COVID-19: UK records 55,892 cases - highest ever daily total - as top doctor issues plea - Sky News

COVID-19: UK records 55,892 cases - highest ever daily total - as top doctor issues plea - Sky News
UK records 981 deaths in highest Covid toll since April - The Guardian
Covid US: Fears more infectious UK strain will rip through nation - Daily Mail
Coronavirus: UK daily death toll nears 1,000 as more areas of England moved to tightest restrictions - Euronews

Posted: 31 Dec 2020 08:42 AM PST

The UK has recorded 55,892 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours - the highest figure on record.

Tuesday's figure of 53,135 cases was the previous highest since the pandemic began.

The number of deaths in the last 24 hours within 28 days of a positive test is 964.

It brings the total number of UK cases so far to 2,488,780 and the total number of deaths to 73,512.

Public Health England's medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle made a passionate plea in response to the latest figures urging everyone not to go out to celebrate New Year's Eve.

She said that the rise in cases had been particularly acute among adults in their 20s and 30s.

Live COVID updates from UK and around world

Dr Doyle said: "We know the overwhelming majority of deaths reported today are people who sadly passed away in just the last few days.

"Every life lost to this disease is a sadness. It is imperative we all take action now to protect our families and our friends.

"We have all had to make huge sacrifices this year, but please ensure that you keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear a mask.

"A night in at New Year will mean you are significantly reducing your social contacts and can help stop the spread of the virus."

The number of patients being admitted to hospital is also rising sharply, with 2,433 reported being admitted on 22 December, the latest day for which figures are available, the highest number since 10 April.

Meanwhile, just under half of all major hospital trusts in England currently have more COVID-19 patients than during the peak of the first wave of the virus, according to the latest figures.

Out of 140 acute NHS trusts, 64 were recording a higher number of patients suffering symptoms as a result of coronavirus at 8am on December 30 than at any point between mid-March and the end of May.

Earlier, it was revealed the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in England a week has increased by 33%.

A total of 232,169 people tested positive at least once in the week to 23 December, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.

The 981 deaths reported on Wednesday was the highest number reported on a single day since 24 April.

Rates of infection are continuing to rise across the country, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.

In Northern Ireland, another 11 people have died with COVID-19, the Department of Health said, with another 1,929 testing positive.

Nightingale hospitals across England are being "readied" for use if needed as COVID-19 patient numbers rise.

The NHS in London has been asked to make sure the Excel centre site is "reactivated and ready to admit patients" as hospitals in the capital struggle.

Other Nightingale hospital sites across England include Manchester, Bristol, Sunderland, Harrogate, Exeter and Birmingham.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the military was standing by to staff the hospitals if demand for NHS critical care beds exceeds supply.

The reopening of secondary schools and many primary schools in England has been delayed and universities are being asked to reduce the number of students returning to campus from the beginning of next month.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has said the government is "working as hard and as fast" as it can to get supplies of the newly-approved vaccine from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to people, with the rollout due on Monday.

A further 20 million people were put under tighter restrictions on Thursday after the government announced an extension of Tier 4 rules in England in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The only part of England not in Tier 3 or the highest level of restrictions Tier 4 is the Isles of Scilly in Tier 1.

UK records 981 deaths in highest Covid toll since April - The Guardian

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 09:45 AM PST

The UK recorded 981 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test on Wednesday, the highest daily death toll since April.

The figure, which is likely to be partially attributable to a lag in reporting deaths over the Christmas period, is the highest since the 1,010 recorded on 24 April, and is an increase of 175% compared with the previous 24 hours.

The cumulative number of deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test since the pandemic began rose to 72,548. Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, , together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 88,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The number of new coronavirus cases fell slightly to 50,023 on Wednesday, from a record 53,135 over the previous 24 hours.

Yvonne Doyle, a medical director at Public Health England, said the figures illustrated the important of public vigilance, despite the hope offered by vaccines.

"Each life that this virus claims is a sadness and our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one during this pandemic," she said. "We now have two licensed vaccines and hope is on the way, but it is crucial that people keep their contacts to an absolute minimum to help drive infections down.

"We must protect vulnerable people who may need the NHS to be there for them and save lives. The basics remain very important: keep your distance from others, wash your hands, wear a mask, and abide by the restrictions in place."

According to the daily update, the number of people who tested positive for coronavirus in the period from 24 December to 30 December rose by 19.9% from the previous seven days, to 283,337.

In April the highest highest reported single-day toll announced during a government briefing was 980, on 10 April, but that was because only deaths in hospital were being included at the time, not those in care homes and private residences.

Millions more people in England will be moved into tier 4, the highest category of restrictions, from Thursday, and secondary schools across England are to be closed to most pupils for the first two weeks of term.

Covid US: Fears more infectious UK strain will rip through nation - Daily Mail

Posted: 31 Dec 2020 06:59 AM PST

A mutant variant of the coronavirus has been found in both California and Colorado this week sparking fears the more contagious strain will wreak the same havoc in the United States as it has the United Kingdom.

Britain is seeing infections soar and hospitalizations climb to their highest levels on record. London and southeast England were placed under strict lockdown measures earlier this month and dozens of countries banned flights from the country. France also briefly barred trucks from Britain.

The UK on Wednesday recorded its deadliest day since April with 981 COVID fatalities and 50,000 more cases, as another 20million people were plunged into the toughest restrictions in a desperate attempt to control the spiralling second wave.

The percentage of people testing positive for the new variant is increasing in every region across England, data shows, while other variants of the virus either fall or remain steady. There has been a 40 per cent increase in cases in England in the last week alone and almost 15 per cent more patients in hospital.

In London, the east of England and the south east the data shows a sharp rise in the percentage of people testing positive for the new variant. Across the rest of the country the data appears to show the percentage of people testing positive for the new variant is set to eclipse other variants.

Now the US must try to curb the same mutant strain which researchers estimate is 50 per cent to 70 per cent more contagious, adding an even more increased sense of urgency to the nation's vaccination drive against COVID-19, which has killed more than 340,000 people in the U.S.

Dr Anthony Fauci on Thursday told the Today show it is 'inevitable' the new COVID-19 strain will spread across the US. He said: 'We predicted it would be, when you have so much of it in the UK, which then spread to other countries in Europe and Canada, it was inevitable that it would be here.

'You'll be hearing reports from other states and more cases in the state that is already reported. Unfortunately, that's just the reality of the way these viruses spread'. But he added: 'The good news is that it does not appear to be more virulent, namely, making people more sick and leading to more death.'

California became the second state on Wednesday to report finding the new strain of the virus after Colorado Tuesday. The first reported U.S. variant infection was identified Wednesday as a Colorado National Guardsman who had been sent to help out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak. Health officials said a second Guard member may have it too.

For the second consecutive day, the US has set a record-high number of coronavirus deaths. On Thursday, the country reported 3,744 fatalities due to COVID-19, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.

This breaks the previous record set on Wednesday of 3,725 and brings the total number of deaths to 342,414. The figure also marks the ninth day this month that deaths have exceeded 3,000, according to DailyMail.com analysis.

The percentage of people testing positive for the new variant is increasing in every region across England, data shows, while other variants of the virus either fall or remain steady. That has plunged virtually the whole of England into brutal lockdown and there are fears the US could see similar patterns emerge

The US must try to curb a mutant strain which researchers estimate is up to 70 per cent more contagious, adding an even more increased sense of urgency to the nation's vaccination drive against COVID-19, which has killed more than 340,000 Americans

In the UK virtually the whole of England is facing brutal lockdown until the Spring. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are already in the midst of their own clampdowns amid fears over the more infectious 'mutant' strain that is running riot. The strain now accounts for around 60 percent of all cases in London.

Schools there are expected to shut until mid January. The country's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: 'There are plenty of reasons for people to be optimistic about the spring, but we must must focus on fighting the disease for now.'

UK hospitals are running low on workers, ward space, oxygen and even pillows with patients being treated by medics inside emergency vehicles as they waited up to six hours to be admitted. In some cases people were later diverted more than 100 miles away while some packed London ICUs have started asking major hospitals in Tyneside and Yorkshire if they will take some of their Covid patients.

There is also growing speculation about even harsher crackdowns, that could include measures such as a curfew.

The American cases have triggered a host of questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading in other states.

'The virus is becoming more fit, and we're like a deer in the headlights,' warned Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute. He noted that the U.S. does far less genetic sequencing of virus samples to discover variants than other developed nations, and thus was probably slow to detect this new mutation.

¿The good news is that it does not appear to be more virulent.¿
Watch @craigmelvin¿s full interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on the dangerous new coronavirus strain now in the United States, and what it will take to fix the slow start to the vaccine push. pic.twitter.com/Z8yK7IpJCt
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 31, 2020

What is the 'mutant COVID strain' and why are experts concerned?

Coronaviruses mutate regularly, acquiring about one new mutation in their genome every two weeks.

Most mutations do not significantly change the way the virus acts.

This super strain, named B.1.1.7, was first identified in the UK in November.

It has since been found in France, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now the United States.

The new COVID-19 variant has a mutation in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein at position 501, where amino acid asparagine (N) has been replaced with tyrosine (Y).

It is more infectious than previous strains and potentially more harmful to children.

It is not, however, believed to be any more lethal.

Public Health England researchers compared 1,769 people infected with the new variant, with 1,769 who had one of the earlier strains of the virus.

Forty-two people in the group were admitted to hospital, of whom 16 had the new variant and 26 the wild type.

Twelve of the variant cases and 10 of the 'older' virus cases died within four weeks of testing.

Neither the hospitalization nor the mortality differences were statistically significant.

The discovery overseas led the CDC to issue rules on Christmas Day requiring travelers arriving from Britain to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. But U.S. health officials said the Colorado patient's lack of travel history suggests the new variant is already spreading in this country.

Topol said it is too late for travel bans.

'We're behind in finding it. Colorado is likely one of many places it's landed here,' he said. 'It's all over the place. How can you ban travel from everywhere?'

It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population.

Fauci told the Today show Thursday: 'Well, it's here, no doubt. We predicted it would be, when you have so much of it in the UK, which then spread to other countries in Europe and Canada, it was inevitable that it would be here.

'You'll be hearing reports from other states and more cases in the state that is already reported. Unfortunately, that's just the reality of the way these viruses spread. Obviously, you have to take it seriously.

'Our British colleagues have shown, clearly, that it is much more efficient in spreading from person to person.'

This super strain, named B.1.1.7, was first identified in the UK in November.

Scientists have found no evidence that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness, and they believe the vaccines now being dispensed will be effective against it.

But a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.

The California patient, who developed symptoms on December 27, is a 30-year-old San Diego County man who didn't have any history of travel, which could indicate that someone else already had brought the new strain into the state, officials said.

Massachusetts and Delaware, are also analyzing suspicious virus samples for the variant, said Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first US case of the mutant strain was confirmed in Colorado Tuesday.

Officials there said they had identified the strain in a male member of the National Guard working in a care home, who had no recent travel history.

Southern California then recorded the state's first case of the mutant 'super-COVID-19' strain, Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Newsom made the announcement that the more infectious strain had landed in California during a virtual conversation with Dr. Fauci Wednesday afternoon.

'Just an hour or so ago we were informed that this new variant, this new strain that we have identified obviously from the UK and some other parts of the globe, identified in Colorado yesterday has been identified here in the state of California, in southern California,' he said.

Newsom's announcement takes the number of US states struck by the new strain up to two in as many days as experts warn it is only a matter of time before other states also detect cases of the new variant.

One Californian is now dying every three minutes from the virus with the state smashing its record for daily COVID-19 deaths Tuesday.

The first case of the 'super-COVID-19' strain has been found in California, Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday

Newsom did not say where exactly the case was detected other than in southern California. He also gave no details on the identity of the individual or whether they have recently traveled. DailyMail.com has contacted Newsom's office for more information.

Alarm bells were raised Tuesday when it emerged that the Colorado male in his 20s who became the first known case of the more infectious strain had no recent travel history, meaning the variant must already be circulating on US soil.

Newsom asked Fauci about the new strain and what it could mean for the state and the US.

'I know there has been a lot of conversations about the issue of variants, about the issue of transmissibility,' he said.

'I am curious more broadly on the issue of diagnostics on the testing side, immunity... have we received enough information to really understand the impacts in other categories?

'Not just on the issue of severity of the disease and the transmissibility of this disease.'

Fauci told Newsom he was 'not surprised' that there was a case detected in California and said he expects other states to soon report cases of the strain.

'I am not surprised that you have a case and likely more cases in California,' the nation's top immunologist said.

Governor Jared Polis released this statement Tuesday announcing the first US case of the mutant strain - first detected in the UK - in Colorado

'We likely will be seeing reports from other states - Colorado was the first place to do that and I think we will start seeing it as if you have that much of a prominence of this in the UK with all the travel not just directly to the United States but through other countries intermittently like when you go from the UK to France, France to the Unites States etc. then Canada has cases.

'And so I don't think the Californians should feel this is something odd. This is something that is expected.'

Fauci said there is 'a lot we know' already about the new strain because UK experts have been studying it but there is also a lot that will become clear as the 'days and weeks go by'.

'It looks pretty clear from the UK group that in fact the transmissibility of this mutant is more efficient than the transmissibility of the standard virus that we have been dealing with up to now,' he explained.

'Because the variants spread more rapidly, they could lead to more cases and put even more strain on our already heavily burdened health-care systems,' said the head of the CDC's division for emergency preparedness for emergency infections, Dr Henry Walke on a Wednesday press call.

The new strain - B.1.1.7 - was first identified in the UK in September and has since been found in France, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now the United States.

'At this time, there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness or increased risk of death,' the CDC states on its website.

While the strain may not be more deadly, the fact it is deemed to be more contagious spells bad news for California where cases, deaths and hospitalizations are soaring to record levels.

California broke its record for COVID-19 deaths in a single day on Tuesday with 432 as overwhelmed hospitals prepare to ration care.

The Golden State is now seeing one coronavirus death every three minutes, with a total of 24,958 reported to date.

More than half of Tuesday's statewide death toll came from Los Angeles County, where 242 fatalities were reported, according to a tally by the LA Times, bringing the total to date to 9,806.

The county, the nation's most populous with a quarter of California's 40 million residents, has seen hospitalizations grow by nearly 1,000 percent in the last two months to 7,181 as of Wednesday.

Colorado officials said Tuesday they had identified the strain in a male member of the National Guard working in a care home, who had no recent travel history. A second suspected case was also being investigated in the state Wednesday - also at the facility (on the map above)

Both men had worked at the Good Samaritan Society assisted living facility in Simla, Colorado (pictured)

State officials extended strict stay-at-home orders indefinitely in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley on Tuesday as both regions reel from surges in hospitalizations and zero intensive care unit capacity.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr Mark Ghaly said the orders will be lifted when the regions show 'ICU projections above or equal to 15 percent'.

But the regions have a long way to go to reach those numbers, Ghaly said, citing four-week projections which show that demand will continue to exceed available capacity for at least the next month.

Newsom has warned residents to brace for a 'surge upon surge upon surge' of coronavirus cases in the coming weeks as the effects of holiday travel and gatherings come to fruition.

Earlier this week Newsom said the state is setting up hospital beds in arenas, schools and tents there, though it's struggling to staff them.

He said 96 percent of hospitals in the county were unable to accept patients by ambulance at some point over the weekend, compared with 33 percent in pre-surge times.

'Things, unfortunately, will get worse before they get better,' the governor added.

Nationwide, more than 19.6 million cases have been recorded and 340,000 Americans have died since the pandemic began.

Coronavirus: UK daily death toll nears 1,000 as more areas of England moved to tightest restrictions - Euronews

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 08:26 AM PST

The UK's daily COVID-19 death toll hit 981 on Wednesday, as the country continued to grapple with a new variant of the virus.

This is the country's highest number of recorded deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test since April.

The total number of people who have lost their lives to the disease in the UK now stands at 72,548.

It comes after several more areas of England will be moved into the country's highest level of coronavirus measures from midnight on Wednesday, health minister Matt Hancock has announced.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to "redouble our efforts", follow the rules where they live and "see in the New Year safely at home". He also hailed the approval by medical authorities of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Doctors in Britain say they are currently facing enormous pressure from the new coronavirus variant as it threatens a worse situation than at the peak last April.

There are currently more people in hospital with COVID-19 than in spring - and infections are still rising.

As of Wednesday, there were 23,771 people being treated for the disease in hospitals in the UK, compared with 18,974 in mid-April.

Monday also saw a record-breaking 41,385 cases in a single day, only to be shattered on Tuesday when 53,135 new cases were reported. By Wednesday, which saw a total of 50,023 cases reported, the south-eastern county of Essex had declared a "major incident" due to healthcare services struggling with demand.

More Tier 4 areas announced

The government dashed many hopes for a relatively normal Christmas in the week prior to the holiday, introducing a brand new tier - Tier 4 - with the strictest restrictions for London and parts of the South East of England.

Now, areas in the Midlands, North East, parts of the North West and parts of the South West will join the capital in Tier 4, meaning three-quarters of the country will see the tightest restrictions imposed.

Almost all other areas of England have been moved up to the second-highest band of restrictions - Tier 3.

Johnson said in a press conference on Wednesday from Downing Street that "the sheer pace of the spread of this new variant requires us now to take even tougher actions".

Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, described the situation in many parts of England as "precarious".

"The NHS has not yet seen the impact of the infections that will have occurred during mixing on Christmas day," he added, describing that statement as "sobering".

According to Hancock, the majority of new cases contributing to the latest wave are thought to be that of the new, highly-transmissible variant.

But the health minister has, however, confirmed to one radio station that no tiers would be introduced above Tier 4.

"I know that people understand this, I know that these decisions aren't easy and they have a big disruptive impact on peoples lives, but I know people understand why we have to do it, especially with the vaccine around the corner," he said.

He told local media: "The 'suppress the virus' bit has got a whole lot harder since the new variant really got going over December.

"Now the majority of the new cases in the UK are the new variant. It is much, much easier to transmit from one person to another."

Reopening of secondary schools delayed

The return of secondary school pupils (aged 11-16) to classrooms will be delayed in an attempt to dampen infection rates, education secretary Gavin Williamson announced on Wednesday.

Older secondary and college pupils (aged 16-18 and above) will be delayed until 11 January, with everyone else back a week later. All secondary school children will be back in education establishments by January 18.

He added that primary schools in a "small number of areas" in England where infection rates are currently highest will not reopen for in-person teaching to all pupils on the planned January 4, although vulnerable children and the children of critical workers will be accepted.

Hospitals under strain

On Tuesday evening, a tweet from an emergency doctor in Birmingham went viral after showing the extent of the second wave on hospital care.

Punith Kempegowda said he was leaving work after "another long day" in the accident and emergency department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, when he snapped a picture of an ambulance queue outside.

"Almost all these ambulances are waiting with patients inside them for more than 3 hours," he wrote, adding: "Because there's no place in hospital to bring them in."

Meanwhile, London-based anaesthetist Tom Dolphin said he was "deeply worried" about the month ahead.

"Hospital after hospital is activating surge plans and redeploying staff or declaring major incidents," he wrote on Twitter. "We haven't even got to the part where Christmas gathering-related infections show up at the hospital yet.

"This feels worse than March, perhaps because we all saw it coming. I'm deeply worried about Jan. It'll be hard to sustain much elective work (it would be hard in a normal winter, let alone this year).

"The problem is staffing. Everyone's exhausted and demoralised. And yet the staff plough on because that's what they do: cope. Or so we hope."

Earlier this month, the new strain of the virus forced the governments of all four nations of the UK to U-turn on plans to relax rules over Christmas. Many countries across Europe have also closed their borders to anyone travelling from Britain, fearing the variant could spread further.

Hopes, now, are pinned on the roll-out of vaccinations, with the UK starting this drive at the beginning of December by approving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and on Wednesday approved the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab.

The approval of the second vaccine will "allow us to vaccinate more people and also to vaccinate them more quickly", the Prime Minister said Wednesday.

Scientific advice that "the first dose can protect people from the worst effects of this virus", Johnson went on, means that "from now on we will give a first dose to as many vulnerable people as possible with the second dose to follow 12 weeks later."

Professor Van-Tam stressed however that it is not yet known if the vaccines will reduce transmission. He said that vaccinated people will be protected from serious disease but that it's unclear if they will continue to "pose a hazard to others". More clarity on the issue will be known in two to three months time, he added.

Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca are now carrying experiments to determine whether their vaccines are effective against the new strains, the results of which should be released in "potentially a couple of weeks", Van-Tam said.

The EU also began its vaccination roll-out over the weekend with countries now administering the Pfizer/BioNTech solution to their citizens. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to approve the Moderna vaccine — which has already been given the all-clear by US and Canadian authorities — on January 6.

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