Health News at Your Fingertips

Pfizer’s CEO says “it’s a question of days, not weeks” before the company and German partner BioNTech submit data to U.S. regulators for federal authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11.

The Associated Press reports that would be an important step toward starting vaccinations for those youngsters, especially with kids now back in school and the delta variant resulting in a big jump in pediatric infections.

Pfizer said last week that its vaccine works for that age group and that it tested a much lower dose of the vaccine that’s already available for anyone 12 and older. The company said that after children age 5 to 11 got their second dose during testing, they developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as teenagers and young adults getting the regular-strength shots

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Sunday that if the Food and Drug Administration approves the company’s application, “we will be ready with our manufacturing to provide this new formulation of the vaccine.”

Covid-19 contact tracing is set to stop in childcare and primary schools in Ireland.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said evidence indicates that schools are a low risk setting for the transmission of the virus among school-going children, PA writes.

He described now as the “right time” to evolve the approach to contact tracing while maintaining infection prevention and control measures in educational settings.

Dr Holohan said the return of children and young people to school earlier this month as association with a “significant increase” in the numbers of children referred for testing.

However he said that despite the increase in testing, there has “only been a relatively modest” increase in the detection of cases in the school going age group.

Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford faced fresh calls to commit to a public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.

PA Media reports that Hannah Brady, from the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, raised the issue at a Labour party conference fringe event, saying “shamefully” Welsh families had not been promised an inquiry.

The Welsh government has argued that the UK-wide inquiry promised by the prime minister is the correct process to investigate what happened.

Brady criticised Labour MPs who had failed to support her group, but praised leader Keir Starmer, deputy leader Angela Rayner and the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham for backing the campaigners’ call for an early UK inquiry.

The UK government said a further 58 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 136,168.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 160,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, PA Media reports.

As of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 32,417 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK, the government said.

Here is a round-up of all the top Covid stories from the UK and around the world so far today:

• Violent clashes and mass brawls have broken out in Norway’s biggest cities after streets, bars, restaurants and nightclubs were filled with people celebrating the end of Covid restrictions.
• In Australia, Victoria state reported 779 new Covid infections and two more deaths.The daily increase was still the state’s second-highest, after the 847 cases recorded on Saturday, as officials battle to contain a Delta variant outbreak.
• In the US, health authorities have said they are confident there will be enough vaccine shots for both qualified older Americans seeking booster jabs, as well as young children.
• The biggest state intervention in the UK’s labour market in peacetime comes to an end this week when the government finally winds up its furlough support. The wage subsidy that has been in place for 18 months and has cost £70bn will no longer be open to struggling firms.
• The Russian president Vladimir Putin has ended his short spell in self-isolation and has spent several days on holiday in Siberia where he was hiking and fishing, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
• In Scotland, the army could drive ambulances for longer than the two months originally planned, according to the Scottish secretary, Alister Jack.
• Also in Scotland, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has urged the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to investigate plans for coronavirus vaccine passports.
• Hollywood studios are planning a £250m-plus UK marketing blitz to promote the return of blockbusters to the big screen over the next 18 months, as the much-delayed premiere of James Bond: No Time to Die gives the industry the confidence to plot a post-pandemic boom in new releases.

That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. I leave you in the hands of my colleague Charlie Moloney, who will continue to bring your breaking coronavirus news throughout the afternoon.

A decline in public services in the UK could be hidden behind a “Covid crisis smokescreen”, unions have warned.

It comes amid calls from union chiefs for rail and bus services to be renationalised to avert “disastrous” cuts to services and jobs and increases in fares.

Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said there was a danger that the Covid crisis would be a “smokescreen” for a decline in services.

Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference in Brighton, he added:

People just will not travel on trains if fares go up, and coupled with the new ways of working, there is a real danger that the railways will be hollowed out.

In the US, health authorities have said they are confident there will be enough vaccine shots for both qualified older Americans seeking booster jabs, as well as young children.

More than 70 million Americans remain unvaccinated despite the enticement of lottery prizes, free food or gifts and pleas from exhausted health care workers as the average number of deaths per day climbed to more than 1,900 in recent weeks, reports the Associated Press.

Federal and state health authorities said current supply and steady production of more doses can easily accommodate those seeking boosters or initial vaccination, avoiding a repeat of the frustratingly slow rollout of Covid vaccines across the country early this year.

“I hope that we have the level of interest in the booster … that we need more vaccines,” Colorado governor Jared Polis said on Tuesday. “That’s simply not where we are today. We have plenty of vaccines.”

The Associated Press reports:

Robust supply in the US enabled President Joe Biden this week to promise an additional 500m of Pfizer’s Covid shots to share with the world, doubling the United States’ global contribution. Aid groups and health organisations have pushed the US and other countries to improve vaccine access in countries where even the most vulnerable people haven’t had a shot.

Among the challenges states face is not ordering too many doses and letting them go to waste. Several states with low vaccination rates, including Idaho and Kansas, have reported throwing away thousands of expired doses or are struggling to use vaccines nearing expiration this fall.

Scotland has recorded a further 2,556 new cases of coronavirus and two more deaths.

The most recent daily figures showed that 8.9% of people tested were confirmed as having Covid, reports the Press Association.

The latest figures take the number who have died within 28 days of testing positive to 8,534, although register offices are generally closed at the weekend.

There were 1,004 people in hospital on Saturday with recently confirmed Covid, one fewer than the previous day.

This includes 78 people in intensive care, also down by one in the past 24 hours.

Violent clashes and mass brawls have broken out in Norway’s biggest cities after streets, bars, restaurants and nightclubs were filled with people celebrating the end of Covid restrictions.

Most remaining coronavirus restrictions were scrapped in the Nordic country on Saturday following an unexpected announcement by prime minister Erna Solberg late on Friday afternoon.

Rowdy celebrations in the capital, Oslo, and other major cities and towns lasted until the early hours of Sunday, with police reporting unrest in several places, including in the southern city of Bergen and the central city of Trondheim, while the situation was the worst in Oslo.

Long lines were seen outside Oslo’s nightclubs, bars and restaurants late on Saturday and police reported at least 50 fights and disturbances during the course of the night, according to the Associated Press.

Neither vaccination status certificates nor negative test results are required to enter venues in Norway.

Nightclub manager Johan Hoeeg Haanes, from Oslo, told Norwegian newspaper:

“That’s exactly what I predicted would happen. It was a life-threatening situation in the city because they didn’t give us at least a few days’ advance notice. This was a dangerous situation as police said all places were packed.

Among other incidents, Norwegian media reported that police received an alert about a man carrying a machete on a bus in Oslo and people fainted while waiting to get into pubs in Trondheim.

Oslo police spokesman Rune Hekkelstrand told the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK:

There was a significantly greater workload than during the summer. There were a lot of people out already in the afternoon and it continued during the night.

In Scotland, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has urged the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to investigate plans for coronavirus vaccine passports.

The move comes amid fears that the scheme could see some Scots “systematically excluded” from places and events.

Cole-Hamilton has written to the commission, calling on it to carry out a statutory inquiry to examine if the proposals breach equality laws, according to PA Media.

It comes days before the Scottish government’s controversial vaccine certification scheme is due to come into effect. From Friday, people will have to prove they have been double-vaccinated before they can enter nightclubs or attend some other large events.

Cole-Hamilton said:

I have a real concern that these illiberal Covid ID cards will lead to ethnic minority Scots, young people and those from the most deprived areas being systematically excluded from public events and spaces.

The SNP/Green government are rushing this through and appear to have no intention to share evidence to back their plans up. I believe this is precisely the kind of situation where the commission, set up by Labour and the Lib Dems, should kick in.

Their power to instruct an inquiry may be the only way to get behind the curtain on this.

Providing temporary visas is only “one part” of solving the HGV driver shortage in the UK, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

He attempted to claim the shortage of drivers was down to Covid disrupting the qualification process for drivers, preventing new labour from entering the market.

Others pinned the blame on Brexit and poor working conditions forcing out foreign drivers.

The government on Sunday announced a plan to issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers. The Transport Secretary told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme:

[The package] is not just those visas, which is very short term, it is also the big bottleneck where there are plenty of people who know how to drive a lorry but where they need to get tested or re-tested; the DVSA – that’s the testing agency – has had this massive restriction.

You might say, ‘well, why haven’t you acted on that post-Covid?’ Well, in fact we have. We reopened that testing back in April, we’ve managed to double the capacity, partly by using freedoms we’ve got outside of the EU to change the way the driving tests work, to get more capacity to get more tests through.

In case you missed it, in the United States, New York City schools have been temporarily blocked from enforcing a vaccine mandate for teachers and other workers by a federal appeals judge, days before it was to take effect.

The worker mandate for the the largest US school system was set to go into effect on Monday.

Late on Friday, a judge for the second US circuit court of appeals granted a temporary injunction and referred the case to a three-judge panel on an expedited basis.

A Department of Education spokeswoman, Danielle Filson, said officials were seeking a speedy resolution next week. She said:

We’re confident our vaccine mandate will continue to be upheld once all the facts have been presented, because that is the level of protection our students and staff deserve.

In Scotland, the army could drive ambulances for longer than the two months originally planned, according to the Scottish secretary, Alister Jack.

One hundred and 14 soldiers have been drafted in to drive non-emergency vehicles for the Scottish Ambulance Service, with a further 111 members of the armed forces helping to staff coronavirus testing centres, PA Media reports.

The recent surge in Covid cases in Scotland has put further pressure on the NHS, with some patients experiencing long waits for ambulances.

Jack said that while two months of support had initially been requested, military help could remain in place “longer if that’s what the Scottish government needs and what it takes to help protect the public”. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the Scottish secretary said:

The British military is always ready to deploy at the drop of a hat – but they are also here for the long run.

Initially two months of support were requested, but let me be crystal clear about timescales.

The UK’s forces are not in any way restricting the amount of time available. We are happy for this operation to go on longer if that’s what the Scottish government needs and what it takes to help protect the public.

Sticking with news from Russia for a moment, its government has just announced that it has registered a further 805 Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

As mentioned earlier, it comes as the president Vladimir Putin ended his self-isolation with a fishing trip to Siberia.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin has ended his short spell in self-isolation and has spent several days on holiday in Siberia where he was hiking and fishing, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

Putin had said he would have to spend “a few days” in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid. He also had to cancel his trip to Tajikistan for a security summit.

The Reuters news agency reported:

Putin has cultivated a macho image, appealing to many Russians, and has previously been pictured riding a horse bare-chested and in sun glasses, as well as carrying a hunting rifle and piloting a fighter jet.

This time, his outings were more mundane.

The Kremlin published 20 photos of Putin standing in a river and catching a fish, walking through lush meadows and talking to defence minister Sergei Shoigu, his usual holiday companion.

Putin, 68, has had two shots of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and the Kremlin has said he was feeling “healthy”.

China confirmed it had administered about 3.2m doses of Covid vaccines as of yesterday, the country’s National Health Commission announced.

It brings the total number of doses administered to almost 2.2bn.

It comes as China donates coronavirus vaccine jabs to other countries in the region, such as Vietnam.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Victoria state reported 779 new Covid infections and two more deaths.

The daily increase was still the state’s second-highest, after the 847 cases recorded on Saturday, as officials battle to contain a Delta variant outbreak.

It comes as the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced “a modest easing” to restrictions from Tuesday, 28 September, at 11.59pm local time.

He said Victoria is on track to hit a vaccination target of 80% of first doses delivered by then.

In metropolitan Melbourne and regional areas in lockdown, residents will be able to travel up to 15km from home for exercise and shopping, up from 10km.

‘Contactless’ outdoor recreation – such as boating, tennis or golf – will be allowed, as will personal training with up to five people, as long as everyone is vaccinated.

Playground restrictions will be lifted, with normal gathering limits to apply. Masks can be removed to eat or drink.

Restaurants and cafes in regional Victoria will have their outdoor caps lifted from 20 to 30 people, and hair and beauty salon customers will be able to remove their masks if required for facials or beard trimming.

Good morning, I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be keeping you up to date with the big Covid news from around the UK and the rest of the world today.

We start with the news that the biggest state intervention in the UK’s labour market in peacetime comes to an end this week when the government finally winds up its furlough support.

Barring an unlikely last-minute change of heart, a wage subsidy that has been in place for 18 months and has cost £70bn will no longer be open to struggling firms.

Rishi Sunak, who announced the furlough in March 2020, thinks the money has been well spent but the economy is now far enough down the road to recovery to cope without the government assisting with wage bills.

However, the Bank of England is also growing more nervous about what will happen to more than 1 million still-furloughed workers once employers are responsible for paying their wages in full. It said:

Key questions include how the economy will adjust to the closure of the furlough scheme at the end of September; the extent, impact and duration of any change in unemployment; as well as the degree and persistence of any difficulties in matching available jobs with workers.

See below for the full article on the end of furlough by The Observer’s Larry Elliott.