe, he decided to take matters into his own hands and planned a trip to Belgrade. “I contacted a travel agency that sorted everything out. It was very easy. I made a little holiday out of it too, in between getting the two Pfizer shots,” Ovchinnikov, who works at a PR agency in St Petersburg, said. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Beijing has reacted angrily to the report, which said China was hindering investigations into source of the pandemic Beijing has lashed out against a US intelligence review into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it “political and false” while urging Washington to stop attacking China. The Chinese foreign ministry’s retort came on Sunday, days after the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a fuller version of its findings from a 90-day review ordered by president Joe Biden. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Poll finds most Britons believe global warming will have far greater effect on humanity than Covid-19 A clear majority of people believe that climate change will have a more significant effect on humanity than will Covid-19, which has already claimed about five million lives worldwide, according to a new poll conducted ahead of the Cop26 summit being held in Glasgow this weekend. The survey, carried out as part of a study into “eco-anxiety” by the Global Future thinktank in conjunction with the University of York, also finds that concern about global warming is almost as common among older and working-class people as it is among those who are young or middle-class. Overall, 78% of people reported some level of eco-anxiety. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

After months of home schooling, more and more children are ditching their tech and heading outdoors After more than a year of lockdowns, with limited access to nature, Magdalena Begh was delighted when her six-year-old daughter came home from forest school and informed her she had found three rat skeletons. One of them, Alia told her, was “pretty fresh”. “These little observations are very crucial to their learning – it’s amazing,” says Begh. Since Alia and her sister Hana, nine, started going to the Urban Outdoors Adventures in Nature after-school club in north London in June, they have used clay, learned about insects and made campfires, marmalade and bows and arrows. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Being in the building is no more difficult or important than beavering away at home. Either way, there should be more to life What has been the British government’s biggest mistake since the war? For Charlie Mullins, the boss of Pimlico Plumbers, the answer is obvious: letting people work from home. It’s a surprising line from a plumber. Surely homeworking has been a bonanza, with central heating being run all day, domestic loos in constant service, and dishwashers flogged like oxen? Not to mention people kicking bits of pipe in frustration when they read news stories. Even better, when the plumber comes, someone will always be in. Turn up any time between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. In fact, Covid could have been engineered by plumbers. Can it be a coincidence that Mullins recently sold the company for somewhere north of £120m? Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Atlético’s most recent visit to Anfield for a Champions League tie in March 2020 turned out to be the last major football match in the UK before the sport was halted by the Covid crisis Madrid was at the centre of the Covid-19 outbreak by 11 March 2020 and had closed its schools, suspended its regional parliament and all events with more than 1,000 people in response. La Liga had decided to stage matches behind closed doors and the all-Basque Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad had been postponed indefinitely. Yet 3,000 Atlético Madrid supporters were among a crowd of 52,267 inside Anfield that night, staying in Liverpool hotels, travelling on public transport and celebrating in Liverpool pubs after knocking the holders out of the Champions League . Local hospitals reported an additional 37 deaths shortly afterwards. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Let’s hang on to our support bubbles – they offer us a blueprint for kinder communities The first time I heard of a “support bubble” was in the very depths of the pandemic, when there was that sense that every high street was rigged with invisible laser grids and the slightest wrong move would result in a loud and ringing death. I had a six-month baby at the time, and a six-year-old, too, for whom school was a distant memory and a regular game for me was to consider which parts of my body I would chop off and donate in exchange for 24 hours alone. It was around this time that I became aware of a mother of two called Emma Hauck, who had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in Germany in 1909, where she wrote a series of letters, now archived online. The words on the page look like a murmuration of thousands of starlings – they overlap and darken, and though quite gorgeous, when unpicked reveal exquisite desperation. And my point is, if I had written a diary during those grim month...

Fully vaccinated visitors from New Zealand will be able to enter freely from Monday, as Australia prepares gradually reopen its borders Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia will resume from Monday, Australia’s tourism minister has said, as the country readies itself for a partial reopening of its international borders for the first time since March 2020. Vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents living in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT will be free to fly internationally from Monday without the need for an exemption or to quarantine upon return. Reuters and the Australian Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

The climate crisis, the economy, Biden’s struggle to enact his spending agenda. The list goes on. The lesson? Be strong I often tell my students that if they strive to achieve full and meaningful lives, they should expect failures and disappointments. We learn to walk by falling down again and again. We learn to ride a bicycle by crashing into things. We learn to make good friends by being disappointed in friendship. Failure and disappointment are prerequisites to growth. The real test of character comes after failures and disappointments. It is resilience: how easily you take failures, what you learn from them, how you bounce back. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

International border bans are set to end on Monday with Australians able to leave the country and return home; Scott Morrison defends the Aukus deal at G20 in Rome. Follow all the day’s news live Victorian Covid restrictions: what rules and regulations have changed? Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Good morning, it’s Justine Landis-Hanley here to bring you the news today, Sunday 31 October 2021. Let’s dive straight in: From tomorrow, vaccinated citizens will be allowed to travel overseas and return without quarantining as New South Wales and Victoria open their international borders for the first time since the pandemic began. Prime Minister Scott Morriso n has headed to Glasgow for the UN’s climate change conference, COP26. There, Morrison has already come face-to-face with French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time since the AUKUS pact was announced, terminating Australia’s submarine deal wi...

PM says waning immunity means double-vaccinated people should not be complacent Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Boris Johnson has warned double-vaccinated Britons against potential complacency over Covid, saying that waning immunity over time meant booster jabs were vital for continued protection. The prime minister insisted, however, that there was no need yet for the government’s so-called plan B, which would reimpose restrictions such as mask wearing and home working, despite data showing infections in England at levels last seen at the height of the second wave in January. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

During the city’s lockdowns, the charity cooked and delivered tens of thousands of free meals for people in need With the promise of “free food” plastered in large print, Sikh Volunteers Australia vans have become a familiar sight in times of crisis, providing healthy vegetarian meals to people in need, from bushfire victims to the homeless. So when Victoria was plunged into its sixth Covid lockdown at the start of August, the organisation ramped up its operation, beginning what would become its biggest relief effort yet. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

The ban on leaving the country without an exemption is lifted from Monday. But that doesn’t mean a return to pre-Covid normal. Here are the rules Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Hallelujah! Monday is the big day when fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over may travel again internationally without having to apply for an exemption to leave the country. To qualify as fully vaccinated, a vaccine must be approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This includes two doses at least 14 days apart of: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, AstraZeneca Covishield, Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna Spikevax or Sinovac Coronavac, or one dose of Janssen-Cilag Covid vaccine. What are Australia’s exit and re-entry requirements? What are the requirements of your destination country? What is your tolerance ...

Speaking to the G20 summit by video, China’s president stresses vaccine cooperation and economic stability China’s president, Xi Jinping, has called for mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccines based on the World Health Organization’s emergency use list, according to a transcript of his remarks delivered to leaders of the Group of 20 leaders’ summit, published by the official Xinhua news agency. Speaking to the participants in Rome via video link, Xi said China had provided more than 1.6bn Covid shots to the world, and was working with 16 nations to cooperate on manufacturing doses. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Charities call for more social housing to address ‘heartbreaking and shameful’ new statistics Domestic abuse caused nearly one in six new homelessness cases in England between April and June, with numbers rising even as the overall increase in homelessness slowed, according to government figures. Data out last week from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows that of 34,830 households newly assessed in early 2021 as homeless 5,590 were in that position because of domestic abuse. The number of cases attributable to domestic violence was the highest since records began in 2018 – and a third higher than in the same period in 2019. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Lorna Slater will not attend climate summit which starts in Glasgow on Sunday Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has tested positive for Covid hours before Cop26 begins. The MSP for the Lothian region said she would now self-isolate in line with NHS Scotland coronavirus guidelines. It means she will miss events at the UN climate summit, which starts in Glasgow on Sunday. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Neil Cavuto received death threats for ‘his simple, logical, science-based call for vaccinations’, said the CNN anchor The CNN anchor Jake Tapper reached across the political aisle on Friday to support Neil Cavuto, a Fox News host who received death threats after pleading for viewers to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Speaking to camera, Tapper said : “We don’t often mention our competitors but the Fox channel anchor opposite us from 4 [pm] until 5 eastern, Neil Cavuto, has been in the news. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

With a new governing coalition yet to be formed and jab refusal high, experts worry the country is unprepared for a surge in cases Concerns are mounting in Germany about a rapidly growing and hard to predict fourth wave of Covid-19 this autumn, as the government is in transition and flatlining vaccination rates lag behind those in the rest of western Europe. An increasingly mobile population, a largely dismantled pop-up testing infrastructure and reduced staffing at hospitals have led some experts to warn that the government is facing a resurgent virus with less resolve than at previous stages of the pandemic. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Latest Delta variant outbreak is testing the limits of people’s patience with aggressive containment measures On Friday, the Beijing Daily published an intricate graphic identifying two people sick with Covid-19 and everyone they had infected, detailing the spread of the latest Delta outbreak in the country. The map came amid growing frustration, some panic, and rare protests over the ramifications of China’s effort to remain a “zero Covid” country. Since the first coronavirus cases were reported nearly two years ago, China has run a zero-tolerance Covid policy . Its success in preventing the virus from spreading across the vast country serves as a stark contrast to the situations in many western countries. Since last year, fewer than 100,000 cases have been officially recorded, among a population of about 1.4 billion. At least 4,634 have died. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Thousands from frontline communities in global south have been excluded, activists claim The global climate summit in Glasgow will be the whitest and most privileged ever, according to campaigners, who warn that thousands of people from frontline communities in the global south have been excluded. World leaders and delegates are expected to be joined by celebrities, corporate chief executives and royals at the critical two-week event. an underlying “hostile attitude” from the UK Home Office towards those travelling from countries in the global south, particularly Africa, which has led to many visas being refused; a failure to honour a pledge to offer Covid vaccines to all delegates, leaving many to search for vaccines in countries with little or no access; constantly changing Covid restrictions for those entering the UK, with travel banned from countries on the UK’s red list, which, until this month , included many of the countries worst hit by the climate crisis. This has left m...

When the natural world feels out of control, horror stories let us experience fear and, most importantly, release it During the past 18 months we’ve collectively experienced more anxiety than we could ever have imagined, which ironically makes it fitting that our appetite for horror has increased. Anxious times demand anxious films. Indie film-makers responded to the lockdowns by making horror films that reflected our mood: Ben Wheatley made the psychedelic earth-horror, Into the Earth , seeped in pandemic paranoia, and Rob Savage tapped into the horror of Zoom calls with Host. Big franchise releases such as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It , Spiral: From the Book of Saw and A Quiet Place Part II were pushed back to be released in cinemas, and did relatively well at the box office. But none have broken records like Halloween Kills , the 12th instalment in the long-running franchise, which was released both in cinemas and online. The film dominated the box office in its first ...

UK will send doses by end of year, Boris Johnson to tell G20 leaders in Rome; China records 59 locally transmitted infections See all our coronavirus coverage Theories that the coronavirus was created as a biological weapon are based on “scientifically invalid claims” and disseminated by proponents “suspected of spreading disinformation”, according to a study by US intelligence agencies. While most of the 17 agencies also agreed that it had not been genetically engineered, they were split between whether the virus spread due to animal-to-human transmission or as the result of a lab accident. “We remain skeptical of allegations that SARS-CoV-2 was a biological weapon because they are supported by scientifically invalid claims, their proponents do not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), or their proponents are suspected of spreading disinformation,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) study said. Continue reading... Coronavirus | ...

Victoria reported 11 deaths while NSW recorded 236 infections and three deaths Follow the Guardian’s liveblog Victorian Covid restrictions: what rules and regulations have changed? Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Melburnians flocked to shops, gigs and horse races for the first time in months on Saturday as public health curbs further eased amid greater Covid vaccination uptake. However, Victoria recorded 1,355 new locally acquired Covid infections and the deaths of 11 Victorians aged between 65 and 85. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Number of commuter trips made in mid-October was just 45% of pre-Covid figure, industry says Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The number of train journeys made by commuters in Great Britain remains at less than half of pre-pandemic levels, figures show. The industry body Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said in mid-October the number of railway journeys made by those going to work was just 45% of what it was before the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Report: first human exposure to coronavirus occurred ‘no later than November 2019’ FDA clears Pfizer vaccine for children ages five to 11 Biden’s agenda remains unrealized as Democrats fail to close deal again Senate’s 50-50 split lets Manchin and Sinema revel in outsize influence Leticia James confirms run for New York governor Sign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by email Joe Biden said Pope Francis told him during their one-on-one meeting this morning that he should keep receiving communion, amid some Catholic leaders’ criticism of the president’s views on abortion. At the start of Biden’s meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, a reporter asked the president whether abortion came up during his discussion with the pope. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Director of national intelligence report says highly unlikely to fully conclude if virus leaked from lab or was transmitted by animals Barring an unforeseen breakthrough, US intelligence agencies will not be able to conclude whether Covid-19 spread by animal-to-human transmission or leaked from a lab, officials have said on the release of a fuller version of their review into the origins of the pandemic. The paper issued by the director of national intelligence elaborates on findings released in August of a 90-day review ordered by Joe Biden. That review said that US intelligence agencies were divided on the origins of the virus but that analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and that most agencies believe the virus was not genetically engineered. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

On Tuesday, CDC advisers will make more detailed recommendations on which children should get vaccinated The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday paved the way for children ages five to 11 to get Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. After the FDA cleared kid-size doses – a third of the amount given to teens and adults – for emergency use, up to 28 million more American children could be eligible for vaccinations as early as next week. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Prince Harry and Meghan join WHO in urging leaders to honour promises to help low-income countries Prince Harry and Meghan have joined the World Health Organization (WHO) and Save the Children in appealing to G20 leaders meeting this weekend to honour promises to send Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries where just 3% of people have had a jab. It is one of the most directly political initiatives at a high-profile political summit by the former royal couple since they left the British royal household. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Victorian ambulance union says some people making their own way to hospital, and warns situation ‘becoming catastrophic’ Victoria Covid restrictions and reopening rules Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing People calling for an ambulance in Victoria have been waiting up to 39 minutes on the phone, the Victorian Ambulance Union says, with aged care staff resorting to calling police for help to transport residents to hospital. Union secretary Danny Hill described the situation as “becoming catastrophic”. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Figures show general recovery in reading and maths, but poorer secondary school students fared worse Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Pupils across England have made a recovery in learning lost during the Covid pandemic, but concerns remain over worsening results for disadvantaged secondary school students, according to new research published by the Department for Education. The findings show a national trend of recovery in reading and maths, especially among primary school pupils, when comparing results between autumn, spring and summer this year. But cold spots remain in parts of England and among pupils who were eligible for free school meals. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Vulnerable people to get vaccine top-ups at five months ‘where it makes operational sense’ Care home residents and some vulnerable people will be able to get their Covid booster vaccine a month early, ministers have announced, in an effort to boost immunity during the winter. Currently the wait between second and third doses is six months, but medics will be able to decide to reduce it to five for care home residents and people who are housebound who are offered their flu jab at that point, so they can receive both vaccines together. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Levels last seen when second wave swept across country in late December and early January Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Coronavirus infections in England have increased to the same levels seen at the height of the second wave in January, data has revealed, with one in 50 people in the community having the virus last week. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics , based on swabs collected from randomly selected households, an estimated 2% of people had Covid in the week ending 22 October – about 1,102,800 people. More than 9% of children in school years 7 to 11 were also infected. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Data shows extent of vaccine inequality between high and low-income countries Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage More people have received a Covid booster vaccination in the UK per head of population than are reported to have had their first shot in Africa, according to the latest available data. By 26 October, 9.4% of the UK’s population had received a booster dose, compared with 8.5% of Africa’s population who had received their first dose, according to Our World in Data , with 5.6% fully vaccinated across the continent as of the same date. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

It’s the wise thing to do for mother and child, yet official advice has been insufficient and mixed Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage It is coming up to a year since the first mRNA vaccines were approved for use against Covid-19, and almost seven months since they were approved for expectant mothers. The initial government advice was was that they should hold off getting a jab, but since more data has become available, medical experts have been encouraging women to get vaccinated. But there has been no big government awareness campaign, despite pregnant women being identified as a vulnerable group. I knew the proportion of fully vaccinated pregnant women in the UK would be low, but I did not expect it to be as low as 15% (in the US, it is more than twice that, at 33.8% ). That such a small porportion of pregnant women are fully vaccinated in the UK, seven months after vaccines were approved for them, is nothing short of a scandal. And more women and t...

Coronavirus-induced parosmia is surprisingly common and the sensory confusion can have profound effects Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Deirdre likens her body odour to raw onions; Deepak says his favourite aftershave smells foul, and coffee like cleaning products; Julie thinks coffee and chocolate both smell like burnt ashes. Most people are aware that a cardinal symptom of Covid-19 is loss of smell, or anosmia. It may last for weeks or even months. Increasingly though, those who have recovered subsequently develop another disorienting symptom, parosmia, or a distorted sense of smell. This typically results in things that once smelled pleasant smelling bad or rotten. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Force says it is discouraging the activity this year along with organised events because of Covid Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A police force in the north of England is trying to discourage children from trick or treating this Halloween because of Covid-19. South Yorkshire police (SYP) have produced a poster residents can print out and put in their windows saying “No trick or treaters”, with a picture of a silhouetted pumpkin crossed out like a no-entry sign. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Ambulances are queuing outside for hours and patient safety has been threatened, says this hospital consultant Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage I am often surprised when I speak to non-medical friends. They are generally less interested in what is going on, but when they do ask they are surprised to hear that we are still under so much pressure. There is a general perception that this is all under control now. The writer is an NHS respiratory consultant who works across a number of hospitals Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Ex-UK PM and almost 200 global figures write to G20 summit host calling for 240m vaccines to be shared Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Gordon Brown has called on the British government and other G20 countries to urgently arrange a military airlift of surplus Covid vaccines to poorer countries before they expire, saying it is their “moral responsibility” to do so. The former prime minister has organised a letter from more than 160 former world leaders and global figures calling for richer countries to send 240m vaccines stored in the US, Europe and Canada to countries struggling to vaccinate their populations. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Stronger economic position allows bank to release £242m worth of provisions NatWest Group tripled its profits in the third quarter to a better than expected £1.1bn thanks to a jump in mortgage lending and a recovery in the economy despite setting aside cash to cover fines linked to money-laundering charges. The bank, which is majority-owned by the taxpayer, said the stronger economic position had allowed it to release £242m worth of provisions in the three months to 30 September, which it had made to cover a potential rise in defaults because of the coronavirus pandemic. That compares with the £254m it put aside during the same period last year. Analysts had expected the bank to take a further £40m charge. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

The virus won’t disappear – it will just become endemic. But it could still put pressure on health systems in years to come As Cop26 gets under way in Glasgow this weekend, one collective action problem is taking centre stage against the backdrop of another. Covid-19 has been described as a dress rehearsal for our ability to solve the bigger problem of the climate crisis, so it seems important to point out that the pandemic isn’t over. Instead, joined-up thinking has become more important than ever for solving the problem of Covid-19. The endgame has been obvious for a while: rather than getting rid of Covid-19 entirely, countries will get used to it. The technical word for a disease that we’re obliged to host indefinitely is “endemic”. It means that the disease-causing agent – the Sars-CoV-2 virus in this case – is always circulating in the population, causing periodic but more-or-less predictable disease outbreaks. No country has entered the calmer waters of endemicity yet; we’re a...

Covid vaccines arrive for researchers at Australia’s research station in Antarctica; South Korea is set to drop curbs on restaurants and cafes and implement its first vaccine passport Eastern Europe sees surge in infections amid vaccine reluctance India: over 100 million people fail to turn up for second Covid vaccine Singapore looking into ‘unusual surge’ of cases EU gives go-ahead to UK’s NHS Covid pass as proof of full vaccination G20 should redistribute surplus Covid vaccines, former world leaders say See all our coronavirus coverage Australia’s vaccination campaign has taken an icy trip to the shores of the Antarctic. An Airbus A319 arrived in Wilkins Aerodrome on Thursday evening with a cargo of Pfizer vaccines for 27 expeditioners at the Casey research station, minister for the environment Sussan Ley said in a press release on Friday. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout and schedule compare with other countries, and when will Australia reach 70% and 80% double dose vaccination? We bring together the latest numbers on the vaccination rate in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and other states, as well as stats, maps, live data and Indigenous vaccination rates. Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates NSW and Vic restrictions; Vic hotspots Australia cases and data tracker Interactive maps: NSW vaccination rate by postcode ; Vic vaccine rates Get our free news app ; try our weekend edition app ; get our morning email briefing Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout began in late February. Here we bring together the latest figures to track the progress of the rollout and Covid vaccination schedule. The data shows the total doses given in Australia, people vaccinated in Australian states and the percentage of the population who have received one dose or are double dose fully vaccinated, as well as...

Guardian Australia brings together all the latest on active and daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as maps, stats, live data and state by state graphs from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, ACT and NT to get a broad picture of the Australian outbreaks and track the impact of government responses Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Australia vaccine rollout tracker NSW vaccination rate by postcode – map Victoria vaccination rates by suburb – map Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Due to the difference in reporting times between states, territories and the federal government, it can be difficult to get a current picture of how many confirmed cases of coronavirus there are in Australia, where cases are increasing, and the overall trend for each state and territory. Here, we’ve brought together all the figures in one place for Australia as a whole, as well as the states with current outbreaks. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Gua...

Newly released data from the state government shows the vaccine rollout by area. Check the Covid-19 vaccine rates for first and second dose by postcode Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Vic restrictions ; Vic hotspots Australia vaccine rollout tracker ; Cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing The Victorian government has released new data showing Covid vaccination rates by area . You can use this interactive map to check the rates for your postcode and others across Melbourne and regional Victoria. You can use the toggle to switch between showing the percentage of people who have received at least one dose and the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Cop26 breakthrough will require rich nations to finally make good on promise to help poorer ones Next month’s Cop26 talks could end in abject failure. Anybody who has monitored the tortuous attempts of the World Trade Organization to piece together a global free trade agreement knows how hard multilateral negotiations can be. A breakthrough in Glasgow is possible but requires two things to happen: the world’s leading emitters of greenhouse gases need to accelerate their net zero carbon plans; and they have to recognise it is their own self-interest to help the less fortunate countries already struggling with the effects of global heating. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Severe weather warning still in place for Victoria ; new freedoms for Melbourne and ACT – follow updates live Icac hearing: Gladys Berejiklian told Daryl Maguire ‘I’ll throw money at Wagga’ in intercepted call Angus Taylor to promote fossil fuels at Glasgow Cop26 climate summit Victorian Covid restrictions: what rules and regulations are changing today? Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Vaccination hubs are having to close in Victoria due to storm damage, with power still out for thousands of homes. Tweets with photos and videos of the damage continue to stream in, with roads across the state still affected by the damage: Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

High number partly caused by people not neutering pets during lockdown and is concentrated in poorer areas With nearly 11 million cats living in about one in four households, they are Britain’s most popular pet. But until now the size of the country’s stray population has been something of an unknown. In the first study of its kind, researchers have calculated that there are nearly a quarter of a million stray cats living in urban areas of the UK – or an average of 9.3 per square kilometre. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

The Andrews government has defended the absence of a Covid vaccine mandate, saying the rule balances risks with the harm of social isolation Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Vic: Hotspots ; restrictions ; vaccination rates by postcode Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing The Victorian government has doubled-down on its refusal to mandate vaccinations for visitors to aged care facilities, an approach that breaks with other states and has angered the sector, which described it as “bizarre”. It comes as Victoria eases Covid restrictions further on Friday, a day after it recorded 1,923 new locally acquired cases and 25 deaths – the state’s highest single-day death toll of the current outbreak. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Regional residents brace for a spike in cases when Sydneysiders return but also hope for an end to economic pain of lockdown Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Vaccine rollout and rates tracker ; cases and data tracker NSW vaccination rates map Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Covid clusters are continuing to grow in some regional areas of New South Wales, particularly in the Hunter New England and Murrumbidgee LGAs, ahead of the planned reopening of the state to people from greater Sydney on Monday. Of the 293 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases reported on Thursday, more than half were in regional areas, and just over a quarter were in Hunter New England. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

As NSW and Victoria reopen for international travel, they are drastically scaling back quarantine facilities for the unvaccinated Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Victoria Covid restrictions ; Victoria vaccination rate map Vaccine rollout tracker ; Cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Most international airlines who fly into Australia are likely to accept only vaccinated passengers, with larger carriers now considering whether it is logistically and commercially viable to sell tickets to unvaccinated travellers. Some carriers have had their allocation of unvaccinated passengers capped at zero. From Monday, when New South Wales and Victoria reopen for international travel and quarantine-free arrival for fully vaccinated Australians, the states will drastically scale back their hotel quarantine capacities for unvaccinated passengers. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

Research reveals fully vaccinated people are just as likely to pass virus on to others in their household Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage People who are fully vaccinated against Covid yet catch the virus are just as infectious to others in their household as infected unvaccinated people, research suggests. Households are a key setting for the transmission of Covid infections , with frequent prolonged daily contact with an infected person linked to an increased risk of catching the virus. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

From Monday, Australians will be able to self-test for Covid. We examine how accurate home tests are compared with PCR tests Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Victoria Covid restrictions ; Victoria vaccination rate map Vaccine rollout tracker ; Cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing From Monday, Australians can buy rapid antigen Covid-19 tests at retail stores including supermarkets and pharmacies, and also online. Previously, only health professionals were able to administer them. Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has so far approved nine different home rapid antigen tests for sale. They cost roughly $30 for a packet of two, and between $50 and $100 for five, depending on the retailer and brand. They have a shelf life of about two years. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian

A the state hits its 80% vaccination milestone, Melbourne residents can enjoy new levels of freedom Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates Vic: hotspots ; restrictions ; vaccination rates by postcode Vaccine rollout tracker ; cases and data tracker Get our free news app ; get our morning email briefing Victoria will hit its 80% vaccination milestone on Friday, with a significant easing of restrictions across the state from 6pm. Students will return to class full-time, masks will no longer be required outside, and non-essential retail will reopen. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian