Covid live news: France sees record daily high; Israel orders 100,000 anti-viral pills | World news

December 25, 2021 Stan

1.44pm EST

13:44

France sees record daily high of Covid cases

France recorded a record high of 104,611 Covid-19 infections on Saturday, breaking the 100,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.

Health authorities said the number of Covid patients in intensive care went up by 28 to 3,282, Reuters reports.

The country has also reported a total of 95,513 Covid-19 related deaths in hospital, up by 84.

1.26pm EST

13:26

Israel has ordered 100,000 units of Pfizer Inc’s anti-viral Covid-19 pill Paxlovid for people aged 12 and older at risk of severe illness, an official said.

Channel 12 TV said the country’s prime minister Naftali Bennett agreed the deal in a phone conversation with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

The first oral and at home treatment for Covid-19, Paxlovid was nearly 90% effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in patients at high risk of severe illness, according to data from Pfizer’s clinical trial, Reuters reports.

Recent lab data suggests the drug retains effectiveness against the Omicron variant, it said.

1.01pm EST

13:01

In his national address, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said: “From the point of view of precaution, the government has decided that healthcare and frontline workers should start getting a precaution dose.”

India has reported a swift rise in Omicron cases, with the number reaching 415 overall across 17 states.

Modi’s government has been accelerating its vaccination campaign, administering at least one dose to 88% of the eligible 944 million population, while 61% have taken both doses.

He also urged citizens to continue to wear facemasks and follow other Covid-19 protocols, Reuters reports.

12.47pm EST

12:47

Some further data from Italy. Patients in hospital with Covid-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 8,892 on Saturday, up from 8,812 on Friday.

There were 106 new admissions to intensive care units, against 102 on Friday, Reuters reports.

The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,071 from a previous 1,038.

Some 969,752 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 929,775, the health ministry said.

12.42pm EST

12:42

Italy sees third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases

Italy reported a third successive record tally of Covid-19 cases on Christmas Day, Reuters reports.

New cases reached 54,762 compared to 50,599 a day earlier, the health ministry said.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 144 from 141 on Friday.

Italy has registered 136,530 deaths linked to Covid-19 and has reported 5.57 million cases to date.

12.09pm EST

12:09

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has announced new vaccination pushes in an address to the nation as he told citizens to stay cautious but not panic.

Modi said vaccinations would be extended to children aged 15 and over from Jan 3, while from the week after booster jabs will be given to healthcare and frontline workers as well as those vulnerable because of health conditions.

12.04pm EST

12:04

The Omicron coronavirus variant vigorously continued its viral march across the US on Christmas Day, throwing many winter holiday celebrations into turmoil.

Airlines canceled over 2,000 flights on Friday, with more than 600 within, into or out of the US, stranding passengers after short-staffed carriers were hit by pilot and flight attendants reporting infections. Hundreds more cancellations were anticipated for Saturday.

The global tally of cancelled flights exceeded 5,400 trips over the weekend.

FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted 888 flights entering, leaving or inside the US were canceled on Saturday, up from 690 on Friday.

Christian churches were disrupted, with many canceling in-person congregations, while others planned outdoor services or a hybrid of online and in-person worship, including requirements to wear masks and show proof of Covid-19 vaccinations.

11.47am EST

11:47

Comedian Sarah Millican has led a campaign to help keep people connected during Christmas, offering entertainment, distraction and someone to speak to for anyone feeling lonely or isolated.

Social media users have enthusiastically responded with pictures of their breakfasts and pets under the hashtag #JoinIn.

George The Stourbridge Junction Station Cat
(@TheStourbridge)

I am very lucky to have so many people who are kind to me
I know that this time of year can be difficult for many
Please don’t feel alone.
You can #JoinIn for some friendship & company #Christmas2021 #CatsOfTwitter pic.twitter.com/udKNqXeJbt

December 25, 2021

11.32am EST

11:32

Just over a year ago, Anna-Jane Casey was forced to abandon the Covid-shuttered West End to deliver hundreds of parcels in a second-hand van. She was overjoyed to find herself back on stage this Christmas in one of theatreland’s most star-studded and critically acclaimed shows: Cabaret.

But productions are at the mercy of Omicron, with the highly transmissible Covid variant ripping holes in casts and backstage staff daily, so Casey’s triumphant return to the West End has been put on hold.

“Cabaret had to come off [last week] because there are about four to five cast members ill,” she said from her home in Kent. “It’s hit so many different departments: the dressers in the wardrobe department … our automation and sound and lighting. We’ve got a lot of cases across the board – and we’re a new production so the understudies aren’t ready to step in yet.”

Cabaret – which stars Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley in a revival of the 1960s musical about the Nazi-menaced nightlife of the Weimar republic – is not the only theatrical casualty of the wave of infections sweeping the capital. Last week more than 70 performances of 31 shows were axed, including Moulin Rouge, Mamma Mia! and Matilda.

“Up until about four days ago, 2021 was rocking along just fine. But we seem to be back where we were last year,” said Casey, who has appeared in shows including Chicago and Billy Elliot. “Producers are losing money hand over fist. Our producers are being unbelievably generous and paying us while we are not working but I don’t know how long that will last.”

11.14am EST

11:14

How do you forecast the future of the British economy during something as unpredictable as a pandemic? The Guardian’s Economics editor Larry Elliot spoke to Richard Hughes about just how they have tried to do that over the past year and what they’re learning over at the Office for Budget Responsibility.

We spend a lot of time talking to public health experts, to epidemiologists, to [England’s chief medical officer] Chris Whitty and to Sage advisers. We start by saying: what’s the outlook for the virus? How effective are the vaccines? What are the prospects of having to reimpose Covid restrictions? Because all of that dictates the near-term economic outlook.

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When you are hit with an enormous shock, you gather information from wherever you can get it.