Covid live: UK records 207 deaths and 43,941 new cases; Novavax files for UK approval



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Novavax files for authorisation of its Covid-19 vaccine in the UK

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UK reports 43,941 new cases and 207 further deaths

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7.49am EDT07:49

Labour leader Keir Starmer tests positive for Covid

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Two Chinese doctors have been sentenced to 15 months in prison for violating the law while treating a patient with a fever who later turned out to be Covid positive, Chinese media has reported.

One doctor from the city of Liu’an in eastern An’hui province was accused of breaking Covid protocols by treating a fever patient in May, without following measures such as first testing his Covid status. The patient was later blamed for causing a local outbreak.

Another licensed doctor was accused of giving private treatment to the same patient without having first obtained permission from a medical institution during the epidemic-control period.

Both doctors have been convicted of violating China’s Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act and sentenced to 15 months in jail.

China has followed a strict “zero tolerance” Covid-19 policy since last year. Dozens of officials have been sacked from their posts for failing to contain the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday, China reported 50 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases from the pervious day, the highest count since 16 September. Beijing said that the pandemic is the biggest challenge to the forthcoming Winter Olympics in February and Winter Paralympics in March.

China’s current handling of the outbreak shows that Beijing is unlikely to relax its “zero tolerance” policy any time soon, even though more Asian countries – including South Korea – are beginning to learn to live with the virus.



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Landmark licensing deal could expand access to world’s first Covid-19 antiviral pill

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