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January
China study says Wuhan COVID infections 3 times higher than official figure
Written by Nur YasminSHANGHAI (Reuters) - The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified, could be around three times the official figure, according to a study by Chinese researchers based in the city.
The paper, published by the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases journal on Thursday, analysed blood samples from more than 60,000 healthy individuals taken from locations across China from March to May 2020.
It found that 1.68% of those from Wuhan contained antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, compared to 0.59% in surrounding Hubei province and 0.38% in the rest of China.
With the city’s total population at more than 10 million, the researchers estimated that as many as 168,000 Wuhan residents were infected with the virus, compared to the official number of 50,340 hospitalised cases.
The study suggested at least two thirds of the total number were asymptomatic, and thousands could have been infected after the “elimination” of clinical cases, raising the possibility the virus could exist in a community for a long period without causing hospitalisations.
A separate study published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last month put the “seroprevalence” rate in Wuhan, the percentage of the population with antibodies, even higher at 4.43%, implying that around half a million people in the city could have been infected.
COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan at the end of 2019, with the first outbreak associated with a seafood market in the city. China finally locked down Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province on Jan. 23, 2020, but critics say it should have acted sooner.
China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the virus, and officials now point to overseas studies suggesting it was circulating in Europe several months before the Wuhan outbreak.
A 10-strong team from the World Health Organization was due to arrive in China this week to investigate the origins of COVID-19, but they have yet to be been given authorisation to enter the country.
Total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to date in mainland China now stands at 87,331, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634. (reuters)
January
Singapore PM gets COVID-19 vaccine and urges others to follow
Written by Nur YasminSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong received his first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, and urged others to take the jabs in a country that has largely brought the pandemic under control.
The 68-year-old shared a video of himself on his official Facebook page being injected in the arm at a local hospital.
Singapore has so far only approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine but has said it has secured enough doses for its 5.7 million population including from other vaccine-makers like Moderna and Sinovac.
“We got vaccinated early to show Singaporeans we are confident that the vaccine is safe and effective,” Lee said in a post accompanying the video, adding that he had been vaccinated alongside the country’s top health official, Kenneth Mak.
The rich island nation did some initial vaccinations of healthcare workers at the end of December. But Lee said broader vaccinations of staff at public healthcare institutions would start on Friday, followed by the elderly next month.
Government studies show nearly 60% of people are willing to be vaccinated, the health ministry has said. But the plans have stirred rare hesitancy among some due to the low risk of infection in Singapore and concern about any possible side effects from rapidly developed vaccines.
Unlike other countries that have embarked on mass vaccination programmes like the United States and Britain, the Southeast Asian island has largely eradicated the disease and has reported only a handful of local cases in recent months.
“Vaccinations are voluntary, but I hope that when it’s your turn, you will go for it,” Lee said, adding that he had been monitored for 30 minutes after the jab for any possible side effects and “felt fine”.
Authorities have said they will consider relaxing travel restrictions for people who have been vaccinated against the disease which has killed around 1.9 million people globally. (reuters)
January
China reports most COVID cases in five months as Hebei infections rise
Written by Nur YasminSHANGHAI (Reuters) -Authorities in the capital of China’s Hebei province strengthened travel restriction on Thursday to curb the spread of the coronavirus as the country reported the biggest rise in daily COVID-19 cases in more than five months.
Hebei, which entered a “wartime mode” on Tuesday, accounted for 51 of the 52 local cases reported by the National Health Commission on Thursday. This compared with 20 cases reported in the province, which surrounds Beijing, a day earlier.
Authorities in Shijiazhuang, Hebei’s capital, have launched mass testing drives and banned gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Chinese state television reported that the city has now banned passengers from entering its main railway station. The city previously required travellers to present a negative nucleic acid COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours before boarding a train or an airplane in the province.
Total new COVID-19 cases for all of mainland China stood at 63, compared with 32 reported a day earlier, marking the biggest rise in daily cases since 127 cases were reported on July 30.
The number of asymptomatic patients, who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease but have yet to develop any symptoms, also rose to 79 from 64 a day earlier.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China since the outbreak first started in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 now stands at 87,278 cases, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
In the city of Dalian in Liaoning province, which has reported local infections in recent days, residents in medium or high-risk areas have been barred from leaving the city. Residents in other areas were told to refrain from unnecessary trips out of Dalian.
Authorities in Guangdong province late on Wednesday reported a patient infected with a more transmissible variant of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa.
Some scientists worry that COVID-19 vaccines currently being rolled out may not be able to protect against this variant because of certain mutations that have been observed. (Reuters)
January
North Korea's Kim vows to boost military capabilities at rare party congress
Written by Nur YasminSEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would expand military capabilities to better defend the country, state media reported on Thursday, during a rare party congress as the country faces international sanctions and pressure.
The Eighth Party Congress, which began on Tuesday, comes as North Korea faces increasing economic crises caused by a self-imposed border lockdown to prevent a coronavirus outbreak, a series of natural disasters, and international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.
The gathering also comes just days before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is due to take office, after unprecedented personal meetings between Kim and outgoing President Donald Trump failed to lead to a breakthrough in denuclearisation talks or a loosening of sanctions.
In sessions on Wednesday, Kim discussed policies to make a “tangible turn in improving the people’s living standard,” a day after he admitted that previous economic goals had fallen short, state media reported.
To secure a “peaceful environment” for the people and country, Kim called for “placing state defence capabilities on a much higher level, and put forth goals for realizing it.”
The party congress being held in Pyongyang is the first since 2016, which was in turn the first since 1980.
Since announcing a self-declared moratorium on nuclear testing and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from 2018, Kim has called for continued production of nuclear weapons for his arsenal, launched a series of smaller missiles, and unveiled what would be North Korea’s largest ICBM yet at a parade in October.
North Korea has not officially confirmed any coronavirus infections, although it has reported thousands of “suspected cases” to the World Health Organization and imposed strident measures to prevent an outbreak.
Photos of the congress released by state media show delegates sitting close together without wearing protective face masks. (Reuters)
January
Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns
Written by nuke
Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge' - Reuters
Hospitals across the UK are being told to prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in London and south-east England. Senior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide. Case numbers were "mild" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors "really worried". It comes as a further 57,725 people have tested positive for Covid - a new daily high. This is the fifth day in a row new daily cases have been over 50,000 and brings the total number of cases to 2,599,789.
Another 445 deaths, of people who had tested positive within the previous 28 days, were reported on Saturday - bringing the total number of deaths to 74,570, according to government figures. The UK-wide total for people in hospital with Covid has already passed the spring peak. Half of the major hospital trusts in England are said to be dealing with more Covid-19 patients than at the worst point of the first wave in April, with the NHS facing its "busiest winter ever".
Prof Goddard, of the Royal College of Physicians, told BBC Breakfast: "There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in south Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country."
London's weekly rate of coronavirus cases is 858 per 100,000 people, double the UK figure. Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn and Darwen, said a decision on a new lockdown had to be decided "in the next week" - instead of waiting for the North to get to the same rates as the capital "and 'call it late' which has been our pattern of response too often".
The most recent UK-wide statistics, from 28 December, showed there were 23,823 people in hospital with Covid. That was already significantly higher than the spring peak, which saw 21,683 in hospital on 12 April//BBC
January
Australia's COVID-19 cases on the rise as masks made compulsory
Written by nuke
Australia's COVID-19 cases on the rise as masks made compulsory
Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) reported eight new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jan 3), while neighbouring Victoria's tally increased by three, as new measures to combat the disease kicked in. The NSW outbreak started around mid-December in Sydney's Northern Beaches area, where a quarter of a million people are in strict lockdown until Jan 9. Cases associated with the cluster now total 148. A smaller cluster in the west of the city, linked to a different genome sequence, has 13 confirmed cases. But the state's chief health officer, Kerry Chant, said authorities are worried as recent transmission at a liquor store occurred with "fleeting" exposure.
"We know these transmission events have happened through very minimal exposure. We are asking members of the community who did purchase alcohol or enter that premises for that period to be very vigilant," Chant told reporters.NSW has made wearing masks mandatory at indoor venues like gaming rooms, hair salons and shops as authorities try to limit the spread of the disease. They will be legally enforced from midnight local time.
Australia has avoided the worst of the pandemic following swift action by authorities to shut borders, enforce lockdowns, and to carry out widespread testing and social distancing.
Since the pandemic began, it has reported more than 28,450 COVID-19 cases and 909 deaths.
Despite the outbreak in Sydney, a scheduled five-day cricket match between Australia and India, starting on Thursday, will go ahead, although with a reduced number of spectators. Five Indian players have been placed in isolation while the Australian and Indian cricket boards investigate allegations of a breach of biosecurity protocols//CNA
January
COVID-19: Lockdowns, curfews, alcohol bans as nations around the world fight resurgent virus
Written by nuke
Paris Curfew - the Sun daily
Countries across the world tightened restrictions on their populations on Saturday (Jan 2) to fight a resurgence of COVID-19, as the European Union offered to help drug companies expand vaccine production to deal with distribution "bottlenecks". From local curfews to alcohol bans and complete lockdowns, governments are trying to tackle a surge in cases. The coronavirus has killed more than 1.8 million people globally since emerging in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
But experts fear the worst is yet to come, predicting a sharp rise in infections and deaths after weeks of holiday gatherings. French police booked hundreds of New Year revellers on Saturday for flouting anti-COVID-19 measures at an illegal rave. In Bangkok, the city's nightlife shut down following a ban on bars, nightclubs and restaurant alcohol sales, among a raft of restrictions aimed at curbing Thailand rising Virus toll//CNA
January
Singapore reports 33 new COVID-19 cases, all imported; highest since Sep 15
Written by nuke
Singapore reports 33 new COVID-19 cases, all imported; highest since Sep 15 - The Strait Times
Singapore reported 33 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Saturday (Jan 2), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary update. All of them were imported infections and placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon their arrival in Singapore. This is the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported since Sep 15, when 34 cases were reported. Of the 33 new cases, six are permanent residents and nine are foreign domestic workers. No locally transmitted cases were reported on Saturday.
On Friday, Singapore reported three community cases - two of whom were linked to clusters involving workers in the marine sector. One of them is a 14-year-old Raffles Girls' School student, the second person from the school to test positive for COVID-19. The new infection, known as Case 58870, is a friend of the frist case who tested positive on dec 31, a day after her family member - the marine surveyorat Lloyd's Register Singapore - tested positive. According to MOH, Case 58870 had visited her friend at her home for a few hours on Dec 27. During that time, the marine surveyor was present.
On Friday, MOH also said that Mandarin Orchard had been approved to reopen after investigations found no further transmission beyond the 13 imported COVID-19 cases who served stay-home notice at the hotel.
All hotel staff tested negative for COVID-19 using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, while serological tests of 11 employees are positive, indicating likely past infections.
"These findings indicate that there is no ongoing transmission at Mandarin Orchard Singapore," said MOH.
The total number of cases in Singapore now stands at 58,662//CNA
January
UK reactivates emergency hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge
Written by nuke
Medics transport a patient from an ambulance to the Royal London Hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in London, Britain, January 1, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
British health officials have reactivated emergency hospitals that were built at the start of the pandemic to handle a surge in COVID-19 cases that is putting existing wards under extreme pressure, particularly in London. The United Kingdom has recorded more than 50,000 new daily cases of the virus for the past four days, driven in part by a new variant that is much more infectious, and a rise in the number of people who are dying each day.
Medics have warned they are struggling to cope, especially when so many colleagues are off sick or having to self isolate, and paramedics and nurses have had to treat patients in ambulances because of a shortage of available beds. An email to staff from the Royal London Hospital said it was now in "disaster medicine mode".
A spokeswoman for the National Health Service (NHS) said the Nightingale hospital in London was being prepared to reopen if needed.
"In anticipation of pressures rising from the spread of the new variant infection, the NHS London Region were asked to ensure the Nightingale was reactivated and ready to admit patients should it be needed," she said. "That process is under way."
The hospital, based in the Excel Exhibition Centre in London's Docklands and named after Victorian nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, will be staffed by London medics with additional support from the military and partners in the voluntary sector if needed, the spokeswoman said.
The Nightingale hospitals are temporary sites built with the help of the military in a matter of days in March and April when hospitals first struggled to cope with the influx of COVID-19 patients//CNA
January
China senior diplomat says US relations at 'new crossroads'
Written by nuke
China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi - EWN
China's relationship with the United States has reached a "new crossroads" and could get back on the right track following a period of "unprecedented difficulty", senior diplomat Wang Yi said in official comments published on Saturday (Jan 2). Relations between the world's two biggest economies have come under increasing strain amid a series of disputes over trade, human rights and the origins of COVID-19. In its latest move, the United States blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies it said had ties to the military. Wang, China's state councilor and foreign minister, said in a joint interview with Xinhua news agency and other state media outlets that recent US policies towards China had harmed the interests of both countries and brought huge dangers to the world.
But there was now an opportunity for the two sides to "open a new window of hope" and begin a new round of dialogue, he said. Wang urged the United States to "respect the social system and development path" chosen by China, adding that if Washington "learns lessons", the conflicts between the two sides could be resolved.
"We know some people in the United States are apprehensive about China's rapid development, but the most sustainable leadership is to constantly move forward yourself, rather than block the development of other countries," he said.
Politicians in the United States have accused China of covering up the outbreak of COVID-19 during its early stages, delaying its response and allowing the disease to spread much further and faster. But Wang said China had done its utmost to combat the virus's spread, "sounding the alarm" for the rest of the world.
"We raced against time, and were the earliest to report the epidemic to the world," he said. "More and more studies show that the epidemic very probably emerged in many places throughout the world."//CNA
