Coronavirus live: 1.1m in UK estimated to have long Covid; Finland to pause Moderna jab for men under 30



6.23am EDT06:23

Italy could approve the reopening of nightclubs today

The Italian government could approve the reopening of nightclubs, closed since August 2020 due to Covid-19 outbreaks linked to nightlife venues, later on Thursday.

The government’s technical scientific committee (CTS) has advised that nightclubs reopen with a maximum capacity of 35% indoors and 50%
for outdoor venues.

Guests would have to present a ‘green pass’, which shows proof of double vaccination, a negative test or of having recovered from coronavirus, before entering. Face masks would also be obligatory and can only be taken off when dancing.

The suggested limit on capacity has provoked criticism from nightclub owners and Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League and partner in prime minister Mario Draghi’s broad coalition. “It’s crazy, with the green pass it [the capacity] should be at least double,” he said.

A bar owner shows a valid Green Pass on the VerifyC19 mobile phone application in central Rome.


A bar owner shows a valid Green Pass on the VerifyC19 mobile phone application in central Rome. Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

Despite giving the go-ahead for reopening, the CTS warned that nightclubs are among the places that present the “highest risk” for spreading the virus.

Italy registered 3,235 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday and 39 deaths.



6.19am EDT06:19

Children could be forced to wear masks in schools across England again as part of the government’s back-up plan if the country’s Covid situation deteriorates significantly, the education secretary has admitted.

Nadhim Zahawi confirmed it was one of the contingencies the government had planned for, but signalled his opposition to reinstating “bubbles” that separated students into groups and enforced isolation if one person tested positive for coronavirus.

The number one priority was keeping schools open, Zahawi said, speaking to Sky News after just two weeks in his job. He was promoted into the cabinet from vaccines minister in last month’s reshuffle, replacing Gavin Williamson. He said:


The good news is that – and thanks to the brilliant teachers and support staff and parents and children – 99% of schools are open.

Attendance has gone up, the last set of figures I looked at was about 90%, that obviously will fluctuate depending on infection rates. But my priority is to protect education, keep those schools open.

Britain’s Secretary of State Education Nadhim Zahawi.


Britain’s Secretary of State Education Nadhim Zahawi. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA



6.15am EDT06:15



6.00am EDT06:00

Today so far …



5.42am EDT05:42



5.39am EDT05:39

Russia reports biggest one-day tally of new Covid cases so far this year



5.27am EDT05:27

ONS estimates 1.1 million people in the UK currently experiencing ‘long Covid’



5.08am EDT05:08

Alaska rationing healthcare at 20 medical centers across state

Rural areas across the United States are in crisis as Covid-19 overwhelms some hospitals, but the situation is especially dire in Alaska, which has the highest US rate of Covid cases and recently turned to emergency measures to allow the rationing of healthcare at 20 medical centers across the state.

Alaska’s health system, stretched by enormous distances and limited resources, was precarious before the pandemic hit, and now remote communities are worried they will have nowhere to send their sickest patients.

One in 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last week of September alone. On Monday, the state reported 2,290 cases and one death over the course of three days. Less than two-thirds of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated, and the entire state is on high alert for significant spread of the coronavirus.

The surge comes as Alaskan leaders and communities are sharply divided on issues like masks and vaccinations, and health workers are burned out and bullied.

On Kodiak Island in southern Alaska, doctors are spending entire shifts searching for beds in other states so patients can receive the care they need. Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center is implementing crisis of care standards, and the nearest major hospitals in Anchorage have been filled to overflowing for weeks.

“We have medevaced people all the way to Seattle, and some of our providers have reported that it has taken them literally 12, 18, 24 hours of phone calls to find a place that will accept one of our patients,” said Carol Austerman, chief executive officer of Kodiak Community Health Center.

Read more of Melody Schreiber’s report here: Alaska hospitals make wrenching decisions as they begin to ration care



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4.21am EDT04:21

Finland to pause Moderna vaccine for men under-30 over myocarditis risk



4.16am EDT04:16