Coronavirus live news: UK welcomes end of US travel ban; American Covid death toll passes 1918-19 flu pandemic

Spread the love

6.28am BST06:28

The Brazilian president turned down Boris Johnson’s call to “get AstraZeneca vaccines” during a meeting in New York on Monday. The UK prime minister praised the vaccine, saying he had had it twice. In response, Jair Bolsonaro pointed at himself, laughing, and wagged his finger.

“Not yet,” he said via an interpreter. Bolsonaro boasted that he had developed “excellent” immunity to Covid after contracting it:

‘Not yet’: Bolsonaro turns down Johnson’s call to get AstraZeneca vaccines – video

6.15am BST06:15

Overseas New Zealanders trying to return home are facing a queue tens of thousands of people long, as the country reopens bookings to cross the border.

The country’s borders have been strictly controlled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic – only citizens, permanent residents and a handful of essential workers can enter, and all of them must make a booking to spend two weeks in government-controlled quarantine (MIQ).

Demand for those spaces has vastly outpaced demand, with some hopeful returnees spending weeks refreshing the site, employing “MIQ assistants” or using bots to assist them secure a space:

5.53am BST05:53

Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic

Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.

The US population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the Covid-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time.

“Big pockets of American society – and, worse, their leaders – have thrown this away,” said Dr Howard Markel a medical historian at the University of Michigan.

Like the 1918-19 flu, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope it becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That could take time:

5.38am BST05:38

US to lift Covid travel ban for vaccinated passengers from UK and most of EU

David Smith

The US will lift Covid-19 travel restrictions to allow fully vaccinated passengers from the UK and most European Union (EU) countries to travel into the country from early November, the White House has announced.

The move signals the end of a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump more than 18 months ago in the early stages of the pandemic, and comes after intense lobbying from Brussels and London.

In addition to the UK and the 26 Schengen countries in Europe, the easing of restrictions will also apply to Ireland, China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa and India.

It was welcomed by Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, who tweeted: “It’s a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again.”

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said the US announcement “marks a historic moment and one which will provide a huge boost to global Britain as it emerges from this pandemic”.

Shares in US airlines were little changed, while some European carriers gained. British Airways parent IAG SA rose 11.2%, while Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG closed up more than 5%:

Updated
at 5.40am BST

5.19am BST05:19

Summary

Hello and welcome to today’s live coronavirus coverage.

US President Joe Biden’s decision to lift travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers from the UK and most of the EU has been welcomed by the UK and airlines.

The news comes, however, as America’s Covid death toll passes that of the devastating 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.

More on these stories shortly. In the meantime, here are the other key recent developments:

The Dutch government said a vaccine ‘pass’ will be needed to use restaurant toilets.
The leader of the Scottish Conservative party, Douglas Ross, called on the Scottish government to follow the rest of the UK and relax Covid travel restrictions.
UK transport secretary Grant Shapps told MPs in parliament that the UK’s successful vaccination programme can be used to “restore lost freedoms”.
US vet shops reported a shortage of ivermectin despite warnings against using it to treat Covid.
Construction sites across the Australian state of Victoria are to close for at least two weeks following violence at anti-vaccine protests.
Pfizer and BioNTech said trial results showed their Covid vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly.