Coronavirus live: Russia Covid deaths still at record highs; Sweden extends Moderna jab pause for under-30s

More societal mixing indoors aft the lifting of restrictions conscionable arsenic wintertime sets successful is driving a emergence successful Covid infections successful galore countries crossed Europe, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) exigency manager Mike Ryan said today.

He told a quality conference:

Dr Mike Ryan. Photograph: WHO/Reuters

Russia has recorded its highest regular infirmary decease toll from the illness successful a precise agelong time, portion the week-on-week emergence successful coronavirus cases successful Britain was little than successful parts of eastbound Europe, helium said.

Italy reported 36 coronavirus-related deaths connected Thursday compared to 33 the time before, the wellness ministry said, portion the regular tally of caller infections roseate to 3,794 from 3,702.

Italy has registered 131,724 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged successful February past year, the second-highest toll successful Europe aft Britain and the ninth-highest successful the world. The state has reported 4.73 cardinal cases to date.

Patients successful infirmary with Covid - not including those successful intensive attraction - stood astatine 2,439 connected Thursday, down from 2,464 a time earlier, the Reuters quality bureau reported.

There were 22 caller admissions to intensive attraction units, down from 25 connected Wednesday. The full fig of intensive attraction patients accrued marginally to 356 from a erstwhile 355.

A elder wellness authoritative successful western Canada has made an affectional plea for radical to get vaccinated against coronavirus and observe societal distancing recommendations, highlighting the grief and vexation felt by wellness workers successful a state wherever Covid deaths proceed contempt the availability of vaccines.

Saskatchewan’s main aesculapian officer, Dr Saqib Shahab, was brought to tears during a briefing connected Wednesday, arsenic helium presented caller information showing the continuing unit connected the province’s hospitals and intensive attraction units.

“All the grounds is retired there. And it’s precise distressing to spot precise young, unvaccinated radical ending up successful ICU and dying,” helium said. “To spot young lives mislaid done a vaccine-preventable illness – however tin we spot this successful a state wherever we’ve had vaccines disposable since July?”

Saskatchewan has the highest play decease complaint successful Canada – and the concern has go truthful dire that the state has started transferring patients thousands of kilometres distant to Ontario – wherever progressive cases are 10 times little per capita.

Saskatchewan Chief Medical Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab. Photograph: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

The immense bulk of those successful ICUs are unvaccinated, according to nationalist wellness officials.

Tearing up during the teleconference, Dr Shahab said the caller months had been “a precise challenging time”. He apologised for the amusement of emotion – but has since been met with wide enactment from colleagues and provincial officials.

The determination to halt vaccinating young radical with the Moderna Covid vaccine successful Sweden and Denmark is being monitored by a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group.

The ‘pause’ follows “very rare” myocarditis identified successful immoderate who received it and a connection was expected soon, WHO’s adjunct manager wide Mariangela Simao said today.

Work connected a reappraisal of Sputnik V vaccine made by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute for imaginable WHO exigency usage listing has restarted, aft being connected clasp owed to a “legal procedure”, she told a quality briefing.

A aesculapian idiosyncratic prepares a changeable of the Moderna vaccine. Photograph: Joseph Odelyn/AP

Further inspections were planned successful the adjacent fewer weeks and further objective information was expected, Reuters reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called connected the world’s 20 richest nations, holding a acme adjacent week, to measurement up donations of Covid doses to the planetary southbound wherever vaccinations lag.

“The @g20org countries indispensable fulfil their dose-sharing commitments immediately,” WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told a quality briefing.

Gordon Brown, WHO ambassador for planetary wellness financing, said that if the world’s richest countries cannot mobilise for a vaccine airlift to processing countries, an epidemiological and economical “dereliction of work volition shame america all”, Reuters reported.

There is inactive a shortfall of 500m vaccines to scope WHO’s 40% vaccination people successful each countries successful mid-2022, portion 240m doses are lying unused successful the west, Brown said.

Russia has reported “isolated cases” of coronavirus with a subvariant of the Delta variant that is believed to beryllium adjacent much contagious, the authorities user watchdog’s elder researcher said.

The researcher, Kamil Khafizov, said the AY.4.2 subvariant whitethorn beryllium astir 10% much infectious than the archetypal Delta - which has driven caller cases and deaths to a bid of grounds regular highs successful Russia - and could yet regenerate it.

However, helium said this was apt to beryllium a dilatory process, adding:

The vaccines are effectual capable against this mentation of the virus, which is not truthful antithetic arsenic to dramatically alteration the quality to hindrance to antibodies.

The AY.4.2 subvariant is besides connected an expanding trajectory successful England and had already accounted for astir 6% of each sequences generated connected the week opening 27 September, a UK Health Security Agency study released this week said.

The UK’s wellness secretary, Sajid Javid, connected Wednesday said determination was nary crushed to judge the subvariant posed a greater menace than Delta, Reuters reported.

A motion calling connected customers to support themselves by utilizing look masks, gloves and manus sanitiser, astatine the Galereya buying and leisure centre. Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/TASS

Russian immunologist Nikolay Kryuchkov said Delta and its subvariants would stay ascendant and mightiness successful the aboriginal accommodate successful immoderate ways to vaccines, particularly wherever vaccination rates are beneath oregon conscionable supra 50%. He added:

But it seems to maine that a revolutionary leap volition not happen, due to the fact that the coronavirus, similar immoderate organism, has an evolutionary limit, and the evolutionary leap has already happened.

Thailand volition let visitors from 46 countries vaccinated against Covid to skip quarantine from adjacent month, up from 10 antecedently announced, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha confirmed.

The south-east Asian state is poised to present the caller quarantine-free question arrangements connected 1 November arsenic it seeks to revive its captious tourism industry.

Last week, Prayuth said that astatine slightest 10 countries, including Britain, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States, would beryllium exempt from quarantine, Reuters reported.

He did not sanction the other countries successful a Facebook station connected Thursday, but said the visitors could skip mandatory quarantine providing they get via air, person been afloat vaccinated and person a papers to amusement they are virus-free.

Tourists vaccinated against Covid volition beryllium capable to participate Israel from adjacent month, its authorities announced connected Thursday, further easing curbs connected overseas arrivals that were imposed erstwhile the pandemic broke out.

A associated program betwixt the tourism and wellness ministries and the premier minister, Naftali Bennett, volition let the admittance of foreigners who received vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and others arsenic of 1 November.

The program is taxable to furniture support and “will beryllium updated successful accordance with developments and the find of caller variants”, the associated connection said.

Tourists locomotion done the Ben Gurion planetary airport. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israel’s borders person mostly been closed to foreigners since March 2020.

Coronavirus infections and deaths successful Ukraine person surged to all-time highs amid a dilatory vaccination rate, which is 1 of the lowest successful Europe.

Ukrainian authorities reported 22,415 caller confirmed infections and 546 deaths successful the past 24 hours, the highest numbers since the commencement of the pandemic.

Authorities person blamed a spike successful infections connected a dilatory gait of vaccination successful the federation of 41 cardinal people, Reuters reported.

Ukrainians tin take betwixt Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines, but lone astir 15% of Ukrainians are afloat vaccinated, Europe’s lowest level aft Armenia.

Overall, the state has registered much than 2.7m infections and 62,389 deaths.

Ukraine has faced a dependable emergence successful cases successful the past fewer weeks, which has forced the authorities to present restrictions connected entree to nationalist places and the usage of nationalist transport.

Starting connected Thursday, impervious of vaccination oregon a antagonistic trial is required to committee planes, trains and long-distance buses.

Sweden has extended the intermission of Moderna Covid vaccine for radical aged 30 and younger owed to uncommon heart-related side-effects, the nationalist wellness bureau said today.

The wellness bureau said earlier successful October that information pointed to an summation of myocarditis and pericarditis among youths and young adults vaccinated with Moderna vaccine Spikevax, and paused the usage for each calved successful 1991 oregon later.

The bureau said connected Thursday the intermission would beryllium extended beyond the archetypal deadline of 1 December and those who had taken a archetypal dose of the Moderna vaccine would beryllium offered the Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech instead, Reuters reported.

A healthcare idiosyncratic holds a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

The European Medicines Agency approved the usage of Comirnaty successful May, portion Spikevax was fixed the greenish airy for children implicit 12 successful July.

Moscow authorities person announced a week-long closure of astir non-essential services from 28 October, arsenic Russia registered its highest regular fig of coronavirus deaths and infections since the commencement of the pandemic.

“The concern successful Moscow continues to make successful the worst script … In the coming days, we volition scope a historical highest successful coronavirus battle,” the Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said successful a connection connected Thursday explaining his determination to present the measure.

Under the caller measures, each non-essential shops, schools and gyms volition beryllium shut. Restaurants and cafes volition beryllium capable to run arsenic takeaways, portion theatres and museums volition necessitate impervious of Covid-19 vaccination oregon recovery.

A time earlier, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, announced a weeklong nationwide paid vacation starting from 30 October to halt the dispersed of infections.

Russia has repeatedly surpassed all-time-high numbers of Covid deaths and infections implicit the past 3 weeks, with lone a 3rd of the state afloat vaccinated.

In the US, the disguise mandate for students successful immoderate South Florida schools could beryllium eased by the extremity of October.

It comes arsenic section rates of Covid infections and hospitalisations proceed to fall, officials said.

The fig of students needing to quarantine successful Miami-Dade County nationalist schools has dropped importantly since schoolhouse started successful August, schoolhouse superintendent Alberto Carvalho said connected Wednesday.

He said the determination would beryllium based connected the latest Covid information and the proposal of a task unit of section doctors advising the district.

The easing of the disguise argumentation would springiness parents an opt-out proviso for their children, helium said.

The Associated Press reported:

Student Winston Wallace, nine, raises his manus successful people astatine iPrep Academy successful Miami. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP

In Greece, hundreds of authorities hospital workers person marched done cardinal Athens contiguous arsenic portion of a 24-hour onslaught to protestation unit shortages and compulsory coronavirus vaccinations.

About 500 protesters demonstrated successful the metropolis centre, heading past parliament toward the wellness ministry chanting slogans and holding up banners.

Unions representing the doctors, nurses and different aesculapian unit are protesting authorities plans they accidental exacerbate staffing shortages and pb to agelong moving hours portion undermining workers’ rights.

The unions person besides objected to the suspension of unvaccinated wellness attraction workers, saying this lone leads to further unit shortages.

Faced with rising infections and reluctance by galore to get vaccinated, the authorities has introduced a bid of incentives and penalties to promote Greeks to get their Covid shots.

Healthcare workers march shouting slogans against the authorities and its absorption of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photograph: Nikolas Georgiou/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Vaccinations person been made mandatory for wellness attraction workers and those moving successful attraction homes for the elderly, with those who garbage being suspended from work. Just implicit 60% of Greece’s colonisation of astir 11 cardinal radical are afloat vaccinated against Covid.

The unions accidental that portion they enactment vaccinations, idiosyncratic unit members should person the close to choose.

Good morning. Tom Ambrose here. I’ll beryllium bringing you each the latest Covid quality from astir the satellite implicit the adjacent 8 hours oregon so.

We commencement with the quality that the Seoul metropolis authorities has filed a constabulary ailment against members of South Korea’s main labour radical who, wearing outfits of the Netflix play Squid Game, defied Covid curbs to protestation for much jobs and amended enactment conditions.

Thousands of members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a nationwide objection connected Wednesday, according to the group, including successful downtown Seoul.

Dozens of members dressed up successful flamboyant jumpsuits and masks worn by actors successful the smash deed show.

Unionists dressed up successful pinkish jumpsuits and masks with achromatic circle, quadrate oregon triangle symbols worn by guards successful “Squid Game” were seen beating drums to large euphony and dancing.

Workers from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wearing Netflix bid ‘Squid Game’ costumes. Photograph: Yonhap News Agency/Reuters

Some held flags and signs speechmaking ”Inequality Out” and ”Safe Youth Employment; Quality Youth Employment”, footage from the group’s YouTube transmission showed.

“About 80 younker national members dressed up successful costumes that parody the Squid Game, which bitterly satirises the bare look of our society,” KCTU said successful a statement.

• Russia has again reported grounds highs for deaths and Covid cases successful a 24-hour period. According to the government’s coronavirus accusation centre, Russia recorded 1,036 fatalities and 36,339 cases implicit the past 24 hours. It comes 9 days up of a planned nationwide “non-working” week designed to stem the rising infections.
• The EU cause regulator is improbable to determine whether to o.k. Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine until astatine slightest the archetypal 4th of 2022 due to the fact that immoderate information needed for the reappraisal is inactive missing. The Kremlin has said determination were “technological differences” betwixt Moscow and the EMA regarding the completeness of paperwork.
• Only 1 successful 7 Covid vaccine doses promised to the world’s poorest countries by Covax person been delivered, a study reveals. Of 1.8bn doses pledged by affluent nations, conscionable 261m (14%) person arrived successful low-income countries
• Bulgaria contiguous recorded 4,522 caller cases successful the past 24 hours, the highest fig since the past highest of the pandemic successful the state successful April. There were additionally 107 deaths. Last nighttime determination were demonstrations successful Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, against the “green certificate” being introduced by the government, which was required for each indoor activities from midnight.
• Ukraine registered a grounds regular precocious of caller coronavirus infections and related deaths, the wellness ministry said today.
• In the UK, wellness curate Edward Argar appears to person ruled retired the mooted “plan C” which has appeared successful the media overnight, of limiting household mixing implicit the Christmas holidays. Amid rising lawsuit numbers successful England, helium besides this greeting declined to criticise colleagues attending the enclosed abstraction of the enclosure of the House of Commons without taking the precaution of wearing a look mask.
• Dr Chris Smith of the University of Cambridge has said fractional of Covid cases are asymptomatic, meaning the UK is “probably already adjacent to 100,000 cases a time anyway, we conscionable don’t cognize astir tons of them”.
• There has been continued disapproval of the dilatory booster jab roll-out. Residents successful attraction homes successful the UK are inactive waiting for their jabs, the president of the National Care Association has said. The shadiness civilization secretary, Jo Stevens, said determination was an “element of complacency” successful wellness caput Sajid Javid’s property league yesterday, and that “It doesn’t look that the authorities learned the lessons of the past 18 months.”
• Belgium’s authorities warned contiguous that the state could beryllium connected the cusp of different large surge successful Covid cases contempt its precocious vaccination rate.
• Authorities successful China cancelled hundreds of flights, closed schools and ramped up wide investigating connected Thursday to effort and stamp retired a caller Covid-19 outbreak linked to a radical of tourists. The latest outbreak was linked to an aged mates who were successful a radical of respective tourists that started successful Shanghai earlier flying to Xi’an, Gansu state and Inner Mongolia.
• In Paris this week determination is simply a motion of a instrumentality to normality of sorts with the instrumentality of the International Contemporary Art Fair. One grounds depicts French president Emmanuel Macron with the signifier of a look disguise carved into his face. Visitors person to beryllium masked and beryllium capable to beryllium they person been vaccinated.

Andrew Sparrow has our UK unrecorded blog today, which is being dominated by Covid. Tom Ambrose volition beryllium present soon to instrumentality implicit from maine with each the latest planetary coronavirus developments. And I’m disconnected to big the comments connected our Thursday quiz. I volition spot you present again tomorrow.

Not unexpectedly, Russia has again experienced grounds highs for deaths and Covid cases successful a 24-hour period. Moscow Times reports that according to the government’s coronavirus accusation centre, Russia suffered 1,036 fatalities and 36,339 cases implicit the past 24 hours. They write:

It has been 1 of the hallmarks of the pandemic that arsenic immoderate countries plaything into higher caseloads and caller restrictions, others are opening up.

In Paris this week determination is simply a motion of a instrumentality to normality of sorts with the instrumentality of the International Contemporary Art Fair. Michaela Cabrera reports for Reuters that contiguous it has welcomed dealers and VIPs, and time it volition beryllium unfastened to the nationalist – provided they deterioration masks and tin beryllium they are vaccinated.

Forty-three of the 170 galleries taking portion are showing their works online lone – a bequest of the pandemic. But different the event, successful its 47th edition, is beauteous overmuch backmost to normal, according to organisers and attendees.

A pistillate visits the 2021 International Contemporary Art Fair during today’s preview. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

“Despite the masks, we’re having a large time. And we’re truly happy. Most of america haven’t seen each different for 2 years,” said Bellatrix Hubert, elder spouse astatine David Zwirner Gallery. Exhibits see works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, arsenic good arsenic creations of the Covid-19 era.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, delivered a code during a ceremonial connected the eve of the event, and besides features successful 1 enactment connected show – “New photograph d’identite” by creator Wang Du.

Visitors locomotion past “New photograph d’identite” by creator Wang Du during the International Contemporary Art Fair successful Paris. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters

A follow-up present connected that quality earlier that the EU cause regulator is improbable to determine whether to o.k. Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine until astatine slightest the archetypal 4th of 2022 because, they say, immoderate information needed for the reappraisal is inactive missing [see 7.17am].

Gleb Stolyarov reports for Reuters that the Kremlin has present said determination were “technological differences” betwixt Moscow and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the completeness of paperwork submitted for the certification of the vaccine.