Covid-19 News: China’s second-largest city is preparing for the blockade – as it happens

Hope that the pandemic was over may have been premature if the latest covid figures were anything to go by.

Total coronavirus cases in the UK continue to climb, with more than 170,000 new cases reported on March 14 alone.

New Covid-19 sub-variants are believed to be behind a worldwide current that led to the first deaths in China in a year, record numbers of infections in South Korea, a 14 percent jump in cases in Africa and, here in the UK, up hospital Numbers.

Deltacron and Stealth Omicron are two tribes that seem to be entering a new phase of the fight against the coronavirus.

My colleague Colin Drury messages:

Vulnerable people in England are starting invitations to the spring Covid Booster from Monday.

People aged 75 and over and those immunosuppressed can book from 7 am on.

The booster is available to about five million people, with 600,000 expected to receive invitations in the first week.

Local NHS teams will also contact nursing homes to arrange the jab for people who are eligible and invited.

The move comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) recommended the spring top-up as a precautionary measure.

Coronavirus restrictions in Scotland are eased despite infection levels said to be at record highs.

Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed last week that as of Monday, shops such as bars and restaurants will no longer be required to maintain customer contact details.

The legal requirement for businesses, places of worship and others to “take reasonably practicable action” in the Scottish Government’s Coronavirus leadership is also completed.

The move comes after figures from the Office for National Statistics show that levels of covid infection in Scotland have hit another record high.

They have now been rising for seven weeks in a row, with 376,300 people possibly having the virus last week – or one in 14 – up from one in 18 people the week before.

My colleague Laura Hampson has everything you need to know about the Spring Booster program:

Thousands of children are likely to die each month due to the impact of the coronavirus on health systems in poor countries, a Scottish charity has found.

In low- and middle-income countries, rising Covid cases see health systems buckle, a new report by Edinburgh-based charity KidsOR found, with its researchers estimating the side effects seen at least 6,000 children die each month during the pandemic.

There have been significant changes in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing pre- and post-covid surgery – treated with healthier and richer patients – with the charity saying the results raise concerns about hidden morbidity and mortality Raising people.

Because healthier people are more likely to receive treatment, they have experienced better results, with a 50% decrease in the number of people getting sepsis, infection or dying after surgery.

David Cunningham, the charity’s chief executive, said: “The study suggests that the improvements may reflect a change in the patient population, where sicker patients may not receive the necessary care due to heightened barriers to access to health care during the pandemic.

“Our findings contribute to the growing evidence of hidden morbidity and excess mortality during the pandemic of patients who delay care and potentially die at home, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”

Some 11,500 people in English hospitals have Covid-19 but the majority of them have not been admitted due to the disease, the health secretary said.

Sajid Javid told Times Radio: “At the moment we have around 11,500 people in English hospitals who are co -id positive, but of those people the NHS estimates that almost 60% are not there because of co -id – they are there for something else. could be a hip operation or something, but they are covid-positive.

“So the ones that are actually there for Covid are a much smaller number and so it gives us a lot of confidence that we are learning to live with Covid.

As for the infections, he added: “We are seeing an increase in the number of cases currently in actual hospitalizations, which means that the numbers are well below the Omicron Peak.

“But it’s true that we’re keeping the vaccine under review and that’s why I accepted the latest advice from JCVI – our expert group of independent consultants – to offer this spring’s Booster Jab to anyone aged 75 or over, residents of Nursing homes, and those that have weakened immune systems.

“It will increase their protection against this virus and allow them to go about their daily lives with more confidence.”

Hong Kong plans next month to relax some anti-COVID-19 measures, lift a ban on flights from nine countries, reduce quarantine and reopen schools, following a backlash from businesses and residents.

The move, announced Monday by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, comes as many countries try to live with the virus instead of trying to keep it out.

Residents in Chinese-governed territory have become increasingly frustrated with the stringent measures, many of which have been in place for over two years.

Flights from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States will be lifted on 1 April.

“The flight ban is no longer timely and appropriate … it will cause huge disruption to Hong Kong people who are stuck in these nine countries if we continue the ban,” Lam told a news briefing.

What are some of the signs that you have Covid’s Omicron strain?

My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain messages: