New Coronavirus News from 4 Nov 2021

China doubles down on zero-Covid as it battles most widespread outbreak since Wuhan [CNN, 4 Nov 2021]

By Jessie Yeung

Hong Kong (CNN)China is scrambling to contain its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since the first wave of infections that began in Wuhan in 2019.

Though subsequent flare-ups have seen higher total case numbers, this outbreak has spread the furthest, with 19 of China's 31 provinces -- more than half the country -- reporting cases since the outbreak began in mid-October, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

On Wednesday, the NHC reported 93 new symptomatic cases -- the highest daily count in three months. About 500 cases have been reported nationwide since the outbreak began, according to state-run tabloid the Global Times.

The number may seem small compared to other countries in the West, many of which are still reporting tens of thousands of cases each day. But it's massive for China, which has stuck to its "zero-Covid" approach, including tight border controls and lengthy quarantines for international arrivals.

This approach -- which aims to stamp out the virus completely within China's borders -- means even a handful of cases are viewed as a dire threat.

Fresh lockdowns in China as local Covid-19 infections spread to 11 provinces

The ongoing outbreak began on October 16, when infections were detected among a tour group of fully vaccinated senior citizens from Shanghai traveling in northern China. Cases quickly ballooned and spread across northern provinces; by the following week, officials from the National Health Commission warned of "multiple scattered local outbreaks" in the north and northwest that were "expanding rapidly."

Authorities immediately jumped into action, following the playbook that has successfully contained previous outbreaks: mass testing, snap lockdowns, quarantines, travel suspensions and vigilant surveillance.

Officials banned cross-provincial tours across the affected regions. In one popular tourist destination, all residents and tourists were forbidden from leaving their homes. The capital Beijing tightened entry restrictions into the city, and punished rule-breakers by placing them in criminal detention.

Several cities, including Lanzhou, which has reported several dozen cases, have been placed under lockdown -- affecting millions of residents in total.

But the virus spread rapidly anyway, raising questions about the sustainability of zero-Covid -- as well as the efficacy of China's emergency responses, as outbreaks arrive more frequently for longer durations.

China's first-ever outbreak, at the start of the pandemic in Wuhan, had largely been brought under control by March 2020, with cases staying low for the rest of the year. Though there were occasional flare-ups, these were quickly contained as well; by the end of the year, much of daily life had returned to normal, with businesses in operation and domestic travel resumed.

China grows more isolated as Asia Pacific neighbors start living with Covid-19
But 2021 also brought the arrival of the highly infectious Delta variant, which has wreaked havoc around the world. Delta sparked severe outbreaks in many Asian countries that had, until then, contained the virus relatively well -- including Australia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.

The more contagious variant, and the growing advice from international health experts that Covid would likely become endemic, has prompted many of those countries to abandon the zero-Covid approach, and instead adapt to "living with Covid."

In China, too, the effects of Delta are becoming clear. After its long stretch of relative normality, the country has recorded several outbreaks in the last few months alone, with little time in between to recover.

And concerns linger over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, especially in face of the Delta variant. Close to 2.3 billion doses had been administered by Tuesday, and by late October 76% of the population had been fully vaccinated, according to the NHC -- but that hasn't stopped outbreaks from spreading fast and wide.

This summer, China experienced one of its most severe outbreaks yet, driven by Delta. The variant was first detected in July in the eastern city of Nanjing; soon, infections were being reported in dozens of cities and eventually spread to 16 provinces. After the familiar routine of mass testing, lockdowns, movement restrictions and mandatory quarantines, cases fell to normal levels by the end of August.

Despite the apparent success, the summer outbreak took longer than previous flare-ups to contain -- and it had spread much faster between cities.

Stay informed on Covid-19
Residents and authorities had only a few weeks to catch their breath before another outbreak emerged in September in Fujian province. This time, images of the government's stringent containment measures -- including separating children as young as four from their parents during quarantine -- drew international concern and criticism.

By September 29, health officials declared that the Fujian outbreak had been brought under control. Less than three weeks later, the current outbreak emerged.

However, despite the rising frequency and duration of its outbreaks, China shows no signs of changing its strategy -- even doubling down as it prepares for two high-profile events: a crucial meeting of Communist Party elites next week, then the Beijing Winter Olympics next February.

"Faced with continued outbreaks of Covid-19, health experts believe China cannot abandon its zero-tolerance approach for now," said an editorial by Global Times on Wednesday, warning that "lifting the strict controls would lead to a catastrophic outcome."

In Russia, COVID-19 surge shows no signs of abating [ABC News, 4 Nov 2021]

By DARIA LITVINOVA

Daily coronavirus cases and deaths in Russia remain at their highest numbers of the pandemic

MOSCOW -- Daily coronavirus cases and deaths in Russia remained at their highest numbers of the pandemic Wednesday as more regions announced they were extending existing restrictions in an effort to tame the country's unrelenting surge of infections.

Russia's state coronavirus task force reported 40,443 new confirmed cases from a day earlier. It was the fifth time in seven days that the country reported more than 40,000 infections. The task force also reported a daily record of 1,189 COVID-19 deaths.

Russia is five days into a nationwide non-working period that the government introduced to curb the spread of the virus. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered many Russians to stay off work between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7. He authorized regional governments to extend the number of non-working days, if necessary.

Officials in Russia's Novgorod region, located 500 kilometers (310 miles) northwest of Moscow, said Monday that the time away from workplaces would last another week. Four other regions — the Tomsk region in Siberia, the Chelyabinsk region in the Ural Mountains, the Kursk and the Bryansk regions southwest of Moscow — followed suit Wednesday. The Smolensk region on the border with Belarus also extended the non-working days, but only until Nov. 10.

“One non-working week is not enough to break the chain of infection,” Tomsk governor Sergei Zhvachkin said.

Governors of at least three other regions have said they were considering extending the non-working period.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that no decision on a possible nationwide extension has been made.

“If any other decisions are (made), we will inform you,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters.

In Moscow and the surrounding region, which together account for nearly 25% of new daily infections, the non-working period will not be extended beyond Nov. 7, officials said.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said infection rates in the capital have “stabilized," and the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, echoed his sentiment.

Certain restrictions will remain in place in the Russian capital, such as a stay-at-home order for older adults and a mandate for businesses to have 30% of their staffs work from home.
Access to theaters and museums is limited to those who either have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months or can present a negative coronavirus test.

Russia’s weekslong surge in infections and deaths comes amid low vaccination rates, lax public attitudes toward taking precautions and the government’s reluctance to toughen restrictions.

Less than 35% of Russia’s nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, even though Russia approved a domestically developed vaccine against the coronavirus months before most countries.

In all, Russia’s state coronavirus task force has reported more than 8.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 242,000 deaths in the pandemic — by far the highest death toll in Europe.

However, reports by Russia’s state statistical service Rosstat that tally coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively reveal much higher mortality numbers. A report released last week indicated that some 462,000 people with COVID-19 died between April 2020 and September of this year.

Russian officials have said the task force only includes deaths for which COVID-19 was the main cause and uses data collected from medical facilities. Rosstat uses wider criteria for counting virus-related deaths and takes its numbers from civil registry offices where the process of registering a death is finalized.

`Grave concern`: Covid cases soar in Germany [WION, 4 Nov 2021]

The World Health Organization expressed "grave concern" Thursday over the rising pace of coronavirus infections in Europe, as Germany registered its biggest daily increase since the start of the pandemic.

"We are, once again, at the epicentre," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told a press conference.

He warned that according to "one reliable projection" the current trajectory would mean "another half a million Covid-19 deaths" by February.

Alarm bells were ringing especially in Germany, the European Union's most populous country, where the number of new cases over the past 24 hours soared to almost 34,000 on Thursday an all-time high, according to the Robert Koch Institute health agency.

Meanwhile Britain on Thursday became the first country in the world to approve the use of Merck's anti-Covid pill to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate coronavirus infections.

Health minister Sajid Javid called the molnupiravir antiviral "a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed".

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday that the country of 83 million people was facing a "massive" pandemic among the unvaccinated and that intensive care beds were starting to run out in some regions.

"Corona is once again raging with full force, the fourth wave is hitting us hard," the top-selling Bild daily wrote.

The WHO's Europe region which spans 53 countries and territories and includes several nations in Central Asia has now recorded 78 million cases since Covid-19 first emerged in China in late 2019.

Five million deaths
The cumulative figure exceeds that of South East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Western Pacific, and Africa combined, the organisation said.

The "current pace of transmission" across the European region "is of grave concern", Kluge said.

The WHO blamed a combination of insufficient vaccination rates and a relaxation of preventative measures like mask-wearing and social distancing.

Hospital admission rates were higher in countries where fewer people are vaccinated, Kluge added.

The number of new daily cases has been rising for nearly six consecutive weeks in Europe and the number of new deaths per day has been rising for just over seven consecutive weeks, with about 250,000 cases and 3,600 deaths per day, according to official national data compiled by AFP.

Over the past seven days, Russia -- a country with strong vaccine hesitancy has led the rise with 8,162 deaths, followed by Ukraine with 3,819 deaths and Romania with 3,100 deaths, according to the data.

Globally, the virus has killed more than five million people, while the overall caseload has topped 248 million.

The WHO estimates however that the pandemic's real toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19.

Although Germany was initially praised for its handling of the pandemic, the rapid uptick in cases and sluggish uptake in vaccinations among adults has led to mounting concern.

Despite vaccines being widely available, just 66.9 percent of the German population was fully inoculated as of Thursday, according to official figures.

The Covid surge comes as Germany is in political limbo following a September general election, with the winning Social Democrats hoping to have a new coalition government in place by early December.

Curbs on unvaccinated
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Germany's coronavirus trend "very worrying" and signalled that she is in favour of tougher curbs targeting the unvaccinated.

Health Minister Spahn too has called for stricter measures, including more thorough checks at establishments and events where people need to show proof of vaccination, recovery from Covid or a recent negative test before entering.

He has also urged all vaccinated Germans to get booster shots after six months.

Under Germany's federal system, regional states have significant powers to decide their own Covid approach, at times leading to a confusing patchwork of regulations.

The health ministers of all 16 states were holding crisis talks on Thursday and Friday to discuss the next steps.

The states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Saxony and Bavaria have already agreed or introduced harsher restrictions, including rules excluding the unvaccinated from bars or nightclubs.

German COVID-19 cases hit daily record as health ministers meet [Reuters, 4 Nov 2021]

By Maria Sheahan & Nick Macfie

BERLIN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Germany reported 33,949 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic last year, ahead of a two-day meeting of state health ministers starting on Thursday.

Countries across Europe have been reporting rises in coronavirus infections, prompting debate over whether to reintroduce restrictions and how to persuade more people to get vaccinated.

The daily number of cases was likely inflated by a public holiday in parts of Germany on Monday that led to a delay in data-gathering. The previous record was on Dec. 18, with 33,777 cases.

Helge Braun, chief of staff to acting Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that German states needed to make faster progress in giving older people booster shots.

"That should have happened long ago," he told broadcaster ZDF on Thursday.

As of Wednesday, only 6.7% of people over 60 in Germany had received a booster shot, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

Older people were also more likely to be hospitalised with COVID-19. The number of infected people in hospital stood at 3.62 per 100,000 on Wednesday - up from 1.65 in early October - but at 8.27 per 100,000 for those over 60.

New Coronavirus News from 5 Nov 2021

Germany: Robert Koch Institute Reports More than 37,000 New Corona Infections [The Berlin Spectator, 5 Nov 2021]

By Imanuel Marcus

In Germany, another record number of new Coronavirus infections was registered. Since yesterday, 37,120 cases needed to be added to the statistics. The danger is increasing, especially for the unvaccinated.

Berlin, November 5th, 2021 (The Berlin Spectator) — Because of the skyrocketing infection numbers, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin just reevaluated the risk the Coronavirus poses to people in its weekly report on the pandemic. There is a “moderate”, but “growing risk” for individuals who have been “fully vaccinated” (two shots), while the risk for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated persons is “very high”. In the report, the word “very” appears numerous times, including in the sentence about the latest developments. Those were “very alarming”, it says.

All-Time High
Of course, it does not take a doctor’s degree to develop worries in this situation. For the second time since yesterday, a record number of new Coronavirus infection was reported.

Within 24 hours, 37,120 of them were listed. This number is significantly higher than the one the RKI released on December 18th, 2020. On that day, the number of new cases exceeded 30,000 for the first time ever. Then, yesterday, the RKI reported 33,949 new Corona infections. Today, the number reached another all-time high.

In the past days, six out of sixteen federal states in Germany still had two-digit Seven Day Incidences. Today, only four are left. They are Bremen, Lower Saxony, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein. On the other end of the list, the numbers become more alarming every day. Saxony has an Incidence of 385.7, Thuringia reached 386.9. Even 50 is considered a high level. Bavaria stands at 256.8. All other states are between 100 and 200. Germany’s Incidence increased to 169.9. Since yesterday, 154 Corona patients died.

Uniform Approach
In one German county, Miesbach in Bavaria, the Seven Day Incidence surpassed the 700 mark.

Five of them stand between 600 and 700. They are Mühldorf am Inn (Bavaria), Sonneberg (Thuringia), Sächsische Schweiz (Saxony), Rottal Inn and Traunstein (both in Bavaria). Another five counties stand between 500 and 600, nineteen between 400 and 500, and thirty-three are at or above 300.

Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn began discussing booster vaccinations against COVID-19 with his colleagues from the federal states on Thursday. A uniform approach in all of Germany was in sight, he stated. Booster vaccinations administered six months after the second shot made a lot of sense. First, the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions and medical staff needed to get their third shots. According to Minister Spahn, booster vaccinations are not supposed to be exceptions anymore, but the rule.

Majority Wants Boosters
According to a poll conducted by the institute Forsa for the independent German television channels ‘RTL’ and ‘ntv’, a majority among “fully vaccinated” Germans wants to get booster shots. To be precise: Seventy percent of all respondents said they would get a third shot and five percent already got their booster vaccinations. Eighteen percent said they did not want booster shots and 7 percent stated they had not decided yet.

Chinese journalist imprisoned over Covid reporting in desperate need of medical care, says family [CNN, 5 Nov 2021]

By Steve George and Nectar Gan

Hong Kong (CNN)Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist imprisoned for reporting on China's initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020, is in desperate need of medical care, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The US-based rights group is calling on authorities in Beijing to release Zhang, a former lawyer, who was detained in May 2020 and sentenced in December to four years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" -- a charge commonly used by the Chinese government to target dissidents and human rights activists.

The 38-year-old has been on multiple hunger strikes since being detained and was briefly hospitalized but was sent back to prison despite her worsening health.

Zhang's mother, who had a video visit with her in October, said her daughter could not hold her head up for lack of strength — she is 5 feet, 10 inches tall (1.78 meters), yet now weighs under 88 pounds (about 40 kilograms), and urgently needs medical treatment.

"The Chinese government needs to be held to account for allowing yet another peaceful critic to fall gravely ill while unjustly imprisoned," said Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Governments should call for Zhang Zhan's urgent release to prevent an already terrible situation from becoming a tragic one."

In the early months of the pandemic, Zhang traveled some 400 miles from Shanghai to Wuhan to report on the spread of the virus and subsequent attempts to contain it, just as the authorities began reining in state-run and private Chinese media.

For more than three months, she documented snippets of life under lockdown in Wuhan and the harsh reality faced by its residents, from overflowing hospitals to empty shops. She posted her observations, photos and videos on Wechat, Twitter and YouTube -- the latter two of which are blocked in China.

Her postings came to an abrupt stop in mid-May, and she was later revealed to have been detained by police and brought back to Shanghai.

During a previous hunger strike, Amnesty International alleges she was shackled and force fed, treatment the group said amounted to torture.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not previously respond to CNN on allegations of Zhang's mistreatment in detention.


In a lengthy statement issued in July 2020, the Foreign Ministry denied the Chinese government had cracked down on journalists who "exercised their right to freedom of speech on the Internet" during the pandemic.
"In China, no one gets punished or penalized simply because of making remarks," the statement said. "The Chinese government has all along conducted its Covid-19 response in an open and transparent manner, and has made widely recognized achievements."

Zhang was one of a number of independent reporters who were detained or disappeared during the outset of the pandemic, as Chinese authorities clamped down on coverage of the virus and propaganda outlets went into overdrive portraying Beijing's response as effective and timely.

China is the biggest jailer of journalists in the world, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and tightly controls the press at home while blocking most foreign media outlets via the Great Firewall, its vast online censorship and surveillance apparatus.

In 2020, China expelled journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, in an unprecedented move against the foreign press. Beijing said the move -- which came amid a wave of critical reporting about China's initial response to the coronavirus -- was a response for recent restrictions by Washington on how Chinese state media operates in the US.

China's zero COVID policy sparks protest in a town battered by lockdowns : Goats and Soda [NPR, 5 Nov 2021]

By EMILY FENG

BEIJING – Residents left starving inside makeshift quarantine centers fashioned out of shipping containers. Businesses forbidden from selling goods – even online. A baby reportedly tested for COVID 74 times.

These are some of the stories emerging from Ruili, a southwestern Chinese town famed for the quality of its jade. Situated on the border with Myanmar, Ruili has been battered by three successive lockdowns in the last year, pulling the town of about 270,000 people into the center of a fiery debate online about who must shoulder the costs of China's zero-COVID policies.

Online, thousands of Ruili residents have begun posting descriptions of the conditions they face and desperate messages for help. The response? An even greater volume of online vitriol from fellow Chinese citizens who believe the rigid quarantine policies are worth the human cost.

"I feel like our entire city has been abandoned by the rest of the country," said a jade trader surnamed Wang. He wanted to use only his family name because he fears state and online retribution: "I do not feel like I am living in China right now."

Earlier this year, his wife went to work one morning, only to be forced to find somewhere else to stay for a 45-day quarantine after the city district was sealed off because of a handful of cases discovered nearby. She was rounded up and told to shelter in place, with no date of release and no regular supply of food. Wang says he was finally able to get her out by asking a well-connected friend to bring her to a hospital on medical grounds, after which she did another two week hotel quarantine before being allowed to return home.

Yet despite the anger in Ruili, most people in China support the country's strict pandemic prevention policies, despite their huge economic cost and the risk of being suddenly quarantined or tested during frequent contact-tracing investigations. Local governments are under enormous pressure to ensure no infections crop up; officials who fail are often publicly shamed and fired.

People unlucky enough to test positive or — more commonly — cross paths with a close contact can find themselves ensnared in successive and expensive quarantines. Others have found themselves stuck in limbo, unable to leave cities under lockdown, including Ruili, and also banned from returning to their hometowns.

"These people [who criticize me] are brainless," said Wang. "Once such a calamity falls on their heads, they will not be saying such boneheaded things anymore."

The complaints in Ruili come as China is in the midst of containing more than 1,000 active infections across 17 regions — a relatively high number for Beijing, which has liberally deployed mass testing and quarantines to keep the national tally of cases hovering around zero for the last year. Authorities have already locked down several major cities (occasionally stranding tourists on vacation), quarantined thousands of close contacts and sometimes cancelled flights and trains to Beijing from areas where just a single active case has been identified.

China's zero-tolerance approach to the novel coronavirus is in stark contrast with much of the rest of the world, which has accepted that the illness will circulate in perpetuity and can only be countered with high immunization rates.

China, too, has pursued an aggressive vaccination campaign. It has three domestic vaccines approved for use in people as young as 3 years old, and health authorities say more than 70% of people living in China are now fully vaccinated.

But the country has simultaneously ramped up COVID-related restrictions as Beijing prepares for two important political meetings for top Communist Party officials this November and next October. Beijing has also indicated it is unlikely to re-open its international borders until after the Winter Olympic Games, which will start this February in Beijing.

"I believe, for now, that the zero-transmission strategy is not too costly but is in fact a relatively less costly method," Dr. Zhong Nanshan, an infectious disease expert who has become the public face of China's pandemic control efforts, said in an interview with the state broadcaster this week.

The zero-transmission strategy has been implemented especially harshly in Ruili, parts of which are only yards away from northern Myanmar. Authorities have blamed successive COVID flare-ups on traders and refugees who frequently cross the border into China.

After the online outcry of Ruili residents gained momentum, the city said it would waive quarantine and testing costs for residents. It also set up ten additional quarantine hotels for people trying to leave. But residents say conditions inside the hotel centers are dire and put residents at risk of cross-infection. Those unable to pay for hotel quarantines are housed in shipping containers where conditions are worse.

"There is no hot water, the food is barely edible and other than spraying some disinfectant, the hotel rooms are not cleaned between quarantines," Lu, a Ruili jade trader. In March, she and her husband were suddenly put in quarantine for what reason, leaving her two children, ages 4 and 14, at home by themselves. She also requested her first name be withheld because she is worried about state retribution.

Some of the city's supermarkets have reopened since closing in March but residents say they fear being caught away from home by a sudden quarantine notice, which would put them in limbo. So they prefer to shop at night, when patrols are looser and they can buy supplies undetected.

"We support the government and its policies but that does not mean we should also have to go hungry," said Li Jie, a Ruili resident who just finished a 14-day hotel quarantine when NPR reached her by phone on Friday.

She hopes to move permanently back to her hometown in northeastern Liaoning province but lists the bureaucratic obstacles she must overcome to do so: first seek approval to complete a 7-day hotel quarantine to leave Ruili, then a 14-day hotel quarantine in Liaoning, expenses she cannot afford because authorities have banned people from going to work for the better part of this year.

Last month, Ruili's predicament prompted the city's former deputy mayor Dai Rongli to post an unusually candid essay on his personal social media page, asking Beijing to grant relief.

The pandemic has "mercilessly robbed this city time and again, squeezing dry the city's last sign of life," Dai Rongli wrote. His essay went viral, prompting Dai to clarify he was not criticizing the country's policies but merely asking for compassion and more resources to support the city's pandemic prevention policies.

"I know the government's job is not easy," he told a Chinese outlet. "But I want people to understand how truly difficult life is in Ruili right now."

Days later, the city's current mayor Shang Labian dismissed Dai's essay in a curt interview with Chinese outlet The Paper: "Ruili does not need outside assistance for the time being," he said.

Russia’s COVID-19 situation aggravates in ten regions this week, says official [TASS, 5 Nov 2021]

By DARIA LITVINOVA

Daily coronavirus cases and deaths in Russia remain at their highest numbers of the pandemic
These are Belgorod, Saratov, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl, Magadan and Krasnoyarsk Regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Tuva and Chuvash Republics

MOSCOW, November 5. / TASS /. The epidemiological situation in Russia has worsened in ten Russian regions over the past week, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Policy Tatyana Golikova said on Friday.

"These are Belgorod, Saratov, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl, Magadan and Krasnoyarsk Regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Tuva and Chuvash Republics," the deputy prime minister specified.

Since the start of the pandemic, some 248.7 mln people have been infected with the COVID-19 across the world, while more than five mln have died. According to the anti-coronavirus crisis center, Russia has registered some 8,714,595 COVID-19 cases, whereas 7,505,971 people have recovered and 244,447 have died since the onset of the pandemic. The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

Macron to address France as Covid cases rise [RTE.ie, 5 Nov 2021]

French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the nation on Tuesday about the resurgence of Covid-19 infections, the French government said.

Infection rates in France have accelerated strongly in the past month, with the number of new Covid-19 cases rising by double-digit percentages from last week for several days in a row.

"The epidemic is picking up speed again in Europe, Europe has again become the epicentre of the epidemic," French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.

The seven-day average of daily new infections now stands at more than 6,200, up from less than 4,200 in early October.

Mr Attal said Emmanuel Macron would review the Covid-19 situation and would also talk about the country's economic recovery, the government's reform programme and other issues.

Mr Macron's last major televised speech was on 12 July at the start of a fourth wave of infections. He announced then that vaccinations would be mandatory for all health workers.

French epidemiologists have recently suggested widening the scope of the vaccine booster campaign to include new categories.

On Wednesday, the government said face masks would again be compulsory from next week for school children in 39 regional departments where infection rates are high.

Austria
Austria said it is barring those unvaccinated against Covid-19 from cafes, restaurants and hairdressers as infections approach the record set a year ago and the government struggles to convince holdouts to get the shot.

The new measures, which include barring the unvaccinated from hotels and events of more than 25 people, will take effect on Monday with a four-week transition period in which a first vaccination plus a PCR test will grant admission to places where the unvaccinated will be banned, a government statement said.

Iceland tightens Covid rules
Iceland has said it would tighten its Covid rules as it battles a rise in new cases, including capping gatherings and mandating masks in crowded areas.

The new measures were announced after the World Health Organization yesterday said that Europe was facing an alarming surge in cases, warning another 500,000 could die by February.
Iceland has recorded 179 new infections in the past 24 hours, a record since the start of the pandemic, according to health authorities.

"It's uncomfortable to see how steep the curve is and the increase is greater than what we've seen before," health minister Svandis Svavarsdottir told reporters following a ministerial meeting.

The government said one-metre social distancing should be maintained in all public spaces.
Where this is not possible masks should be worn - especially in shops - a rule that will be compulsory again from Saturday.

The limit on the number of people allowed at public gatherings will be lowered to 500 people as of Wednesday, down from the current cap of 2,000.

Bars and clubs will also have to close their doors at 11pm, two hours earlier than what is currently allowed.

The restrictions will remain in place for at least four weeks.

"The daily number of infections must be reduced to 40-50 and this situation must be maintained with restrictions until a better collective immunity is reached thanks to vaccine boosters and natural infections," the Ministry of Health explained in a statement.

Before the rise in cases, existing restrictions still in force were scheduled to be lifted on 18 November.

While 89% of the population aged over 12 is fully vaccinated in the Nordic country, the country's chief epidemiologist today called for a third dose for all people over 16 who have been fully vaccinated "for about six months".

"The usefulness of a booster dose to strengthen the immunity of each individual and society as a whole has now become very clear," Thorolfur Gudnason said.

Iceland, with a population of 375,000, has had a total of 14,255 cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic and 34 deaths.

Germany scrambles to tackle cases
Germany's regional health ministers have called for Covid booster jabs for all as the country scrambles to tackle a surging fourth wave of infections.

"The federal states agree that everyone who had their second jab six months ago or longer should be able to get an appropriate booster," Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek told a press conference.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn has also called for booster jabs for all, but the Stiko vaccine commission has so far recommended them only for those aged over 70 or with preexisting health conditions.

German state leaders have also said hospitals could soon become swamped by Covid-19 patients and a new lockdown might be needed unless urgent action is taken to reverse a surge in cases.

"If we take too much time now, it will end in a lockdown like last year," the leader of the eastern state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, told Deutschlandfunk radio.

The premier of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, said it was a matter of days until the coronavirus situation would mean that there were not enough intensive care beds at hospitals.

As of yesterday, there were 2,503 free beds in German intensive care units, down from around 3,100 at the start of October, according to data from the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine.

Germany reported 37,120 new coronavirus cases today, the second day in a row that it marked the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic last year.

Eased Japan border rules to take effect from Monday
The first step in Japan's planned phased reopening of borders, which centres on business travellers, will be put into effect from 8 November, the government has said.

The phased easing was confirmed earlier this week, but fell short of demands from business lobbies for rules more closely aligned with those of major trading partners.

The change will shorten Covid-19 quarantine periods for inbound business travellers from 10 days to three, if they have proof of vaccination, the government said.

Students and trainee workers with valid visas will also be allowed in.

No mention was made of tourists, or of media reports that the daily limits on the numbers of border entrants would be raised to 5,000 people later this month from 3,500.

Japan currently requires a 10-day quarantine for travellers, regardless of vaccination status.

That time was shortened from 14 days last month.

Domestic and foreign business groups in Japan have lobbied the government to ease border restrictions to be more in line with other countries. The United States and European Union allow entry to travellers from most countries as long as they have proof of Covid-19 vaccination.

Philippines eases Covid curbs in Manila as cases fall

The Philippines has lifted restrictions on national pastimes like karaoke and basketball in the capital Manila and reopened universities as virus cases eased there.

All restrictions on the movement of young people aged below 18 years were lifted in the capital, officials announced, and primary schools could reopen soon, pending the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"This is good news and one that has been highly anticipated," Mr Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque told a news conference.

Curfews as well as curbs on indoor recreation and contact sports are components of severe lockdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19, which has infected about 2.8 million people and killed 44,000 across the Southeast Asian nation.

Officials cited rising vaccination coverage for a slowdown in the spread of the virus, which had strained health services between April and October with the onslaught of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Cases have fallen from a high of 2,000 average daily cases in Manila last month "to an average of just 493 cases per day", Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told the news conference.

The new guidelines are in place until 21 November, but officials said they could be extended if the number of new cases and hospital admission rates continue to fall.

Minors had only been allowed outside their homes starting this month, but only to "obtain essential goods and services."

Contact sports like basketball, the national sport, karaoke bars, and amusement park operations were allowed for the first time since the Philippines began imposing lockdowns early last year.

Mr Roque said metropolitan Manila universities would reopen at 50% capacity, while "face-to-face" instruction in grade schools could resume for the first time since March 2020 if Mr Duterte gave his approval.

Dispatch: As Covid-19 cases surge, is Germany heading for another lockdown? [New Statesman, 5 Nov 2021]

By Ido Vock

Another lockdown, whether for the unvaccinated or for the country as a whole, would be immensely unpopular.

BERLIN – Could Germany be heading towards another winter lockdown? Coronavirus cases are surging and some state leaders are warning that without action to curb the rise, the country will face another winter of harsh restrictions.

Michael Kretschmer, the leader of the eastern state of Saxony, told German radio that unless immediate action was taken to counter growing case rates, the situation would “end in a lockdown like last year”. The head of the neighbouring state of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, said hospitals were rapidly running out of beds because of the rise in coronavirus patients.

For many Germans, the rhetoric coming from their leaders is uncomfortably close to what they heard last autumn, when the country was forced into a gruelling months-long lockdown.
Germany is now recording its highest daily case rate since the beginning of the pandemic. On Thursday 4 November, 37,000 new cases were registered in the country, higher than the UK and over three times more than in neighbouring France, although Germany’s population is the largest in Europe.

Deaths have also been climbing: they currently stand at a seven-day rolling average of over 100 per day. Vaccine coverage, at 66 per cent of the population, is lower in Germany than in other large European countries. Saxony and Thuringia are some of the least vaccinated states in the country but have some of the highest infection rates.

Officials believe the profile of those falling ill is different from previous waves. According to health minister Jens Spahn, Germany is now facing a “pandemic of the unvaccinated – and it is massive”. Spahn said the number of Germans who had been vaccinated against coronavirus was still too low, and he called for more people to receive booster shots.


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Proof of vaccination, recovery or a recent negative test is required by some German states for entry to venues such as nightclubs and restaurants, although verification is patchy. Many venues do not scan QR codes proving vaccination. Instead, they inspect them manually, making it easy to fake vaccination status for entry.

If cases continue to climb, more restrictions may be coming, although they could be targeted solely at the unvaccinated. More stringent verification of vaccination status at venues would be an obvious target for policymakers. They might also consider more widespread vaccine mandates, which are more limited in Germany than in some other European countries. Polls show a majority of the population favour mandatory vaccination of all adults.

Another option could be to reintroduce free testing, abolished in October to incentivise vaccination. A poll for the health ministry showed that two-thirds of those who remain unvaccinated had no intention of getting jabbed in the coming months. Reinstating free testing could help diagnose positive cases and stop them spreading, short of being able to convince more people to get vaccinated.

Corona Death Analyses In Germany For TSE:5909 By Highrisk221 - Todayuknews [Todayuknews, 5 Nov 2021]

*Note because the chart was inserted as an image, the scaling may have shifted slightly, simply scale at the right edge until the orange zero matches the zero line of the chart.

First of all, I know Corona is a delicate subject and also that I analyze the deaths here seems to work a macabre, but the fact is that the numbers are rising and this can have an impact on the German economy, this analysis serves as a complement to my DAX short analysis and is purely scientific nature.

The Dax analysis can be found here (German Only)

Let’s get to the analysis:
As we can see from the chart, deaths increased rapidly between January and February, reaching a high of ca 1138.

In February, a bearish SKS formed at the high which had also already reached its target of 371 deaths .

This target line is very often reached again after the Unterstreiten in later upward movements or correction phases and serves us thus as a first “target line”

Furthermore, we can take from the chart an ABC Correct which has the following death numbers as a target.
Target 1 435

Target 2 705
Target 3 900
Target 4 1451
Target 5 1846

Here the death number of 900 is to be seen as the first strong resistance.

At 1451 I expect the end of the rising numbers for the first time, whereas 1846 deaths would be the maximum and at the latest here a trend reversal should take place.

If you liked this idea, I would be pleased about a click on the Like button ;)

If you have any questions, suggestions or a different opinion, don’t be afraid to use the comment function.

Thanks a lot

Disclaimer:

Please keep in mind that this is a pure analysis and only reflects what my eye shows me ;)

This analysis is for informational purposes only and is scientific in nature.

This analysis is not based on any fundamental data!

This analysis is not an investment advice and should not be considered as a buy, sell or hold signal.

Always do your own research before investing and seek the advice of a qualified person.

I am not an investment advisor or similar and do not make any investment recommendation here.

Germany sees 2nd straight COVID case record, mulls response [WHEC, 5 Nov 2021]

By GEIR MOULSON

BERLIN (AP) - Germany recorded its second consecutive daily record for new coronavirus cases on Friday as infections pick up across Europe, and its disease control center said unvaccinated people now face a "very high" risk of infection.

The country saw 37,120 reported new infections over the past 24 hours, according to the disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute. That compared with Thursday's figure of 33,949 - which in turn topped the previous record of 33,777 set on Dec. 18 last year.

While it's possible that the figures were pushed up by delayed testing and reporting following a regional holiday Monday in some of the worst-affected areas, they underlined a steady rise in infections over recent weeks. Another 154 deaths linked to COVID-19 brought Germany's total to 96,346 on Friday.

The country's infection rate has now exceeded its peak during a spike of cases in the spring, though it's still short of the worst-ever showing in December, according to Friday's figures.
There have been 169.9 reported cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, up from 139.2 a week ago.

That's still a lower rate than in several other European countries, but it is ringing alarm bells.
Officials point to a large number of unvaccinated people and to often-lax enforcement of regional rules, which restrict access to some indoor activities and venues to people who have been vaccinated, have recently recovered or been tested.

In a weekly report late Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute said unvaccinated or partly vaccinated people now face a "very high" risk to their health - a change from its previous assessment that they face a "high" risk. "For fully vaccinated people, the threat is considered moderate, but rising in view of the increasing infection figures," it added.

"It is important to break the momentum" of infections, Bavaria's state health minister, Klaus Holetschek, said after chairing a previously scheduled meeting with his federal and regional counterparts. In decentralized Germany, state governments bear the primary responsibility for imposing and loosening restrictions.

Holetschek said officials agreed that booster shots should in principle be available to everyone six months after they have completed their initial course of vaccination, and that obligatory testing at nursing homes - including of vaccinated visitors - should be expanded.

Authorities also are appealing anew to German residents who haven't yet been vaccinated to get their shots. They say pressure on hospital beds is rising, particularly in regions where vaccination rates are relatively low.

Official figures show that about two-thirds of Germany's population of 83 million has completed its first round of vaccination, but there are significant regional variations.
Authorities say 16.2 million people aged 12 or above remain unvaccinated, including 3.2 million over-60s.

"I'm sure all of us thought in the spring and summer that the number of people who simply don't want to be vaccinated would be smaller, but it is how it is," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert. "However, we must now continue to work with information, clarification and all our good arguments."

A bit more than 2 million booster shots have been administered so far, a number that also falls short of officials' hopes.

"Boosters after six months should become the rule, not the exception," federal Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Germany reports a record number of new COVID-19 cases [Euronews, 5 Nov 2021]

Germany's public health body reported a record-high number of COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said 33,949 new cases had been registered in the last 24 hours, up from 28,037 daily cases a week ago. The previous record was 33,777 new cases on 18 December 2020.

Federal health minister Jens Spahn is set to meet with state health ministers to discuss how to limit the virus' spread ahead of the winter as intensive care units in hospitals fill up and infections in children surge.

"We are currently experiencing a pandemic mainly among the unvaccinated and it is massive," Spahn said at a press conference earlier in the week.

There were 165 deaths reported on Thursday, up from 126 a week ago. At least 96,192 people have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic and more than 4.6 million people have contracted the virus.

Around 66% of Germany's population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but some 16.2 million people age 12 or above remain unvaccinated including 3.2 million over-60s.

Some German regions are tightening controls and pressure is mounting to require testing in German care homes.

Ulrich Weigeldt, the head of the association of family doctors, was quoted as saying that vaccination should be mandatory for people working in care homes and hospitals.

“No unvaccinated person should have contact with such a vulnerable group, either professionally or as a visitor," Weigeldt told daily tabloid Bild. "This applies to senior citizen homes and nursing homes as well as to intensive care units.”

Covid cases hit new record in Germany as WHO warns of spread in Europe [FRANCE 24 English, 5 Nov 2021]

Daily Covid infections hit an all-time high in Germany Thursday as the World Health Organization warned that another 500,000 people could die across Europe, with cases once again on the rise.

The dire projection came as the UK became the first country to approve an anti-Covid pill and the US announced strict new rules for businesses to strongarm employees into getting vaccines, as countries scramble to avoid another deadly winter wave of the virus.

But with rising infections in Europe, WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan cautioned: "I think it's a warning shot for the world to see what's happening in Europe despite the availability of vaccination."

The EU's most populous country Germany set a new record for daily infections, with nearly 34,000 new cases over the past 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

03:05
Croatia also hit a new daily record, with 6,310 people testing positive, following in the footsteps of Russia which has repeatedly shattered its own records in recent weeks.

The WHO's Europe chief expressed "grave concern" over the rising pace of coronavirus infections in Europe, warning that according to "one reliable projection" the current trajectory would mean "another half a million Covid-19 deaths" by February.

"We are, once again, at the epicentre," Hans Kluge told a news conference.

The WHO blamed a combination of insufficient vaccination rates and a relaxation of preventative measures like mask-wearing and physical distancing.

Hospital admission rates are higher in countries where fewer people have been vaccinated, Kluge added.

The number of new daily cases has been rising steadily for weeks in Europe, with a total of about 250,000 cases, according to official national data compiled by AFP. Deaths are on the rise too, with some 3,600 registered daily across the continent.

Over the past seven days, Russia -- a country with strong vaccine hesitancy -- has led the rise with more than 8,100 deaths, followed by Ukraine with over 3,800 deaths and Romania with 3,100 deaths, according to AFP data.

Globally, the virus has killed more than five million people since it first emerged in China in December 2019.

'Game-changer'
There was better news in Britain, which became the first country in the world to approve the use of Merck's anti-Covid pill molnupiravir to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate coronavirus.

Health minister Sajid Javid called the antiviral drug "a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed".

"Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for Covid-19," he said.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Thursday it would try to speed up its review on whether to authorise the drug for the EU.

The drug has raised hopes of being able to offer easy, at-home treatment for vulnerable Covid carriers, including those with diabetes or who are overweight.

Governments are eager to avoid the overcrowded hospital wards and soaring death rates seen in the first phases of the pandemic, with hopes pinned on vaccines to avoid a repeat of the worst.

In the United States, the world's worst affected country with over 750,000 deaths to date, tens of millions of workers face a January 4 deadline to get vaccinated.

Under new rules announced by President Joe Biden's administration, employees of larger companies as well as healthcare workers and federal contractors must either be fully vaccinated by then or submit to weekly testing.

The move marks the most aggressive step Washington has taken yet against the virus and its highly contagious Delta variant, which has hobbled the country's economic recovery.

"The bottom line is vaccination requirements work," a senior White House official said.

Austria, meanwhile, tightened restrictions, amid record 2021 infections, to only allow those vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 to enter restaurants, go to hairdressers and attend bigger gatherings.

WHO expert Maria Van Kerhove told reporters in Geneva there had been a more than "55 percent increase in cases over the last four weeks in Europe".

Germany offers booster shots to everyone amid 'very worrying' surge in cases [CNN, 5 Nov 2021]

By Rob Picheta and Nadine Schmidt

Berlin (CNN)German health officials have warned the country is in the grips of a "very worrying" spike in Covid-19 cases and expanded its booster vaccine program to all adults, after a new record in daily infections was registered for the second day running.

More than 37,000 new infections were reported on Friday, 3,000 more than the mark on Thursday which had, for 24 hours, been the worst rate registered since the pandemic began.

The sharp upward trends come amid a vaccine rollout that is slower than some other large European nations. Health Minister Jens Spahn announced Friday that everyone in the country will become eligible for a booster jab if six months have passed since their second dose, in an effort to stem transmission.

The country's "fourth coronavirus wave is now in full force,'' Spahn told reporters at a press conference. A number of hospital patients from overburdened regions had to be relocated to other areas this week.

Late on Thursday the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's disease and control center, described current developments as ''very worrying'' and raised its risk assessment for unvaccinated people from "high" to "very high."

The situation has also changed for vaccinated people, the report said. "For the fully vaccinated, the risk is assessed as moderate, but increasing due to rising infection rates."

Around 67% of Germans have been fully inoculated against the virus, while a third are either unvaccinated or have received only one dose.

Germany's new wave mirrors a surge of Delta variant cases across Europe, with the situation especially worrying towards the east of the continent, where vaccination coverage is generally lower.

Vienna, the capital of neighboring Austria, announced on Friday it will ban people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 from cafes, restaurants, hairdressers and any events with more than 25 people starting from the end of next week, as infections surge nationally to their highest level in 2021.

"It is important to me that we take decisions before intensive-care units are at capacity," Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig, a Social Democrat, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday, announcing the new restrictions.

A World Health Organization (WHO) executive said Thursday that Europe's battle against the virus is a "warning shot" for the rest of the world.

"It's very important to reflect that Europe represents over half of the global cases in the last week, but that trend can turn," Mike Ryan, executive director of the agency's health emergencies program, said in Geneva. "We only have to look at the roller coaster epidemiologic curve to know that when you're coming down the mountain, you're usually about to go back up another one."

"I think it's a warning shot for the world to see what's happening in Europe despite the availability of vaccination," he said. "And I think we all have to double down and recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to be the last person in the chain of transmission."

The agency's regional director for Europe had earlier on Thursday outlined out a potentially dire winter for the continent. Hans Kluge warned Europe is "once again the epicenter" of the virus and said that, according to one projection, the region could see 500,000 more deaths by February.

"We are at another critical point of pandemic resurgence," Kluge said. He blamed two factors for the new wave: the relaxation of Covid-19 measures, and a lack of vaccination coverage in the Balkans and towards the east of the continent.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday warned that stricter measures are needed for those who refuse to get vaccinated. Spahn also told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that he was asked for his vaccination certificate in Rome during the G20 more often in one day than in Germany in four weeks.

Spahn added that Germany was facing a "massive" pandemic among unvaccinated people.