Selasa, 07 Desember 2021

Covid: Early signs Omicron spreads more easily, says No 10 - bbc.co.uk

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Early signs suggest the Omicron Covid variant is more transmissible than the current Delta strain, No 10 has said.

But the prime minister's official spokesman added it was still too early to draw conclusions - and any impact caused by Omicron would also depend on whether it caused severe illness.

There are currently 437 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK, figures show.

Earlier, Wales' health minister said they were expecting a significant wave of Omicron that would peak in January.

In Scotland, Covid rules are going to be reviewed daily as Omicron cases rise, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged employers to let staff work from home until at least the middle of January where possible.

Scientists believe Omicron could spread more easily than Delta, and could out-compete Delta to become the dominant variant in the UK.

But much is still unknown, and it could still take weeks to understand how severe illness from the variant is and what it means for the effectiveness of vaccines.

The variant is currently spreading in the community in multiple areas of England, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday.

The government's cabinet was given an update on the pandemic on Tuesday morning.

Giving an account of the meeting afterwards, the PM's spokesman said: "The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta."

But he said there was "no hard agreement on the level of transmissibility", and it was "too early to tell" the effect on vaccine evasion or seriousness of the illness it would cause.

The spokesman also said ministers did not discuss whether to introduce the government's "plan B" for winter - which could involve more restrictions if the pressure on the NHS becomes too much.

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Analysis box by Nick Triggle, health correspondent

Officially there have been just over 400 Omicron infections. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

It is based on positive tests sent to labs to check for variants, which only happens in a minority of cases.

Because of a quirk in the way Omicron shows on PCR tests it is possible to identify suspected cases too.

Using this data, researchers at the University of East Anglia believe there could have been five to six times as many Omicron cases as the official total shows.

This data is what is behind suggestions the number of cases is doubling every three days or so and the conclusion that it is more transmissible than Delta.

What is not clear is why. To what extent is it down to Omicron's ability to get past immunity, greater infectiousness or because it has a shorter incubation period?

The answer to that could have a big bearing on how quickly and how far infection levels will climb.

Another unknown is what that will mean for serious illness. You would expect reinfections or infections post-vaccination to be milder.

If that is the case, the proportion of cases ending up in hospital will drop.

But even if it halves, if infection rates more than double, pressure on the NHS will still increase.

The threat of hospitals being overwhelmed is now back on the table.

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Earlier, Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan also said it was clear the Omicron variant spreads rapidly.

Although there have been only five cases in Wales - compared with 333 in England and 99 in Scotland (and none in Northern Ireland) - Ms Morgan said people should act with caution.

"We are expecting a significant wave of Omicron to hit Wales," she said.

"The modelling suggests that that will reach its peak by around the end of January, which is why there is an urgency in terms of getting people vaccinated and boosters done as soon as possible."

Ms Sturgeon said about 4% of cases in Scotland appeared to be the Omicron variant, adding: "Our estimate at this stage is that the doubling time for Omicron cases may be as short as two to three days, and that the R number associated with the new variant may be well over two."

Although it is an early estimate based on limited data, a fast doubling time means cases can get high quickly. For example, three day doubling means going from 1,000 cases a day to about 100,000 cases a day in one month.

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Omicron is the most heavily mutated version of coronavirus found so far.

It was first identified in South Africa, where there is now a surge in the number of people catching Covid multiple times.

This suggests the variant might be better at sidestepping some of the protection offered by vaccines, or past infection.

However, there is not definitive proof. Even if Omicron is more infectious, there is no evidence yet that it causes more serious illness.

The government is urging people to take up their booster jab when offered - or be vaccinated if they have not yet done so.

Speaking during a visit to a prison on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said the UK had now delivered more than 20 million boosters."I would certainly say to people, now is the time to get it," he added.

On Tuesday the government announced there had been another 45,691 Covid cases and a further 180 people had died.

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2021-12-07 17:11:03Z
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COVID-19: UK records 101 new Omicron variant cases in past 24 hours taking total to 437 - Sky News

Another 101 Omicron COVID variant cases have been recorded in the UK, taking the total across the country to 437.

This compares with 90 new cases reported on Monday.

The latest daily data from the UK Health Security Agency shows 72 cases were in England, 28 in Scotland, and one in Wales.

So far, no confirmed Omicron cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland.

Live COVID-19 updates from the UK and around the world

It comes as the UK reported a total of 45,691 new COVID cases in the latest 24-hour period.

A further 180 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.

More on Covid-19

Currently, 7,317 COVID patients are in hospital in the UK, including 901 in ventilation beds.

According to the latest government data, 19,979 more people have had a first vaccine dose in the last 24 hours, another 25,012 have received a second jab, while a further 329,165 have had a booster or third dose.

Omicron 'more transmissible'

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said early indications suggest Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant.

He made the comment as he updated ministers on the COVID situation at a cabinet meeting.

Giving an account of the meeting, the PM's spokesman said: "The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta."

Downing Street also warned that it is still unclear what impact the vaccines have on the new variant.

The warning comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs that Omicron cases have been identified in people without any travel history - meaning it is now being contracted within the community.

'There could be 1,000 Omicron cases a day in UK'

On Monday, a leading scientist told Sky News that the Omicron variant is already causing up to 1,000 infections a day in the UK.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, said the outbreak was now well under way, doubling every three to four days.

Meanwhile, British drugmaker GSK has announced that its antibody-based COVID-19 therapy with US partner Vir Biotechnology is effective against all mutations of the Omicron variant.

The unpublished data shows that the companies' treatment, sotrovimab, is effective against all 37 identified mutations to date in the spike protein, GSK said in a statement.

Another pre-clinical data showed that the drug had worked against key mutations of the Omicron strain.

Last week, it was approved for UK use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Also on Tuesday, pre-departure COVID testing for people arriving in the UK was reintroduced, with travellers also required on arrival to take a day two PCR test and isolate until they receive a negative result.

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2021-12-07 15:33:45Z
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Senin, 06 Desember 2021

Public health expert Karl Lauterbach named Germany’s health minister - Financial Times

Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor-designate, has appointed the MP and epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach as his health minister, putting a prominent voice of caution and a strong advocate of mandatory vaccinations in charge of the country’s pandemic response.

Over the past year-and-a-half Lauterbach has emerged as one of Germany’s best-known and most-trusted experts on public health, and became renowned for his strong support of lockdown measures to fight the spread of Covid-19.

He has backed stricter restrictions on the unvaccinated and called for the closure of all bars and clubs until the fourth wave of infections is over.

Lauterbach’s appointment comes at a time when infection rates have been hitting levels not seen since the start of the pandemic. German authorities have signalled they will introduce obligatory vaccinations next year to tackle the stubbornly low inoculation rates.

Scholz is due to be elected chancellor by the Bundestag on Wednesday, nearly 11 weeks after his Social Democrats (SPD) narrowly won national elections that brought the curtain down on Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign. He will lead an unprecedented three-way coalition with the Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

The FDP and Greens have already announced their nominees for cabinet posts, and on Monday it was the SPD’s turn. The SPD and FDP at the weekend overwhelmingly approved the 177-page coalition accord between the three parties. The Greens will announce the results of a membership vote on the deal later on Monday.

Lauterbach, who has been adjunct professor of health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health since 2008, said the country would “win the fight against the pandemic and we will be better equipped for further pandemics”. Vaccinations would “play a central role”, he added.

Asked about the prospects for the Christmas period, he said a key aim would be “to bring the case numbers down so far that we can recommend travel without endangering people”.

Confirming Lauterbac’s appointment, Scholz said Germans wanted a health minister who was a specialist in that field and someone who could do the job well.

Naming a trio of women to head the interior, defence and development ministries, Scholz said: “In this government, security will be in the hands of strong women.” It means that for the first time in German history, it will have women foreign, defence and interior ministers.

Nancy Faeser, a lawyer who leads the SPD in the southern state of Hesse, will become Germany’s first female interior minister, overseeing the federal police force and domestic intelligence.

She told reporters that her focus would be “the fight against rightwing extremism” which she described as the “greatest threat that our democratic system currently faces”.

Christine Lambrecht, outgoing justice minister, will move to the defence ministry, while Klara Geywitz, a Social Democrat legislator from the eastern state of Brandenburg, will become minister of construction.

Hubertus Heil will stay on as minister of labour and social affairs, and Svenja Schulze, outgoing environment minister, will move to the ministry of economic co-operation and development, which is in charge of overseas aid.

Scholz’s close aide, Wolfgang Schmidt, who was previously a state secretary at the finance ministry, will become chancellery minister — effectively Scholz’s chief of staff.

The Greens and FDP have already named their nominees to cabinet posts. Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock will become foreign minister, co-leader Robert Habeck is to head the economics ministry and Christian Lindner, FDP leader, will be Germany’s next finance minister.

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2021-12-06 12:47:14Z
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Covid-19: Italy tightens restrictions for unvaccinated - BBC News

Customers have their green pass checked as they arrive at a bar
Reuters

Italy has introduced tougher restrictions for unvaccinated people amid concern over the Omicron variant and a potential spike in infections.

Many public activities will be off limits to anyone without a so-called Covid Super Green Pass from Monday.

The pass shows proof of vaccination, or recovery from the virus within the last six months.

It will be needed to enter theatres, cinemas, music venues, sports events, restaurants and bars until mid-January.

The new measures strengthen the existing Covid green passes, which can be obtained following a negative test. The basic green passes will now be required to use public transport, as well as to access places of work.

Italy is grappling with a spike in coronavirus infections, which have been rising gradually since mid-October.

There is also concern around Europe about the spread of the Omicron variant, which experts fear may be more transmissible and evade some immunity to Covid.

Italy was ravaged by infections in the early stages of the pandemic and has one of the highest death tolls at more than 134,000.

But the country's vaccination rate is higher than many of its neighbours. About 73% of the total population have been fully vaccinated and 11% have had booster shots, according to the latest data.

Even so, several Italian cities have imposed rules obliging people to wear facemasks, even in outdoor settings such as crowded shopping streets.

Italy introduced green passes in August for access to cultural and social venues before extending them to workplaces in October.

The passes were initially intended to make travel within the EU more efficient, but several countries have widened their use to limit infections and encourage vaccine up-take.

France requires a health pass for access to restaurants, bars, planes and trains, while Austria and Cyprus are among other EU countries to have used similar schemes.

In recent weeks, European countries have placed stricter restrictions on unvaccinated people in response to rising infections as winter approaches.

In mid-November, Austria imposed a lockdown for the unvaccinated.

Germany's leaders, meanwhile, have agreed to bar unvaccinated people from many public venues, and Greece announced monthly fines of €100 (£85; $113) for anyone over 60 who remains unvaccinated.

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2021-12-06 12:45:26Z
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Minggu, 05 Desember 2021

Latest news updates: Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to 4 years in prison - Financial Times

Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of inciting dissent against the military, and violating the country’s disaster management law © Franck Robichon/Reuters

A court in Myanmar on Monday sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s deposed former leader, to four years in prison, delivering the first two guilty verdicts in a raft of criminal cases the ruling military have brought against her since a coup in February.

The 76-year-old leader was sentenced in the capital Naypyidaw to two years in prison after being convicted of inciting dissent against the military, and two for violating the country’s disaster management law.

The latter charge was brought by junta authorities against Suu Kyi for allegedly breaching Covid-19 containment rules when she waved to supporters of her National League for Democracy party as they passed her residence during last year’s election campaign.

Myanmar’s toppled leader has been given only limited access to legal counsel, and faces more than 10 criminal charges in all, in what her supporters describe as a show trial meant to bar her from ever holding office again.

General Min Aung Hlaing’s military regime seized power on February 1 and detained Suu Kyi and hundreds of other NLD parliamentarians and ruling officials after making unsupported claims of widespread fraud in an election that her party won.

“Since the day of the coup, it’s been clear that the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi, and the dozens of other detained MPs, have been nothing more than an excuse by the junta to justify their illegal power grab,” said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and chair of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a pressure group.

“Despite this most recent attempt to demonstrate their power, the Myanmar people continue to risk their lives every day to show that they completely reject this military,” he added in a statement.

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2021-12-06 06:29:03Z
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Thomas Massie: US congressman condemned for Christmas guns photo - BBC News

Congressman Thomas Massie and his family bearing a collection of military-style assault rifles
@REPTHOMASMASSIE

A US congressman has faced a barrage of criticism after he posted a Christmas photograph of his family posing with military-style rifles, just days after a deadly school shooting.

Kentucky's Republican representative, Thomas Massie, tweeted the photo with the caption: "Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo".

The post has been condemned by a host of families affected by gun violence, plus figures on both sides of politics.

He has been contacted for comment.

In the wake of the controversy, Mr Massie has retweeted messages of support, and also those criticising him - directly engaging with several Twitter users who said he was "tone deaf" and "insensitive".

In response to one person who wrote the "bar was on the floor, but somehow you managed to tunnel underneath it," the 50-year-old quipped that "The BAR is under the couch," referring to a type of military assault rifle.

The photo was posted days after a school shooting in Michigan which left four teenagers dead and seven people injured after a 15-year-old student allegedly went on a rampage using his father's gun.

The suspect's parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to heed multiple warning signs before the tragedy. They have plead not guilty.

It is was the latest in a string of shootings in the US that has lead to fierce debate about gun rights and laws.

The families of students killed in previous school shootings have spoken out against the post.

Fred Guttenberg's daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland high school shooting in Florida in 2018 - one of the worst school attacks the US has seen.

He posted a photo of Jaime, and also a photo of her gravestone under the congressman's post.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
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Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin also died in the Parkland attack, told CNN that the tweet was in "the worst taste ever".

Several figures from the Republican party also condemned the post.

Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman from Illinois, mocked him for displaying a "gun fetish" with the post.

And Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly former President Donald Trump's communications director, tweeted that he would fund any potential candidates running against Mr Massie in next year's congressional elections.

Despite the criticism, several prominent names in US conservative circles have defended the congressman.

The Colorado representative and gun-rights activist, Lauren Boebert tweeted: "That's my kind of Christmas card". Another Republican, Jose Castillo wrote "All I want for Christmas is... more elected officials like Thomas Massie."

Rep. Massie draws a handgun from his pocket during a rally in support of the Second Amendment on January 31, 2020
Getty Images

Mr Massie was first elected to be Kentucky's congressional representative in 2012 and is closely associated with the libertarian wing of the Republican party.

He is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment - the right to keep and bear arms - and has always strongly opposed any gun control initiatives, saying in interviews that they would not stop school massacres.

In April, he introduced a bill to lower the age to buy handguns from 21 to 18.

His office has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment on his Twitter post.

In 2020, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans - more than any other year in at least two decades - according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

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2021-12-06 00:42:47Z
1202795939

Zambia crocodile attack: British teen Amelie Osborn-Smith 'fully accepted' she would lose a foot after being bitten - Sky News

A British teenager who survived a crocodile attack in Zambia has said she had "fully accepted" she would lose a foot.

Amelie Osborn-Smith, from Andover, Hampshire, had been with friends on a gap-year holiday and was white-water rafting on the Zambezi River near the famous Victoria Falls when the incident happened.

The 18-year-old, who finished her A-levels at school in Winchester earlier this year, was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her and dragged her under the water.

She was saved by a friend who reportedly punched the crocodile on the nose, with The Sun reporting that other rafters and guides also jumped in the water to fight the 10ft reptile off.

Amelie Osborn-Smith (Pic: Medland Hospital)
Image: She was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her. Pic: Medland Hospital

She was then airlifted to a hospital in Zambia's capital Lusaka - about 240 miles away.

And speaking from her hospital bed, she revealed: "When the accident happened I fully accepted that I was going to lose my foot…

"I said to my friends, 'I've lost my foot, but I'm still alive.'

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"And then I was told that my foot is going to be fine, and I'll be able to walk again, it was such a relief."

She also described the moment the attack happened in a video posted to the hospital's Facebook page on Saturday, which says she's set to fly home "within the coming 48 hours".

Amelie Osborn-Smith was attacked by a crocodile in Zambia. Pic: Instagram/@amelieosbornsmith
Image: Amelie finished her A-levels earlier this year. Pic: Instagram/@amelieosbornsmith

"A lot of people say you see your life flash before you, but you don't," she said.

"I just thought, 'how am I going to get out of this situation?'

"I was just very, very lucky."

The Zambezi River is a haven for those seeking water sports and wonderful views, but it is also home to a number of vicious - and potentially deadly - animals, including crocodiles.

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2021-12-05 19:47:01Z
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