Sri Lanka is vaccinating 18- and 19-year-olds against the coronavirus as it expands its inoculation programme to students.
After beginning with older people, Sri Lanka has now vaccinated 57% of its 22 million population, Associated Press reported.
Vaccinations with the Pfizer shot began on Friday for about 24,000 people in the 18-19 age group in the capital Colombo and suburbs. Officials say jabs in Colombo will be completed within 21 days and they will start giving doses in other parts of the country next week.
Sri Lanka lifted a six-week lockdown on 1 October after Covid cases and related deaths declined. But schools remain closed, unessential trips outside the home are restricted, public gatherings are banned and there are restrictions on transport.
Sri Lankan school students get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Colombo. Photograph: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA
At the peak, Sri Lanka was counting 3,000 daily infections and more than 200 deaths. Daily cases are now below 1,000 and deaths under 100. The Indian Ocean island nation has reported more than 529,000 cases and 13,408 deaths.
In France, coronavirus tests are no longer free for unvaccinated adults unless they are prescribed by a doctor.
While tests remain free for vaccinated adults and all children under 18, adults who have not gotten their shots will have to pay 22-45 euros to get tested as of Friday.
The government introduced the change as a complement to the Covid passes that have been required in France since the summer, the Associated Press reported.
To get a pass, people need to show proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or recent recovery from the virus.
The passes are required to visit tourist sites, for hospital visits and on domestic train trips and flights. The pass requirement, announced in July, helped boost France’s vaccination rate.
As of October 15, Covid-19 tests will no longer be free except on medical grounds or for those who have been vaccinated. Photograph: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images
Over 49 million people, or about 74% of the population, are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in France. Everyone age 12 and older are eligible for shots.
Covid prevalence levels in England at highest since January
The prevalence of Covid infections in England increased to about one in 60 people in the week ending 9 October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said today.
It means it is now at the highest level since January.
The ONS said prevalence of infections had risen for the third straight week, having been at one in 70 people the previous week.
EU sends drugs and equipment to Romania to tackle Covid crisis
European Union (EU) countries have sent Covid drugs and equipment to treat patients in Romania, which is facing a surge in infections among unvaccinated people.
In the first 10 days of October, one person has died from Covid every six minutes in the country, but vaccine scepticism remains high.
The European Commission said it had coordinated the shipment to Romania of 250 oxygen concentrators, crucial devices to boost the supply of medical oxygen which is needed to treat critically ill patients, Reuters reported.
Poland sent 50 of the 250 concentrators, while the remainder came from an EU stockpile. The EU has also coordinated the shipment of 5,200 vials of monoclonal antibodies from Italy to Romania, the commission said in a press release. Monoclonal antibodies are an experimental treatment for Covid patients.
Patients lie on beds in an emergency room, turned into a Covid-19 unit due the high number of cases, at the Bagdasar-Arseni hospital in Bucharest, Romania. Photograph: Andreea Alexandru/AP
The EU will also ship eight additional oxygen concentrators and 15 ventilators from Denmark. Ventilators help seriously ill Covid patients to breathe.
Only about one third of Romania’s adult population have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to EU public data.
In Denmark, health authorities will start inviting citizens to receive a third vaccination shot against Covid next week.
The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, said invitations will be sent out to everyone who received their second vaccination at least six-and-a-half months ago, Reuters reported.
The Nordic country began giving booster shots last month to residents at homes for elderly people and others at risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.
Pop-up Covid-19 vaccination centre in the supermarket Bilka in Ishoej, Denmark. Photograph: Claus Bech/EPA
Denmark lifted its last coronavirus restrictions in September after vaccinating a large proportion of its population.
South Africa will start vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17 next week using the Pfizer vaccine, the country’s health minister said today.
It comes as it looks to ramp up inoculations ahead of final year school exams, Reuters reported.
“This service will start on the 20 October to allow the necessary preparations on the EVDS (electronic vaccination data system) registration system and also other logistical preparations,” health minister Joe Phaahla said.
Last month, South Africa’s health regulator approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in children aged 12 and older, as the continent’s worst-hit nation in terms of deaths and overall infections emerges from its third wave of the pandemic.
However, Phaahla said that on the advice of its vaccine advisory committee the government would only give teenagers a single shot of Pfizer’s normal two-shot regime due to concerns it may affect the heart.
“The timing of the second dose will be informed by further information on this rarely observed side-effect which has no permanent risk,” Phaahla said of cases of transient myocarditis.
The Welsh government has said about 4,000 Welsh residents may have been given inaccurate Covid test results.
The health minister, Eluned Morgan,said the majority of these tests are believed to have been taken by people in the Gwent and Cwm Taf Morgannwg areas of south Wales. Morgan said:
Anyone who had a test from 4 October and received a result from the affected laboratory will be contacted by NHS test and trace by text message and/or e-mail and advised if it was negative to book an appointment to be retested.
It will also advise that their close contacts who are symptomatic book a test. People who had a test processed at the laboratory between 8 September and 4 October will also be contacted and advised to get a test if they have symptoms.
Eluned Morgan, the Welsh health minister. Photograph: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Rex/Shutterstock
She added:
My immediate concern is the information and support for the Welsh residents impacted and I have asked Public Health Wales to provide additional support and advice to the affected health boards. They will also be assessing the potential impact of this incident on the case rates and epidemiology reports for Wales.
Morning all, Tom Ambrose here ready to bring you all the big Covid news from the UK and abroad throughout today.
Let’s start with some news coming in from Italy this morning. Protests have been taking place as one of the most stringent anti-coronavirus measures in Europe went into effect today.
Italy is requiring all workers, from magistrates to maids, to show a health pass to get into their place of employment.
Police were out in force this morning and schools planned to end classes early. Meanwhile, embassies issued warnings of possible violence amid concerns that anti-vaccination demonstrations could turn violent, as they did in Rome last weekend.
Protests by port workers in Genoa and Trieste threatened to affect commercial activities, but early reports suggested the ports were operational. Protesters shouted “Liberta” (Freedom) in a largely peaceful demonstration in Florence.
Workers hold a banner during a protest in front of the Varco 4 meeting place for a demonstration organised by the Port Workers Coordination of the port of Trieste, north-eastern Italy. Photograph: Paolo Giovannini/EPA
The so-called “green pass” shows proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or of having recovered from Covid in the past six months. Italy already required them to access all sorts of indoor environments, including restaurants, museums, theatres, and long-distance trains.
But the addition of the workplace requirement has sparked heated debate and opposition in a country that was a coronavirus hotspot early in the pandemic and where vaccination rates are among the highest in Europe.
At least 43,000 people may have been wrongly given a negative Covid test result, the UK Health Security Agency has said, as it announced the suspension of operations at a privately run lab in Wolverhampton. The move comes after an investigation into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they had previously tested positive on a lateral flow device.
Dr Will Welfare, public health incident director at the UK Health Security Agency said: “There is no evidence of any faults with lateral flow or PCR test kits themselves and the public should remain confident in using them and in other laboratory services currently provided.”
Russia has again set a new record for the number of coronavirus-related deaths, with 999 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours. There was also a record number of new cases recorded – 32,196. This is only the second time that Russia has officially recorded more than 30,000 new cases in a single day.
Public health orders requiring New South Wales health workers, teachers and some construction workers to be vaccinated to keep working are valid, the NSW supreme court has ruled in Australia.
South Korea said it would lift stringent anti-coronavirus curbs on social gatherings next week, as the country prepares to switch to a “living with Covid-19” strategy amid rising vaccination levels.
Israel is seeing a sharp drop in new infections and severe illness, aided by its use of vaccine boosters, vaccine passports and mask mandates, scientists and health officials said.
That’s it from me, Martin Belam, for this week. I’ll see you again on Monday. Tom Ambrose is waiting in the wings to take over. Stay safe and have a great weekend.
