November 4 coronavirus news

All mink in Denmark are to be culled, because of concerns that the animals are spreading a mutated form of coronavirus, the country’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says.

Frederiksen revealed that the Statens Serum Institut found five examples in mink farms and 12 examples in humans that showed reduced sensitivity to antibodies.

"The virus has mutated in mink. The mutated virus has spread to humans," Frederiksen said. "In other words: The mutated virus -- via mink -- can carry the risk that the upcoming vaccine will not work as it should,"

"It is… a decision the government is making with a heavy heart," the Prime Minister said. "But, given the clear recommendation of the health authorities, it is the necessary decision."

Frederiksen added that new restrictions will need to be introduced in certain areas to contain the spread of the mutated virus.

“Unfortunately, the residents of those municipalities have to prepare for further restrictions in the near future,” she said.

The decision was hailed by animal rights groups, who have long opposed the use of mink for fur.

"Although not a ban on fur farming, this move signals the end of suffering for millions of animals confined to small wire cages on Danish fur farms solely for the purposes of a trivial fur fashion that no-one needs," Joanna Swabe, the international senior director of public affairs for the Humane Society, said in a statement.

"We commend the Danish Prime Minister on her decision to take such an essential and science-led step to protect Danish citizens from the deadly coronavirus."

New York City's coronavirus case metrics are "cause for concern," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday, as the city reported 628 new cases on a seven-day average.

Mayor de Blasio said 114 people with Covid 19 had been admitted to hospitals in the city -- a "much higher number than we’ve seen typically."

"That’s cause for concern," he said, adding: "We’re keeping a close eye on that."

The percentage of people who tested positive for Covid-19 city-wide is at 1.54%, according to de Blasio, with the 7-day rolling average at 1.74%.

"To the extent we stabilize around that level, that's something we can handle for now, but again that's not where we want to be for the long term," he said of the 7-day rolling average.

New York City has recorded a total of 257,613 coronavirus cases, 19,363 confirmed deaths and 4,658 "probable deaths" related to Covid-19, according to the latest data published Tuesday by the city's public health agency.

Switzerland is to deploy its army to help manage the growing number of coronavirus hospitalizations and patients admitted to intensive care units.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the government announced that 2,500 soldiers would be available to support hospitals in treating or transporting coronavirus patients in places where local resources have been "exhausted."

The statement added that in order to meet the criteria for an army deployment, Swiss regions "must demonstrate that all civilian means and tools at their disposal have been exhausted."

As of Wednesday, Switzerland and the principality of Liechtenstein had registered 10,073 new daily Covid-19 cases, 247 hospitalizations and 73 new deaths.

Switzerland has recorded a total of 192,376 confirmed cases and 2,275 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest government data.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly says the country will exercise a "zero tolerance" policy towards anyone who breaks its coronavirus prevention rules, according to state media.

Madbouly ordered Egyptian authorities to fine those who do not wear masks and do not adhere to the rules, which have been in place since May, the statement added.

Egypt's health officials say the country is seeing an increase in coronavirus infections. In the past 24 hours there have been 197 cases and 16 deaths in the north African nation, taking the country's figures to 108,122 infections and 6,305 deaths overall, according to the Ministry of Health.  

Egypt ordered its people to wear face masks in public in May and has said violators will be fined up to $250 if caught. 

UK lawmakers have approved a plan for England to enter a new national lockdown from midnight tonight.

A total of 516 MPs voted for the coronavirus restrictions, tabled by the government, and just 38 voted against them.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had faced some opposition from backbenchers in his own Conservative party over the plans, but the opposition Labour Party backed the restrictions -- having called for a "circuit breaker" lockdown for weeks.

The restrictions will be in place until December 2.

An earlier version of this post misstated the number of MPs who voted in favor of England’s new lockdown measures. This has been corrected.

Poland will implement a range of new restrictions on schools and businesses to curb the spread of coronavirus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski announced Wednesday.

The country will move to remote learning for children in primary school grades 1 through 3, will close cultural institutions and prohibit hotels from accepting guests who are not business travelers.

Poland reported a record rise on Wednesday with almost 25,000 new coronavirus infections and 373 deaths, according to government data.

With the pandemic as a backdrop, hundreds of thousands of people across Poland have been protesting for nearly two weeks against a court decision to ban nearly all abortions in the country. Protests have been happening in defiance of restrictions that ban gatherings of more than five people. At the weekend there were more than 100,000 people protesting on the streets of Warsaw alone.

Read more on the protests against Poland's abortion ban here.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the country's lawmakers Wednesday that he has been "confronted" with data which projects that the National Health Service (NHS) could "collapse" without further measures.

Johnson urged the British parliament to vote on Wednesday to approve new time-limited coronavirus restrictions that would see England enter a new national lockdown from midnight on Thursday.

In a statement to the House of Commons, the British leader said deaths in this second wave could potentially exceed those of the first. The UK was badly hit by the pandemic in the spring wave and has reported more than 47,000 deaths.

He added: “I am sorry to say that the number of Covid patients in some hospitals is already higher than at the peak of the first wave.”

Johnson told lawmakers Wednesday that if the virus' reproductive rate was not reduced to below one, England faces “a bleak and an uncertain future of steadily rising infections and admissions until as I say the capacity of the NHS is breached."

The new period of restriction is expected to last until December 2. Johnson's decision follows similar measures imposed in France and Germany.

The British PM said he hoped the country could return to a tiered system on a local and a regional basis after the lockdown period.

Sweden is tightening restrictions and enforcing local measures in another three regions, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced on his Facebook page Tuesday. 

The three regions added onto the watchlist are Halland, Jönköping and Örebro. They were added to a list of areas already under the measures which includes Stockholm, Skåne, Uppsala, Western Götaland and Östergötland. 

The restrictions also bar Swedish people from physical contact with people they don't live with and from staying in indoor environments where congestion can arise. The new measures also require residents to avoid events such as parties, weddings and large funerals. Employers have also been asked to ensure that their employees can work from home if possible.

“It is important that everyone understands the seriousness now. None of us has forgotten what spring looked like. We know what's at stake. And we know what to do. Now we have to do it too. Then we can do this -- together,” he concluded. 

Sweden's coronavirus strategy has been deeply controversial. The country was one of the few European nations that did not fully lockdown in the spring, and it has reported at least 5,969 deaths -- with a death rate much higher than some of its closest neighbors,

Europe has seen a 22% increase in new coronavirus cases and a 43% increase in deaths in the past seven days compared with the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday in their latest weekly Covid-19 update.

France, Italy and the UK reported the highest numbers of new cases in that time, although Andorra, Czech Republic and Belgium reported the highest per population incidence. 

The report also highlights that while cases in France rose in line with much of Europe since August, the country saw a significant surge in infection during October.

The WHO added that the number of Covid-19 patients in ICU beds was "rising rapidly" in the country.

The report is based on the data received from national authorities, as of 5:00 a.m. ET on Sunday.