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Coronavirus live news: Biden to reinstate Covid travel ban as world nears 100m cases | World news

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19:36

Eleanor de Jong

More now from New Zealand.

Over three dozen guests at the Pullman hotel in central Auckland, where the infected woman was undergoing government-managed isolation, are being held longer in their rooms while the source of the newly confirmed local infection is investigated. Nearly all 200 hotel staff have been tested

Although health authorities suspect the virus was contacted directly – meaning person to person contact – they have not ruled out airborne or surface contact.

Hundreds of people have been lining up all day for tests in Whangarei, Northland and Auckland. Test results for these people will be known tomorrow. The director-general also said many people who had no symptoms or contact with the infected woman have been lining up for tests – and he asked them to go home so close contacts could be prioritised.

The Covid-19 response minister said news was circulating on social media of an impending lockdown. He said this was “fake news” and “not true at all”.













19:30

Experts have called for greater clarity about the monitoring in place to assess the 12-week dosing interval for Covid vaccines, as the UK’s vaccination programme ramps up.

According to government data released on Sunday, a total of 6,353,321 people in the UK have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. A further slew of vaccination centres are due to open on Monday to speed up delivery of the jabs.

These include at the Crick Institute in London, the Blackpool Winter Gardens, Lancaster town hall, Bath racecourse and the Black Country Living Museum, where scenes for the TV show Peaky Blinders were filmed.

“These 33 new major vaccine centres will bolster our existing network and enable the NHS to protect as many people as possible in the coming weeks,” said the vaccine minister, Nadhim Zahawi.

However, there is continued controversy about the government’s decision to increase the interval between the two doses of the jabs to up to 12 weeks in an effort to offer protection to as many people as possible.

The Guardian’s Nicola Davis and Jessica Elgot report:













19:16

Community case confirmed in New Zealand

Eleanor de Jong

A community case of Covid-19 has been confirmed in New Zealand, with genome sequencing identifying it as of the South African variant of the virus.

Investigators think the 56-year-old woman contracted the infection from a fellow guest at the Pullman hotel, where she was undergoing government-managed isolation.


19:02

World nears 100m cases

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has passed 99 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, as the total moves rapidly towards a shocking 100 million people infected with Covid-19 in just over a year.

The current total is 99,105,389 infections. At least 2,127,206 people have died.

On average, around 650,000 coronavirus cases have been reported daily in the last week.













18:40

Israel ‘closes skies’ to air travel to prevent virus spread

Israel on Sunday announced a week-long ban on most incoming and outgoing flights in a bid to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants, AFP reports.

The measure will begin at midnight from Monday into Tuesday and remain in effect until Sunday, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

Exceptions will be made for cargo and firefighting flights, as well as trips for medical treatments, funerals and legal procedures.

A panel of health and interior ministry officials will be able to issue exemptions on request “for humanitarian or personal needs”, the statement said.

The decision came with the country in its third national coronavirus lockdown, initiated late December and extended on Tuesday until the end of the month due to a surge in deaths.

Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced his government’s intention to close the airport, as variants of the coronavirus have been detected in rising numbers.

“We’re closing the skies hermetically, except for rare exceptions, to prevent the entry of virus mutations, and to ensure that we make swift progress with our vaccination campaign,” he said ahead of a cabinet meeting.


18:37

Biden to reinstate travel ban and add South Africa

US president Joe Biden on Monday will formally reinstate Covid travel restrictions on non-US travellers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials.

AP: the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed Sunday that South Africa would be added to the restricted list because of concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.

Biden is reversing an order from President Donald Trump in his final days in office that called for the relaxation of the travel restrictions as of Tuesday.

The decision to reverse the order is not surprising, but the addition of South Africa to the restricted travel list highlights the new administration’s concern about mutations in the virus.

The South Africa variant has not been discovered in the United States, but another variant — originating in the United Kingdom — has been detected in several states.
Reuters was first to report Biden’s decision to add South Africa to the list.

Biden last week issued an executive order directing federal agencies to require international air travellers to quarantine upon US arrival. The order also requires that all US-bound passengers ages 2 and above get negative test results within three days before traveling.

Updated


18:34

Summary

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.

As always, you can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has passed 99 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, as the total moves rapidly towards a shocking 100 million people infected with Covid-19 in just over a year.

In the US, president Joe Biden on Monday will formally reinstate travel restrictions on non-US travellers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed Sunday that South Africa would be added to the restricted list because of concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.

Here are the other key developments from the last few hours:

  • Israel is set to ban passenger flights in attempt to prevent Covid variant imports, coming into effect from Monday 10pm for two weeks
  • Greek health authorities have reported a jump in the number of cases of the coronavirus variant first spotted in the UK, with 32 infections detected.
  • The UK has reported a further 30,004 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases, according to government data. This compares with 38,598 cases registered last Sunday.
  • Jeremy Hunt, the former UK health secretary, has echoed calls from epidemiologists urging the use of medical-grade masks to be compulsory on public transport and in shops.
  • Serbia has detected its first case of the UK coronavirus variant, in a woman who travelled from London but no new lockdown is planned in the country, President Aleksandar Vučić said.
  • Airbus has announced that some 500 employees have entered quarantine following an outbreak at its aircraft factory in Hamburg in which 21 workers have tested positive, according to Reuters.
  • Police used water cannon and dogs against protesters after hundreds gathered in a square in central Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against a new coronavirus curfew.
  • France probably needs to enter into a third lockdown because of the spread of new coronavirus variants in the country, the government’s top medical adviser on Covid-19 policy has said.
  • Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will telephone Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss Mexico’s procurement of the Sputnik V vaccine, the Mexican government said on Sunday.
  • France has reported 18,436 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, down from 23,924 on Saturday. However, today’s figure is higher than last Sunday’s, when 16,642 infections were registered.
  • Ecuador has approved the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, the country’s health ministry said on Sunday.



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Health

Health department reports 1,516 new COVID-19 cases Sunday in Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY — In its daily update of COVID-19 statistics in Utah, the state health department reported 1,516 new positive tests and another 13 deaths from the disease Sunday.

Four of those deaths happened before the new year, officials said, but were still under investigation. Overall, that brings the state to 336,405 total confirmed cases and 1,595 deaths since the pandemic began.

Currently, 461 Utahns are reported hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 182 in intensive care. Sunday’s numbers came as 14,575 more test results were reported and 7,331 Utahns were tested for the virus for the first time.

Over the past week, the state is averaging 1,794 new reported cases per day and a positive test rate of 19.4%.

The health department says 6,073 more vaccines were administered since yesterday’s report, for a total of 228,348 so far. More than 28,000 Utahns have received a second dose of the vaccine.

The deaths reported Sunday include:

  • A Salt Lake County man between ages 65 and 84 who was hospitalized when he died
  • A Salt Lake County woman between ages 65 and 84 who was the resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Salt Lake County man over age 85 who was the resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Salt Lake County man between ages 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized when he died
  • A Uintah County man between ages 65 and 84 who was not hospitalized
  • A Utah County man between ages 25 and 44 who was the resident of a long-term care facility
  • Three Utah County men between ages 65 and 84 who were hospitalized
  • A Utah County woman over age 85 who was the resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Washington County woman between ages 65 and 84 who was the resident of a long-term care facility
  • A Washington County woman over age 85 who was not hospitalized
  • A Weber County woman between ages 65 and 84 who was not hospitalized

Together, Salt Lake and Utah counties now account for 62% of the state’s reported cases and 58% of its deaths.

There is no coronavirus news conference from state leaders scheduled for Sunday. Gov. Spencer Cox and health officials will update the public in a conference later this week; it usually occurs on Thursdays.

Last week

  • Saturday: Gov. Cox says getting more vaccines shouldn’t be like ‘Hunger Games’; 1,771 more COVID cases reported Saturday
  • Friday: 2,649 more COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths reported Friday in Utah
  • Thursday: Utah using nearly all COVID-19 vaccine doses as state sees 2,089 new cases, 30 deaths
  • Wednesday: 2,159 more COVID-19 cases, 10 deaths reported Wednesday in Utah
  • Tuesday: 1,302 more COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths reported Tuesday in Utah
  • Monday: 1,082 new COVID cases reported Monday as Utah marks 1,500 deaths during pandemic

Methodology:

Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.

The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.

Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.

Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.

Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.

The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.

For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.

Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.

More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.

Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.

Graham Dudley

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Health

N.J. reports 4,613 more confirmed COVID cases and 17 deaths as models predict state hits its 2nd wave peak

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New Jersey health officials on Sunday reported another 4,613 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 17 additional deaths as predictive models from the state suggest we’ve hit the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced the latest figures on social media.

They came the same day new predictive models from the state Department of Health showed Sunday could be the peak of the state’s second wave of the pandemic.

The scenarios show there could be 5,467 new cases and 3,796 people hospitalized as of Sunday under a moderate prediction (there were 3,186 people hospitalized as of Saturday). But as many as 6,833 new positive tests and 4,745 hospitalizations could also play out on the same day under the worst-case scenario.

The moderate model shows a steeper decline in cases and hospitalizations over the coming months with the potential for around 500 new cases a day and about 375 people being treated in hospitals by the end of June.

Under the worst-case modeling scenario, however, the decline in cases and hospitalizations would be much slower. That model forecasts the state could still have 4,706 daily cases and 3,268 patients hospitalized by the end of June. Both forecasts predict a bump in cases and hospitalizations in the coming days.

Much could depend on how quickly New Jersey receives and distributes vaccine doses.

Murphy has said he wants to have 70% of the state’s eligible population — nearly 5 million people — vaccinated by May.

Health officials, meanwhile, announced Friday the first two cases of the highly-contagious COVID-19 variant first identified in the U.K. have been discovered in the Garden State.

Scientists have said the mutation is up to 70% more contagious. But there is no evidence yet it is more deadly or more resistant to vaccines. New Jersey joins at least 20 states where the strain has been confirmed. The first case identified is from an Ocean County man in his 60s and the other is a child who was traveling to northern New Jersey.

NJ Residents Deaths by Month and Year 2015-2020

The pandemic has killed at least 20,951 people in the state since the first COVID-19 death in March.

Deaths from the coronavirus in New Jersey surpassed what is typically recorded for heart disease and cancer, the two leading killers year after year. On Dec. 31, the state’s official coronavirus toll reached 19,042 confirmed and probable deaths in a pandemic that devastated during the spring, then exploded again in the fall and winter in a second wave that is still roiling.

That exceeded the usual annual deaths produced by cancer, which killed nearly 16,200 people a year from 2014 to 2019, according to Department of Health data. It also exceeded that of heart disease, which claimed more than 18,650 lives on average over those six years.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

VACCINATIONS

The number of vaccine doses administered has pushed past 500,000, according to the state’s dashboard tracking vaccinations, which showed 524,865 as of Sunday afternoon. Of those, 459,635 were the first of two doses people will receive.

New Jersey has received 989,900 doses from the federal government, according to a running tally from the CDC.

The state hit a high of 31,859 doses administered in a single day Jan. 20, based on the most current data.

All six of the coronavirus vaccine mega-sites have opened throughout New Jersey to serve as vaccination hubs.

New Jersey has faced criticism for having a slower rollout than dozens of other states as it continues to deal with a second wave of the pandemic, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state has been doling out doses in phases. And even though officials last week greatly expanded vaccine eligibility, demand remains greater than supply, and residents are scrambling for scarce appointments. More than 4 million New Jersey residents are now eligible.

Officials stress that the state is depending on the federal government for its supply and is receiving only 100,000 doses a week, though New Jersey has the capacity for 470,000 a day.

Murphy on Saturday said the federal government has not provided additional doses that were promised.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The 3,186 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases across New Jersey’s hospitals as of Saturday night included 590 in critical or intensive care (18 fewer than the previous night), with 376 on ventilators (53 fewer).

There were 74 fewer people hospitalized Saturday compared to the previous night.

There were also 397 COVID-19 patients discharged Saturday, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The governor has said any hospitalizations over 5,000 patients would likely trigger new rounds of restrictions. But the number of people being hospitalized has mostly ticked down slowly in recent days after hitting a more than seven-month high of 3,873 people on Dec. 22.

SCHOOL CASES

At least 597 students and staff in 121 school districts in New Jersey have caught COVID-19 through in-school outbreaks, according to the latest update from state health officials.

That’s an increase of 10 districts and 40 cases from the previous weekly report. There are now confirmed in-school outbreaks in all 21 counties, though the state does not identify the individual school districts.

Bergen County has the most outbreaks (26) and cases (115). The county also has the most confirmed cases overall with 55,349 as of Wednesday.

Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that can’t be confirmed as in-school outbreaks. Though the numbers keep rising every week, Murphy has said the school outbreak statistics remain below what state officials were expecting when schools reopened for in-person classes.

New Jersey defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school.

AGE BREAKDOWN

Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents who have caught the virus (31.2%), followed by those 50-64 (23.7%), 18-29 (19.3%), 65-79 (11.1%), 5-17 (7.5%), 80 and older (5.4%), and 0-4 (1.6%).

On average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with preexisting conditions. Nearly half the state’s COVID-19 deaths have been among residents 80 and older (47%), followed by those 65-79 (33%), 50-64 (15.6%), 30-49 (4%), 18-29 (0.4%), 5-17 (0%), and 0-4 (0%).

At least 7,668 of the state’s COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. That number has been rising again at a steeper rate in recent months, with deaths at the state’s nursing homes nearly tripling in December.

There are currently active outbreaks at 431 facilities, resulting in 7,054 active cases among residents and 7,619 among staffers.

GLOBAL NUMBERS

As of Sunday morning, there were more than 98.86 million positive COVID-19 tests across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 2.12 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications.

The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 25 million, and the most deaths, at more than 417,500.

NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Riley Yates contributed to this report.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.



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Health

US surpasses 25 million cases; Michigan basketball

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There are many questions surrounding Covid-19 vaccines, one of which is whether vaccines can be mixed and matched. Veuer’s Johana Restrepo has more.

Buzz60

COVID-19 has killed more than 417,000 Americans in less than a year, and infections have continued to mount despite the introduction of a pair of vaccines late in 2020. USA TODAY is tracking the news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox,join our Facebook group or scroll through our in-depth answers to reader questions.

The United States on Sunday surpassed 25 million cases of COVID-19, but an influential coronavirus model says the true number is likely much higher.

About 17% of people in the U.S., or upward of 50 million people, have been infected with the coronavirus, researchers at the University of Washington estimate. They warn the U.S. is likely only identifying about half of COVID-19 cases.

The model estimates the U.S. will report another 168,000 COVID-19 deaths before May, bringing the total to 569,000 deaths. In that period, at least 40 states will have high or extreme stress on hospital beds, and 46 will have high or extreme stress on ICU capacity, according to the model.

In California, authorities are investigating the death of a person hours after being vaccinated. 

In the headlines:

►The National Park Service announced the Washington Monument is closed until further notice “as a measure to protect staff and visitors from the spread of COVID-19.” The monument had already been closed since Jan. 11 because of security concerns around President Joe Biden’s inauguration, NPS said. 

►Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force under President Donald Trump, told CBS News “Face the Nation” she “always” thought of quitting the job. “I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?” she said in an interview scheduled to air Sunday.

►Larry King, the Brooklyn-bred man who became cable TV’s most well-known talk-show host, died Saturday. He was 87. King had been hospitalized with COVID-19. 

►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on vaccinations Friday to say the second dose of a two-shot vaccine can be administered up to 6 weeks after the first.

📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 25 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 417,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 98.8 million cases and 2.1 million deaths.

📘 What we’re reading: Eager medical students are helping speed up US vaccine rollout: ‘We will be a part of history.’

Californian dies hours after receiving vaccine

Authorities in California’s Placer County are investigating a death that came hours after the victim was vaccinated. The Placer County Sheriff said the person had tested positive for COVID-19 in late December and was administered a COVID-19 vaccine several hours before the individual died on Thursday. Multiple local, state, and federal agencies are investigating the case, the sheriff’s department said in a statement. No additional details were released.

“Any reports surrounding the cause of death are premature, pending the outcome of the investigation,” the statement said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said people who had COVID-19 should wait 90 days after infection before they get vaccinated to prevent interference with “natural antibodies” from the infection. Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Davis Children’s hospital, told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles that the “vast majority” of severe allergic reactions to the vaccine occur 15-30 minutes following immunization. Blumberg said if the death happened several hours later, it is “probably not the severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, that we worry about.”

Michigan’s nationally ranked men’s, women’s basketball teams on ‘pause’ 

The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services issued the mandate after positive COVID-19 tests for several people linked to the athletic department. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks, the school said.

The 11th-ranked women’s basketball team was set to play at home against Purdue on Sunday. The men’s tennis team was hosting a tournament while women’s tennis was in Atlanta. The men’s gymnastics event at Nebraska was also postponed. The seventh-ranked men’s basketball team wasn’t supposed to play until Wednesday at Penn State.

“We must do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff, and to the student-athletes at other schools,” athletic director Warde Manuel said.

Nevada man charged with fraud,  obtaining $2M in COVID aid

Federal prosecutors have charged a Nevada man with fraudulently obtaining about $2 million in federal coronavirus relief aid meant for small businesses to buy luxury vehicles and condominiums in Las Vegas. The U.S. attorney’s office in Nevada accused Jorge Abramovs of bank fraud after he allegedly applied for funding to at least seven banks from April to June 2020. The complaint said a financial analysis determined Abramovs spent the money on personal luxury items, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible for more than $260,000 and a 2020 Tesla Model 3 for about $55,000.

Dr. Deborah Birx says she ‘always’ thought of quitting WH task force

Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force under President Donald Trump, says she “always” thought of quitting the job. “I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?” she said in an interview clip shared to the CBS Face the Nation Twitter page.

“I had to ask myself every morning: is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic?” she said. “And when it became a point where I couldn’t, I wasn’t getting anywhere – and that was like right before the election – I wrote a very detailed communication plan of what needed to happen the day after the election and how that needed to be executed. And there was a lot of promise that that would happen.”

Asked if she felt the election was a “factor in communication about the virus,” Birx said yes. The interview is expected to air in full on Sunday. Birx said last month that she planned to help the incoming administration for a “period of time” but would then retire.

– Grace Hauck

Second vaccine dose can be given up to 6 weeks later, CDC says 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on vaccinations Friday to say the second dose of a two-shot vaccine can be administered up to six weeks after the first. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna require two doses, given three weeks and one month apart, respectively. But second shots can still be administered beyond that timeframe, up to 42 days after the first, the CDC said Friday. There’s no data on doses administered after that time.

The agency also said a person may receive a different vaccine for the second shot only in “exceptional situations” where the first-dose vaccine is unknown or unavailable. Clinical trials did not evaluate the safety or effectiveness of interchanging vaccines.

Larry King dies at 87 after being hospitalized with COVID-19

Larry King, the Brooklyn-bred man who became cable TV’s most well-known talk-show host, died Saturday. He was 87. King had been hospitalized with COVID-19. He passed away Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company King founded with Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim.

In December, King was sent to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with COVID-19. He was moved to the ICU on New Year’s Eve and was receiving oxygen but moved out of the ICU in early January and was breathing on his own, said David Theall, a spokesman for Ora Media, said at the time.

– Gary Levin

Contributing: Joel Shannon and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY

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Health

Michigan Athletics put on 14-day pause due to surge in COVID-19 cases

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All University of Michigan athletics will be paused for two weeks starting Sunday, Jan. 24 in accordance with an order from the state health department according to messages obtained by The Daily and confirmed by a source close to the athletic department. The order, which halts all athletic activity including practice, is limited exclusively to U-M athletics after a recent influx of positive cases within several Michigan teams. 

According to a statement released by the athletic department Saturday night, the Wolverines have been following Big Ten testing and reporting protocals, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is taking a more stringent approach to the novel COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant.

A source told The Daily that there were five confirmed cases of the new variant, with 15 more presumed positives throughout the athletic department. The novel strain was first introduced at the beginning of the semester by a U-M athlete travelling from the United Kingdom. All members of the athletic department are expected to quarantine for 14 days.

“Canceling competitions is never something we want to do, but with so many unknowns about this variant of COVID-19, we must do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff, and to the student-athletes at other schools,” said athletic director Warde Manuel in the statement released Saturday night. 

This past week 22 student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19 per release, 13 more than the week prior. No coaches or staff tested positive. 

As of Sunday morning, 87.2% of Michigan’s athletic contests have been played. By the end of Jan. 6, that percentage will plummet to 59.6%. Saturday, the women’s basketball team rescheduled its postponed game against Michigan State for this week. The Wolverines had their own outbreak in early December after a match against Butler in which a Bulldog tested positive the day after the game, leading to two missed games. 

The men’s basketball team played on Friday at Purdue, even as a Boilermaker tested positive the day of the game. The volleyball team had their opening contest against Penn State this weekend postponed because of positive tests within the Penn State program. 

While reports indicate that neither of the basketball programs or hockey programs have had no positive tests, they still not will be allowed to play.

According to the release, no determination has been made on how the pause will impact schedules after Feb. 7.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown challenges at all of us — including The Michigan Daily — but that hasn’t stopped our staff. We’re committed to reporting on the issues that matter most to the community where we live, learn and work. Your donations keep our journalism free and independent. You can support our work here.

For a weekly roundup of the best stories from The Michigan Daily, sign up for our newsletter here.

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World

Coronavirus live news: US nears 25m cases as three infections linked to Australian Open confirmed as UK strain | World news

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21:17

Melissa Davey

In December, the UK reported a Covid-19 variant of concern, commonly referred to as the B117 variant, which appeared to be more transmissible. Since then, scientists have established that B117 is somewhere between 50% to 70% more transmissible than other variants. If more people are getting sick, there is more pressure on health systems, and in the UK health services are so overloaded a country-wide lockdown has been enforced.

While many scientists say B117 does not appear more deadly, researchers on the UK government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group found it may increase the death rate by 30% to 40%, though their sample size was small and they said more research is needed. With B117 now detected in more than 50 countries, understanding the variant is urgent.

But other variants of concern have also been identified, including in California, South Africa and Brazil.

So exactly what is a variant, and how many are there? And why are some variants of more concern than others?

Answers at the link below:













20:56

Helen Sullivan

And what a year it has been. In just over a month’s time, I will have been liveblogging international developments in the coronavirus pandemic for eight hours a day, every day on the global blog – which has been running non-stop around the world almost uninterrupted for more than a year.

This time last year, I was living in Beirut, having just returned from reporting on the bushfires in Australia.

Where were you at the end of January 2020? Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Updated


20:53

Monday marks one year since first cases in Australian state of New South Wales

In Australia, the state minister for health in New South Wales has noted that Monday will mark a year since the state confirmed its first four cases of coronavirus.

Today marks a week with no new local cases confirmed in the state:

Brad Hazzard
(@BradHazzard)

Tomorrow is one very challenging year since NSW had first 4 Covid19 cases. But today, with incredible support of our community (testing)& stellar work of front line @NSWHealth (inc⭐️Tracers),@nswpolice @NSWHPathology it is one week since our last local transmission of Covid19.

January 24, 2021













20:50

Summary

Here is a summary of the key developments from the last few hours:

  • The US is nearing 25m cases. I’ll post a summary shortly. For now, the US is nearing an astonishing 25 million cases of coronavirus – a quarter of the global total and one in every thirteen people in the country. There are currently 24,985,689 confirmed infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
  • UK to quarantine arrivals from high-risk countries – reports. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to force travelers from countries where there is a high risk of Covid to go into quarantine for 10 days after arriving in Britain, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday.
  • Three infections linked to Australian Open confirmed as UK strain. Coronavirus infections linked to the Australian Open are continuing to emerge, with a further three non-players – two men in their 30s and one in his 50s confirmed to have the highly contagious UK strain of the virus.
  • Mainland China confirmed 80 new coronavirus cases on 23 January, down from 107 cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Sunday. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said 65 of the new cases were local infections. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 92 from 99 cases a day earlier. The total number of confirmed cases in Mainland China now stands at 88,991, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.
  • A possible community case of Covid is being reported in the northernmost New Zealand province of Northland. The “probable” case is in the community, a ministry of health spokesperson said, rather than a managed isolation facility. The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.
  • It has been a year since the Wuhan lockdown. The Chinese city of Wuhan marks one year since the start of its traumatic 76-day coronavirus lockdown. On 23 January 2020, Wuhan shocked the globe by confining its 11 million anxious citizens to their homes, starting a cycle that would spread across the world. But China largely brought its outbreak under control and Wuhan is nothing like the ghost town of a year ago, with traffic humming, sidewalks bustling, and citizens packing public transport and parks.
  • Hong Kong and Oslo tightened measures. Thousands of people in one of Hong Kong’s poorest and most densely packed districts have been ordered to stay in their homes. Norway’s government, meanwhile, has imposed the strictest restrictions seen in the region of the capital, Oslo, since March after the discovery of the British variant in a retirement home.
  • A French lockdown ‘likely’. A French government source has told AFP that “the hypothesis of confinement is more and more likely,” citing projections of a surge in cases due to the more transmissible British strain.
  • Fabric masks still work, said the WHO. The World Health Organization says it has no plans to change its guidance recommending fabric face masks as new coronavirus variants spread because the mutated strains are transmitted in the same way. The statement comes after Germany and Austria made medical masks mandatory on public transport and in shops, allowing only surgical or FFP2 masks rather than fabric.
  • There is a shortage of vaccines in Brazil. Brazil has just started its vaccination campaign but scientists are already warning the hard-hit country will quickly run out of doses and even syringes, some blaming the government for the shortages.


20:38

Possible community case in New Zealand

Eleanor de Jong

An update on New Zealand now, where a possible community case of Covid is being reported in the northernmost province of Northland.

The “probable” case is in the community, a ministry of health spokesperson said, rather than a managed isolation facility.

The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.

The last case of covid-19 in the community was recorded in Auckland on November 18 and contained within a matter of days after central Auckland was shut down.

Overall less than 2000 people contracted coronavirus in 2020, and 26 people died. New Zealand is pursuing an elimination strategy towards the disease.


20:27

Mexico’s Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed 20,057 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 1,470 additional fatalities, bringing the country’s total to 1,752,347 cases and 149,084 deaths, Reuters reports.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.


20:07

Mainland China reports 80 new cases vs 107 a day earlier

Mainland China confirmed 80 new coronavirus cases on 23 January, Reuters reports, down from 107 cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Sunday.

The National Health Commission, in a statement, said 65 of the new cases were local infections. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 92 from 99 cases a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed cases in Mainland China now stands at 88,991, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,635.


19:58

No new local cases in Australian state of Victoria

Victoria has recorded its 18th straight day without a local coronavirus case as the state’s residents enjoy greater freedom to gather indoors, AAP reports.

The zero cases recorded on Saturday – as well as one case in Victoria’s hotel quarantine system – came from just under 12,000 tests.

Only 30 active coronavirus cases remain in the state.

It comes as more visitors are allowed in Victorian households, with the indoor gathering limit at homes doubled from Saturday from 15 to 30.

The smaller limit on home gatherings had been introduced on New Year’s Eve as the state battled a cluster linked to a Black Rock Thai restaurant.

More Victorians stranded interstate will also be able to return home, thanks to a further easing of interstate border restrictions.

Updated


19:56

UK to quarantine arrivals from high-risk countries – reports

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to force travelers from countries where there is a high risk of Covid to go into quarantine for 10 days after arriving in Britain, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday.

Via Reuters: Travellers from Brazil and South Africa, and neighbouring countries, will be met on arrival and escorted to hotels to quarantine, under plans being discussed by UK ministers, the Daily Mail said.

Johnson favoured a more targeted approach than making all air passengers go into quarantine, said the report, which added that the quarantine decision would be taken on Monday.

Britain has recorded more than 3.5 million Covid infections – the fifth-highest in the world – and nearly 96,000 deaths.













19:54

Three infections linked to Australian Open confirmed as UK strain

Coronavirus infections linked to the Australian Open are continuing to emerge as the states and territories continue their run of no new locally acquired cases.

Victorian authorities on Saturday reported one new case linked to the Open, a man in his 20s who is not a player.

A further three non-players – two men in their 30s and one in his 50s – have meanwhile been confirmed to have the highly contagious UK strain of the virus.

Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria said all three had been in hard lockdown since they landed in Melbourne.

“The residents arrived in Melbourne on a dedicated Australian Open charter flight on 15 January and returned their first positive tests on 15, 17 and 18 January,” a spokesperson said.

There are 10 active cases linked to the Open and 970 people associated with the tournament in quarantine.


19:48

Eleanor de Jong

A possible outbreak of Covid-19 is being reported in New Zealand, in the northernmost province of Northland.

The probable case has emerged in the community, but is NOT a probable case of community transmission, according to the New Zealand Department of Health.

The outbreak – if confirmed – is said to be related to a person recently released from a managed isolation facility, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the minister of covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, will hold a media stand-up at 4pm to share the latest information.

Updated


19:46

Australian state of New South Wales confirms zero local cases

Calla Wahlquist

New South Wales has recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Sunday and three in hotel quarantine. It brings the number of new cases listed in Australia today to four, all in hotel quarantine, after Victoria reported one new case in Melbourne’s quarantine hotels. Queensland has recorded no new cases on Sunday.

Health officials in NSW have urged people to get a Covid-19 test if they have any cold or flu symptoms, however mild, after just 11,344 tests were conducted in the 24-hours to 8pm last night – well below the daily target of 30,000 tests.




Arriving passengers at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International airport are sent onto buses for mandatory 14 day quarantine on January 22, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images

Authorities say they have also detected fragments of the virus in sewage tests at the Warriewood and North Head treatment plants,. The former covers about 70,000 people in the Northern Beaches area, and the latter has a catchment of 1.3 million people from a large chunk of Sydney extending north of the Parramatta River from Western Sydney to Manley.

NSW Health said the detection “likely reflects known recent confirmed cases in those areas,” but urged anyone living in those areas to get tested if they had any symptoms.













19:43

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.

I’ll be bringing you the latest developments from around the world, with a focus on Australia, for the next few hours.

I’ll post a summary shortly. For now, the US is nearing an astonishing 25 million cases of coronavirus – a quarter of the global total and one in every thirteen people in the country. There are currently 24,981,398 confirmed infections, with

In Australia, meanwhile, the states of New South Wales and Victoria have recorded zero local cases. We’re awaiting the numbers from Queensland.

And three infections in hotel quarantine linked to the Australian Open have been confirmed to be the UK strain of the virus.

As always, you can say Hi (or shout at me) on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Updated



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Health

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are Falling, but Variants Could Erase Progress

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Still, the country continues to average nearly 190,000 new cases each day, more than any point of the pandemic before December. Deaths from the coronavirus are still extraordinarily high, with more than 4,300 deaths announced on Wednesday, the second-highest daily total of the pandemic. And in some places, there has been no progress at all.

Virginia is reporting some of its highest infection numbers yet. New outbreaks are raging in South Carolina. And in parts of Texas, including around San Antonio and along portions of the Mexican border, case numbers are as high as they have ever been. The county that includes Laredo is reporting more than 500 cases each day, a per capita figure more than twice as high as Los Angeles County, which is also struggling.

In places that have seen a slowing of new cases in recent days, local and state health officials were sharing positive — but tentative — news about the virus.

“Everything’s moving the right way,” a smiling Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of public health for Chicago, said at a news conference on Thursday, noting that because of encouraging metrics in the city, museums have reopened, gyms are allowing group classes and more restrictions could be loosened in the coming days. Epidemiologists say that cases rise and fall in cycles controlled almost entirely by human behavior, and some experts worried that new openings of businesses, permitted because of sinking case numbers, might just set off new surges once more.

Gretchen Musicant, the Minneapolis commissioner of health, said that officials in the state were “encouraged, but wary” of the situation, and that they continue to be watchful as Minnesota begins reopening certain sectors of the economy once again.

“We’re watching to make sure that those reopenings don’t escalate our rates again,” Ms. Musicant said.

As epidemiologists warn about the spread of new variants, health officials are racing to vaccinate as many people as possible. As of Thursday, nearly 2.4 million people had been fully vaccinated. More than half of states had administered less than 50 percent of the doses shipped to them.

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Health

Oregon reports 22 more COVID-19 deaths, one from Deschutes; 877 new cases

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(Update: Details of newly reported deaths released)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTZ) — There are 22 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, including Deschutes County’s 40th death, raising the state’s death toll to 1,865, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday.

OHA also reported 877 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing the state total to 136,839.

Vaccinations in Oregon

On Friday, OHA reported that 16,763 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 12,341 vaccine doses were administered on Thursday and 4,422 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Thursday.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 270,453 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 487,700 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

St. Charles Health System said it had given 8,942 COVID-19 vaccinations as of 4 a.m. Friday.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA’s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data and Oregon’s dashboard has been updatedFriday.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 317, which is 12 fewer than Thursday. There are 79 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is eight fewer than Thursday.

St. Charles Bend reported 18 COVID-19 patients as of 4 a.m. Friday, with two in the ICU, one on a ventilator.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

New quarantine guidelines for fully immunized people

People who have been fully immunized and have let at least 14 days pass following their last dose of the vaccine are no longer required to quarantine if they have had close contact with someone with COVID-19. Those who are fully immunized should still monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 during the 14 days after exposure, and if symptoms develop, they should isolate and seek testing. Persons who have been fully vaccinated should continue to follow measures to protect themselves and others, including maintaining six feet of physical distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands often and wearing a mask. Please see OHA’s updated COVID-19 Investigative Guidelines.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Friday are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (24), Clackamas (71), Clatsop (8), Columbia (15), Coos (10), Crook (14), Curry (1), Deschutes (28), Douglas (18), Grant (4), Hood River (5), Jackson (33), Jefferson (9), Josephine (15), Klamath (17), Lake (3), Lane (90), Lincoln (5), Linn (9), Malheur (11), Marion (101), Morrow (7), Multnomah (136), Polk (24), Umatilla (52), Union (9), Wallowa (1), Wasco (3), Washington (138) and Yamhill (15).

Oregon’s 1,844th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Jan. 1 and died on Jan. 20 at Portland VA Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,845th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 8 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,846th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 31 and died on Jan. 12 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,847th COVID-19 death is a 46-year-old man in Harney County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 20 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,848th COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Harney County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 20 at St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,849th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Jackson County who died on Jan. 4 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,850th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 1 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,851st COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 30 and died on Jan. 18 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,852nd COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Jan. 11 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,853rd COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 2 and died on Jan. 19 at Rogue Valley Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,854th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Jan. 19 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,855th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Jan. 20 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,856th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Jan. 11 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,857th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 12 and died on Jan. 16 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,858th COVID-19 death is a 70-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 20 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,859th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Dec. 20 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,860th COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 12 at OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,861st COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man in Union County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 15 at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,862nd COVID-19 death is a 60-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 29 and died on Dec. 26 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,863rd COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Jan. 20 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,864th COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 10 at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,865th COVID-19 death is a 57-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Jan. 21 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit OHA’s web page, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

OHA corrects slide shown at press event

A slide shared at Friday’s press event has been updated. The slides here provide correct information, showing when people 75 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

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