07:40
There have been another 628 deaths from Covid in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the ministry of health. There were 16,943 new cases, which included 1,451 cases in children and 304 cases in healthcare workers.
The seven-day average for new cases stands at 16,025, comparing favourably with the level of over 20,000 a week ago.
Here is an updated map indicating incidence rates across Europe.
07:21
Protests against Covid measures turned to violence on France’s Caribbean island of Martinique overnight.
France Info published a video of protesters targeting a shopping centre and running away with goods, as well as videos of demonstrators setting up burning barricades on roads.
Reuters notes that France’s Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have both been hit by unrest over the last week due to anger over Covid protocol measures, including moves to ramp COVID vaccination on the islands.
During the 20th century, many people on Guadeloupe were systematically exposed to toxic pesticides used in banana plantations, fuelling a distrust of medical interventions from the authorities.
The Caribbean region has been hit in recent weeks by a new wave of coronavirus infections that is causing lockdowns and flight cancellations and overwhelming hospitals, just as tourism was beginning to show signs of recovery.
07:06
Hello, it is Martin Belam, taking over here in London from Samantha Lock in Sydney. Here is a reminder of the current coronavirus figures from the UK.
There were 303,071 new cases in the last seven days, and that total is up 11.1% on the week before. Deaths are down 9.4% week-on-week and the number of people being admitted to hospital is down 11.6% week-on-week. The UK government’s dashboard states that there are 7,874 people in hospital, of whom 919 are in ventilation beds.
06:53
UK eligible public urged to get booster by 11 December
Ministers are urging millions of Britons to get their Covid booster jab by 11 December to ensure they have “very high protection against Covid by Christmas Day” as new evidence shows the risk of infection increases with the time since the second dose.
About 16 million people have had a booster vaccine or a third dose across the UK. Everyone aged 40 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable are eligible to get a booster six months after their second jab.
“If you’re yet to get your first, second or booster dose, please do come forward for the jab as soon as possible,” said Maggie Throup, the vaccines minister.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: “People who have had their booster vaccine by 11 December will have very high protection against Covid by Christmas Day. Following a rise in cases and a return of lockdown restrictions in Europe, those eligible for a booster have been urged to take up the offer as soon as possible to protect themselves and their families, and help to reduce the pressure on the NHS.”
Read the full story here.
06:44
South Korean cult leader at centre of Covid outbreak
A little known sect led by a pastor who pokes eyes to heal is at the centre of a Covid outbreak in South Korea, as the country reported a new daily record of 4,116 cases and battles a rise in serious cases straining hospitals.
In a tiny, rural church in a town of 427 residents in Cheonan city, south of Seoul, at least 241 people linked to the religious community tested positive for coronavirus, a city official told Reuters on Wednesday.
“We believe the scale of the outbreak is large …” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
06:33
Vaccines give people ‘false sense of security’, WHO says
The World Health Organization has issued a warning in the lead-up to Christmas, saying social mixing is back at pre-pandemic levels and threatens to spread the virus in the run-up to the holidays.
“We are concerned about a false sense of security that vaccines have ended the pandemic, and that people who are vaccinated do not need to take any other precautions,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“Vaccines save lives, but they do not fully prevent transmission.”
Last week, more than 60% of all reported cases and deaths from Covid-19 globally were in Europe, Tedros told a news conference.
WHO emergency director Mike Ryan added: “We are back to pre-pandemic levels of social mixing (in Europe)… even in the midst of very strong resurgence in cases and even in the midst of some of those countries under high pressure in health systems.”
06:19
Hello and thanks for joining us.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest Covid developments from across the world this Thursday.
Germany, who weathered earlier bouts of the pandemic better than many of its neighbours, has now found itself back at the centre of Europe’s virus outbreak as the latest wave of the pandemic infects people at a record pace.
Officials recorded 100,119 Covid deaths as of Wednesday, according to the latest data from the RKI public health institute.
The World Health Organization has also issued a warning in the lead-up to Christmas, saying social mixing was back at pre-pandemic levels.
“We are concerned about a false sense of security that vaccines have ended the pandemic, and that people who are vaccinated do not need to take any other precautions,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“We are back to pre-pandemic levels of social mixing (in Europe)… even in the midst of very strong resurgence in cases and even in the midst of some of those countries under high pressure in health systems,” WHO emergency director Mike Ryan added.
- Novavax is expected to be approved as a fourth Covid vaccine in UK. Trials show the protein-based jab causes fewer side-effects. The British government has so far ordered 60m doses.
- Covid cases surge 23% in Americas, mostly in North America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said.
- US air travel is set to be busiest since pandemic began due to Thanksgiving.
- Germany’s next chancellor seeks targeted vaccine mandate. German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday for vaccinations to be made compulsory for targeted groups.
- Scientists say a new Covid variant that carries an “extremely high number” of mutations may drive further waves of disease by evading the body’s defences.
- Italy unveiled new Covid measures banning the unvaccinated from numerous venues, extending compulsory vaccination and expanding booster shots to all adults.
- Portugal’s health secretary pledged to give Covid booster shots to a quarter of the population by the end of January to tackle the “pandemic storm that has not yet passed”.
- The World Health Organization director-general has declared that Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic and warned that “no country or region is out of the woods”.
- Countries should consider implementing mandatory Covid vaccination, the director of World Health Organization (WHO) Europe said today.
- France is to announce new Covid measures as infections surge across the country.
Updated