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2 hours ago
Boris Johnson Apologizes For Attending Downing Street Party During Closing
Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London.
(Photo: House of Commons / PA / Getty Images)
Boris Johnson apologized for attending a meeting in the back garden of 10 Downing Street on May 20, 2020, at which time the British were prohibited from meeting due to strict restrictions imposed by the coronavirus.
At the start of the weekly question session with the prime minister, Johnson said he had attended the meeting for 25 minutes before going to work.
He said he believed the meeting was a work event, but in hindsight he acknowledged that he should have sent attendees back inside.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer said the British prime minister's excuse that he "did not realize he was at a party" was ridiculous and "offensive".
The leader of the Labor Party even asked if Johnson was going to resign.
The prime minister's comments came on Wednesday after days of outrage over a "bring your own drink" event held in Downing Street during the height of the first covid-19 shutdown in the UK.
13 hours ago
The Canadian province of Quebec says it will impose a "significant" fine on those who do not get vaccinated
By Paula Newton
The Canadian province of Quebec announced on Tuesday that residents who have so far refused to receive the covid-19 vaccine will have to pay a fine in the coming weeks as a way to contribute to the overloaded public health system.
"Right now, these people place a very significant burden on our health care network, and I think it is normal for the majority of the population to ask for a consequence," Quebec Prime Minister François Legault said at a conference. news on Tuesday.
"It is also a question of justice for the 90% of the population that made some sacrifices, and I think we owe them this type of measure."
The fine would not apply to those with a medical exemption and details have not been announced, although the prime minister said the amount to be imposed would be "significant."
The Quebec government says that while nearly 90% of eligible Quebecers have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the unvaccinated remain a burden on the province's public health system.
Almost a quarter of all Canadians live in Quebec, and although the province was one of the first in the country to introduce a vaccine passport, public health officials say the vast majority of patients in Quebec hospitals follow without getting vaccinated.
Officials did not give a specific percentage of how many hospitalized COVID-19 patients were not vaccinated.
Last week, Quebec announced that residents would now have to get vaccinated to buy alcohol or cannabis, and the health minister claimed on social media that vaccinations increased as a result.
“In just a few days, appointments for the first dose went from 1,500 a day to more than 6,000 yesterday.
Thanks to everyone who decided to get vaccinated.
It is not too late to receive your first dose.
Protect yourself, ”Christian Dubé, Quebec's health minister, posted on Twitter after retweeting a newspaper story about the rise in vaccines.
Quebec already requires proof of vaccination to eat at restaurants, go to the gym or attend sporting events and has had some of the most restrictive public health measures in North America, including a nightly curfew that was imposed for the second time during the pandemic last month.
15 hours ago
At least one in five eligible people remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, according to CDC data
By Deidre McPhillips
These are the latest data on vaccination in the United States, published this Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Fully vaccinated
: 62.6% of the total US population (of all ages), about 208 million people
Approximately two-thirds (66.6%) of the eligible population (over 5 years of age) are fully vaccinated.
They are not vaccinated:
at least 20.8% of the eligible population (over 5 years of age) have not received any dose of the covid-19 vaccine.
They are at least 65 million people.
Current rate of vaccinations (7-day mean)
: 1,213,113 doses are being administered per day.
Most of the doses being given, about 678,000, are booster doses.
Only about 339,000 people are beginning their vaccination process each day.
Some 76.4 million people have received a
booster dose
.
About 23% of the total US population is
fully vaccinated and boosted
.
Note
: CDC data on vaccinations are estimates.
The agency notes that data on people fully vaccinated and those who have received a booster dose may be underestimated, while data on people with at least one dose may be overestimated.
18 hours ago
Costa Rica begins vaccinating 11-year-old children
Costa Rica began the vaccination process against covid-19 in children between 5 and 11 years old on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Health, it will begin with 11-year-old children and the vaccination age will decrease by one year, on average every three or four weeks, depending on the confirmation and arrival of the vaccines in the country.
The Pfizer / BioNTech laboratory told them that the delivery of the doses will be spread throughout the first semester, they noted.
Minors can go to the vaccination centers provided by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).
On the other hand, the National Vaccination and Epidemiology Commission agreed that children with a history of risk will be summoned to receive the vaccine by the medical centers where they usually carry out their controls.
The Ministry of Health reported on November 5, 2021 that vaccination against covid-19 is mandatory for those under 18 years of age.
18 hours ago
Vice President of Bolivia and six ministers infected with covid-19
Bolivian Vice President David Choquehuanca receives the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine against covid-19 in La Paz, on January 3, 2022. (Photo by JORGE BERNAL / AFP via Getty Images)
The vice president of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, and five ministers tested positive for covid-19, the Ministry of the Presidency reported on Tuesday.
In a brief statement, they indicated that their health is stable and that they carry out their duties by teleworking.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry had reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rogelio Mayta, had tested positive in Buenos Aires.
Now the Government, Eduardo del Castillo;
Defense, Edmundo Novillo;
Development Planning, Felima Gabriela Mendoza;
Justice, Iván Lima and, finally, that of Education, Édgar Pary.
18 hours ago
Omicron accounts for 98% of infections in the US, according to the CDC
The omicron variant caused 98.3% of new coronavirus cases in the US last week, slightly more than the previous week, according to estimates released Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA
In the last month, ómicron increased rapidly in estimates, being responsible for:
-7.5% of the cases of the week that ended on December 11.
-39.4% of the cases in the week ending December 18.
-71.6% of cases in the week ending December 25
-92.3% of cases in the week ending January 1
The delta variant accounts for practically all the rest.
Please note:
Not all covid-19 tests are submitted for the additional genetic sequencing needed to detect which variant has infected someone.
CDC works with samples and extrapolates its estimates based on those additional tests.
19 hours ago
Scotland to lift restrictions on large outdoor events from Monday
Scotland's Prime Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon (Photo: ROBERT PERRY / AFP / Getty Images).
Scotland will lift the 500-person attendance limit for large outdoor events from Monday, but with reinforced controls on vaccine certification, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.
Sturgeon said that outdoor events will verify the "covid certification" of at least 50% of attendees, rather than the current 20%, or at least 1,000 people, whichever is greater.
"The requirement to be 'fully vaccinated' for covid certification purposes will include having a booster if the second dose was more than four months ago," Sturgeon said, but went on to say that people will be able to continue to attend by showing a negative lateral flow test. .
"There are reasons to be optimistic," Sturgeon said, as COVID-19 cases did not reach the mid-January level initially expected in Scotland, and there are "also some signs that we may be starting to turn around."
However, the prime minister failed to announce a complete relaxation of social distancing requirements in closed public places, which means that nightclubs will remain closed at least until January 24.
20 hours ago
AMLO, after testing positive: "This variant does not have the danger of delta"
AMLO after testing positive for covid: This variant does not have the danger of delta 3:34
20 hours ago
Why is the UK not recommending a fourth dose of the vaccine?
UK does not recommend a fourth dose of the 1:21 vaccine
21 hours ago
Dominican Republic registers record of daily cases of covid-19
A woman with a girl in her arms waits to undergo the PCR test at a center installed in the Ministry of Health in Santo Domingo, on January 3, 2022. (Photo by ERIKA SANTELICES / AFP via Getty Images)
The Ministry of Health of the Dominican Republic reported this Tuesday on 6,683 cases of covid-19 reported in the last 24 hours, a record of daily infections.
The last time such a figure had been recorded was on January 8, when 6,200 cases were reported.
According to the health portfolio bulletin, the daily positivity is 35.43% with a total of 469,065 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.
However, in the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported, so the number of deaths associated with the disease remains at 4,255.
21 hours ago
France registers a record of 350,000 new infections
France will report on Tuesday more than 350,000 new cases of covid-19, which represents a new record of daily infections, according to the country's Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, in a parliamentary appearance.
"The government presents this text at an undeniably difficult moment, marked in recent days by record numbers of infections ... 350,000 contaminations that will be published tonight," Veran said in the Senate where the new vaccination pass law is being debated.
"We have never seen such numbers since the beginning of the health crisis," he added.
21 hours ago
Poland exceeds 100,000 deaths from covid-19
A health worker wears a protective mask and gloves while administering the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a teenager in Wroclaw, Poland.
(Photo by Omar Marques / Getty Images)
The total number of deaths from covid-19 in Poland surpassed the 100,000 barrier on Tuesday, according to figures from the country's Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health reported that 493 patients died from covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
Currently, the country has reported 100,254 deaths from covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Ministry.
Other European nations that reported more than 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 are Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
21 hours ago
US hospitalizations hit record high, according to HHS
A medical worker treats a patient with COVID-19 in a negative pressure room in the ICU room at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 4, 2022. (Photo: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP via Getty Images)
Covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States reached a new record, surpassing the previous peak in January 2021, according to data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
There are currently 145,982 people hospitalized with Covid-19, roughly double the number two weeks ago.
There are almost 24,000 ICU beds in use for covid-19 patients.
Hospitalizations reached an earlier peak about a year ago, with more than 142,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on January 14, 2021. During the delta variant surge in the summer, COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked at a few 104,000 on September 1, 2021.
There have only been 23 days since the start of the pandemic in which there have been more than 125,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 at one time, according to HHS data.
Pediatric hospitalizations have already far exceeded previous peaks, with nearly 5,000 children currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
That's almost double the previous peak in September, during the delta surge.
There have been about 3.9 million total hospital admissions for COVID-19 since August 2020, and there were about 18,600 new admissions each day during the first week of January 2022, according to federal data.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC, for its acronym in English) the risk of hospitalization is eight times higher for unvaccinated people than for fully vaccinated.
This varies from week to week, but in the last week of November, CDC data shows that hospitalization rates were roughly 17 times higher for unvaccinated than fully vaccinated.
Right now, COVID-19 hospitalization rates are highest in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, each with more than 60 current COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people.
HHS data on COVID-19 hospitalizations includes both patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications and those who may have been admitted for another cause but test positive for coronavirus.
This has been the case throughout the pandemic, although the proportion of patients who fall into each category may have changed over time.
22 hours ago
Covid-19 "is far from endemic," says WHO official
(Photo: Hannibal Hanschke / Getty Images)
Covid-19 still cannot be considered an endemic disease, according to a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr. Catherine Smallwood, head of Covid-19 Incidence Management in the WHO Health Emergencies Program, declared this Tuesday at a WHO Europe virtual press conference that Covid-19 is "still very far away" to be endemic.
Smallwood explained that endemicity means there is "a stable circulation of the virus at predictable levels, and potentially known and predictable waves of epidemic transmission."
"But what we are seeing right now going into 2022 is nowhere near that, we still have a lot of uncertainty, we still have a virus that is evolving very rapidly and posing quite new challenges. So we are not in a position to say it is endemic, "he continued.
"It may become endemic in due course, but it is a bit difficult to determine the date of 2022," Smallwood said, adding that "this all depends, of course, on how we respond to it, and the widespread acceptance of vaccination on an equitable basis will be very, very key to moving towards that scenario. "
23 hours ago
Australia investigates whether Djokovic lied on entry form
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic stands at an Australian Border Force post at Melbourne Airport on January 5, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)
The Australian Border Force (ABF) is investigating whether Novak Djokovic submitted a false travel declaration prior to his arrival in Australia, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
Djokovic stated that he had not traveled and would not do so in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia on Wednesday 5 January, according to a travel statement submitted as evidence to the court determining whether he will be allowed to stay in Australia.
Various photos taken during that two-week period appear to show Djokovic in both Spain and Serbia.
Although court documents show that Tennis Australia completed the travel statement on Djokovic's behalf, the information used was provided by Djokovic, an ABF official at Melbourne airport determined on January 5.
The penalty for submitting a false travel declaration carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison, according to the Australian Home Office website.
Djokovic's media team has not responded to CNN requests for comment.
The ABF investigation comes as Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke studies the possibility of exercising his personal power to cancel the visa restored to Djokovic.
23 hours ago
WHO: omicron will infect more than 50% of the European population in weeks
El director regional de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) para Europa, el Dr. Hans Kluge, en una reunión en Ankara, Turquía, en julio de 2020. (Foto: Aytug Can Sencar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Se prevé que la variante del coronavirus ómicron infecte a más de la mitad de la población de la región europea en las próximas seis u ocho semanas, según el Dr. Hans Kluge, Director Regional para Europa de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.
"Hemos entrado en 2022 con los países de Europa y Asia Central todavía bajo la intensa presión de covid-19", dijo Kluge en una conferencia de prensa virtual este martes.
"En la actualidad, la variante ómicron representa un nuevo maremoto de oeste a este que barre la región y que se suma a la oleada delta que todos los países estaban gestionando hasta finales de 2021", añadió.
"A este ritmo, el Instituto de Métrica y Evaluación de la Salud prevé que más del 50% de la población de la región se infectará con ómicron en las próximas 6 a 8 semanas", dijo Kluge.
Hace 23 horas
Alrededor de 20 millones de personas en China están ahora bajo encierro
Trabajadores sanitarios realizan a los residentes una segunda ronda de pruebas el 10 de enero, en el condado de Hua, ciudad de Anyang, provincia de Henan. (Foto: Wang Zirui/Costfoto/Future Publishing/Getty Images)
Una tercera ciudad china ha sido sometida a un estricto cierre mientras el país trata de contener brotes localizados de covid-19, según informaron este martes las autoridades locales.
Esto eleva el número total de personas confinadas en sus hogares en China a unos 20 millones, cuando faltan poco más de tres semanas para los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Beijing.
Los 5,5 millones de residentes de la ciudad de Anyang, en la provincia central de Henan, no pueden salir de sus casas, mientras que los comercios, restaurantes y fábricas permanecen cerrados, dijo el gobierno municipal de Anyang.
Más de 4.000 estudiantes y personal de una escuela de Anyang fueron ingresados en centros de cuarentena gestionados por el gobierno después de que nueve personas dieran positivo en las pruebas del virus, añadieron las autoridades locales.
La ciudad informó de un total de 84 casos de covid-19 desde que detectó dos infecciones locales de la variante ómicron el 8 de enero.
Este martes, China informó de 110 nuevos casos locales sintomáticos de covid-19, según informó la Comisión Nacional de Salud (CNS) en un comunicado. China cuenta los casos asintomáticos por separado.
Cierres estrictos: Anyang es la tercera ciudad china, después de Xi'an, en la provincia noroccidental de Shaanxi, y Yuzhou, también en Henan, que aplica un bloqueo total por covid.
El 23 de diciembre se impusieron restricciones a los 13 millones de habitantes de Xi'an. En los días y semanas posteriores, las quejas sobre la escasez de alimentos y los informes sobre pacientes a los que se les niega la atención médica han conmocionado a la nación.
El 2 de enero, Yuzhou, donde residen 1,2 millones de personas, fue bloqueada después de que se registraran tres casos asintomáticos.
Este lunes, Yuzhou registró 74 casos sintomáticos locales, el mayor brote actual del país, según el NHC.
Por otra parte, 29 comunidades residenciales de la ciudad de Tianjin están en régimen de cierre después de que el sábado se detectara la presencia de ómicron en al menos dos residentes, lo que supone la primera propagación comunitaria de esta variante altamente transmisible en China.
Tianjin informó este lunes de 21 infecciones -11 sintomáticas y 10 asintomáticas-, lo que eleva el total de su actual brote a 53.
Esta ciudad de 14 millones de habitantes está situada a tan solo 130 kilómetros al sureste de Beijing, donde están previstos los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno que comenzarán el 4 de febrero.
La estrategia de "cero-covid": China es uno de los únicos lugares del mundo que todavía pretende eliminar el covid-19 dentro de sus fronteras.
Sin embargo, las frustraciones de los residentes encerrados ponen de manifiesto el creciente desafío que supone su política de "Cero-covid", que se basa en un libro de jugadas de pruebas masivas, cuarentenas extensas y cierres repentinos para acabar con cualquier resurgimiento del virus.
Hace 24 horas
India administra casi un millón de vacunas de refuerzo en un día
Una enfermera administra una dosis de refuerzo de la vacuna covid-19 a un trabajador sanitario en el Hospital Nair de Mumbai, India, el lunes. (Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times/Getty Images)
India administró este lunes casi un millón de dosis de refuerzo de la vacuna covid-19 a su población apta para recibirla, mientras el país sigue siendo testigo de un fuerte aumento de los casos impulsados por la variante ómicron, altamente transmisible.
Las autoridades están tomando medidas para prevenir una tercera ola de infecciones potencialmente devastadora, ampliando su campaña de inoculación y aumentando los recursos médicos.
Al menos 984.676 personas recibieron el lunes una tercera dosis de la vacuna covid-19, el primer día de la campaña de refuerzo de la India, según el Ministerio de Sanidad del país. Un grupo limitado de personas puede recibir las vacunas de refuerzo, entre ellas los trabajadores de primera línea y de atención sanitaria y las personas mayores de 60 años con enfermedades preexistentes.
Más de 26 millones de niños de entre 15 y 18 años recibieron la primera inyección de la vacuna covid-19 desde que India comenzó a inocular a este grupo de edad el 3 de enero, añadió el ministerio.
"India comenzó a administrar las dosis de precaución. Enhorabuena a los que se han vacunado hoy. Pido a todos los que puedan vacunarse que lo hagan. Como todos sabemos, la vacunación sigue siendo uno de los medios más eficaces para luchar contra el covid-19", tuiteó el lunes el primer ministro Narendra Modi.
Propagación de la variante ómicron: Desde el comienzo de este año, la India está registrando un aumento de nuevos casos diarios, especialmente en la capital, Delhi, y en la capital financiera, Mumbai, a pesar de los diferentes niveles de restricciones impuestas en los distintos estados.
En los últimos días, Delhi y Bombay registraron una media de 20.000 casos diarios. A principios de diciembre, los nuevos casos en las ciudades rondaban las decenas.
El martes, India notificó 168.063 nuevos casos de covid-19, lo que eleva el total a 35,8 millones desde el inicio de la pandemia. Poco más del 46% de los 1.300 millones de habitantes de la India están totalmente vacunados, según la Universidad Johns' Hopkins.
Hace 24 horas
4.000 estudiantes enviados a cuarentena en una ciudad china bloqueada
Los residentes de la zona cerrada del condado de Hua se alinearon bajo la lluvia para la segunda ronda de detección de ácido nucleico, Anyang, China, el 10 de enero de 2022 (Sipa Asia/Shutterstock)
Más de 4.000 estudiantes del centro de China fueron enviados el domingo a centros de cuarentena tras detectarse un grupo de casos de covid-19 en su escuela, según las autoridades locales.
Las autoridades de la ciudad de Anyang, en la provincia de Henan, dijeron que un total de 4.040 niños de la escuela Tangyin Yucai, desde estudiantes de primaria hasta de secundaria, fueron trasladados a tres instalaciones de cuarentena centralizadas.
Los videos de los medios de comunicación estatales chinos y de las redes sociales mostraban a los estudiantes con trajes protectores completos mientras subían a los autobuses.
Las autoridades de Anyang dijeron el martes que habían impuesto un estricto bloqueo a los 5,5 millones de residentes de la ciudad tras confirmar un total de 84 casos en un grupo local de covid.
Los residentes tienen prohibido salir de sus casas si no es para someterse a pruebas masivas de covid-19 y se cerraron todas las fábricas y negocios no esenciales.
The Anyang outbreak is believed to be related to a university student who traveled to the city from Tianjin on December 28 infected with the omicron variant, according to the local health commission.
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