Covid news: UK reports 259 deaths; Turkish president tests positive – as it happened

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Brazil has registered 1,308 new Covid-19 deaths over the last 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Saturday.

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It is the highest number of fatalities since July 29 last year.

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The country also recorded 197,442 new Covid cases, Reuters reports.

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A further 259 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 158,243, the government said.

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The figures now include deaths in England following possible reinfections of Covid-19, which is why there has been a jump in the cumulative total and why the daily figure is higher than recently.

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There were 60,578 cases of Covid-19 reported in the UK which includes reinfections in England and Northern Ireland that are more than 90 days after a previous positive test.

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South Korea on Saturday reported more than 30,000 daily Covid-19 infections for the first time, as the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency logged a record 36,362 new Covid-19 infections.

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The latest figure is a dramatic increase from the previous daily record of 27,443 reported on Friday.

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The government extended social distancing rules on Friday for two weeks until 20 February, including a 9pm curfew for restaurants, bars and gyms, as infections with Omicron continue to soar.

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The prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, said extending the restrictions, which were due to end on Sunday, was necessary to slow the spread of the variant amid fears the lunar new year holiday may have fuelled infections.

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Health authorities have warned that daily infections could possibly reach 100,000 in coming weeks, the Korea Herald reported.

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From today, Austrians over the age of 18 must be vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they are exempt, or face the possibility of a heavy fine, an unprecedented move in the European Union, reports Agence-France Presse.

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The new measure, adopted on 20 January by Austria’s parliament, was signed into law by the president, Alexander Van der Bellen, on Friday.

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The government’s tougher approach has been met with criticism within the country.

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Meanwhile, in neighbouring Germany, a similar law championed by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was debated last month in the Bundestag, but has not made progress because of divisions on the issue.

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Hong Kong reported 351 cases of coronavirus on Saturday, a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic, reports Reuters.

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This adds further pressure on the government’s “dynamic zero-Covid” strategy as other major cities opt to live with the virus.

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Health secretary, Sophia Chan, said she expects cases to rise “exponentially” following the lunar new year holiday because of an increase in family and social gatherings.

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She appealed for people to “stay at home” and urged people, especially the elderly, to get vaccinated.

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About 160 of the latest cases had no clear source and were still being investigated, authorities said.

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On Friday, Hong Kong reported 131 positive cases, compared with 142 on Thursday. The previous daily record was 164 cases in late January.

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In total, Hong Kong has recorded 213 Covid-19 deaths and around 15,000 cases since early 2020, according to the government.

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It added that on Friday two pet cats had tested positive for coronavirus and urged pet owners to avoid kissing animals.

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Kong reports record 351 daily cases of coronavirus”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sat 5 Feb 2022 23.32 GMT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sat 5 Feb 2022 09.12 GMT”},{“id”:”61fe33478f0893d19d16b53f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US death toll from Covid-19 hit 900,000 on Friday, less than two months after eclipsing 800,000, reports the Associated Press.

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The two-year total, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Indianapolis, San Francisco, or Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Dr Ashish K Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said: “It is an astronomically high number. If you had told most Americans two years ago as this pandemic was getting going that 900,000 Americans would die over the next few years, I think most people would not have believed it.”

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He added that most of the deaths happened after the vaccine gained authorisation.

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“We got the medical science right. We failed on the social science. We failed on how to help people get vaccinated, to combat disinformation, to not politicise this,” Jha said. “Those are the places where we have failed as America.”

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In a statement on Friday night, the president, Joe Biden, lamented the grim milestone and acknowledged the “emotional, physical, and psychological weight of this pandemic” urging people to get vaccinated.

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Russia reported a record daily number of Covid-19 cases on Saturday as the Omicron coronavirus variant continued to spread, authorities said.

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New daily cases jumped to 177,282, from 168,201 a day earlier. The government coronavirus task force also reported 714 deaths.

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A summary of today’s developments

• Brazil has registered 1,308 new Covid-19 deaths over the last 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Saturday. It is the highest number of fatalities since July 29th last year.
• A further 259 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 158,243, the government said.
• Conservative MP Stephen Hammond has said he is “considering very carefully this weekend” whether he still has confidence in the UK’s prime minister and it “certainly looks like” the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson.
• The US death toll from Covid-19 has hit 900,000.
• Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has tested positive for Covid-19.
• Russia reported a record daily number of Covid-19 cases with new daily cases of 177,282. The government coronavirus task force also reported 714 deaths. From Sunday, people will no longer need to self-isolate after contacting those infected with the virus, Reuters reports. In Moscow, schools and nurseries may end isolation requirements for pupils from next week.
• South Korea reported more than 30,000 daily Covid-19 infections for the first time.
• Hong Kong reported a record 351 daily cases of coronavirus.
• Japan’s daily Covid-19 cases have exceeded 100,000, marking a new high, public broadcaster NHK reported.
• About 50 of Iran’s 290 parliamentarians have contracted Covid-19, a senior MP has said.
• Compulsory vaccination for over-18s came into force in Austria today.
• The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said he discussed with the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, the need for stronger collaboration to investigate the origins of Covid-19.
• Canadian cities, including Toronto, are braced for further disruptions this weekend as protests against vaccine mandates spread from the capital of Ottawa.

Brazil records highest daily death toll since July

Brazil has registered 1,308 new Covid-19 deaths over the last 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Saturday.

It is the highest number of fatalities since July 29 last year.

The country also recorded 197,442 new Covid cases, Reuters reports.

You can follow the latest Covid developments in Australia in our blog here:

The front page of tomorrow’s Observer newspaper:

OBSERVER: Partygate: PM’s removal now inevitable warns loyalist #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/AjyDwQp1HN

— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 5, 2022

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Canadian cities, including the financial hub of Toronto, faced disruption on Saturday as protests against vaccine mandates spread from the capital of Ottawa, raising fears of clashes with counter-protesters.

About 500 healthcare workers and supporters rallied in downtown Toronto, near the site of the planned trucker convoy demonstrations, according to an eyewitness.

Several Toronto healthcare workers said they received advice from their hospitals to not wear hospital scrubs in public in light of the protest. Police said this was not their advice.

“The notion that we have to somehow skunk around or be afraid of who we are and what were doing, I think, is offensive and regrettable and, I think, a sad commentary on our society,” emergency room doctor Raghu Venugopal told Reuters.

Some protest vehicles arrived in Quebec City for a planned protest, coinciding with the city’s annual winter carnival.

Some US Republicans have vowed to investigate GoFundMe’s decision to take down a page accepting donations in support of protesting truck drivers in Canada.

West Virginia and Louisiana’s attorney generals were among those who called on constituents to let them know if they had been a donor.

The website has already said it would refund all donations, Reuters reports.
The Freedom Convoy 2022 began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures in Canada.

GoFundMe said in a tweet that it had revised its original plan on how to handle funds already donated to support the truck driver protest, saying that all donations would be refunded.

“This refund will happen automatically, you do not need to submit a request. Donors can expect to see refunds within 7-10 business days,” GoFundMe said in its tweet.

In the already Covid-stretched hospitals of northern New South Wales, Australia, health workers are struggling with another growing pressure caused by the pandemic.

House prices have soared in Byron Bay and surrounding areas since Covid lockdowns and work-from-home inspired many to flee the city for a sea or tree change.

And while the impacts on buyers or renters in the area have been well documented, hospital workers say it’s having far-reaching effects on the community’s health.

A report has found that around 20 Covid patients in the UK are being admitted to intensive care units each day as Omicron fails to cause serious illness among most vaccinated people.

The study by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre put the number of admissions to ICU of patients with Covid at 19 on January 23.

About 400 people were being admitted daily at the peak of the second wave in January last year, The Sunday Times reported.

Pakistan prime minister, Imran Khan, has a message for Turkey’s president and his wife who have tested positive for Covid-19.

I just learnt that my brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey and Madame Emine Erdogan tested positive for Covid-19 Omicron. On behalf of our government, the people of Pakistan and on my own behalf I wish them a swift and complete recovery.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 5, 2022

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I just learnt that my brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey and Madame Emine Erdogan tested positive for Covid-19 Omicron. On behalf of our government, the people of Pakistan and on my own behalf I wish them a swift and complete recovery.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 5, 2022

France has reported 104,974 coronavirus deaths in hospital, up by 170.
It has also reported that 3,606 people are in intensive care units with Covid-19, down by 12, Reuters reports.

Here are some further details on fifty members of Iran’s 290-seat parliament contracting Covid as the Omicron variant spreads unabated across the country.
Senior MP Alireza Salimi, speaking to YJC, a news agency linked to Iran’s state TV, said this week’s parliamentary session would be held in accordance with health regulations. Parliament was suspended for two weeks last April due to an outbreak among MPs. In the early days of the pandemic, several lawmakers died from the virus.

Some further data from Italy.

Patients in hospital with Covid-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 18,615 on Saturday, down from 19,000 a day earlier, Reuters reports.

There were 104 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 114 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 1,411 from a previous 1,440.

Some 846,480 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 884,893, the health ministry said.