Coronavirus latest news: Approval of the Oxford-AstraZenca vaccine will help speed up crucial vaccination in care homes
Alarming evidence on Covid mutation could bring tougher restrictions
Exclusive: Oxford vaccine expecting approval within days of Christmas
Approval of the Oxford-AstraZenca vaccine will help speed up crucial vaccination in care homes, an expert said today.
The Telegraph has exclusively revealed that the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency will authorise the vaccine on Dec 28 or 29 after final data is provided to the regulator on Monday.
This morning Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said that would boost the rollout of the coronavirus vaccination programme in care homes. "At the moment we are dealing with this Pfizer vaccine, which is difficult," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"On the assumption that we are going to get approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine which is much more familiar because it is much more like the flu vaccination, then I think we will be able to roll out at a much faster pace, but certainly over the next few weeks and next couple of months we expect all care homes to be covered."
Meanwhile, Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, told the programme: "It will make a massive difference because the doses that we have of the Pfizer vaccine will keep us going until the end of January and I think we're not getting another shipment until March.
"So if we could have that Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine ready to go in January then we could keep the roll-out going at its current pace."
News of the vaccine boost comes as it emerged tougher coronavirus restrictions could be announced as early as today after an initial analysis of a new variant of the virus in England suggested it is "growing faster than the existing variants".
Follow the latest updates below.
10:39 AM
New mutation in South East could mean tougher restrictions
Tougher coronavirus restrictions could be announced on Saturday after an initial analysis of a new variant of the virus in England suggested it is "growing faster than the existing variants".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed this week that its numbers "are increasing rapidly".
It prompted Boris Johnson to call an unscheduled meeting of senior ministers on Friday night to discuss how to contain the new variant, which has largely been confined to London and the South East.
Experiments on the new strain have confirmed ministers' fears about it being far more infectious than the original strain.
Much of the South East was put into Tier 3 by the Government on Thursday, but the new information about the transmissibility of the mutant strain is so worrying that ministers fear they may have to act immediately.
Travel restrictions are among the measures under discussion, with one source suggesting the Government could restrict travel between the South East and other parts of the country.
An alternative would be to ban commuters from travelling to London, after the mutant strain, which originated in Kent, spread rapidly to London and then the home counties.
10:31 AM
Italy announces Christmas lockdown
Italy has ordered a nationwide lockdown over much of the Christmas and New Year period in an effort to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.
The country will be under "red-zone" restrictions over the public holidays, with non-essential shops, restaurants and bars closed, and Italians only allowed to travel for work, health and emergency reasons.
Limited home visits will be allowed.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said it was "not an easy decision".
"Our experts were seriously worried that there would be a jump in cases over Christmas... We therefore had to act," he said in a news conference.
Italy has recorded the highest Covid death toll in Europe, with close to 68,000 fatalities.
10:14 AM
Chilean President caught out by coronavirus rules
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was slapped with a $3,500 fine on Friday after posing for a selfie on the beach with a bystander without wearing a mask as required during the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities said.
Chile has strict rules on mask wearing in all public places and violations are punishable with sanctions that include fines and even jail terms.
Pinera apologized then turned himself in shortly after the selfie surfaced on social media in early December.
The president explained he had been walking alone along the beach near his home in the posh Chilean seaside town of Cachagua when a woman recognized him and asked for a photo together.
09:52 AM
Switzerland authorises Pfizer vaccine
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been authorised for use in Switzerland following a two-month rolling review, the Swissmedic regulatory authority said Saturday.
"After a meticulous review of the available information, Swissmedic concluded that the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech is safe and that its benefit outweighs the risks," the body said in a statement.
It is the first vaccine against the new coronavirus that has been authorised for use in the wealthy Alpine nation.
"The safety of patients is an essential prerequisite, especially where the authorisation of vaccines is concerned," said Swissmedic director Raimund Bruhin.
"Thanks to the rolling procedure and our flexibly organised teams, we nevertheless managed to reach a decision quickly - while also fully satisfying the three most important requirements of safety, efficacy and quality."
Switzerland, population 8.6 million, has secured around 15.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, in deals with three manufacturers.
It has signed contracts for around three million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, around 7.5 million doses of Moderna's vaccine, and around 5.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
09:40 AM
Hospital fire kills 8 Covid-19 patients at ICU in Turkey
A fire broke out Saturday at an intensive care unit treating Covid-19 patients in southern Turkey after an oxygen cylinder exploded, killing eight people, state-run media reported.
The Anadolu news agency said the fire took place at the privately-run Sanko University Hospital unit in Gaziantep. It cited a hospital statement identifying the victims as being between 56 and 85. The fire was quickly brought under control.
The statement said 14 patients undergoing intensive care treatment were transferred to other hospitals. An investigation was underway.
The provincial governor's office later said 19 patients were in the unit when a "high pressure oxygen device" exploded at 4:45 a.m.. Other than the fatalities, no others were injured in the fire, it sad.
Intensive care units across Turkey currently have a 74% bed occupancy rate due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to government figures, although medical associations say the figure is higher and their hospitals are overrun with Covid-19 patients.
09:22 AM
Scramble for PPE during first wave left supplies open to thieves
PPE heading for Britain was at risk of being stolen as it travelled through Asia at the height of the pandemic, ministers were warned.
Suppliers have told this newspaper they warned government officials vital equipment could be siphoned off and sold to other countries and firms if it came on indirect flights via the Middle East, Thailand and Vietnam.
Officials subsequently advised suppliers to only use British Airways or Virgin Atlantic flights out of China due to piracy fears, as they flew directly to Britain instead.
09:14 AM
Care homes to benefit most from AstraZeneca vaccine approval
The Royal College of GPs chair Professor Martin Marshall has said it will speed up the rollout of the coronavirus vaccination programme in care homes if the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by regulators.
"At the moment we are dealing with this Pfizer vaccine, which is difficult," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"On the assumption that we are going to get approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine which is much more familiar because it is much more like the flu vaccination, then I think we will be able to roll out at a much faster pace, but certainly over the next few weeks and next couple of months we expect all care homes to be covered."
09:02 AM
Government 'difficult, finely-balanced judgement' on whether to strengthen the coronavirus rules.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the Government faces a "very difficult, finely-balanced judgment" on whether to strengthen the coronavirus rules.
Mr Hunt, who now chairs the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, said that if ministers did not want to change the law they should consider strengthening the guidance on social-distancing.
"It is a very difficult, finely-balanced judgment. The biggest worry is what happens indoor in family gatherings and that's where the risks do increase," he told the BBC Radio 4 programme.
"They have to respond to what is happening on the ground. I think they can be clearer about what is and isn't advisable because it would be an enormous tragedy if we had a spike in deaths at the end of January/February because we took our foot off the pedal this close to having a vaccine."
Mr Hunt said it was on a "knife-edge" whether a third national lockdown would be needed after Christmas.
"Looking at the numbers it is difficult to judge at the moment because in the North East and the North West although infection levels are going up they are still much lower than they have been, and the second strain of the virus doesn't seem to have spread as much in the North as it has in the South. I would say at the moment it is on a knife-edge."
08:51 AM
Canada reviews Moderna vaccine
anada’s health regulator said it expects to complete its review of the Moderna mRNA coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks, according to Reuters.
“There is still information and data to be provided by Moderna for review,” the regulator said in a statement, published after the US Food and Drug Administration approved its emergency use on Friday.
Health Canada said it cannot provide a definite timeline for the vaccine approval but expects the process to be completed in the coming weeks.
Canada on Tuesday also announced an agreement to receive early deliveries of the Moderna vaccine amid a surge of new cases that are forcing new health restrictions across the country.
Last week Canada’s health ministry had approved Pfizer Inc’s vaccine , developed with Germany’s BioNTech SE.
08:37 AM
Christmas dinner presents the "perfect conditions" for coronavirus to spread
Christmas dinner presents the "perfect conditions" for coronavirus to spread, an expert has warned.
Professor Stephen Reicher, a social psychologist from the University of St Andrews, told Times Radio: "Christmas is a gift to the virus. If you want the perfect conditions for the spread of virus it would be to be indoors, somewhere that wasn't well ventilated, somewhere which was crowded, somewhere where there's alcohol so that we forget our inhibitions and that describes perfectly the Christmas dinner."
Prof Reicher, who sits on the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: "Of course we don't want to give gifts to this virus, we want to look after ourselves and the best way of doing that, I think, is sadly to postpone if we can.
"I recognise that for some families it does make sense to meet up, I mean, if you've got an elderly relative who might not see another Christmas or somebody who's suffering greatly there will be exceptions.
"But if we turn the exception into the rule and if many people meet, then we really are heading towards a disaster."
He argued that people meeting over the five days of relaxed measures over Christmas was "too long" and that the mixing of households from different areas across the country could "relaunch the pandemic".
08:21 AM
Infection numbers rise at Thai seafood market
Thailand has nine new local coronavirus infections, the biggest one-day rise in local transmissions in more than seven months, health officials said on Saturday.
The nine cases are connected to a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province, near Bangkok, where four infections were reported on Friday, officials told a briefing.
The cases started with a 67-year-old woman, who sells shrimp in the market, who was confirmed to have the infection before three of her family also tested positive.
Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand's Covid-19 taskforce, said there is no need for a lockdown yet but steps will be taken if cases keep rising.
"If the number of cases won't come down tomorrow or the day after and become a cluster with unfound origins, we will choose measures from light to strong to handle it," he said.
Local cases have largely been found in people observing quarantine after having been in close contact with an infected person. Most of Thailand's recent cases have been imported.
08:09 AM
WHO was warned of fallout over removed Italy report
An author of a withdrawn World Health Organisation report into Italy's coronavirus response warned his bosses in May that people could die and the UN agency could suffer "catastrophic" reputational damage if it allowed political concerns to suppress the document, according to emails seen by The Associated Press.
The comprehensive report examined how the Italian government and health system reacted after the country became the epicentre of the European outbreak in late February - with real-time data and case studies of what worked and what didn't aimed at helping other countries prepare as the virus spread.
The agency took it down a day after it was posted on its website, prompting the official who coordinated the work to appeal directly to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on May 28 and warn that the report's disappearance was undermining WHO's credibility. He cautioned that any further attempts at censorship would compromise the agency's independence and its relations with donor nations that funded the research.
Concerns over the missing report have grown in recent weeks, fueling criticism of WHO's leadership of the global response to the pandemic that led the agency to agree to an independent probe of its performance.
RELATED NEWS: WHO accused of burying report about Italy's coronavirus mismanagement
07:49 AM
Gondolas offer socially distanced movie experience
In Manila, some moviegoers in the Philippines capital are tired of lengthy Covid restrictions so they are opting for a taste of Venice - bobbing in front of the big screen in socially distanced gondolas.
Gondoliers in striped uniforms steer and position each boat in an outdoor canal to watch full-length films, a rare chance to visit the cinema after nine months of lockdowns.
"Riding a boat made it a unique experience," patron Violet Gatchalian told Reuters at the Venice Grand Canal-themed shopping mall in Manila.
With more than 456,000 infections and 8,875 deaths, the Philippines is South-East Asia's hardest-hit country after Indonesia.
The government started gradually reopening the economy in June, but most non-essential businesses remain shut - in Manila, the gondola cinema and a drive-through theatre are the only movie venues.
Gondola moviegoers sit two to a boat, with up to 10 guests per screening and boats are kept metres apart. Admission is 500 pesos (£7.40), roughly the minimum daily wage in the capital.
Guests bring their own earphones and listen to audio broadcast at a radio frequency available only to those aboard the gondolas.
07:17 AM
Strict lockdown for Sydney's northern beaches
Around a quarter of a million people in Sydney's northern beach suburbs were ordered on Saturday into a strict lockdown until midnight on Wednesday in an effort to contain a coronavirus cluster that authorities fear may spread across the city.
Authorities will on Sunday announce whether further restrictions will be imposed on the rest of Sydney, Australia's most populous city.
The outbreak now totals 39, with two additional cases still under investigation. Authorities do not know the origin, which genome testing suggests is a US strain of the virus.
Until this week, Australia had gone more than two weeks without any local transmission and lifted the majority of restrictions ahead of Christmas. The Sydney outbreak prompted states and territories to reimpose border restrictions, sending holiday travel plans for thousands into chaos.
The Sydney lockdown will mean people in the designated area will only be allowed to leave home for one of four essential reasons: grocery shopping, work, compassionate grounds including emergency medical treatment, or visiting an isolated relative.
07:09 AM
Archbishop urges church caution at Christmas
People who are at higher risk of complications from Covid-19 should avoid going to Christmas church services in person and watch them online instead, the Archbishop of Canterbury said.
Places of worship have been allowed to open in all tiers since December 2 and, between December 23 and 27, worshippers can attend services with members of their Christmas bubble.
Services, including Christingle and Midnight Masses, can be held as long as social distancing requirements are met.
Speaking to The Times, the Most Reverend Justin Welby was asked about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request for people to "think hard" about what they do over Christmas.
"I would say, yes, go to church," he said.
"Or go online. If you're vulnerable, if you're more at risk, then it's going to have to be online."
07:07 AM
Shipping containers of surplus PPE moved to railway station
Thousands of shipping containers of surplus Personal Protective Equipment have been moved to railway stations after blocking up ports, it has emerged.
Photographs published on social media revealed thousands of containers of PPE had been deposited next to the rural railway station of Melton in Suffolk.
The PPE had been reportedly transported from the UK’s busiest container port, Felixstowe.
Further images taken by ITV news show that the several thousand shipping containers containing masks, gloves and aprons were transported from Felixstowe to the Port of Tilbury, arousing concerns that the Government over-ordered and overpaid for the medical gear.
READ MORE: Thousands of shipping containers of surplus PPE moved to railway station after blocking up ports
04:48 AM
HK police launch manhunt for escaped Covid patient
Hong Kong authorities are searching for a Covid-19 patient who escaped one of the city's largest hospitals while undergoing treatment, according to health officials.
The 63-year old man, identified as patient 7379, was admitted to the isolation ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 14 after it was confirmed he had coronavirus.
Read the full story here.
03:25 AM
Severe shortage of hospital beds in South Korea
South Korea's Covid-19 surge continued on Saturday, with a lack of hospital beds raising concerns in a country that has kept fatalities low despite a third wave of the disease.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,053 infections, a record fourth consecutive day of more than 1,000 cases.
South Korea has recorded 659 deaths out of 48,570 infections, a comparatively low mortality rate attributed to aggressive tracing and testing for much of the year, which minimised the strain on hospitals, allowing them to focus on seriously ill patients.
The mitigation efforts made the country a global success story when many nations saw soaring infections, prompting wide lockdowns.
But the recent surge - stemming from widespread clusters rather than the large, isolated outbreaks of the first two waves - has caused a severe shortage of hospital beds.
RELATED NEWS: 'Our back is against the wall': South Korea considers lockdown amid brutal third Covid-19 wave
Only four critical-care beds were available as of Friday in greater Seoul, an area with almost 26 million people, data showed.
Six people with Covid have died in South Korea this month waiting for beds, and hundreds cannot get admitted as infections overload the health system, officials and media said on Friday.
The number of severely ill patients reached 275 on Saturday, up from 97 on December 1.
Despite the surge, the government has refrained from raising social distancing restrictions to the highest level, which would mean ordering 1.2 million business to suspend operations.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Friday that "social consensus" would be necessary for such a move, given the burden on businesses.
03:05 AM
China aims for winter-spring vaccinations
China will aim to vaccinate all "key groups" - including workers in the cold chain industry, customs, healthcare, markets and public transport - over winter and spring, a senior health official told a briefing on Saturday.
The country will use the vaccination programme to build a "group shield" that will give active immunity to the public, said Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission and the director of the working group in charge of vaccine research and development.
02:08 AM
US gives Moderna's Covid vaccine green light for emergency use
Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Friday became the second to receive emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration, welcome news to a nation with a staggering Covid-19 death toll of more than 307,000.
The biotech company has worked with the US government to prepare for the distribution of 5.9 million shots as early as this weekend.
The FDA decision is based on results from a late-stage study of 30,000 volunteers that found the vaccine was nearly 95 per cent effective at preventing illness from Covid-19 with no serious safety concerns.
"Authorisation of Moderna’s vaccine means we can accelerate the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers and Americans in long-term care facilities, and, ultimately, bring a faster end to this pandemic," US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.
READ MORE: Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States
01:34 AM
Today's top stories
Exclusive: The Oxford vaccine is expected to be approved within days of Christmas, kickstarting a massive drive to give jabs to millions of people in January.
An emergency toughening of Covid restrictions could be announced as soon as Saturday after Boris Johnson was handed alarming new evidence of the transmissibility of a mutant strain of the virus.
Nurses warned on Friday of a post-Christmas “tsunami” of Covid hospital cases, as it emerged the number of ambulances waiting outside due to crowded A&E departments has nearly doubled.
The Prime Minister has put the country on notice that a third lockdown could be on its way in January as several Government scientific advisers warned restrictions could need to be tougher than before.
Donald Trump could lift the US travel ban on the UK and Europe as early as next week, industry and aviation sources say.
The roll-out of mass testing in schools is on the brink of collapse after unions said they “fully support” headteachers who refuse to take part.