Health News at Your Fingertips

The number of patients in England admitted into hospital with Covid-19 has reached its highest level since mid-February after a 74% rise in a week.

NHS figures updated for the first time since the Christmas break show here were 1,281 Covid-19 hospital admissions in England on 25 December.

This was up 74% week-on-week and the highest number since 16 February. During the second wave of coronavirus, admissions peaked at 4,134 on 12 January.

In London, hospital admissions increased by 73% with 364 admissions reported on 25 December.

A total of 8,474 people were in hospital in England with Covid-19 as of 8am today – the highest number since 5 March.

France has narrowed the delay for a third booster shot to three months from four in response to the rapid spread of Omicron but there will be no curfew for New Year’s Eve, Reuters has reported.

Jean Castex, the French prime minister, also said that from Monday and for the next three weeks, all public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events, and to 5,000 people for outdoor events.

Consumption of drinks and food will be banned in long-distance transport and home working will become mandatory for at least three days per week where possible, Castex said. Mask wearing will also become mandatory in city centres.

The announcement comes as France reported 30,383 new cases today, compared with 27,697 the previous day. On Saturday, the country reported a record high of 104,611 infections, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.

Italy reported 142 Covid-related deaths on Monday, compared with 81 deaths the previous day, according to health officials.

The number of daily cases rose to 30,810, up from 24,883 on Sunday, Reuters reports. Patients in hospital with Covid – not including those in intensive care – stood at 9,723 on Monday, up from 9,220 a day earlier.

There were 100 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 85 on Sunday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,126 from a previous 1,089.

Three confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been recorded, Paraguay’s health ministry said today.

The cases were detected in people who had travelled outside the country this month and the patients were quarantined, Reuters reports.

An official said the government would not take immediate action on travel, but urged people to plan safely.

Here’s the UK health secretary Sajid Javid confirming that no further measures will be introduced in England before the new year.

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Javid said the prime minister had decided not to bring in fresh curbs this week, but said ministers would look again in January at whether measures were needed.

Good evening, I’m Léonie Chao-Fong taking over from my colleague Tom Ambrose to bring you all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic.

Denmark and Iceland reported record daily Covid cases today as the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes Europe the global hotspot for infections and deaths.

Europe recorded the most cases and deaths in the past seven days, according to statistics compiled by Agence France-Presse. The five countries with the highest case rates over the last seven days were all European.

In Denmark, authorities registered 16,164 cases in 24 hours, the first time the daily caseload has exceeded 15,000 since the pandemic began. Denmark now has the world’s highest infection rate, with 1,612 cases per 100,000 people.

Iceland reported 672 cases today. Until mid-December, the country had never reported more than 200 cases and daily cases never exceeded 100 during last year’s autumn wave.

Both Denmark and Iceland had some of Europe’s lowest infection rates before the arrival of Omicron.

Greece has announced further restrictions effective between 3 and 16 January to contain a further surge in Covid infections, targeting mainly night-time entertainment venues.

As confirmed new Covid cases surged to a record of 9,284 on Monday, resulting in 66 deaths, the health minister said that under the new measures, high-protection masks would be compulsory at supermarkets, public transport and eating establishments.

Bars and restaurants will have to close at midnight and no standing customers at entertainment venues will be allowed. There will also be a maximum limit of six people per table, Reuters reported.

“If we find that these measures are not complied with we will ban music [at entertainment venues],” the health minister, Thanos Plevris, told a news conference.

The government also moved to restrict attendance of sports events to 10% of capacity or an upper limit of 1,000 people. Visitors at care facilities for the elderly will be permitted if they can furnish a negative PCR test taken within the previous 48 hours.

Authorities had already tightened existing regulations last week, mandating mask wearing in open spaces and banning Christmas and new year festivities.

Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday, with major US airlines each cancelling dozens of flights.

Staff calling in sick because of Covid, particularly since the emergence of the Omicron variant, have left airlines short in recent days. According to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations, airlines have cancelled roughly 4,000 flights to, from or inside the US since Friday.

Delta, United, JetBlue and American have all said that coronavirus was causing staffing problems, and European and Australian airlines also cancelled holiday-season flights because staff were infected, but weather and other factors played a role as well.

Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest led to nearly 250 flight cancellations to or from Seattle on Sunday, said Alaska Airlines, and the airline expects more than 100 flight cancellations on Monday.

United said it cancelled 115 flights Monday, out of more than 4,000 scheduled, due to crews out with Covid.