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00:47
Today's Covid blog will be shutting down but please join us here for all the latest coronavirus developments.
23:55
UK ministers continue to debate whether measures should be introduced before or after Christmas in order to curb the spread of Omicron.
British prime minister Boris Johnson is mulling urging the public to limit household mixing at Christmas, the Telegraph reports.
Johnson has been presented with three options by officials for further restrictions to curb the spread of Omicron, out of which the lowest level of action would see families asked to limit indoor contacts, without legal enforcement, the report said.
The prime minister is also weighing mandate curbs on household mixing, the return of social distancing and an 8pm curfew on pubs and restaurants, it added. Option three is a full lockdown.
23:51
Britain's finance minister Rishi Sunak is one of 10 cabinet ministers who are resisting the introduction of new restrictions before Christmas to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, the Times reports.
The UK government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told ministers over the weekend that new restrictions should be introduced as soon as possible to stop the NHS being overwhelmed, the newspaper said.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, yesterday refused to rule out a "circuit breaker" that would ban household mixing and said the government might need to act before the data was clear. "If we wait until the data is perfect, it may be too late," he said.
23:21
It's Samantha Lock here taking over from my colleague Jem Bartholomew.
As I'm reporting to you from Sydney, here are some Covid numbers out of Australia.
There were 1,302 new coronavirus cases recorded in Victoria with no deaths.
NSW recorded 2,501 new local Covid-19 cases. The numbers are nearly double that of Victoria, a reversal of a weeks-long trend of more infections below the border.
Today after months of strict border restrictions the Northern Territory is opening up to the rest of the country.
Travellers from all around Australia will now be able to travel anywhere in the territory as long as they avoid remote communities where less than 80% of the eligible population is vaccinated.
Arrivals must also record three negative PCR tests, one before crossing the border and two in the days afterwards.
In other news, the federal government has committed to spending another $78m to help Australia's aviation sector recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
22:48
Sunday Summary
Here's a round-up of Sunday's developments from around the world on Covid and Omicron.
- The Netherlands entered a strict lockdown that meant the closure of non-essential stores, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places until 14 January to push back the new wave.
- Germany followed France and tightened restrictions from Britain, mandating a 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to avoid an Omicron wave.
- Pressure builds on UK prime minister Boris Johnson after the Guardian published a picture of him with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden, suggesting a social event, during a strict UK lockdown. No 10 insists the meeting was for work.
- Poland confirmed seven Omicron cases in total as an official warned the variant is spreading at "unprecedented rate". A further 15,976 Covid cases were recorded.
- Peru, the country with the highest Covid deaths per capita and sixth-highest total death toll, detected its first four Omicron cases.
- The UK recorded above 80,000 new daily cases for only fourth time since pandemic began, and clocked another 12,000 Omicron cases – taking the tally to over 37,000. Health secretary Sajid Javid refused to rule out new restrictions on the Sunday broadcast round. Cases are up 72% in one week.
- Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, said the Omicron variant has "extraordinary spreading capabilities" and is "raging through the world".
- Ireland said Omicron is now the dominant strain of Covid after an estimated 52% of its cases – 5,124 new cases on Sunday – were from the highly mutated variant.
- The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency warned of political violence from the country's anti-vaccine movement with its connections to the far-right.
- Iran detected its first case of Omicron.
- Israel's prime minister, Naftali Bennett, said on Sunday the country is in a fifth Covid wave and urged people to step up vaccinations.
- US Senator Elizabeth Warren tested positive for Covid after a routine test. She has mild symptoms.
- 30,000 people in Vienna, Austria commemorated the country's 13,000 people who have died from the virus with a "sea of lights" march.
- Italy detected 24,259 new Covid infections, a 62% climb on the 15,010 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Sri Lanka will require Covid vaccine certificates for entry to public places from New Year's Day.
- Russia recorded 27,967 new Covid infections, a 13% slide on the 32,031 new cases on Sunday two weeks ago.
- France reported 48,473 new Covid infections, a 15% climb on the 42,252 new cases detected on Sunday two weeks ago.
- Brazil's health regulator Anvisa asked for greater law enforcement protection on Sunday after a flurry of threats following its decision to approve Covid vaccines for children aged five to 11. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the virus's risks, has publicly pressured the agency over the decision.
That's all from me, Jem Bartholomew in London, and I'll be back on Wednesday. Do get in touch via email or on Twitter with tips and stories for then. I'm particularly interested in hearing from clinically vulnerable people in the UK about their experiences during the Omicron wave, so far without government support.
Now, over to my colleague Samantha Lock in Australia.
Updated
22:29
On Sunday a chain of 13,000 candles stretched out along the baroque streets of Vienna, Austria. Then, 30,000 people went silent.
Tens of thousands of people in Vienna on Sunday took part in a "sea of lights" commemoration for the people who have died during the pandemic. They observed a moment of silence in a demonstration intended to show solidarity with healthcare workers after weeks of anti-lockdown protests.
"We are simply people from civil society who want to send a signal," organiser Daniel Landau told newspaper Kurier.
Austria has recorded 13,000 deaths from Covid-related illness. Another 24 people were added to the country's toll on Saturday.
Austria experienced rising Covid cases in late November, with daily infections often above 15,000. They have since declined, with 2,167 people on Saturday receiving confirmation they'd been infected.
"Thousands of people gathered in Vienna this evening to commemorate all those who were torn from their lives by the virus with a #Lichtermeer & thank our health workers," said chancellor Karl Nehammer on Twitter.
Heide Rampetzreiter (@Heide_Anna)Das sieht schön aus. Foto: (c) APA #yeswecare #lichtermeer pic.twitter.com/62EHsB3SVY
December 19, 2021
Updated
21:54
US Senator Elizabeth Warren said she's tested positive for Covid and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Warren, the 72-year-old Democrat for Massachusetts, said she is vaccinated and boosted. The Senator, who ran to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020, said: "I urge everyone who has not already done so to get the vaccine and the booster as soon as possible – together, we can save lives."
Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren)I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case. Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.
December 19, 2021
21:42
The New York Times has this sobering report on the scale of the global challenge to tackle the new mutated variant: Most of the World's Vaccines Likely Won't Prevent Infection From Omicron.
Severe disease can still be prevented, which is good news. But the costs of infection mean not just strain on health systems around the world, the Times's Stephanie Nolen reports, but could lead to further variant escapes.
For instance, global vaccine program Covax has delivered 67 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses, much of it across sub-Saharan Africa, and 90% of people in India got the AstraZeneca shot. One study showed it had no ability to stop infection after six months.
All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world.
The other shots — including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia — do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. And because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic.
A global surge of infections in a world where billions of people remain unvaccinated not only threatens the health of vulnerable individuals but also increases the opportunity for the emergence of yet more variants. The disparity in the ability of countries to weather the pandemic will almost certainly deepen. And the news about limited vaccine efficacy against Omicron infection could depress demand for vaccination throughout the developing world, where many people are already hesitant or preoccupied with other health problems.
Read the full story here.
Updated
21:10
Peru detects first four Omicron cases
Peru detected its first four cases of the Omicron variant on Sunday, a health ministry official said.
Minister of health Hernando Cevallos told reporters that four cases of the variant had been detected.
"One is a traveller arriving from South Africa to our country, while three of them have been detected within Peru and we are taking the necessary measures to follow up and carry out contact tracing," he said.
Peru reported 3,559 new infections on Saturday, alongside 78 new deaths.
The Omicron news raises concerns as the highly-mutated variant reaches a nation already ravaged by the pandemic. Peru has recorded 202,000 deaths from Covid-related causes, the world's sixth-highest tally, and is the country with the worst per capita death toll.
Updated
20:31
Adding to our post on the impact of the Netherlands' snap new lockdown (10.39am GMT), The Guardian has a report on the impact on Dutch shopkeepers, who say they have been "broken" by the measures amid the busy Christmas shopping period.
As of Sunday, all non-essential stores, bars and restaurants in the country are closed until at least 14 January, and schools and universities shut until 9 January.
Retailers that weathered the first rounds of lockdown say they are crushed without a compensation scheme for the new restrictions.
"Nowhere in Europe is there such a strict regime as in the Netherlands," said Jan Meerman, the director of INretail, the Dutch retailers association.
He added: "From a health perspective, I understand that something needs to be done, but then it is important that the cabinet also makes a grand financial gesture and generously reimburses entrepreneurs. As far as we are concerned, 100% compensation. Many colleagues are still heavily indebted from the first lockdowns, they can't take this any more … They are broken by these harsh measures."
Full report available here.
Updated
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Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/dec/19/covid-news-live-uk-2m-infections-a-day-germany-restricts-travel-boris-johnson-latest-updates
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