Lebanon will get its first supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in February, its well being ministry has stated.
“Lebanon will obtain the vaccine in mid-February in instalments,” it stated in a press release. “It can cowl 15% of the inhabitants.”
The ministry stated it will later safe “extra vaccines” to cowl one other 20% of the inhabitants. 1,394 individuals have died within the nation since its first circumstances in February.
Its authorities allowed nightclubs and bars to reopen forward of the Christmas holidays, regardless of criticism from docs who stated mattress occupancy in intensive care models was already working critically low. The nation is at present grappling with its worst financial disaster because the 1975-1990 civil warfare.
13:31
The dying toll in France’s hospitals and care houseshas risen by 173 since Saturday. A complete of 62,746 have now died from the virus within the nation.
Confirmed circumstances have additionally risen by 8,822 during the last 24 hours, greater than 3,000 larger than the rise on Saturday.
13:20
Philip Oltermann
Tons of of British vacationers quarantining within the Swiss ski resort of Verbier fled within the evening, slightly than ending their interval of self isolation.
About 200 of the 420 vacationers within the luxurious Alpine resort left below the duvet of darkness, in line with the nation’s SonntagsZeitung newspaper.
The Swiss authorities launched a 10-day retrospective quarantine for anybody who arrived from Britain since 14 December, after the detection of a brand new doubtlessly extra contagious Covid-19 variant. Two circumstances have been detected within the nation, and one in neighbouring Liechtenstein.
“Lots of them stayed in quarantine for a day earlier than they set off unnoticed below the duvet of darkness,” Jean-Marc Sandoz, spokesman for the Bagnes municipality, advised SZ.
He known as the entire scenario “the worst week our neighborhood has ever skilled”. The scenario was given away by untouched breakfasts, left by guests who had escaped, he stated.
The brand new quarantine guidelines additionally utilized to a whole lot of British vacationers who had deliberate to spend the Christmas break in Verbier, an alpine village situated within the municipality of Bagnes in Canton du Valais, nicknamed “Little London” by locals for the British guests who make up 20% of vacationers throughout a typical winter season.
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13:13
The primary supply of Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine to Turkey has been delayed due to a coronavirus outbreak in Beijing customs, the nation’s well being minister has stated.
Fahrettin Koca stated the cargo could be a day or two late, after a member of employees was confirmed as having the virus. Turkey has agreed to purchase 50 million doses of the agency’s vaccine, and three million have been resulting from arrive on Monday.
12:20
Denis Campbell
Hospitals in Englandhave been advised to liberate beds, as a result of rising variety of coronavirus sufferers.
NHS England has stated all the well being service must keep on the very best stage of alert till no less than the tip of March. It comes as NHS belief bosses in England stated the extreme pressures they have been going through have been “extraordinarily difficult” and that hospitals had virtually as many Covid sufferers now as in April.
In a letter, NHS Enchancment bosses advised hospitals that the place doable they need to ship sufferers needing surgical procedure to native non-public well being services, discharge as many inpatients as doable and put together for the Nightingale area hospitals to open.
12:11
South Africa’s president calls emergency assembly amid 1 million case milestone
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, known as an emergency assembly of the nation’s nationwide coronavirus command council, amid an increase that has taken the nation to 1 million confirmed circumstances. He’s anticipated to announce new restrictions to attempt to curb its unfold. A complete of 26,521 individuals have died from the virus.
Just like the UK, it has detected a brand new coronavirus variant which is considered extra contagious and has grow to be one of many causes behind one other wave of infections.
Among the nation’s hospitals are close to capability, in line with the Related Press, and there may be little signal that the present surge has reached a peak. A vaccine hasn’t been rolled out but, with Ramaphosa saying he anticipated 10% of the inhabitants to get the jab within the first months of 2021.
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12:04
One other 316 individuals have died within the UK from coronavirus. The determine’s larger than Saturday, as extra areas went into stricter restrictions on motion and gatherings. 30,501 new circumstances have been confirmed on Sunday.
A complete of 70,752 individuals have now died from the virus. The figures are prone to develop additional on Tuesday as Scotland and Northern Eire usually are not releasing information over the Christmas interval.
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11:50
Jordan is the newest nation to report circumstances of the brand new coronavirus variant first detected in Britain.
Well being minister Nazir Obeidat stated a Jordanian couple who travelled to the nation from the UK on 19 December have been discovered to have the variant after being examined. They’re now in quarantine and being monitored by docs, however Obeidat stated they have been in “wonderful well being”.
11:44
Italy’s well being ministry has confirmed one other 298 individuals have died from Covid-19, bringing the overall to 71,925, the very best in Europe and fifth highest on the earth.
The variety of new circumstances has fallen to eight,913, down from 10,407 on Saturday. Greater than 2 million individuals within the nation have had the virus because the outbreak began in February.
11:31
Norway’s institute of public well being has confirmed that two individuals within the nation have been discovered to have the brand new variant of coronavirus first detected within the UK. In line with Reuters they arrived within the nation from the UK earlier in December.
The nation imposed journey restrictions on passengers from Britain earlier this month, amid considerations concerning the new variant which is considered extra contagious.
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11:23
One other 254 individuals have died in Turkey from coronavirus, bringing the nation’s dying toll to 19,878.
Its authorities has launched full weekend lockdowns and curfews throughout on weekdays in an try and cease circumstances rising.
11:20
European nations launched an enormous vaccination drive on Sunday with aged individuals and medics lining as much as take the primary photographs to see off the pandemic that has claimed greater than 1.7 million lives worldwide.
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11:00
Abstract
Right here’s a roundup of the primary developments to this point in the present day.
The official EU programme to vaccinate as much as 450 million individuals throughout Europe received below method in the present day. Italy, France, Austria, Portugal, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta and Spain all began vaccinating individuals on Sunday morning. Germany, Hungary and Slovakia administered their first photographs on Saturday.
The Czech prime minister turned the primary European chief to get the jab. Andrej Babiš was given the Pfizer vaccine at a army hospital in Prague. Quickly afterwards the president of the neighbouring Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, additionally obtained the vaccine. Each the Greek prime minister and president additionally received the vaccine in the present day.
These getting the primary jabs of their nations diverse broadly from outstanding figures to abnormal aged individuals. They included a retired archbishop in Slovenia, a 96-year-old care dwelling resident in Spain, a 29-year-old nurse in Italy and the pinnacle of infectious illnesses at a hospital in Porto.
Canada has grow to be the newest nation to detect circumstances of the brand new pressure of the virus first recognized within the UK. Dr Barbara Yaffe, the affiliate chief medical officer of Ontario province, stated the primary two confirmed circumstances have been a pair from the nation’s Durham area with no identified journey historical past, publicity or high-risk contacts. The brand new pressure was additionally detected on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Plans have been drawn as much as roll out the Oxford coronavirus vaccine throughout the UK on 4 January, in line with the Sunday Telegraph. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which might be saved in abnormal fridges, is anticipated to be accepted by regulators this week.
The top of the agency behind the Oxford vaccine has stated researchers imagine the jab will stay efficient towards the brand new variant. However the AstraZeneca chief govt, Pascal Soriot, advised the Sunday Instances extra checks have been wanted to make sure, whereas he hailed the invention of what he known as a “profitable method” to enhance the jab’s efficacy.
A personal Thai hospital has been banned from promoting Covid vaccinations on the market on the grounds that no vaccine is but accepted in Thailand. Vibhavadi hospital stated its on-line supply for 1,000 preliminary reservations for the two-dose Moderna vaccine had been the results of a misunderstanding.