Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.
Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 84.67 million, death toll at 1 838 960
More than 84.67 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 838 960 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
- REUTERS
UK rolls out AstraZeneca vaccine, hails lead in fight against coronavirus
LONDON – Britain began vaccinating its population with the Covid-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Monday, touting a scientific "triumph" that puts it at the vanguard of the West in inoculating against the virus.
Britain, which is rushing to vaccinate its population faster than the United States and the rest of Europe, is the first country to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot though Russia and China have been inoculating their citizens for months.
Just under a month since Britain became the first country in the world to roll out the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech, dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, was first to get the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot at 07:30 (GMT).
Britain, grappling with the world's sixth worst death toll and one of the worst economic hits from the Covid crisis, has put more than a million Covid-19 vaccines into arms already – more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
"That's a triumph of British science that we've managed to get where we are," Hancock told Sky. "Right at the start, we saw that the vaccine was the only way out long term."
- REUTERS
US officials reject Trump claims on death toll, defend vaccine rollout
Washington – US officials on Sunday rejected Donald Trump's claim that the national Covid-19 death toll of more than 350 000 has been exaggerated, but defended the stumbling campaign to vaccinate millions of Americans.
Some 4.2 million people in the US have received initial doses of the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna – far below official predictions of 20 million by the new year.
The president blamed local authorities for the delays, tweeting that "the vaccines are being delivered to the states by the Federal Government far faster than they can be administered!"
He also claimed that the number of cases and deaths was "far exaggerated" because of a "ridiculous method of determination", accusing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of a policy of "When in doubt, call it Covid."
In response, top US scientist Anthony Fauci said on ABC that "those are real numbers, real people and real deaths."
Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who was nominated by Trump, told CNN that he saw no reason to question the numbers from the federal CDC.
More than 13 million vaccine doses have been distributed nationwide, but efforts to vaccinate health workers and vulnerable people have been hampered by logistical problems and overstretched hospitals and clinics.
- AFP
Japan PM says government will consider state of emergency for Tokyo area
TOKYO – Japan said on Monday it would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climb, casting fresh doubt over whether it can push ahead with the Olympics and keep economic damage to a minimum.
The emergency declaration would mark a reversal for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has resisted any such drastic steps despite criticism that the government was acting too slowly.
Japan saw a record 4 520 new cases on 31 December, prompting the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures to seek an emergency declaration from the national government. There were 3 158 new cases on Sunday, according to public broadcaster NHK. Tokyo and its environs accounted for about half of them.
"Even during the three days of the New Year's holidays, cases didn't go down in the greater Tokyo area," Suga told a news conference.
"We felt that a stronger message was needed," he added, when asked to explain the change of heart on a potential emergency declaration.
Suga did not say when the government would make a decision, or what restrictions would follow. The first state of emergency, declared last spring, lasted more than a month, shutting down schools and non-essential businesses.
- REUTERS
US may cut some Moderna vaccine doses in half to speed rollout, official says
The US government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in order to speed up vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday.
Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine programme, said on CBS' Face the Nation that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the idea. Moderna's vaccine requires two injections.
"We know that for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunising double the number of people with the doses we have," Slaoui said.
"We know it induces identical immune response" to the full dose, he added.
Moderna and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it had administered 4 225 756 first doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning, and distributed 13 071 925 doses.
- REUTERS
Australia's most populous state reports zero Covid-19 cases, urges thousands to get tested
SYDNEY – Australia's most populous state New South Wales (NSW) on Monday reported zero local coronavirus cases for the first time in nearly three weeks, as Sydney battled multiple outbreaks and authorities urged tens of thousands of people to get tested.
NSW daily testing numbers have dropped to around 20 000 in the last two days from a peak of about 70 000 recorded on Christmas Day, 25 December. The overwhelming majority of tests are in the state capital Sydney.
"The numbers are far too low... if we're going to succeed in staying ahead of the Covid pandemic, testing is crucial in large numbers so we can be confident of the data when we're making decisions," NSW acting premier John Barilaro told reporters.
Authorities have imposed mandatory masks in indoor spaces and on public transport from Monday for Sydney's five million residents or face a spot fine of A$200.
NSW officials had rejected calls for mandatory face masks since the pandemic started and the change of policy follows the latest Sydney outbreak, which seems to be highly infectious, and ahead of a cricket test match between Australia and India in the city scheduled to start 7 January.
- REUTERS
Scotland to enter another effective national lockdown - The Times
Scotland will on Monday enter another effective national lockdown, likely to last until spring, The Times newspaper reported.
Scottish government leader Nicola Sturgeon said earlier her cabinet would meet on Monday to discuss possible further steps to limit the spread of the virus, and ordered Scotland's parliament to be recalled.
It is expected the reopening of schools will be pushed back beyond 18 January, the newspaper reported.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday tougher lockdown restrictions were probably on the way as Covid-19 cases keep rising.
Johnson sets policy for England, with rules in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales set by their devolved authorities.
- REUTERS
Brazil private clinics seek deal for Indian Covid vaccine
Rio de Janeiro – A Brazilian association of private health clinics said on Sunday it was negotiating with Indian pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech to buy five million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, which India has just authorised for emergency use.
The Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) confirmed on its website it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian firm to purchase its Covaxin vaccine, which is currently in the final stage of clinical trials.
Any final deal would be subject to approval by Brazil's health regulator, Anvisa, which has yet to approve any vaccines against the new coronavirus.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's government faces mounting criticism of dragging its feet on a vaccination campaign in Brazil, which has the second-highest death toll in the pandemic, after the United States.
That has left some state governments, and now the private sector, scrambling to try to launch vaccination drives on their own.
ABCVAC described its planned deal with Bharat Biotech as a way to ensure Brazilians using the private health system – typically the wealthy – would have access to a vaccine, even as the government reserves its own initial doses for the public health system and high-priority groups such as health workers and the elderly.
- AFP
German health ministry examines delaying second Covid-19 vaccine shot - document
BERLIN – The German health ministry is seeking advice on whether to delay administering a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer to make scarce supplies go further, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.
The ministry is seeking the view of an independent vaccination commission on whether to delay a second shot beyond a 42-day maximum now foreseen, after a similar move by Britain, according to the one-page document.
- REUTERS
Russia reports 23 351 new coronavirus cases, 482 deaths
MOSCOW – Russia on Monday reported 23 351 new coronavirus cases over the previous 24 hours, including 3 591 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 3 260 138.
Authorities said 482 people had died, taking Russia's official death toll to 58 988.
- REUTERS
Brazil reports 17 341 new coronavirus cases, 293 more deaths
BRASILIA – Brazil recorded 17 341 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 293 deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Brazil has registered more than 7.7 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began 10 months ago, while the official death toll has risen to 196 018, according to ministry data.
- REUTERS
Mexico reports 5 211 new coronavirus cases, 362 more deaths
MEXICO CITY – Mexico's health ministry reported 5 211 new coronavirus cases and 362 additional fatalities on Sunday, bringing its totals to 1 448 755 infections and 127 213 deaths.
The real number of infected people and deaths is likely significantly higher than the official count, the health ministry has said.
- REUTERS
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 9 847 - RKI
BERLIN – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 9 847 to 1 775 513, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.
The reported death toll rose by 302 to 34 574, the tally showed.
- REUTERS
Thailand reports 745 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death
BANGKOK – Thailand confirmed 745 new coronavirus infections and one new death on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 8 439 and deaths to 65 since its first case in January.
The majority of the new cases were detected in Samut Sakhon, a province near Bangkok, where the current outbreak started in the middle of December, the government's Covid-19 task force said.
- REUTERS
China reports 33 new Covid-19 cases vs 24 a day earlier
SHANGHAI – Mainland China reported 33 new Covid-19 cases on 3 January, up from 24 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Monday.
The National Health Commission said in a statement 20 of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. The commission also reported 13 new locally transmitted cases: six in Liaoning province, four in Hebei province, two in Beijing and one in Heilongjiang province.
The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 40 from eight cases a day earlier.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 87 150, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4 634.
- REUTERS
Beijing vaccinates thousands in Covid-19 jab drive
Beijing – Thousands of people were lining up in Beijing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine as China races to inoculate millions before the Chinese New Year mass travel season in February.
More than 73 000 people in the Chinese capital have received the first dose of the vaccine over the last couple of days, state media reported on Sunday, including community workers and bus drivers.
Health authorities on New Year's Eve granted "conditional" approval to a vaccine candidate made by Chinese pharma giant Sinopharm, which the company said had a 79% efficacy rate.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed queues outside local hospitals and community health centres as people waited to read consent forms and have their temperatures taken before getting the jab.
Health officials said gyms and empty factories were among centres being used for the vaccination programme.
China plans to vaccinate millions this winter in the run-up to Lunar New Year in mid-February.
- AFP
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