Live coronavirus news: US cases rise 14% in one week, France to reopen border with UK | World news

Into the United States, In the week to December 20, 1.6 million new cases of Covid were reported, according to the World Health Organization, the highest number of new cases for a single country. That weekly US increase was a 14% increase.

The WHO weekly update came the same way California has recorded half a million cases of coronavirus in the past two weeks, overwhelming emergency rooms across the state. You can read our full story here.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden said his administration will introduce a new Covid-19 aid package next year, including a new round of incentive payments.

At a news conference Tuesday, Biden said a $ 900 billion aid package approved by Congress this week is a “first step,” but the government will have to do more.

“Here’s the simple truth: our darkest days in the fight against Covid are ahead of us, not behind us,” he said.

Dr. Anthony Faucimeanwhile, he had Covid’s jab and said he hoped he would encourage millions of other Americans to do the same. He said the shot should be “A symbol for the rest of the country that I feel extremely confident in the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine.”

A massive Covid-19 testing program for British truck drivers is to start to improve congestion in British ports following an agreement to reopen the border between France and the United Kingdom.

The UK Department of Transport made the announcement late on Tuesday, hours after Paris said passengers in the UK could enter France following a 48-hour blockade aimed at stopping the spread of a new variant of coronavirus that left thousands of heavy vehicles stranded outside UK ports before Christmas.

Rail, air and sea services will resume on Wednesday morning, DfT said. with all people traveling from the UK to France, who must prove negative taken in the last 72 hours.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the side-flow tests, which last about 30 minutes, could be used to test those eligible to cross the border into France, but urged carriers not to travel to Kent until the program testing will not be operational.

You can read our full story below:

China reported 15 new Covid cases on December 22, the same as a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Wednesday.

The National Health Commission, in a statement, said that 14 of the new cases were infections imported from abroad. The Commission also reported a local transmission in Liaoning Province.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 14 of 17 cases the day before.

The total number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 86,882, while the death toll has remained unchanged at 4,634.

We go straight to Australia, where the premiere of New South Wales offers an update on how Christmas will work for Sydney, after a serious outbreak on the northern beaches of the city.

Gladys Berejiklian says the current restrictions for greater Sydney will remain the same at Christmas – which means you can only have 10 visitors to your home. However, Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian says there is a “small adjustment”, meaning children under 12 are not counted. This applies to 24, 25, 26 and 27 December.

“I can stress, you can’t have different groups of 10 people during the day. It’s a group of 10 and you have to stick that group of 10, plus children under 12. “

“But on December 27, for Greater Sydney, we return to just 10 points per household,” says Berejiklian.

“All other restrictions remain in place, but for this addition at Christmas,” she says.

Sydney registered eight new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday.

Good morning and welcome to the live broadcast of the coronavirus pandemic, along with me, Alison Rourke.

World Health Organization says weekly coronavirus cases through Dec. 20 were the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. New cases increased by 6% or 4.6 million, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update. New deaths increased by 4% or about 79,000 in the same period. Europe accounted for the largest number of new deaths or more than 36,000, which is almost half of the world’s total, the WHO said.

Other key developments include:

• Britain will begin mass testing of truck drivers while France reopens the border. A massive Covid-19 test program for truck drivers is set to begin to alleviate congestion in British ports following an agreement to reopen the border between France and the United Kingdom. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the side-flow tests, which last about 30 minutes, could be used to test people who could cross the French border.
• Relatives of Covid’s Italian victims will launch a lawsuit against prominent politicians. Relatives of the victims of the coronavirus in Italy are taking legal action against the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and the President of the Lombardy region for alleged criminal negligence regarding the treatment of the pandemic.
• Biden will look for a new Covid-19 aid package next year and says “the darkest days” are coming. US President-elect Joe Biden has said his administration will introduce a new Covid-19 aid package next year, including a new round of incentive payments. “Here’s the simple truth: our darkest days in the fight against Covid are ahead of us, not behind us,” he said.
• South Africa is struggling to contain the second wave of Covid with a new variant. South Africa is struggling to contain a second wave of Covid-19 infections that appears to be driven by a new, more infectious variant of the disease, similar to the UK.
• NHS leaders are raising concerns about the timing of the launch of the Covid vaccine. NHS leaders in England have expressed concern about the launch of the coronavirus vaccine, more than half of hospital trusts and two-thirds of GPs have not yet received supplies amid growing alarm over the new widespread fast.
• Covid could shorten US life expectancy by up to three years, experts say. The US could see a drop in life expectancy of two to three years in 2020 due to coronavirus, the steepest drop since World War II and with Covid-19 poised to become the third leading cause of death in America.
• California has half a million Covid cases in two weeks. The state could face an unimaginable scenario of nearly 100,000 hospitalizations within a month, overwhelming emergency rooms across the state.
• The weekly Covid-19 cases reached the record fed by the Americas. Weekly cases of Covid-19 have increased the most since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said, with America accounting for half of them.
• Nicola Sturgeon apologizes for violating the Covid rules. The Prime Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, apologized after breaking the rules of Covid, taking off his face mask at the funeral wake.
• AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective against the new variant of coronavirus. The British drug manufacturer AstraZeneca told Reuters that its Covid-19 vaccine should be effective against the new variant of coronavirus, adding that studies are underway to fully test the impact of the mutation.