Despite lockdowns, UK hospitalizations surpass spring peak; VP-elect Harris to receive vaccine today
LONDON (AP) — British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring.
Authorities are blaming a new, more transmissible variant of the virus, first identified in southeast England, for the soaring infection rates. An area home to almost half of the people in England is under tight restrictions on movement and everyday life in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Nonessential shops are shut along with gyms and swimming pools, indoor socializing is barred and restaurants and pubs can only offer takeout.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to hold a meeting of his COVID-19 crisis committee later Tuesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is scheduled to update Parliament on Wednesday on whether more areas will be put into Tier 4 — the top level of lockdown measures — and whether the restrictions could be tightened even further. Read more:
Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.
- Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to receive the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, according to the Biden transition team.
- All eyes are on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday. After the House overwhelmingly voted to both override President Donald Trump’s veto on the National Defense Authorization Act and to pass $2,000 stimulus checks, it’s Senate Republicans’ turn to navigate whether they’re willing to cross Trump in his final days in office.
- California is expected Tuesday to extend strict stay-at-home orders in areas where intensive care units are running out of beds, after Gov. Gavin Newsom warned residents to brace for the effect of a surge upon surge upon surge of coronavirus cases from holiday travel.
- Texas hit a new record of COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, smashing the previous high mark set in July, as the state continues to slowly give its first round of vaccines.
- British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring.
- Russia’s updated statistics on coronavirus-linked deaths show more than 100,000 people had died by December, a number much higher than previously reported by government officials.
- Belarus and Argentina launched mass coronavirus vaccinations with the Russian-developed Sputnik V shot on Tuesday, becoming the first countries outside Russia to roll out the vaccine, which is still undergoing late-stage studies to ensure its safety and effectiveness.
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers.
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