Here we follow all developments on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on an international scale.
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10:25 am – Two Vatican villages infected with Covid-19
Two Vatican villages, one of which spends most of its time supporting homeless people in Rome, tested positive for Covid-19.
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10:15 am – Germany extends UK border closure until January 6
Germany extended the closure of its borders with the United Kingdom and South Africa, two countries affected by the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, until 6 January.
The connections by train, bus, boat and plane are suspended and the general ban on entry into the entire German territory by nationals of these two countries.
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9h50 – BioNTech able to supply a new vaccine “in six weeks” in case of virus mutation
The German laboratory BioNTech, which with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer launched the first authorized vaccine against Covid-19 in the world, is able to supply a new vaccine “in six weeks” in the case of virus mutations such as that detected in the United Kingdom.
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“We are technically capable of delivering a new vaccine in six weeks,” said scientist and entrepreneur Ugur Sahin, from the German laboratory BioNTech.
“In principle, the beauty of messenger RNA technology is that we can start directly to design a vaccine that completely mimics the new mutation,” added the official, during a press conference in Mainz (western Germany), the day after the signal European authorities to distribute in the European Union the vaccine that the laboratory developed with Pfizer.-
9:40 am – UK blocked
The British Prime Minister continues to negotiate with France to end the blockade that stopped one of Europe’s main freight routes. Several countries have closed their doors to the UK after the discovery of a new strain of the virus that spreads much faster. The negotiations take place directly between Presidents Macron and Boris Johnson.
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UK blocked. Chaos in freight transport https://t.co/VsFwvMR4iM
– RTPNews (@RTPNoticias) December 22, 2020
9:28 am – India with 301 deaths and more than 19,000 cases in the last 24 hours
India recorded 301 deaths due to covid-19 and 19,556 infected in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Health.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, India has counted 10,075,116 cases of the new coronavirus, remaining as the second country with the most infections, behind the United States.
With 146,111 deaths since the start of the pandemic, India is the third country in the world with the most deaths, after the United States and Brazil, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.
The country currently has 292,518 active cases of the disease.
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9:15 am – WHO calls meeting on the new variant of SARS-CoV-2
The World Health Organization will meet to analyze the new variant of the new coronavirus that emerged in the United Kingdom.
“Limiting travel to contain the spread is prudent until we have more information,” said Hans Kluge, on Twitter, calling for more preventive measures.
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We are closely monitoring reports of a growing #COVID19 variant VUI – 202012/01. Here’s what we know:
✅Appears to spread more easily
✅Severity not yet clear ????increased preventive measures are critical1/3
– Hans Kluge (@hans_kluge) December 22, 2020
9:02 am – Pfizer and Moderna are testing vaccines against the new variant discovered in the UK
8h58 – Russia registers another 28,776 new cases of infection and 561 dead
Russian authorities have reported a further 28,776 cases of infection, of which 7,237 in Moscow, bringing the national total to 3,960,503 infected and 51,912 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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8:45 am – New variant of the virus in the UK may infect children more
The new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that is spreading rapidly in the UK carries mutations that could mean that children are just as susceptible to infection as adults – unlike previous variants.
“There is an indication that this new variant is more likely to infect children,” Peter Horby, a professor and epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, told Reuters.
According to Reuters, scientists who are analyzing the new variant say that this mutation has become the dominant one in southern Britain and may soon spread to the entire country.
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8:35 am – IMF disburses 1.6 billion euros to help Ecuador face economic crisis
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) decided to immediately disburse two billion dollars (1.6 billion euros) to Ecuador to help the country weakened by the pandemic, the institution announced Monday.
This amount is being released as part of the aid plan totaling 6.5 billion in 27 months that was approved on September 30, it reads in a statement.
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8:20 am Germany reports 19,528 more infected and 731 deaths
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has registered 1,530,180 infected and 27,006 dead.-
8:12 am – Toyota closes three plants after shutdown due to new strain in the UK
The automaker Toyota will temporarily shut down three plants today in France and the United Kingdom after several countries have suspended connections via the English Channel due to the emergence of the new strain of the Sars-Cov-2 virus.
“In view of the expected lack of parts due to delays in transportation and the uncertain nature of the duration of the new border closures for logistics activities, Toyota Motor Europe, Toyota’s European headquarters, decided to precede a controlled closure of its activities at its French plant , Toyota Motor Manufacturing France, and its two English factories, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK, ”the communication department of the French factory in Onnaing, near Paris, told AFP.
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8:00 am – Taiwan records first local case in 253 days
Taiwan today registered the first case of local transmission of the coronavirus since April, on the 253rd day without contamination, in what is considered one of the examples in the fight against covid-19.
Taiwanese health officials announced that a woman in her 30s had tested positive.
According to the authorities, the woman was in contact with a foreign pilot who worked for a Taiwanese company and had the virus.
“Your case was confirmed today,” the Center for Disease Control pointed out in a statement.
Taiwan, which had taken an early decision to close its borders and put in place a strict quarantine regime, recorded only 770 cases and seven deaths were attributed to covid-19.
Since April 12, all new cases of coronavirus on the island have been imported.
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Marcelo says that Portuguese people were wrong about the amount of vaccines for flu
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says he spoke with vaccine producers for covid-19 to obtain information on the quantities available. In an interview with TVI, and about vaccines for influenza, he also says that the Portuguese were deceived about the amount of vaccines available.
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In the final part of this interview, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa explained that he is organizing Christmas meals with the “ideal number” of five people at the same table and made an appeal to the Portuguese “not to spoil” what was achieved in terms of containment Covid-19 in the country.
Rises to 30 counties with extreme risk of contagion
There are five more municipalities with extreme risk. There are now 30 in total. Between December 4 and 17, there were more than 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Among the municipalities with the most cases per 100 thousand inhabitants is Vimioso, followed by Marvão and Castelo de Vide.
The latest epidemiological bulletin recorded 2,099 cases of covid-19 and 57 deaths. There was a significant increase in hospitalizations in 24 hours. 3,158 people are hospitalized, 131 more than on Sunday, 502 of whom are in intensive care, that is, 19 more.
Health professionals start to be called for vaccination
The Portuguese have already started to be called to receive the vaccine against covid-19. The European Medicines Agency approved yesterday the use of the Pfizer vaccine.
As announced, until the end of this year, only health professionals who have been and are at the forefront will be vaccinated.
The start of the vaccination plan in Portugal is scheduled for Sunday, the 27th.
The first health professionals to receive the vaccine are from 5 hospital centers in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.
In Lisbon, professionals provide services at Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte and Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central
In Porto, the vaccine will be administered to health professionals at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João and Centro Hospitalar do Porto.
And in Coimbra, it will be applied to those who work at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra.
Four detained for disobedience and 40 closed establishments
During the meeting, the activity of the National Republican Guard and the Public Security Police was also recorded in the scope of the inspection of the measures in force. Thus, between 9 and 20 December, 6 people were detained, of which:
– 4 for disobedience to the obligation of mandatory confinement;
– 2 for resistance or coercion on an employee.
GNR and PSP also executed 379 administrative infraction notices for non-compliance with the rules in force, including:
– 49 for non-compliance with the rules of occupation, permanence and physical distance in places open to the public;
– 27 for non-compliance with the mandatory use of masks in public transport;
– 36 non-compliance with the mandatory use of masks in establishments, concert halls or public buildings;
– 6 non-compliance with the suspension of public access to restaurants or drinks establishments with spaces for dancing;
– 73 for non-compliance with schedules;
– 60 for failure to carry out celebrations and events involving an agglomeration of more than 5 people;
– 80 for consumption of alcoholic beverages on the public road;
– 18 for non-compliance with the rules on maximum capacity limits for public transport;
– 24 for non-compliance with the rules imposed by a health authority;
– 6 for non-compliance with the use of a mask on a public road.
In the same period, 40 establishments were closed.
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