Covid stay information: catastrophic winter wave unlikely in UK, says scientist; Russia studies document 1,241 deaths | World information

4 occasions as many individuals in Tokyo are more likely to have been contaminated by coronavirus by final March than had appeared in official figures, new analysis has claimed.

Primarily based on a survey of greater than 23,000 individuals within the Japanese capital, researchers on the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science estimated that the seroprevalence of Covid antibodies was 3.4%, the Japan Times studies.

That signifies that 470,778 out of Tokyo’s complete inhabitants of about 14m had been contaminated with Covid by March.

“The estimated variety of people in Tokyo with a historical past of SARS-CoV-2 an infection was 3.9-fold increased than the variety of confirmed circumstances throughout the interval,” the examine stated. It has been peer reviewed and was printed within the Japan Epidemiological Affiliation’s Journal of Epidemiology.

California has change into the newest US state to make Covid vaccine booster doses out there for all adults, regardless of a name from federal well being officers to restrict their distribution to individuals most in danger.

It follows comparable strikes by Colorado and New Mexico, which have among the many highest charges of recent infections within the US. California, the nation’s most populous state, has now joined them within the “excessive” tier for transmission, in line with current figures from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

In a letter to native well being officers and suppliers, seen by the Related Press, California’s public well being officer, Tomás Aragón, stated they need to “permit sufferers to self-determine their threat of publicity” and never flip away anybody over the age of 18 who has gone greater than six months since their second dose of vaccine.

Pharmacies ought to prioritise boosters for individuals working in expert nursing or dwelling in care properties, however usually “shouldn’t miss any alternative” to present top-up jabs to anybody visiting a drug retailer, hospital or medical workplace, he stated.

These had been the scenes in The Hague on Friday evening because the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, introduced new coronavirus restrictions throughout the Netherlands.

Police fired water cannon towards lots of of firework-throwing protesters gathered outdoors the justice and safety ministry throughout Rutte’s press convention.

About 200 protesters threw stones and fireworks at riot police and constructed barricades, in line with AFP.

Police used water cannon to disperse them, with loud bangs and chants echoing by the centre of town as mounted police rounded up the stragglers.

The Dutch restrictions, which embody no less than three weeks of Covid curbs on eating places, outlets and sporting occasions, are western Europe’s first partial lockdown of the winter.

From Saturday, bars, eating places, cafes and supermarkets must shut at 8pm for the subsequent three weeks, whereas outlets categorised as non-essential should shut at 6pm.

Public occasions can be scrapped whereas soccer matches, together with the Netherlands’ residence World Cup qualifier with Norway subsequent week, must be performed behind closed doorways.

Individuals can be restricted to having 4 guests at residence and have been suggested to work from home until completely mandatory. Nevertheless, colleges will stay open, and folks can be allowed to go away their properties with out restrictions.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has urged unvaccinated individuals to rethink their resolution, because the seven-day coronavirus incidence charge in Germany rose to the very best stage for the reason that pandemic started.

“Tough weeks lie forward of us, and you’ll see that I’m very anxious,” Merkel stated in her weekly video podcast on Saturday. “I urgently ask everybody who has not but been vaccinated: please rethink.”

Germany’s seven-day incidence charge – the variety of individuals per 100,000 to be contaminated during the last week – rose to 277.4 on Saturday, information from the Robert Koch Institute confirmed, in line with Reuters. The document within the third wave of the pandemic, final December, was 197.6.

The federal authorities is because of meet the leaders of Germany’s 16 states subsequent week to debate new pandemic restrictions. Nevertheless, the three events negotiating to kind a brand new authorities have agreed to let the expiry of a state of emergency that has been in place for the reason that begin of the pandemic go forward on 25 November as deliberate.

The UK is in “fairly a distinct scenario” from different European nations the place curbs on freedoms are being thought-about, an influential pandemic adviser to the federal government has stated.

Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial Faculty London, stated excessive Covid case numbers in the summertime had boosted immunity within the UK’s inhabitants, in contrast with Germany, the Netherlands and France.

He stated he hoped the UK might keep away from returning to social distancing restrictions this winter, including: “I feel it’s unlikely we are going to get something near what we had final yr, that catastrophic winter wave.”

Requested on BBC Radio 4’s Immediately programme what course he believes the nation goes, Ferguson stated a number of weeks of declining Covid circumstances and hospital admissions had been adopted by “a touch of an uptick in the previous few days”.

“However we’re in fairly a distinct scenario from these European nations [the Netherlands and Germany] you’re speaking about,” he stated.

“We’ve had very excessive case numbers – between 30,000 and 50,000 a day – actually for the final 4 months, for the reason that starting of July.

“That has clearly had some downsides. It has additionally paradoxically had an upside of boosting the immunity of the inhabitants in contrast with nations like Germany, the Netherlands and France, which have had a lot decrease case numbers and are solely now seeing an uptick.”

About 400 South Korean and Japanese vacationers have change into the primary to go to Vietnam in nearly 20 months, after the nation closed its borders in an effort to comprise the coronavirus.

The passengers, who had been required to point out proof of vaccination and damaging Covid take a look at outcomes earlier than departure, travelled on constitution flights from Seoul and Tokyo to Nha Trang, a resort metropolis within the south of Vietnam, in line with AFP.

Vietnam, which closed its borders to worldwide guests in March final yr, is determined to revive its badly hit financial system after months of lockdowns. The communist one-party state was extensively praised for its dealing with of the pandemic final yr, with solely dozens of recognized coronavirus circumstances.

Nevertheless, the extremely transmissible Delta variant arrived within the nation this April, and Vietnam has since recorded greater than one million infections and nearly 23,000 deaths.

A brand new document Covid loss of life toll has been reported in Russia, with 1,241 dying from the illness up to now 24 hours. There have been 39,256 new coronavirus circumstances recorded in the identical interval, in line with Reuters.

Originally of the week, most of Russia’s 80-plus areas lifted a weeklong office shutdown that was designed to curb a surge in case numbers.

A US courtroom has upheld a call to halt Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for corporations with greater than 100 staff, rejecting a authorized problem from his administration.

A 3-member panel of the fifth US circuit courtroom of appeals in New Orleans affirmed its ruling regardless of the Biden administration’s declare that placing the vaccine mandate on maintain might result in dozens and even lots of of deaths, in line with Reuters.

“The mandate is staggeringly overbroad,” the opinion stated.

“The mandate is a one-size-fits-all sledgehammer that makes hardly any try to account for variations in workplaces (and staff),” circuit courtroom decide Kurt Engelhardt wrote for the panel.

Vaccine mandates are controversial. Supporters say they’re wanted to place an finish to the just about two-year pandemic, whereas opponents argue they violate the US structure and curb particular person liberty.

In a lift to critics of the mandate, Engelhardt wrote: “The general public curiosity can also be served by sustaining our constitutional construction and sustaining the freedom of people to make intensely private choices in line with their very own convictions – even, or maybe notably, when these choices frustrate authorities officers.”

The rule, issued by the Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA), mandates that companies with no less than 100 staff require workers to get vaccinated or face weekly checks and face masks necessities.

Biden imposed the requirement in September, telling People that “our endurance is sporting skinny” with these refusing to get vaccinated.

Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, has urged aged and susceptible individuals to get their coronavirus vaccine booster jabs to stop an increase in Covid circumstances, as he warned of “storm clouds” forming over components of Europe.

Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Croatia are among the many nations which have not too long ago seen a surge in Covid circumstances, with the previous recording its highest coronavirus case numbers for the reason that begin of the pandemic.

Talking in a broadcast clip, Johnson stated the scenario was of concern. “I’m seeing the storm clouds gathering over components of the European continent. And I’ve acquired to be completely frank with individuals: we’ve been right here earlier than. We bear in mind what occurs when the wave begins rolling in,” he stated.

The World Well being Group’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, has stated an absence of uptake of Covid vaccines is behind the increase.

Whereas Johnson famous that circumstances within the UK had been “drifting down for some time”, he stated it was unclear whether or not the development was set to proceed. “I’m taking a look at what’s occurring abroad, and I’m merely saying to the British individuals … that is the second to get your booster,” he stated.

A number of thousand individuals rallied in Melbourne towards new vaccination mandates on Saturday, with a couple of evaluating the state authorities to Nazis and calling for violence towards politicians.

In Australia, the place 83% of individuals aged 16 and above have been totally vaccinated towards the coronavirus, nationwide vaccinations are voluntary. However states and territories have mandated vaccinations for a lot of occupations and barred the unvaccinated from actions reminiscent of eating out and concert events.

The Melbourne demonstration towards the vaccination mandate that got here into impact on Saturday – requiring building staff in Victoria state to be totally vaccinated – was peaceable, with no instant studies of unruly behaviour or arrests, in line with Reuters.

However a reporter at The Age posted video on Twitter of a protester carrying a mock gallows with three nooses hanging from it, and the newspaper confirmed a protester carrying a poster depicting the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, with a Hitler moustache and the hashtag #DictatorDan.

“We’re being ruled by insane medical bureaucrats,” Craig Kelly, a former Liberal occasion member of parliament and now the chief of the United Australia occasion, informed the rally, media reported.

Good morning from London, and welcome to yet one more coronavirus stay weblog.

I’m Damien Gayle and I’ll be holding you updated with all the newest headlines and developments from the coronavirus pandemic world wide.

Received a coronavirus-related story you suppose we ought to be protecting? Drop me a line at damien.gayle@theguardian.com, or by way of my Twitter profile @damiengayle.