Infection rates 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,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters. The seven-day average of daily new infections now stands at more than 6,200, up from less than 4,200 in early October. Attal said 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. Macron’s office said the speech would be on Tuesday. Macron’s last major televised speech was on July 12 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.
France reports more than 10,000 new COVID cases for 1st time in two months……. New Zealand’s daily coronavirus cases cross 200 for first time in pandemic……… Austria tightens measures for unvaccinated citizens
German COVID-19 cases hit daily record as health ministers meet
BERLIN (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. 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. Continue reading “German COVID-19 cases hit daily record as health ministers meet”
Europe’s COVID spread is “warning shot” for rest of world – WHO
A potentially faster-spreading Delta variant, AY.4.2, has been spotted in 8 states
A potentially faster-spreading “sub-lineage” of the coronavirus Delta variant named AY.4.2 has been spotted by labs in at least 8 states, and health authorities in the United Kingdom say they are investigating a growing share of cases from this strain of the virus. Continue reading “A potentially faster-spreading Delta variant, AY.4.2, has been spotted in 8 states”
Germany adds record 33,949 COVID cases….. Virus deaths rise at record pace in Russia
The number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Germany increased by 33,949 per day, which is the highest since the start of the pandemic in the country. The corresponding data follows from published on Thursday, November 4, materials of the Berlin Institute of Virology named after Robert Koch. The previous anti-record was recorded on April 22, then 29,518 cases of coronavirus were detected per day. In total, 4,672,368 cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic. The seven-day spread index (the number of infections per 100 thousand people per week) is 154.5. At the same time, seven days ago, it was at the level of 130.2. Earlier, on November 3, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that Germany was facing the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the vaccination campaign is going on in the country. According to him, in Germany so far only 2 million people have received a booster vaccine. At the same time, Vladimir Chizhov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Union (EU), announced on November 2 that Russia and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would soon be able to reach a common understanding of mutual recognition of certificates of vaccination against coronavirus if a number of agreements were reached.
Continue reading “Germany adds record 33,949 COVID cases….. Virus deaths rise at record pace in Russia”
China is suffering its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since Wuhan
China is suffering its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since the virus first emerged at the beginning of the pandemic in Wuhan in 2019. The country’s new locally transmitted Covid cases have spiked to a near three-month high amid what the Chinese government called a ‘serious’ new outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Now, more than 600 locally-transmitted cases have been found in 19 of the country’s 31 provinces, reports Bloomberg. The National Health Commission confirmed on Wednesday 93 new local symptomatic cases for Tuesday, up from 54 a day earlier and the highest daily count since August 9 at the peak of China’s last major outbreak. Most of the local cases were found in Heihe, a city in the northern province of Heilongjiang, where 35 infections were recorded on Tuesday. Three new provinces detected cases: central Chongqing, Jiangsu and Henan, reported Bloomberg. The spread and rise in Covid infections comes despite the Chinese government enforcing tighter curbs to contain the cases. Continue reading “China is suffering its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since Wuhan”
France’s daily COVID-19 infections top 7,000 for first time since mid-Sept… UK reports 41,278 new COVID cases, 166 deaths
PARIS (Reuters) – French health authorities reported 7,360 daily new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the first time the tally has topped 7,000 since Sept 21. In another sign the virus is ramping up again, the seven-day moving average of daily new cases reached a more than one month high of 5,669. The cumulative total of new cases now stands at 7.16 million. Hospital cases – whose trend usually lags new case data by one to two weeks – were slightly down at 6,524 over 24 hours. But compared to last Saturday’s figure, the total is up by almost 200. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care rose by 5 in 24 hours to 1,039 and by 32 over a week. France also registered 22 new deaths from the epidemic, taking the total to 117,643.
UK reports 41,278 new COVID cases, 166 deaths
LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Britain reported 41,278 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and 166 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed. The figures compared to 43,467 new infections and 186 deaths reported on Friday.
China has another gift for you… Wuhan Virus cases and deaths surge again
CHINA
Wuhan Virus cases and deaths are surging for the first time in 2 months. 6 Million people are under lockdown in China, Russia has recorded its highest daily deaths, Tonga has recorded its first-ever case of the Wuhan Virus. Continue reading “China has another gift for you… Wuhan Virus cases and deaths surge again”
U.S. FDA authorizes first COVID-19 shot for young kids
https://youtu.be/9c-0mEV6hQE
(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years, making it the first COVID-19 shot for young children in the United States.
The shot will not be immediately available to the age group. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still needs to advise on how the shot should be administered, which will be decided after a group of outside advisers discuss the plan on Tuesday. Continue reading “U.S. FDA authorizes first COVID-19 shot for young kids”