1.01pm EDT
13:01
Covid situation in UK ‘concerning’, says government expert
12.30pm EDT
12:30
UK records almost 50,000 new Covid cases today
11.04am EDT
11:04
Two doses of Covid vaccine offer similar protection as natural infection – ONS analysis
10.23am EDT
10:23
UK government warns of ‘challenging’ months ahead in battle against Covid
8.06am EDT
08:06
Downing Street denies UK PM and wife broke Covid rules over Christmas
5.42am EDT
05:42
Vaccine take-up among 12- to 15-year-olds below 10% in third of English local authorities
5.20am EDT
05:20
EU has exported over 1bn vaccine doses worldwide – von der Leyen
1.20pm EDT
13:20
Algeria lifted an overnight curfew that was imposed in parts of the country last month to help contain the coronavrius, the prime minister’s office said in a statement today.
The curfew, running from 11pm to 5am was in effect in 23 out of 58 provinces in the North African country.
Gatherings, weddings, and social events are still under a ban, the statement said.
1.03pm EDT
13:03
Today’s 45 new coronavirus deaths also means UK total deaths since the beginning of the pandemic is up to 138,629.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 163,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate.
As of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 49,156 lab-confirmed Covid cases in the UK, the government said.
Updated
at 1.03pm EDT
1.01pm EDT
13:01
Covid situation in UK ‘concerning’, says government expert
Following on from those latest statistics, epidemiologist and government adviser Professor Andrew Hayward said the current situation in the UK was “concerning” and there was “huge potential for the NHS to come under a lot of pressure” this winter.
Prof Hayward, a member of the Sage scientific advisory panel, told BBC Radio 4’s World At One:
I think it’s concerning that we’ve got very high rates of infection and higher rates of hospitalisation and mortality than many of our European counterparts.
He said waning immunity is “probably part of” the reason infections are currently high, adding there is “some evidence” protection against infection is beginning to wear off and “probably some evidence” protection against severe disease is waning to a lesser extent.
Prof Hayward added:
We shouldn’t be complacent because there is still huge potential for the NHS to come under a lot of pressure and for there to be a lot of unnecessary deaths.
So we need to get the vaccination rates up and we need to be prepared potentially to think about other measures if things do get out of control.
12.49pm EDT
12:49
Of those new infections announced today, Scotland has recorded 2,194 new coronavirus cases but no deaths in the past 24 hours, the latest Scottish Government figures show.
It means the death toll under this daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – remains at 8,930.
However the Scottish Government noted that register offices are generally closed at weekends.
The daily test positivity rate was 11.5%, up from 10% the previous day. There were 857 people in hospital on Sunday with recently confirmed Covid, with 44 in intensive care.
12.30pm EDT
12:30
UK records almost 50,000 new Covid cases today
Britain reported 49,156 new Covid cases on Monday and 45 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed.
The figures compared to 45,140 cases and 57 deaths reported a day earlier.
12.19pm EDT
12:19
Slovakia has reimposed coronavirus restrictions in the hardest-hit parts of the country amid the latest surge of infections.
Five counties all located in northern Slovakia are affected by the measures, which include the closures of restaurants with people only allowed to buy meals at takeout windows, Reuters reported.
Fitness and wellness centres also have been closed. The number of people allowed to attend public gatherings is reduced to 100 fully vaccinated people. It’s also mandatory to wear face coverings both outdoors and indoors.
The number of infected in those counties is higher than 400 per 100,000 people in the last seven days.
Slovakia is facing a new wave of infections, with daily numbers in the country reaching 2,406 on Tuesday, the highest number since the middle of March.
11.22am EDT
11:22
Italy reported 44 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, up from 24 the previous day, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 1,597 from 2,437.
Italy has registered 131,585 deaths linked to Covid since the outbreak in February last year. It has the second highest toll in Europe behind Britain, and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 4.7 million cases to date.
The number of patients in hospital with Covid – not including those in intensive care – stood at 2,428 on Monday, up from 2,386 a day earlier.
Updated
at 11.23am EDT
11.04am EDT
11:04
Two doses of Covid vaccine offer similar protection as natural infection – ONS analysis
Nicola Davis
New data from the UK suggests two doses of a Covid vaccine offers a similar protection against testing positive for the coronavirus as a previous natural infection.
The analysis, carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), is based on NHS test and trace data as well as ONS survey results for the period between 17 May to 14 August, when the Delta variant was dominant.
The results reveal that those who had received two doses of the Covid jabs at least 14 days before the period of interest had a lower risk of testing positive during that time than those who had only had one dose at least 21 days before.
However, two doses of either jab offered a similar level of protection as that provided by a natural infection.
According to the data, those who have previously had Covid had a 71% lower risk of testing positive than those without a prior Covid infection and who were not yet vaccinated. Meanwhile, those who had received two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab 14 or more days before the period of interest had a 62% lower risk of testing positive for Covid and those who had received two doses of the Pfizer jab had a 73% lower risk.
While the two types of vaccine appear to offer different levels of protection, the team urge caution, noting the jabs were given to different age groups and had different follow-up times.
Updated
at 11.24am EDT
10.31am EDT
10:31
Peter Walker
A close friend of Boris and Carrie Johnson did stay with the couple during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown last Christmas, Downing Street has in effect confirmed, while insisting no Covid rules were broken.
It is understood that Nimco Ali, a campaigner and Home Office adviser who is godmother to the Johnsons’ infant son, Wilfred, was at Downing Street over the Christmas period as part of their childcare support bubble.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson declined to formally confirm that Ali was there. “As you might expect, I’m not going to get into speaking about individuals that the prime minister has seen over Christmas,” he said. “What I can say is that the prime minister and Mrs Johnson have followed the coronavirus rules at all times.”
However, the spokesperson did say that neither Boris Johnson’s mother – who died last month aged 79 – or Carrie Johnson’s mother were with the family over Christmas. Asked to confirm whether or not Ali was there, he did not respond.
“It is entirely accurate to say that they followed coronavirus rules at all times,” the spokesperson said, rejecting the argument that it was legitimate to seek clear answers on the arrangements given lockdown breaches by senior government figures such as Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings and the ex-health secretary Matt Hancock.
“I don’t accept that,” he said. “We have been very clear that throughout this pandemic the prime minister has expected all ministers to adhere to the guidelines. That is what the prime minister and Mrs Johnson have done, both at this time and throughout, and I’m happy to make that clear.”
10.23am EDT
10:23
UK government warns of ‘challenging’ months ahead in battle against Covid
Britons have been warned the coming months will be “challenging” as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
Downing Street said an increase in coronavirus cases had been expected over the winter and the government would keep a “close watch” on the situation, PA Media reported.
Epidemiologist and government adviser Prof Andrew Hayward said the situation was “concerning” and there was “huge potential for the NHS to come under a lot of pressure”.
Government data up to Sunday show more than 300,000 confirmed cases reported over the last seven days, a 15% increase on the previous week. The 852 deaths reported from 11-17 October was 8.5% higher than the figure for the previous seven-day period.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said:
We obviously keep very close watch on the latest statistics. We always knew the coming months would be challenging.
What we are seeing is case rates, hospitalisations and deaths still broadly in line with the modelling as set out a few months back now. The vaccination programme will continue to be our first line of defence, along with new treatments, testing and public health advice.
But we will obviously keep a close watch on cases. But it is thanks to our vaccination programme that we are able to substantially break the link between cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
The spokesman said the success of the vaccines meant “we are able to be one of the most open economies in Europe, which is benefiting the public and indeed businesses as well”.
Updated
at 10.31am EDT
9.59am EDT
09:59
Cait Kelly
In Australia, more than 40 Victoria police staff have been stood down and face losing their jobs after refusing to have the Covid vaccine.
Victoria police on Monday confirmed 34 police officers and nine protective services officers had not complied with the vaccination order by the state’s chief health officer and by a specific chief commissioner instruction.
Exemptions from having the mandatory vaccine only apply if an employee is unable to be vaccinated due to a medical issue, the force said.
Those refusing the jab have been referred to Professional Standards Command for failing to abide by an instruction of the chief commissioner and face subsequent disciplinary action, which may result in their sacking.
They have been stood down and directed to take accrued leave.
The Police Association backs mandatory vaccinations and has been contacted for comment.
9.51am EDT
09:51
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it expects Bharat Biotech to provide more information on its Covid vaccine in a further setback to the Indian company’s hopes of getting an emergency-use listing for the shot.
Without WHO’s approval the two-dose Covaxin is unlikely to be accepted as a valid Covid vaccine around the world. Bharat Biotech has been pursuing a WHO emergency-use listing for several months, having submitted data on a rolling basis since July.
“We are aware that many people are waiting for WHO’s recommendation for (Bharat Biotech’s) Covaxin to be included in the #COVID19 Emergency Use Listing, but we cannot cut corners,” WHO said on Twitter.
Bharat Biotech did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Covaxin is one of the three approved vaccines that have been used in India for the country’s vaccination drive for adults.
Around 30% of about 944 million eligible adults have been fully vaccinated so far, which includes the administration of more than 112 million doses of Covaxin.
9.08am EDT
09:08
South Africa’s drugs regulator said today that it was not approving an emergency use application for Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine for now, citing concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest HIV burdens, and some studies have suggested that administration of vaccines using the Adenovirus Type 5 (Ad5) vector – which Sputnik V does – can lead to higher susceptibility to HIV in men.
Viral vector vaccines such as Sputnik V use modified viruses as vehicles, or vectors, to carry genetic information that helps the body build immunity against future infections, Reuters reported.
SAHPRA, the regulator, said it had asked for data demonstrating Sputnik V was safe in settings with high HIV prevalence, but that it had not received enough to establish this.
“SAHPRA resolved that the … (emergency) application for Sputnik V … not be approved at this time. SAHPRA is concerned that use of the Sputnik V vaccine in … a setting of a high HIV prevalence and incidence may increase the risk of vaccinated males acquiring HIV,” the statement read.
The Gamaleya Institute, which developed Sputnik V, said: “Concerns about the safety of Ad5-vectored vaccines in populations at risk for HIV infection are completely unfounded,” adding that SAHPRA would get all the information it needed.
More than 250 clinical trials and 75 international publications confirm the safety of vaccines and medicines based on human adenovirus vectors, the institute added.
Updated
at 9.57am EDT
8.33am EDT
08:33
Headteachers’ unions are calling for children to be allowed to use walk-in vaccination centres in England after figures revealed the scale of the low take-up of the Covid jab among young teenagers.
In some areas, the rate of vaccine take-up is as low as 5%, while only 15 local authorities in England have managed to give a first jab to at least a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds, data shows.
The picture is very different in Scotland, where young people can also receive doses of the jab in drop-in vaccination centres, as the take-up is already more than 50% in half of local authority areas,PA Media reported.
School leaders’ unions are concerned that 12- to 15-year-olds in England are missing out on getting a Covid vaccination in school due to a high level of cases among the cohort, as well as logistical problems with vaccination teams having insufficient staff to deal with students needing jabs.
Three million pupils aged between 12 and 15 across the UK are eligible to receive a first dose of the Covid vaccine as part of a rollout that began a month ago.
James Bowen, the director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
Allowing 12- to 15-year-olds to attend walk-in vaccination centres would be a sensible decision. Those who want to get the vaccination should be able to do so as quickly as possible.
We know that the high level of cases among this age group has led to some pupils who want the vaccine not being able to get it in school, either because they are absent on the day or because they have tested positive for Covid-19 within the last 28 days.
Assuming that this is designed to complement the existing in-school arrangements then it seems the sensible thing to do. It remains crucial that the in-school programme is rolled out as quickly as possible. We know that the health teams working in schools are working tirelessly to achieve this, but they need full support from the government.
Updated
at 9.06am EDT
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