Covid Live news: Omicron’s latest update as scientists say Christmas parties ‘feel unsafe’

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Minister tells the audience ‘Keep calm and carry on with your Christmas plans’

A Sage member said he wouldn’t feel safe going to a Christmas party as Boris Johnson insisted festive plans shouldn’t be disrupted by the omicron variant.

Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of Sage’s Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats, said “the chances of infection were too high” to throw a party.

NHS leaders have yet to be told how the government expects them to manage a massive expansion of the booster vaccine campaign, nearly a week after indicating that millions more people will need to be vaccinated before the end of January.

A major new vaccine trial found that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provided the most significant rise in immunity levels from a third dose.

The government cited the experiment, which was conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Human Rights’ Clinical Research Facility, in its decision to use only the mRNA patter for its Boost Britain campaign.

Latest update 1638540116 showed ‘no plans’ to make punches mandatory, says number 10

Downing Street said the government “has no plans” to make vaccinations mandatory.

Asked if the strikes could be made mandatory – or restrictions placed on the unvaccinated, as Germany is doing now – a spokesman for Boris Johnson told reporters: “It’s not something we’re looking to introduce.

“You are aware of the changes we have made in terms of social care settings and for NHS workers, given the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our community. But there are no plans beyond that in this regard.”

Liam James December 3, 2021 14:01

1638539303 Prepare to adapt Omicron vaccines, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said vaccine producers should plan to adapt their products to the omicron variant.

Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesman, said the agency was continuing to study the transmissibility and severity of the new virus.

“It is highly recommended that vaccine manufacturers actually begin planning ahead and planning for the possibility of having to modify the current vaccine,” he said at a United Nations briefing in Geneva.

“It’s good not just waiting for the last alarm bell to sound.”

Liam James December 3, 2021 13:48

1638538223 NHS leaders in the dark over government’s support plan for the rollout

NHS leaders have yet to be told how the government expects them to manage a massive expansion of the booster vaccine campaign, after nearly a week of signaling tens of millions of people are on the move, writes Rebecca Thomas.

A senior NHS director in West Midlands said: “It’s really a problem, as they say they are going to step up the programme. There is a lot of emotion and frustration and we don’t quite know where it will really go down in terms of the vaccination programme and how it will be communicated.

“As with every stage of this, we will find a solution on how to get the vaccine to people, but the way the government has been doing it has been undermined.

Read the full story here:

Liam James December 3, 2021 13:30

Thai paper criticized for ‘title hunting for African visitors’

A newspaper in Thailand attracted violent public backlash for its “poor choice” of words in a headline about African peoples and omicron.

On Thursday, the Bangkok Post published on Twitter a photo of the front page of its print edition with the headline: “Government is looking for African visitors.”

It comes after South Africa reported on the new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, on November 25.

Thailand’s health authorities said on Wednesday they had been tracking about 783 travelers who had arrived in Thailand from various South African countries since November 15 amid Covid-type concerns.

Read the full story here by Shweta Sharma

Lamia Sabine December 3, 2021 13:10

16,38535,800 doctors in India with no travel history tested positive for Omicron

A doctor in India who has not traveled abroad is one of the two people who have tested positive for the omicron variant in the country.

This discovery raised concerns that the variant was more widespread than initially thought.

Federal health authorities said Thursday that the other person who tested positive for the new variant is a 66-year-old South African who has already left India.

The two patients tested positive in Karnataka, southern India.

Read more here from Namita Singh

Lamia Sabine December 3, 2021 12:50

1638534898 WHO says no Omicron deaths so far warrants more punches

There have been no reports of deaths linked to the omicron variant so far, according to a WHO official.

The organization has urged countries to boost capacity to vaccinate citizens, adding that travel restrictions alone only “buy time”.

“Border control can buy time but every country and every community must prepare for new increases in cases,” Takeshi Kasai, director of the WHO’s Western Pacific region, said at a media briefing.

People should not rely solely on border measures. The most important thing is to prepare for these highly transmissible variables. The information available so far indicates that we do not have to change our approach.”

Mr. Kasai urged countries to fully vaccinate vulnerable groups and adhere to preventive measures such as wearing masks and social distancing.

The World Health Organization has listed Omicron as a “variable of concern” and scientists are still collecting data to determine its severity and contagiousness just as parts of Europe have been hit by winter infection spikes due to the delta variant.

“I have not seen reports of Omicron-related deaths yet,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a United Nations news briefing in Geneva.

But he said vaccine makers should prepare for the possibility of modifying their products to protect against omicron.

Lamia Sabine December 3, 2021 12:34

1638533702 Almost 4 out of 10 had a lateral flow test last week

About 4 in 10 (37 percent) adults have had a lateral flow test in the past seven days, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A survey of 3,000 adults also asked how often people reported results to the NHS.

31 percent said they always reported the outcome, 25 percent said they did it sometimes, and 24 percent said they never did.

Liam James December 3, 2021 12:15

1638532502 Government ‘determined’ to continue routine NHS treatments through winter

Health Minister Edward Argar said the government was determined to support routine treatments on the NHS during the winter.

Senior NHS leaders told The Independent yesterday that routine treatments must be reduced or canceled in order to meet the government’s booster vaccine deadline at the end of January.

In a statement to the House of Commons today, Mr Argar said: “We are determined to maximize the ability of the NHS to continue elective services during the winter months, so that people can have access to routine treatments such as hip surgery and diagnostic tests.”

Liam James December 3, 2021 11:55

1638531362 Population exposed to triple attack increased by 10% in two weeks

The proportion of adults in Britain who had a booster vaccine rose 10 per cent in two weeks, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

About a third (34 percent) of adults had been stabbed three times by November 28, up from 24 percent by November 14.

Liam James December 3, 2021 11:36

1638530425 Weekly Covid deaths drop in Northern Ireland

There were forty deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland in the week ending November 26, according to the latest reports.

The number is down from 44 in the previous week.

The total number recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) is now 3,881.

Nisra’s number is derived from various data sources and is always higher than the Ministry of Health total because it provides a broader picture.

Liam James December 3, 2021 11:20

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