January 19 coronavirus news

There is no correlation between receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and increased risk of death among 23 deceased patients who received the shot in Norway, health officials said Tuesday.

The deaths occurred within six days of the inoculations, and the Norwegian Medicines Agency and the National Institute of Public Health are currently investigating the fatalities.

While it cannot be ruled out that common side effects such as headache, muscle aches, chills, joint pain and fever “may have contributed to a more serious course of events for some patients,” said Watle, the deaths must be looked at in context. 

“In order to be able to interpret this information, it is important to look at this as a whole. Nursing home residents have a very high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19, and have therefore been a priority group for vaccination,” Watle said.

“A large proportion of those living in nursing homes have serious underlying illnesses or are in the final stages of life. Life expectancy in nursing homes is relatively short, and we see that on average more than 300 people die in Norwegian nursing homes weekly,” she added.

The vaccine's side-effects are rare and usually mild. But they could include fever and nausea, which could be dangerous in very ill and frail patients.

Pfizer said in a statement sent to CNN on Saturday that it was aware of the reported deaths and "our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved families." Pfizer added it is working with the Norwegian authorities to gather all the relevant information.

Fauci said that his understanding was that the fatalities followed the booster dose of the vaccine when there are more non-specific symptoms, such as aches, fever and malaise.

"It is conceivable that when you have a very frail individual, such as many who are in nursing homes, that even that amount of stress to them could put them over the top," Fauci added.

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Here are some of the key coronavirus lines from Europe today:

In a week that has seen the UK record the highest Covid-19 death rate in the world, intensive care unit nurses working in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) say the crisis has pushed them to the brink, in a desperate effort to confront the alarming surge of cases.

Multiple ICU workers have told CNN the overwhelming numbers they are seeing in this second wave has forced them to "dilute" their level of care – by treating significantly more patients than are usually recommended at a time.

Ameera Sheikh, an ICU nurse and Unite union representative at a London hospital, told CNN that instead of one patient -- or even two -- she and her colleagues are now each looking after up to eight patients at a time.

"Nurses aren't able to deliver the care we are used to and should be giving," said Sheikh, who has worked for the NHS for 11 years. "Instead, we are increasing the risk of errors occurring that can lead to patients deteriorating, life-threatening situations and death."

The NHS has not responded to CNN's request for comment, but on Sunday its chief executive, Simon Stevens, told the BBC the nurse to patient ratio varies between hospitals from 1:1 to 1:2 to 1:3, and that staff were making "dynamic adjustments in real time."

One veteran ICU worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told CNN that with one patient, it’s easier to give excellent care but that if healthcare professionals are handling a number of patients, "things are going to potentially get missed."

Their frontline testimony comes as infection rates across the English capital -- the epicenter of the UK's current surge -- are around 1.5 times higher than in other parts of England according to the latest government data. 

Healthcare workers also spoke of the "extreme pressure" hospitals and staff are facing, the impact of misinformation that the pandemic is a hoax and the brutal mental and physical toll combating coronavirus has had.

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France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran has cautioned the public against using home-made fabric face masks as they don’t "offer all the necessary guarantees."

Veran was reiterating a warning previously issued by France's health council.

"All masks which have a filtering power greater than 90% are valid, that includes almost all surgical masks for the general public," he said.

"Artisan masks that you make at home, with the best intentions in the world, respecting the official advice, do not necessarily offer all the necessary guarantees."

Veran's remarks came in an interview with France Inter radio on Tuesday, in which he described the country's Covid-19 infection rates as "high but stable" with roughly 20,000 new cases a day over the past several weeks.

Veran told the broadcaster that the 6 p.m. curfew currently in place was having an effect, but that he was still very concerned by the spread of the more transmissible Covid-19 variant first identified in the UK. France has registered 200 to 300 new cases of the variant a day. 

The minister was also asked about France's vaccination rollout for people over 75 – which kicked off on Monday -- amid complaints that many have been unable to make appointments.

He said the booking process is being streamlined, and added that: "As more doses become available, so too will appointments."

There are over 900 vaccination centers in France, and more than two million appointments have been made for the first and second dose of the vaccine, according to Veran.

Portugal's most decorated soccer club, Benfica, announced 17 new positive Covid-19 cases among their playing squad, coaching staff and general staff on Tuesday.

The Lisbon-based club said it had asked the country's department of health to recommend whether or not it should fulfil its fixtures within the next 14 days, given both public safety and the health of its players.

Benfica are scheduled to face Braga in the Portuguese League Cup semifinal on Wednesday.

On Monday, Portugal set a new record for Covid-19 related deaths, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

The latest figures show 167 Covid-19 related deaths – making it the deadliest day since the start of the pandemic – and bringing the total death toll to 9,028, according to the new data.

Portugal recorded 6,702 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the country's total to 556,503, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Israel has recorded its highest figure of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with 10,021 people added to the list of Covid-19 sufferers on Monday.

The new Ministry of Health figures were “worrying,” the country’s corona czar, Dr. Nahman Ash, admitted on Israeli radio Tuesday morning, highlighting a positivity rate in tests of 10.2%.

Of particular concern are positivity rates in ultra-Orthodox areas, which are more than double the national figure, currently between 20-22%, Ash added.

The total number of cases since the pandemic began now stands at 562,167, with the number of fatalities in Israel now recorded at 4,049, according to the latest figures.

The climb in numbers comes just days before Israel is due to emerge from what was labeled its third lockdown. Ash told radio listeners he hoped a Tuesday afternoon meeting of the Cabinet would approve a further extension of two weeks.

Health Ministry figures show that vaccination continues apace, with 2,185,113 people having now received their first dose, out of a population of about 9 million; 420,015 have received their second dose.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces the electorate in a fourth election in two years in March, has made Israel’s world-leading vaccination program the central message of his re-election campaign.

In a new video posted to his Facebook page, the Prime Minister is seen standing in his office describing a display case inside which are mounted a replica of a Roman arrow and a miniature of Israel’s Arrow missile. He then moves on to another display case inside which is mounted the syringe with which he received his first coronavirus vaccine injection last month.

“Another arrow,” he says.

Underneath the case is engraved the phrase the Prime Minister offered the nation on the evening he received his first dose, live on television, “A small injection for man, a giant leap for the health of us all.”

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock is self-isolating after coming into “close contact” with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, he said in a video on Twitter on Tuesday.

“Last night I was pinged by the NHS (National Health Service) coronavirus app so that means I’ll be self-isolating at home, not leaving the house at all until Sunday,” Hancock said. 

Hancock said he will “work from home for the next six days.”

The minister was criticized by some British media over the weekend after he was pictured in a crowded London park.

Under the UK’s current lockdown rules, people are allowed out to exercise, but on Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to “think twice before leaving the house this weekend and only do so if it is absolutely necessary.”

Hancock tested positive for Covid-19 in March 2020, when Boris Johnson also caught the virus.

China responded to criticism from an independent Covid-19 review panel Tuesday, saying it agrees that there is always room for improvement but shut down the notion that it means the country is doing poorly with the pandemic.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which is based in Switzerland, said Monday that Beijing could have acted more forcefully in applying public health measures in January 2020 to contain the coronavirus. It also criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for waiting until January 30 to declare an international emergency. 

"But I think there is another point that needs attention here," Hua said. She added that the idea that China should aim to work better is not the same as saying China is not doing well, adding that Western media has portrayed it that way. 

"The former means that we need to constantly reform ourselves, improve ourselves, and constantly improve our ability to govern, aiming at the absolute perfection. I think this is precisely why China can continue to develop and make progress. The latter may be somewhat biased and carping," Hua said.

The quarantine controversy over tennis' Australian Open has raised questions about whether large-scale international sporting events can take place in the middle of a pandemic and could offer a preview of the difficulties facing this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

Players arriving in the Australian state of Victoria have been placed into a 14-day quarantine ahead of their grand slam matches. Most have been allotted five hours each day to go out and train in strict bio-secure bubbles, but 72 players have been unable to leave their hotel rooms and cannot practice, under strict quarantine rules after passengers on their flights tested positive for Covid-19.

Some tennis stars have expressed anger and frustration at being kept cooped up ahead of the first grand slam of the tennis season. They include record eight-time Australian Open men's singles winner Novak Djokovic, who put forward a list of proposals that would loosen the restrictions on the quarantining stars, including moving players to houses with courts, better food, and reducing the number of days in isolation.

In response, Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said: "People are free to provide lists of demands, but the answer is no."

Path to Tokyo: All eyes will be on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which despite being pushed back a year owing to the pandemic, has elected to keep the 2020 tag. The event will see athletes from all over the world descend on Japan this summer from July 23 to August 8, and the Paralympic Games from August 24 to September 5.

Japan has signaled it is determined to go ahead with the Games. In a New Year's address to Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee staff, Chairman Yoshiro Mori said that preparations would proceed "as planned."

Speaking to CNN last week, former top International Olympic Committee official Dick Pound said that it was unlikely the Games could be postponed again, and so any additional delay would likely mean their cancellation.

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