Covid-19 news: Northern Ireland lifts remaining legal restrictions

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong and Alex Wilkins

Latest coronavirus news as of 11am on 15 February

Remaining measures will stay in place as guidance, but not legal obligations

Northern Ireland will lift its last legal pandemic restrictions later today, as the nation’s current measures become suggested guidance instead.

These measures include the use of covid certificates in nightclubs, face coverings and a cap of 30 people for gatherings in homes. The restrictions had been due to expire on 24 March, but Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann announced on Monday that he would terminate the legislation with immediate effect.

However Swann added that the threat from the virus hadn’t disappeared and that guidance should be followed: “It is vitally important that we continue to observe the sensible measures we have all learnt to protect ourselves and others.”

Meanwhile, UK government ministers are pushing ahead with plans to wind down covid testing and payments for isolation in an effort to cut costs, despite warnings from health advisers, The Guardian reports.

Other coronavirus news

A wave of infections caused by the omicron variant is moving across Eastern Europe, with case counts doubling in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine over the past two weeks. The World Health Organisation has warned that, as countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic consider lifting restrictions, the threat level remains high.

The Cook Islands, one of the last remaining covid-free nations, has recorded its first case of the coronavirus, after a traveller from New Zealand tested positive on 10 Feb. 

Essential information about coronavirus

Where did coronavirus come from? And other covid-19 questions answered

What is covid-19?

Covid-19 vaccines: Everything you need to know about the leading shots

Long covid: Do I have it, how long will it last and can we treat it?

What’s the fairest way to share covid-19 vaccines around the world?

Covid-19: The story of a pandemic

What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus

New Scientist Weekly features updates and analysis on the latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees expert journalists from the magazine discuss the biggest science stories to hit the headlines each week – from technology and space, to health and the environment.

The Jump is a BBC Radio 4 series exploring how viruses can cross from animals into humans to cause pandemics. The first episode examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? is a BBC documentary, which investigates what the high covid-19 death rates in ethnic minority patients reveal about health inequality in the UK.

Panorama: The Race for a Vaccine is a BBC documentary about the inside story of the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.

Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine is a Channel 4 documentary which tells the story of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of the scientists on the frontline.

The New York Times is assessing the progress in development of potential drug treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.

Humans of COVID-19 is a project highlighting the experiences of key workers on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus in the UK, through social media.

Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth is a BBC Panorama investigation of the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga from covid-19, following reports she had been coughed and spat on by a customer at London’s Victoria Station.

Coronavirus, Explained on Netflix is a short documentary series examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to fight it and ways to manage its mental health toll.

Stopping the Next Pandemic: How Covid-19 Can Help Us Save Humanity by Debora Mackenzie is about how the pandemic happened and why it will happen again if we don’t do things differently in future.

The Rules of Contagion is about the new science of contagion and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and in the book he examines how diseases spread and why they stop.

Previous updates

14 February

US awaits more data on vaccinating under-5s while UK government delays decision on vaccinating 5-to-11-year-olds

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed a decision on whether to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children between 6 months to 4 years of age in the US. A decision was due to be made tomorrow.

On 11 February, the agency said it had decided to wait for more data from clinical trials involving under-5s before making a decision. 

Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data on two doses of a three-dose regimen for 6-month-to-five-year-olds to the FDA, but “it makes sense to wait for the safety and efficacy data on all three doses to be available before we make a decision about this vaccine,” said Paul Offit, a member of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. The data on three shots is due to be available in early April.

Meanwhile, the UK government is still deciding whether to approve widespread vaccines for 5-to-11-year-olds, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) over a week ago, the details of which have not yet been made public. 

A decision had already been rescheduled from 11 February to today, but it has been delayed once again and is now expected to be announced on 21 February, as part of prime minister Boris Johnson’s wider long-term covid plans. 

Although the JCVI recommendation has not been disclosed, it is thought that the group is in favour of offering vaccines to all children in this age group. Vaccination has recently begun to be offered to 5-to-11-year-olds in England who are deemed vulnerable or who live with people who are immunocompromised.

The UK has been relatively slow to vaccinate children – the US and Israel both began offering vaccines to 5-to-11-year-olds in November 2021, for example.  

Other coronavirus news

Sweden’s Health Agency has recommended that people aged 80 and over receive a fourth vaccine dose. The country lifted almost all its covid-19 restrictions last week.

People from the UK travelling to France no longer need to get tested for covid-19 from the 12 February.

Hong Kong saw a record 2071 new cases on 14 February. The recent wave has “overwhelmed the city’s capacity of handling,” said the city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam.

 

10 February

UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has announced his plans to lift all covid-19 regulations in England on 24 February

All covid-19 restrictions in England, including the requirement to self-isolate after testing positive, could end on 24 February, announced Boris Johnson. Regulations were originally due to expire on 24 March, but in parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister Johnson said the date had been brought forward to show “that the hard work of the British people is paying off”.

“It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with covid,” he said to parliament.

If it goes ahead, England will be following in the footsteps of Sweden, who on Wednesday lifted nearly all restrictions. Sweden’s minister of health, Lena Hallengren said in a statement: “As we know this pandemic, I would say it’s over.” 

This came after Denmark became the first European Union country to scrap all of its coronavirus restrictions. As of right now, the country has one of the highest numbers of covid-19 cases per capita in the world, with 43,503 daily cases.

Some scientists are concerned overturning these rules may be too soon however. “We should have a little more patience, wait at least a couple of more weeks. And we are wealthy enough to keep testing,” Fredrik Elgh, professor of virology at Umea University in Sweden told Reuters.

“Frankly I see no justifiable reason for the scrapping of this law, certainly not from the perspective of patients, nor from a business case either as the omicron variant is highly contagious, and thus more likely to spread through a staff group if people feel compelled to come to work with a ‘mild covid-19 infection’,” Dr James Gill at Warwick Medical School in the UK said in a statement.

Read more on “living with covid” and how the actions taken by countries will determine how many more people die from the coronavirus.

Other coronavirus news

Globally, the number of covid-19 cases has officially surpassed 400 million, according to analysis from Reuters. This is amid surges of the virus around the world caused by the omicron variant.

In Hong Kong yesterday, daily infections rose to a record 1161 cases, with outbreaks in 10 care homes. 

South Korea’s government announced today that patients with mild symptoms will have to treat themselves. This is to alleviate the strain on medical resources as omicron sweeps through the country, with daily cases hitting a new high of 54,122 on Wednesday.

The US government will begin to vaccinate children under the age of 5 as soon as 21 February, according to a document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The US Food and Drug Administration has not yet authorised the use of the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine for the age group. But, the pharmaceutical companies have confirmed that they have submitted data to support the vaccines’ authorisation.

9 February

People waiting for medical care in England grew to a record six million during pandemic

The waiting list for NHS care in England could grow by millions over the next two years, after the pandemic deterred many from seeking medical care.

Health secretary Sajid Javid told the commons that there are an estimated 10 million people who avoided care during the pandemic. “Even if half of these people come forward, this is going to place huge demand on the NHS,” Javid told MPs yesterday

The government has now promised to recruit an extra 15,000 NHS healthcare workers by the end of March, made up of 10,000 foreign nurses and 5,000 healthcare support workers.

The announcement forms part of NHS England’s “Elective Recovery Plan”, which was delayed from December after the winter omicron surge.

Other coronavirus news

The European Union is seeking to establish a global treaty that prevents new pandemics, according to Reuters. The agreement could include a ban on global wet markets, a suspected source of the coronavirus pandemic, and reward countries that closely monitor new viruses and variants.

New York, and several other US states, are lifting their mask mandates, as coronavirus cases begin to decline from the omicron-driven peak earlier in the winter. 

Coronavirus continues to surge around the world, with Slovakia, Russia and Hong Kong all recording their highest ever daily case numbers. A senior World Health Organisation advisor, Bruce Aylward, told the BBC’s Today programme: “If we look at the situation today – there’s still 2 million reported cases alone, over 5000 deaths every single day right now. The numbers are absolutely staggering.”

8 February

614 covid-19 cases were reported in Hong Kong yesterday as the city brings in new measures to curb the coronavirus

Hong Kong has restricted public social gatherings to just two people as it faces a mammoth surge in omicron cases. Yesterday 614 new cases were reported in the city – double the previous day’s total, and a record for Hong Kong. The city is in a precarious position as even though 80 per cent of its population is double-jabbed against the coronavirus, fewer than 32 per cent of its over-80s have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

In addition to the limits for social gatherings, vaccine passes will be required in supermarkets and department stores. Religious venues and hair salons will close on Thursday until 24 February. Bans on restaurant dining after 6pm and gym closures have been in place since early January.

All covid cases are hospitalised in Hong Kong whether they are symptomatic or not.

Almost 4000 people are also quarantined in isolation centres across the city currently. The policy, following China’s lead, is aimed at eliminating coronavirus completely. 

Other coronavirus news

Using trucks and campervans, hundreds of people blocked the streets surrounding New Zealand’s parliament building today calling for the government to drop its pandemic measures. The protest comes as New Zealand faces a rise in coronavirus cases.

 New Zealand reported 202 cases of coronavirus today, while on Saturday it reported a record 243 positive results. New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern told RNZ, the national radio broadcaster, that she expected the country’s cases to peak at between 10,000 and 30,000 in late March. 

The protesters, in a move similar to the ongoing trucker blockade in the Canadian capital Ottawa, have vowed to camp outside parliament until the country’s remaining restrictions are lifted. They are calling for an end to mask mandates and requirements that certain workers get vaccinated against coronavirus.

With a population of five million, New Zealand has had just 18,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 53 deaths to date.

The UK’s opposition leader, Labour’s Keir Starmer, was yesterday surrounded by a mob that was protesting, among other things, covid-19 restrictions and mandatory vaccinations.

7 February

Even with a high vaccination rate, abandoning zero covid policies could lead to millions of deaths, a study suggests

Researchers in China have estimated that lifting coronavirus restrictions in zero covid countries would cause around 2 million deaths in the next year, reports Reuters.

Zero covid countries that aim to eliminate the spread of coronavirus rather than “live with it” include China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

China continues to place strict lockdowns on cities with coronavirus cases. Masks must be worn in public and travellers entering the country must isolate in designated hotels for at least 2 weeks. The Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Beijing, and people have been advised not to travel into the capital.

According to Reuters, the researchers first calculated the efficacy of current vaccines using data on the CoronaVac vaccine in Chile and the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines in the UK. They estimated that current vaccines provide around 68 per cent protection against symptomatic disease, and that vaccines are currently 86 per cent effective at preventing death.

The team then calculated that, even with a 95 per cent vaccination rate in zero covid regions, lifting pandemic restrictions would lead to more than 234 million infections, 64 million symptomatic cases and 2 million deaths within a year.

Other coronavirus news

Australia has announced plans to reopen its borders to vaccinated visa holders from 21 February. Over 90 per cent of people aged over 16 in Australia are fully vaccinated and the country saw its lowest daily cases this year of around 23,000 on 7 February. The move follows that of New Zealand last week, which announced a phased reopening of its borders from the 27 Feb.

Hong Kong has reported a record 614 new cases on 7 February. The country’s health secretary Sophia Chan said cases were expected to rise exponentially. Around 80 per cent of the city have had at least one coronavirus vaccine, although older people remain mostly unvaccinated.

3 February

US army discharges soldiers who refuse covid-19 vaccine

US soldiers who refuse to get the covid-19 vaccine are to be discharged from service immediately. Soldiers who are unvaccinated pose a risk to the force and jeopardise readiness, according to a statement from the army secretary Christine Wormuth, yesterday.

The new order applies to regular army soldiers, reservists on active duty and cadets. It follows a mandate from the Pentagon last August that all US military service members get fully vaccinated. Around 90 members of the US military have died from the coronavirus so far.

Soldiers can seek a temporary exemption to the vaccination order for medical or religious reasons. If the request is denied, they are given seven days to get vaccinated or submit an appeal. 

Other parts of the US military have already discharged unvaccinated members. The US air force discharged 27 personnel last December and the Navy discharged 45 sailors last week.

Other coronavirus news

New Zealand has announced a phased reopening of its borders, which will allow some of its vaccinated citizens and visa holders to return to the country without staying in state-managed isolation facilities from the 27 Feb. Foreign vaccinated travellers and some skilled workers will be allowed to enter from 13 March and up to 5000 international students can enter from 12 April. People entering the country will have to self-isolate for 10 days.

Sweden plans to lift all coronavirus restrictions next week, despite reporting around 36,000 daily cases, on average. Current restrictions include early closure for bars and restaurants and a cap of 500 people in larger indoor venues. The move follows that of Denmark, which this week became the first European Union country to lift all of its coronavirus restrictions, amid daily new infections of between 40,000 to 50,000.

2 February

Study that infected young adults with the coronavirus finds virus may largely be shed from nose

A small trial that involved deliberately infecting volunteers with the virus that causes covid-19 has revealed new details on how it can cause mild to moderate symptoms. 

This type of research is known as a human challenge trial, and while similar studies have been conducted for various viruses over the years, this is the first to report findings on the coronavirus. 

Researchers in the UK gave 36 volunteers aged between 18 and 29 a low dose of the virus via droplets placed in the nose. The virus was taken from a person who became ill with covid-19 very early in the pandemic, before any notable variants had emerged. 

Eighteen of the volunteers became infected with the virus, and 16 of them developed cold-like symptoms, such as a runny rose, sore throat, cough, fever or headache. Many of these symptoms were not included on symptom lists published by health authorities early in the pandemic. Thirteen of the volunteers also temporarily lost their sense of taste and smell. 

Among those who became infected, the virus could be detected, and symptoms began to develop, within 42 hours. This incubation period is significantly shorter than estimates at the time, which put the incubation period between two and 14 days.

The virus could be detected in the throat at 40 hours, before it could be detected in the nose at around 58 hours. Peak levels of the virus were found to be higher in the nose, suggesting that more virus may spread this way – and highlighting the importance of ensuring face coverings shield the nose as well as the mouth.

Other findings from the study support the use of lateral flow tests in picking up infectious cases of the disease. “We found that overall, lateral flow tests correlate very well with the presence of infectious virus,” Christopher Chiu at Imperial College London, the trial’s chief investigator, said in a statement. “Even though in the first day or two they may be less sensitive, if you use them correctly and repeatedly, and act on them if they read positive, this will have a major impact on interrupting viral spread.”

None of the volunteers developed any serious symptoms and no damage was seen in their lungs. 

Other coronavirus news

Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a process that may eventually allow for the vaccination of children against covid-19 in the US aged between six months and four years. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was first rolled out in the US under an Emergency Use Authorisation or EUA. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine for adults over the age of 16 in August last year.

The vaccine is currently available for children aged five and older in the US under an EUA, but those under five are not eligible for vaccination. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to complete an EUA submission for six-month to four-year-olds within days.

Tonga is set to enter lockdown following the confirmation of five cases of covid-19 in the country. The cases were identified among two port workers and their relatives. 

The cases represent the first instance of community transmission in the country. Until now, only one case had ever been reported – in a quarantined traveller arriving in the country in October 2021. 

 

1 February

Vaccinations will not be a condition of employment for NHS workers in England

NHS staff in England will not be required to have coronavirus vaccinations, health secretary Sajid Javid announced yesterday. The move will be subject to a government consultation.

Regulations for mandatory vaccines were due to come into effect for NHS staff on 1 April which would have made 3 Feb the last day an unvaccinated worker could start a course of vaccinations.

Javid says mandatory vaccines are now less important because omicron, which is currently the dominant variant, appears to be more transmissible and less severe than the earlier delta variant. “It’s only right that our policy on vaccination as a condition of deployment is reviewed,” Javid said. 

Austria has moved in the opposite direction, as its policy of mandatory jabs for all over-18s comes into effect today. It is the first European Union country to impose such a mandate.

Other coronavirus news

Denmark today became the first EU country to lift all of its coronavirus restrictions, despite daily cases of between 40,000 to 50,000, or 1 per cent of its population. Denmark’s health authorities hope that its high vaccination rates of about 81 per cent will prevent a spike in hospitalisations.

Russia has seen its highest daily total for new coronavirus cases, reporting 125,836 on 1 Feb. Unlike Denmark, Russia has relatively low vaccination coverage, estimated at around 50 per cent.

World leaders continue to contract the virus: Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau yesterday announced he has tested positive for coronavirus, while UK foreign secretary Liz Truss also said she had tested positive, hours after speaking to a packed House of Commons without a mask.

31 January

Athletes and staff are testing positive for covid ahead of February’s games

About 119 people at the Winter Olympics – including both athletes and staff – have tested positive in Beijing, China, in the last four days. 

The games will run from 4 February to 20 February and about 3000 people, such as athletes and officials, are expected to take part. 

Unlike many countries, China is trying to eradicate covid-19 completely within its borders. It has cancelled nearly all international flights.

Olympic staff and athletes cannot move freely in public during the games. Instead they are living in a “closed-loop” bubble set up by the government which will allow them to train, travel and work without interacting with anyone from outside the event. 

Other coronavirus news

Spotify will add advisory labels to podcasts on its platform that discuss the coronavirus, its chief said yesterday in a statement. Daniel Ek said the new warnings would redirect listeners to a data hub of coronavirus facts. 

Thousands in the UK are set to gain access to Pfizer’s covid-19 antiviral pill from 10 February. The pill, Paxlovid, will be given to high-risk patients – such as those who have cancer or are immunocompromised – if they test positive for coronavirus. 

Trials suggest that the drug can cut the risk of hospitalisation and death by about 88 per cent in high-risk patients  – if administered within five days of symptoms appearing. 

Latest about coronavirus from New Scientist

What you need to know about the fast-spreading BA.2 omicron variant

 

See previous updates from January 2022, November to December 2021, September to October 2021, July to September 2021, June to July 2021, May 2021, April-March 2021, February 2021, January 2021, November/December 2020, and March to November 2020.

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