Covid-19 news: Unvaccinated have 14 times greater risk of covid death

Michael Le Page, Jessica Wilson, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, and LayalLiverpool are all involved.

Visitors to a museum are required to be vaccine free.

Spencer Platt is a photographer.

As of 1pm on 23 November, the latest coronaviruses news.

The CDC says unvaccinated individuals are more likely to die from covid-19.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published data in September showing that unvaccinated people in the US are 14 times more likely to die from covid-19 than people who are fully vaccined.

Unvaccinated individuals are six times more likely to test positive for the virus. More than 47 million adults and over 12 million teenagers are not fully protected by the vaccine, according to the director of the CDC.

The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford says that covid-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccine. Pollard writes in The Guardian that the "ongoing horror" of people with covid-19 fighting for breath in intensive care units in hospitals across Britain "is now largely restricted to unvaccinated people".
There are other coronaviruses news.

The UK government has told people in England that they should first take a test to see if they can handle crowded areas. People who are visiting individuals who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill with covid-19 may also wish to take a rapid flow test, according to the government.
It is the first time official guidance has encouraged members of the public to take covid tests.
The Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is 100 per cent effective in children at least four months after a second dose, according to trial results.

The trial had 2228 volunteers. There were 30 unvaccinated volunteers who developed symptoms of covid-19, but there were no cases among those who had been given two doses of the vaccine.
Two companies say there were no serious safety concerns during the six-month follow up period. The vaccine is offered to all 12- to 15-year-olds in the UK.
Stay up to date with deaths, cases and vaccination rates around the world by using the covid-19 dashboard.

Information about coronaviruses.

Where did coronaviruses come from? Other questions were answered.

Covid-19 is what it is.

Everything you need to know about Covid-19 vaccines.

How long will it last and can we treat it?

What is the best way to share covid-19 vaccines around the world?

The story of a disease.

The latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic are covered in New Scientist Weekly. The biggest science stories to hit the headlines each week include technology and space, health and the environment.

The Jump is a series on the radio about how viruses can cross from animals to humans. The first episode looks at the origins of the disease.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Color is a documentary that explores the high death rates in ethnic minority patients in the UK.

The race for a vaccine is a documentary about the inside story of the vaccine's development.

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

The New York Times is ranking potential drug treatments for covid-19 based on their effectiveness and safety.

Humans of COVID-19 is a project that highlights the experiences of key workers in the fight against coronaviruses in the UK through social media.

The death of a transport worker at London's Victoria Station is the subject of a programme called Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth.

The coronaviruses is a short documentary series on the efforts to fight it and ways to manage its mental health toll.

The Pandemic that Never Should have Happened and How to Stop the Next One is a book written by Debora Mackenzie, who is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

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

The previous updates.

The city centre of Vienna has a closed Christmas.

Lisa Leutner/AP.

22 November

Austria enters its fourth lockdown as coronaviruses cases surge.

Austria became the first European country to impose a curfew in response to the latest surge in covid-19 infections.

Since the beginning of the Pandemic, the country has had four national lockdowns. People can't leave home for work, exercise or grocery shopping. Shops, restaurants, bars and cinemas will be closed until 12 December, though officials say the measures will be adjusted in 10 days.
173,500 coronaviruses have been reported by Austria. The number of coronaviruses per 100,000 residents was recorded on 20 November. The UK is currently reporting 418 cases per 100,000 people in the 7 days up to 16 November.
There are other coronaviruses news.

Water cannons and tear gas were used against people protesting.

New covid rules include the mandatory wearing of face coverings in public spaces and working from home. Police used water cannons and tear gas to break up the protesters.
In Austria, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland there have been restrictions protests.

Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that time is running out to prevent a surge of coronaviruses in the US.

There are more cases of coronaviruses in the US than ever before. Millions of people travel to visit family during the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. Fauci warns that this could lead to more cases.

Fauci told CNN on Sunday that all US adults should get a vaccine booster. He said that you want to be protected during the holiday season. Get boosted.

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a street mural.

Anthony Wallace is pictured.

18 November

The effectiveness of face coverings, hand washing and social distancing is reinforced by a review of studies.

According to a review of published research, mask wearing is one of the most effective public health measures for preventing covid-19.

The effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions at containing the virus was assessed in a meta-analysis carried out by a group of people.

The result was not significant because only a small number of studies were included. The incidence was reduced by 25 per cent.

In the British Medical Journal, Talic and her colleagues write that control of the covid-19 pandemic depends on high vaccination coverage and its effectiveness, as well as ongoing adherence to effective and sustainable public health measures.

There are other coronaviruses news.

Children who have had a covid-19 infection should not get a vaccine until 12 weeks later, according to new guidance in the UK. The experts from the UK Health Security Agency said that this could help to reduce the risk of heart inflammation. The current case rates of myocarditis are thought to be around nine per million vaccinations, and the cases have been relatively mild. Research shows that myocarditis is more likely to occur after a coronaviruses infection. The current advice is that older people and high risk people should wait four weeks between covid infections and having a vaccine.

The fourth wave of the Pandemic is hitting Germany with full force, chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of a crisis meeting with regional leaders. At the end of the month, nationwide rules that were put in place at the beginning of the year are set to expire. The director of the Robert Koch Institute, a German government agency, said that the country is on the verge of a serious emergency, with hospitals already struggling to find space for patients. We are going to have a really bad Christmas if we don't act now.

A clinical trial showed that the preventative drug AZD7442 offered 83 percent protection against covid-19. The injected therapy could be used to prevent illness in people who don't have a good immune response to vaccines.

A nurse prepares to give a vaccine.

Victoria Jones/POOL/EPA-EFE/

17 November

A fifth of cyberattacks in the UK targeted vaccine firms.

The National Cyber Security Centre says that the UK was targeted by hackers this year.

Between August 2020 and September 2021, the watchdog handled a record number of cyberattacks. The health sector and vaccines were linked to a fifth of these firms.

It said that it helped the University of Oxford protect themselves against an attempted ransomware attack that could have had a big impact on the UK's response to a global epidemic.
There are other coronaviruses news.

Hundreds of millions of people in poorer countries have access to cheaper versions of Pfizer's covid-19 pill.

Generic copies of Paxlovid will be made in 95 low and middle-income countries, covering 53 percent of the population.
Ireland's bars, restaurants and nightclubs will have a midnight curfew from Thursday. Micheal Martin said that everyone should work from home if it is necessary.

Beijing, China, has strict covid rules in place as the country prepares for the Winter Olympics next year. Anyone visiting the city must have a negative covid test in the past 48 hours.

There is a memorial wall on the south bank of the river.

Alamy has a photo of Maureen McLean.

16 November

There were over a thousand covid-related deaths in the week ending 5 November.

The week of 5 November saw the highest number of covid deaths in England and Wales since March. The UK Office for National Statistics reported 995 covid-related deaths in that week. The number of covid-related deaths increased by 16 per cent in the week ending March 12.

In the UK, 168,600 death certificates have mentioned covid-19. The highest number on a single day was 1,484.

There are other coronaviruses news.

An analysis of medical records in the US shows that anti-depressant use is linked to a lower risk of dying from covid-19. A database of 83,500 people with covid-19 was assessed by researchers. The individuals who were taking fluoxetine appeared to be more likely to survive.
The University of California, San Francisco's Marina Sirota says that the statistical analysis shows that the drugs are causing the effects.

Travel restrictions in India have been removed for tourists who have been fully immunized. Travelers from countries that have an agreement with India in place, such as the US, UK and some other European countries, will not be required to test negative for the virus within 72 hours.

California officials fined Amazon $500,000 for failing to adequately notify workers about new covid-19 cases.

Most of the people who work for Amazon in California work in the company's warehouses. California state requires companies to inform workers of new coronaviruses.

A woman gets her covid-19 vaccine.

Leon Neal is a photographer.

15 November

The second dose of covid-19 vaccines will be given to 16 and 17-year-olds.

The UK's covid-19 vaccine booster programme will be extended to include all 40 to 49-year-olds, following a recommendation from the government's vaccine advisers. Adults over the age of 40 should be offered a booster six months after their second dose, according to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The Pfizer/BioNTech jab should be given to 16 and 17-year-olds at least 12 weeks after the first dose.

Boosters have been offered to people over 50 and younger people who are clinically vulnerable, and over 12 million people have had a third covid-19 jab. The Pfizer or Moderna jab should be given to people who have not yet received the vaccine.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said that the advice has been accepted in England and the health service has been instructed to implement it as soon as possible. The booster programme will be extended by the Scottish government.

A new study from the UK Health Security Agency shows that booster vaccines reduce the risk of covid-19 in adults over 50. It is expected that the protection against more severe disease will be even higher.

The chair of covid-19 immunisation for the JCVI said that booster vaccine doses in more vulnerable adults and second vaccine doses in 16 to 17-year-olds are important ways to increase protection against covid-19. The vaccinations will help extend our protection.

There are other coronaviruses news.

Austria has ordered a nationwide lock down for people over the age of 12 who aren't fully protected against covid-19. This group of around 2 million people will only be allowed to leave home for limited reasons, including going to work or shopping for essentials. One of the lowest rates in Europe is the percentage of people who are fully vaccine free.

A new vaccine that works via T-cells is about to enter human trials. The covid-19 vaccines aim to generate immunity based on the antibodies that stick to the virus and stop it from infecting cells. T-cells are part of the immune system and are thought to offer longer-term immunity. The skin patch is used to administer the vaccine. The company that developed it, Emergex, has been given the go-ahead to conduct an initial trial.

New Scientist has the latest on coronaviruses.

Recent studies suggest that the covid-19 is prevalent among white-tailed deer in North America. There is a chance that new versions of the virus will cross back into humans.

There are covid-19 patients in the Uzhhorod hospital.

Ukrinform/Shutterstock

11 November

There are rising Covid-19 cases in Europe but they are not stable in the rest of the world.

According to the WHO, the number of coronaviruses deaths in Europe increased by 10 per cent in the week to 7 November. Europe saw a 7 per cent increase in new cases of covid-19. The global number of recorded deaths in the week was 48,000, a decrease of 4% from the previous week.

Europe had the highest incidence of confirmed cases, with a rate of over 200 per 100,000 population.

The WHO director for Europe said the region was back at the epicenter of the epidemic and could see another 500,000 deaths by February if more actions aren't taken to limit the spread of the virus.

The US, Russia, UK, Turkey and Germany have the highest number of new cases. Over 1000 deaths have been reported in Russia. The high number of people needing treatment for covid-19 is said to be the reason why some hospitals in Germany are unable to admit new patients.

There are other coronaviruses news.

Tens of thousands of care home staff in England who have not had two coronaviruses vaccine doses will be unable to legally work in care homes from today as a mandatory jab policy comes into effect. Unless they are medically exempt, staff working in registered care homes in England must have had both jabs. More than 50,000 current staff in care homes have not been recorded as having had both doses as of 7 November, four days before the deadline, according to official figures due later today. Several thousand of these are believed to have applied for formal proof.
A study showing that some people may have had immunity to the first wave of the coronaviruses has raised hopes that a universal vaccine could be developed. Some healthcare workers in the UK who were regularly tested encountered the covid-19 virus, but never became fully exposed to it or developed covid-19 antibodies. People with exposure to other coronaviruses that cause colds have an immune memory in their T cells. New Scientist has a story to tell.

Antibiotic Research UK found that the number of antibiotic prescriptions in England dropped by 17 per cent in the first year of the covid-19 pandemic. The difference between the summer and winter prescription rates was 21 per cent, compared to 4 per cent in the winter. It is possible that the trend is due to less transmission of infections.
A vaccinator administers a vaccine.

A picture of SOPA Images LIMITED

10 November

France is following Israel in requiring vaccine passes for people over the age of 65.

French people over the age of 65 will have to have a third dose of the coronaviruses vaccine to prove they have been fully protected from the disease. If a person has been immunised, has recently recovered from an illness, or has had a negative test, the passes show. They are needed for many activities in France, including going to restaurants and bars, libraries, the gym and long-distance train and plane journeys.
The president said yesterday that people between the ages of 50 and 65 would be able to get boosters, and that use of health passes would increase. France's infection rates are lower than in other European countries, but they are rising. The fifth wave of covid-19 arrived in Europe, according to the president. We are not done with the epidemic.
Six months after a second dose, Israel makes boosters. In Wales, a requirement for covid passes showing double vaccination or a recent negative covid-19 test will be extended from Monday.
There are other coronaviruses news.

The head of Pfizer UK has said that a medicine that can be taken at home and cut hospitalisations and deaths from covid-19 could be available by early next year. People who are at risk of developing severe disease can take Paxlovid twice daily for five days.

Unvaccinated people in Singapore could face a hefty hospital bill if they need treatment for covid-19. The government will no longer pay medical bills for people who are unvaccinated.

The nurse who gave the first coronaviruses vaccine dose in December of last year received her booster jab.

The images are from PA Images.

9 November

The vaccine will be given to the staff by the spring.

The UK government is expected to make covid-19 vaccinations compulsory for frontline National Health Service staff in England. The Department of Health said it was not commenting on speculation about the timing of the announcement. The move is expected to happen, according to the officials. Thousands of unvaccinated staff are expected to be affected by the measure.

Care home workers in England have been told to get their vaccinations by this Thursday. As of October 31, tens of thousands of care home staff were not recorded as having been double jabbed.

Chris Hopson said there are between 80,000 and 100,000 unvaccinated workers in England. He told the Today programme that it could be a useful spur in some senses to drive the take-up up, but that we need to be careful of scapegoating people.

There are other coronaviruses news.

More than 11,000 people who died of covid-19 in England are thought to have caught the virus in a National Health Service hospital, according to The Telegraph. The data was collected by the trusts. Over 40,000 probable or definite hospital-acquired covid-19 infections were reported by the trusts. Some trusts refused to give their data, suggesting the true numbers are higher.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is preferred by France's public health authority to the Moderna vaccine because of a rare side effect. The risk of myocarditis is five times less in people who receive Pfizer jabs than in people who don't, according to the Haute Autorité de Santé.

People are being urged to get their flu and covid-19 booster jabs.

The images are courtesy of LightRocket.

8 November

People who don't take up boosters could face travel restrictions.

More than 10 million people have had covid-19 booster vaccines in the UK, and politicians are urging others to get their jabs.

Those most at risk from covid-19 are eligible for a covid vaccine booster shot. People will be able to book a booster appointment five months after their second dose.

More than 10 million people in the UK have received a booster or third dose, with 409,663 receiving one on Saturday. The Department of Health and Social Care said that about 30 percent of over 80s and 40 percent of over 50s in England are yet to receive a booster.

On Sunday, the UK health secretary Sajid Javid urged eligible people to get the vaccine, saying it would help the country avoid a return to restrictions and enjoy Christmas.

According to media reports, ministers are considering changing travel rules so that people who are eligible but refuse a third dose face stricter testing rules. The Government is reviewing the implications and requirements of boosters for international travel certification and is looking at whether or not booster vaccinations could be included in the Covid Pass for travel.

The chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said that deaths from covid-19 are increasing because of the waning immunity of vaccine recipients. She said that it was particularly the older age groups, but also those who were vulnerable and had underlying medical conditions.

There are other coronaviruses news.

The UK Health Security Agency will be conducting a clinical trial of the drug molnupiravir later this month. Last week, the UK medicines regulator approved the drug molnupiravir. It has been shown that it halves the risk of unvaccinated people needing hospital treatment or dying, and more trials are needed to see how it works in the vaccine population.

There are restrictions on travelling to the US from 33 countries. The ban has been in place since early 2020. The US now requires proof of vaccination and a negative covid-19 test.

The Pfizer building is in New York.

Molly Woodward is pictured.

5 November

First antiviral approved for use at home.

The risk of being hospitalized or dying from covid-19 has been slashed by nearly 90 per cent. The Paxlovid treatment is given twice daily to people who are at risk of severe illness.

Paxlovid is a combination of two drugs, one of which blocks the activity of an enzyme that the coronaviruses needs to replicate. ritonavir is a second drug that is used to treat HIV.

In a placebo-controlled trial of 1219 people from all over the world, 0.8 percent of people who received Paxlovid within three days of a positive covid-19 test required hospital treatment, compared with 7 percent of people who received a placebo. Those who got treatment within five days had an equivalent figure of 1 and 6.7 per cent. The results were announced in a press release today.

molnupiravir was approved in the UK yesterday. The medicine is given twice daily to people who are at risk of severe illness but have not been hospitalized. It halves the risk of people needing hospital treatment.

If you have a positive covid-19 test, you should take molnupiravir as soon as possible. It works by making the virus duplicate its genetic material so it can't grow in cells. The UK Medicines and healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved its use for people with at least one risk factor for severe infections.
Sajid Javid said that they are working at pace to deploy molnupiravir to patients through a national study. The trials so far have been in unvaccinated people, so the government may want to assess its effectiveness in those people.

There are other coronaviruses news.

People in England are being told in a public information campaign that opening windows for ten minutes every hour will help reduce the risk of catching the coronaviruses indoors. The main message of the campaign is to stop coronaviruses hanging around by improving the air quality.

The World Health Organization said that Europe is once again at the epicenter of the covid-19 pandemic because of countries relaxing prevention measures. Hans Kluge, the WHO's Europe director, said yesterday that all European countries were either facing a real threat of covid-19 resurgence or already fighting it.

The National Covid Memorial Wall in London, England has a woman drawing red hearts on it.

David Cliff is a photographer.

4 November

The loss of at least 28 million years of life has been caused by the Pandemic.

The loss of 28 million years of life in 2020 is likely to be a severe underestimate as it only looked at 37 countries.

The University of Oxford calculated how many years of life had been lost due to coronaviruses in 37 countries. They analysed excess deaths in each nation, the ages of those who died, and the country's average life expectancy.

More than 28 million years of life had been lost in 31 countries. The countries that did not see an increase in loss of years of life as a result of the Pandemic were New Zealand, South Korea, and Denmark. The team did not include many Asian, African or South American countries due to a lack of data, as the total lost years of life due to the Pandemic will be much higher.
The researchers looked at the decline in life expectancy in 2020. Russia, the US and Bulgaria saw the biggest falls. In England and Wales, male life expectancy dropped by 1.2 years and female life expectancy dropped by 0.8 years.
There are other coronaviruses news.

Between September and October, coronaviruses nearly doubled in England. In the latest survey by Imperial College London, about 0.8 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds tested positive for coronavirus, while 0.67 per cent of over-75s had covid-19 in between 19 and 29 October. Nearly six percent of five to 17 year olds testing positive for the virus are school children.

The World Health Organisation has approved India's home-grown vaccine for emergency use. The intergovernmental body has approved seven jabs. More than 105 million doses of vaccine have been given to people in India.

A boy is getting a vaccine.

JEFF KOWALSKY is a photographer.

3 November

The final sign-off for the jabs was given to the elementary-school-aged children.

The US is about to offer covid-19 vaccines to children as young as 5 years old, after the final hurdle of approval was cleared by the CDC yesterday. The vaccine has been approved for this age group at a third of the amount used for adults and teenagers. The child-sized doses will be packaged in bottles with orange lids.

The vaccine could be offered this week, but it will not be fully up and running until next week, according to the White House. He said there would be millions more doses packed, shipped and delivered. The children's vaccine is still being reviewed by the Medicines and healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Pfizer's earnings and sales more than doubled in the past quarter, mainly due to its covid-19 vaccines.

There are other coronaviruses news.

The member of the SAGE stepped down at the end of October. Sky News reported that Sir Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome health charity, had been advocating for more restrictions to be brought in due to the UK's high level of coronaviruses. He said that the high levels of transmission in the UK are concerning. My focus is now on our work. Supporting the international research effort to end the Pandemic is included in this.

One of the first western European countries to relax covid restrictions was the Netherlands. They will include new requirements to wear face masks, asking people to work from home half the week, and extending the use of covid passes to restaurant terraces and museums. In the Netherlands, there were more covid-19 cases reported on 2 November than in the UK.
There is a screen on the covid-19 app.

The images are courtesy of Hollie Adams/Bloomberg.

2 November

35 to 54-year-olds have self-isolation compliance fall.

According to the Office for National Statistics, one in four people between the ages of 35 and 54 are failing to self-isolated for a full ten days after being positive for coronaviruses.

The figures are based on a survey done in England in late September and early October. Only 75 per cent of participants were isolated for ten days after a positive covid-19 test. It's a big drop from the 86 per cent who reported full compliance in July.
The percentage of people who reported full compliance in the latest survey was higher for people between 18 and 34 years old.
There are other coronaviruses news.

New York City public workers were put on paid leave for not being vaccinations. The vaccine mandate for public sector workers went into effect yesterday. One in four firefighters in the city are not protected from vaccine-related diseases.

Indonesia is the first country in the world to give emergency permission for the vaccine. Studies show that it is effective against covid-19.

Disneyland Shanghai in China has been closed for at least two days due to a single visitor testing positive for coronaviruses. The country wants to hit zero coronaviruses infections by the time it hosts the Winter Olympics.

A gravedigger is in the Amazonas state of Brazil.

Michael Dantas is pictured.

1 November

The global death toll has hit 5 million.

Less than two years have passed since the beginning of the covid-19 epidemic.

According to figures compiled by the US's Johns Hopkins University, around 7000 people die from the virus each day.

The true figure is likely to be more than double that. The toll is thought to be closer to 17 million deaths, after taking into account those who died without knowing they had contracted the disease and those who could not be treated for other illnesses.
There are other coronaviruses news.

Those who received their second dose at least six months ago are eligible for booster jabs at walk-in sites in England. Over 30 million people will no longer have to book an appointment to get a booster shot. More than six million people have had a booster jab or a third dose.

The Asian People's Movement on Debt and Development, who is based in the Philippines, told The Guardian that climate change activists from developing countries have been excluded due to global vaccine inequality.

There were previous updates from September to October, July to September, June to July, May to April, February to January, and November/December 2020.

There are more on these topics.