London set for tighter virus curbs as new variant emerges in England

LONDON - The British capital faces tougher COVID-19 measures within days, the UK government said on Monday, with a new coronavirus variant emerging as a possible cause for rapidly rising infection rates.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said London, and parts of three surrounding counties, would move into the highest of three levels of restrictions in force across England from Wednesday.

Pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues will have to close, except for takeaway food, as will theatres and other venues in the entertainment sector.

Members of different households can't mingle indoors, although people can still meet in groups of up to six in public places outside. Shops and schools can remain open.

"This action is absolutely essential, not just to keep people safe but because we have seen early action can prevent more damage and longer-term problems later," Hancock told parliament.

In some areas, cases are doubling every seven days, he said, warning: "It only takes a few doublings for the NHS (National Health Service) to be overwhelmed."

London had already seen a "sharp rise" in daily cases and hospital admissions, and there is concern about the "new variant" of the coronavirus initially detected in southeast England, where cases are now rising the fastest, officials said.

England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty stressed there was no evidence that the variant is more dangerous, infectious or able to evade testing.

He also cautioned against blaming it for the spike in cases across the country's southeast.

"The variant may or may not be contributing to that," Whitty said at a press conference, adding: "We don't know what's cause and effect."

'INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTING'

Andrew Davidson, reader in virology at Bristol University, said coronaviruses are known to mutate, have done elsewhere in Europe and North America, and were not always more virulent.

"However, if they spread more easily but cause the same disease severity, more people will end up becoming ill in a short period of time," he said.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said it was not yet clear how the variant would affect the first vaccines and treatments.

"The surveillance and research must continue and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus," he added. 

Britain last week became the first country to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and is now rolling out the program to GP surgeries, and in care homes in Scotland.

The move comes two days before a national review of the tier system and just as the struggling hospitality and entertainment sector is trying to rebound from a torrid year of closures.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the decision as "incredibly disappointing" for businesses but added: "It's much better to act early, rather than too late."

'CATASTROPHIC YEAR'

Theater producer Cameron Mackintosh, though, said "the sudden volte-face by the government... is devastating for both the theatre and the economy".

Christmas is normally a money-spinner for theatres, with shows including pantomimes, and was this year seen as vital given hardships faced by actors, backstage and front of house staff.

Jon Morgan, director of the Theatres Trust, said the new closures would create more uncertainty and losses, and compounded a "catastrophic year for theatre". 

"My entire cast and company are now crying," added Michael Harrison, who is producing "Pantoland at the Palladium". 

Catherine McGuinness, of the City of London Corporation, urged the government to keep its decision "under close review" and urged "adequate support" for businesses most affected.

Shops and hairdressers can stay open in Tier 3, as can schools but several London districts are sending children home from Tuesday because of rising numbers of cases among older children.

Testing of 11 to 18-year-old students began in the worst-affected areas on Monday.

On Friday, the "R number" in London indicating how many other people someone with the virus will infect was between 0.9 and 1.1, according to the government's website.

London has seen more than 201,000 of the 1.8 million positive tests countrywide, and more than 7,000 of over 63,000 deaths.

Agence France-Presse

First batch of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Canada

OTTAWA - The first COVID-19 vaccines landed on Canadian soil on Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, and some Canadians are expected to roll up their sleeves for a shot as soon as Monday.

Canada and the United States are set this week to become the first Western nations after the UK to begin inoculations with the newly approved vaccine.

"The first batch of doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Canada," Trudeau said on Twitter on Sunday night above a picture of a cargo plane apparently used to transport the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech SE.

The initial 30,000 doses will go to 14 sites across Canada. The most vulnerable people, including the elderly in long-term care facilities and healthcare workers, will be first in line for shots.

The vaccines left Belgium, where they were produced, on Friday, and traveled to Germany and the United States before being split up and sent to different parts of Canada.

"The intent here is to ensure that we continue to have regular drip feed of vaccines in the coming weeks," with 249,000 doses expected by the end of the year, Major-General Dany Fortin, who is in charge of vaccine distribution, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp earlier in the day.

While it is "good news" that the vaccine has arrived, Trudeau said: "Our fight against COVID-19 is not over."

Forecasting a rapid acceleration of the spread of the novel coronavirus during the second wave, Canada's federal health authorities called on Friday for provinces to impose more health restrictions heading into the holidays.

The country has had 460,743 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 5,891 new infections reported on Sunday. On Friday, health officials said Canada could see 12,000 new cases a day by January.

The highly contagious respiratory disease has claimed 13,431 lives in Canada, including 81 on Saturday.

'BRIDGE TO RECOVERY'

"While we have a long way to go, this marks the beginning of our bridge to recovery," Procurement Minister Anita Anand said on Twitter of the vaccine arrival.

Canada is expected to approve a second vaccine from Moderna Inc "reasonably soon" and the country will be ready to accept shipments of it by the end of the week, Fortin said earlier.

Supriya Sharma, senior medical adviser at Health Canada, said on the CBC the review of the Moderna vaccine was ongoing and that important data was expected later this week.

She also outlined guidance about potential allergic reactions to the Pfizer shot after reports of two such incidents on the first day of vaccinations in Britain.

On Saturday, Canada said anyone with vaccine allergies should not take the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

"If you have an allergy to a vaccine or this vaccine or any components of the vaccine, you should not get it," Sharma said. "But if you have other allergies, you can go ahead and get vaccinated."

Health Canada will be monitoring people who are inoculated for adverse reactions or side effects, she said.

Officials have said they expect to receive 6 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines before the end of March. Each vaccine requires two doses, given about three weeks apart.

-reuters-

Deadly pandemic surge in US as regulators meet on Pfizer vaccine

WASHINGTON — American regulators were due to meet Thursday to assess the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, as the country logged one of its worst-ever daily COVID-19 death tolls with more than 3,000 people lost to the pandemic.

Other northern hemisphere countries were also grappling with a winter virus surge, as the number of global infections raced towards 70 million with more than 1.5 million deaths.

It is not confirmed when the US Food and Drug Administration will issue the emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but Health Secretary Alex Azar indicated that officials have early next week in mind.

“Now we actually get to do something that hopefully will bring this… pandemic to an end,” said Terri White, a nursing education specialist at UW Health in the state of Wisconsin, where the staff is being trained to administer the vaccine.

“I know our whole team is really excited about that prospect… to help our lives return to normal.”

Top US government scientists said, however, that people with a known history of severe allergic reactions would be asked not to take the Pfizer vaccine, following a similar warning in Britain.

The United States is the worst-hit nation in the world, with more than 15 million known infections and close to 290,000 deaths.

U.S. Army General Gus Perna, who is overseeing logistics nationwide, said he had given the order Wednesday to begin distributing syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, and dilutants required for the Pfizer vaccine, a process expected to be completed by Friday.

The next vaccines to receive approval might be those made by Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca, most likely in that order.

The U.S. hopes to vaccinate 20 million people this month, with long term care facility residents and health care workers at the front of the line. The goal is to reach 100 million by the end of February and the whole population by June.

‘I’m really excited’

After Britain gave the first approved vaccine shots in the Western world, Canada also approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

The first shipments to 14 sites across Canada are scheduled to arrive Monday with people receiving shots a day or two later, according to Major-General Dany Fortin, the commander put in charge of coordinating distribution.

Healthcare workers and vulnerable populations including the elderly are to be the first to receive it.

“I’m really excited. I want to get vaccinated as soon as possible because I have a new baby,” Michelle, a Toronto resident, told AFP.

“She’s under six months old, and so obviously my main concern through the whole pandemic has been to protect her.”

Israel accepted its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, targeting a rollout on December 27, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to be the first to be injected — although the vaccine has yet to pass regulatory hurdles there.

Both Russia and China have already begun inoculation campaigns with domestically produced vaccines.

‘I hope better days are coming’

As European countries eagerly await vaccines, the EU’s medical regulator was hit by a cyberattack in which documents related to the Pfizer vaccine were accessed, the firm said Wednesday.

The European Medicines Agency has promised to reach a decision on conditional approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by December 29, with a ruling on Moderna’s candidate to follow by January 12.

But while wealthier nations have the financial and logistical abilities to roll out the vaccines, there are concerns that the poorer — and more vulnerable — parts of the world will be left behind.

African Union chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said Wednesday that “those who have the (financial) means must not monopolize the vaccines.”

At an annual Christmas toy and food giveaway in a poor neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where Mrs Santa Claus embraced children from behind a plastic “hug curtain”, people hoped for an end to their suffering.

“I hope better days are coming,” said Valmira Pereira, a house cleaner. “That next year we’ll be able to give real hugs, be able to feel that human warmth that everyone’s been missing.”

Agence France-Presse

K-pop singer Chungha tests positive for coronavirus

SEOUL — Singer Chungha has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, her agency said Monday, as a huge wave of mass infections has been penetrating the K-pop industry.

“After being aware that she has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient, Chungha got tested and received the positive result Monday,” MNH Entertainment said in an announcement posted on a fansite.

It said the singer has halted all schedules and gone into self-isolation, while her colleagues, staff members and other close contacts have been tested or will be tested soon.

Chungha, one of the most bankable female solo artists in the K-pop scene, was originally set to release the single “X” on Thursday before dropping her first full-length album “Querencia” next month.

“I’m so sorry again and again. I’ve tried to be cautious, but I think I needed to be more so,” Chungha said in a posting. “I’ll come back after fully recovering.”

As South Korea has been struggling with mass COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, some K-pop singers, including members of UP10TION and EVERGLOW, have been confirmed to have the virus. (Yonhap)

-The Korea Herald

Mayweather to return for exhibition bout with YouTuber Logan Paul

Floyd Mayweather will return to the boxing ring in February for an exhibition bout against YouTube personality aul, the undefeated former world champion announced on Instagram on Sunday.

Mayweather, 43 and with an unblemished record of 50-0, last fought professionally in August 2017 when he won by TKO over mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor, who was making his boxing debut.

The five-weight division world champion said he will step into the ring on Feb. 20 at a yet to be determined venue to face Paul, who has a record of 0-1, with that loss coming against fellow YouTuber KSI.

The fight is the latest exhibition bout featuring ageing former-champions and celebrities.

Former-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, now 54, returned to the ring last month to face Roy Jones Jr. in a charity exhibition bout that was ruled a draw.

-reuters-

Dodgers beat Rays to draw first blood in World Series

Mookie Betts hit a home run, stole two bases and scored twice as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 to win the first game of the World Series in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.

The favored Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when center fielder Cody Bellinger laced a home run over the right field fence.

The Rays hit back with a Kevin Kiermaier solo shot but the Dodgers then raced away, Max Muncy’s RBI double extending their lead to 8-1 by the end of the sixth.

The Rays plated two runs and threatened more in the seventh but a sharply hit ball found the mitt of Dodgers relief pitcher Victor Gonzalez, who threw to second for a double play to end the inning.

The win saw Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who has struggled at times in the postseason throughout his career, throw six strong innings, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight to earn the win.

“It’s great to get this series going with a win. That’s the biggest thing,” Kershaw said.

“It’s always important to get that first game of a series and for me personally, it’s awesome to get to pitch well in a World Series.

“I’m just thankful to get that opportunity.”

Kershaw applauded his team’s hitters, who made Rays starter Tyler Glasnow work for every out.

“Glasnow has unbelievable stuff and for us to keep fouling pitches off, grinding it out, getting a lot of walks, getting guys on base … it’s a testament to their at-bat quality,” he said.

After a truncated 60-game season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the best-of-seven World Series is being played entirely at the new Globe Life Field with a limited number of fans in attendance.

The Dodgers, appearing in the World Series for the third time in four years, are looking to win their first title since 1988.

The Rays are hoping to claim their first championship after coming up short in their only appearance in 2008.

Game 2 is on Wednesday.

-reuters

Djokovic senses opportunity against Nadal at French Open final

PARIS — Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday’s final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.

The 33-year-old Serb leads their extraordinary rivalry 29-26 but Nadal has won six of their seven clashes at Roland Garros, including the 2012 and 2014 finals.

Djokovic won their last encounter on the Parisian clay, however, in the 2015 quarter-finals and believes Sunday’s final offers him an opportunity to get the better of the Spaniard again even if it he says playing Nadal on clay remains the toughest challenge in tennis.

“Obviously the conditions are different than the ones that we are used to playing in May and June,” Djokovic told reporters after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets on Friday.

“I think that could be a better chance for me, obviously the ball not bouncing as high over the shoulder as he likes it usually. I mean, look, regardless of the conditions, he’s still

there, he’s Rafa, he’s in the finals, we’re playing on clay.”

Had it not been for Djokovic’s default at the U.S. Open for striking a line judge with a ball swatted away in frustration during a fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta, the Serbian might have been starting Sunday’s showdown with 18 Grand Slam titles, one behind Nadal and two short of Roger Federer.

Victory would see him close the gap but defeat would leave him three shy of both of them in the race for ‘greatest of all time’ status. The stakes are huge, but Djokovic says it is not the biggest match he has played in his career.

“Finals of a Grand Slam is always huge,” the world number one said. “But I don’t think it’s the biggest match that I have ever played in my life. I think there were some bigger ones.

“In terms of importance, I mean, if I have to compare, even though I don’t like, probably the first Wimbledon final that I actually played against him (in 2011). Wimbledon was always the one that I wanted to win as a kid and dreamed of winning.

“That’s probably the one that stands out. And the French Open 2016 against Andy Murray here. Every French Open final that I played was the match of my life before I actually won it.

“This is the (Grand Slam) that I won the least, so of course I am extremely motivated to try to get my hands on another one.”

Despite the fact 12-time Roland Garros champion Nadal has sailed through the draw without dropping a set and Djokovic spent four hours beating Tsitsipas in a late finish on Friday, he said he will be firing on all cylinders on Sunday.

“I’m not feeling exhausted physically so much after tonight’s match,” he said. “It was a great battle. But I feel fine. I think a day and a half will be plenty of time for me to recover. I’m looking forward to a great battle with Rafa.”

-reuters

US long-term mortgage rates change little; 30-year at 2.87%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates changed little this week, flattening in recent weeks following a year-long decline amid economic anxiety in the recession set off by the coronavirus pandemic. Home loan rates have remained at historically low levels.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan eased to 2.87% from 2.88% last week. By contrast, the rate averaged 3.57% a year ago.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage ticked up to 2.37% from 2.36%.

The low borrowing rates have bolstered demand by prospective homebuyers, who on the other hand have been constrained by the scarcity of available homes for sale.

In the latest sign of the flagging economic recovery and continued elevated level of job cuts, the government reported Thursday that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000.

-Associated Press

Patriots cancel practice amid reports of new positive test

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have canceled practice amid reports that a third player has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Sports Illustrated reported that reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and was added to the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. The Patriots did not give a reason for Wednesday’s cancellation and did not immediately respond when asked if it was related to a third positive test.

Starting quarterback Cam Newton missed New England’s loss at Kansas City on Monday night after a positive COVID-19 test and was added to the reserve list Saturday. Practice squad player Bill Murray joined him on the list Tuesday.

Newton’s positive test prompted the NFL to postpone the New England’s game with the Chiefs by a day.

Newton tweeted a picture of himself Wednesday morning wearing a mask, along with the caption: “WEAR YOUR MASK. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.”

The Patriots are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

-Associated Press

Chiefs-Patriots game off amid report Newton has COVID-19

This NFL postponed this week’s game between New England and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams. ESPN reported on Saturday that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was among those contracting the disease.

The NFL said Saturday that the game, originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday, will be played on Monday or Tuesday. The league said the move followed “positive COVID-19 tests on both teams.” The Patriots confirmed that a player has tested positive but did not reveal his name.

It it the second game this weekend that has been affected by COVID-19. The matchup between Pittsburgh and Tennessee was postponed because of an outbreak on the Titans; it is now scheduled for Oct. 25.

The Patriots had been planning to fly to Kansas City on Saturday afternoon. Instead, players left the facility to await further instructions. The team said in a statement that the COVID-positive player has entered self-quarantine and that players, coaches and staff who were in close contact with him were tested Saturday morning and all were negative.

-Associated Press