Coronavirus live news: Biden warns deaths will pass 600,000 before US turns corner

Moderna says jab works against new variants; California eases lockdown; WHO warns rich-poor vaccine divide is growing

1.00am GMT

Laboratory testing by the Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed the first known coronavirus case in the United States associated with a more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus originally seen in Brazil, the agency said on Monday.

Reuters: The announcement came as President Joe Biden signed an order extending a travel ban barring nearly all non-US citizens who have recently been to Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 other European countries from entering the United States.

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that the federal government is stepping up efforts to track coronavirus mutations as a flurry of more infectious variants emerge around the globe.

The variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as Brazil P.1 was detected in a specimen from a Minnesota resident with recent travel history to Brazil, the state health department said in a press release. The agency said it marks the first documented instance of the P.1 variant in the United States.

While the Brazil variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain of virus that causes Covid-19, it is not known whether the illness it causes is more severe.
Similarities between the Brazilian variant and a South African variety that reduces the efficacy of three antibody treatments developed for patients suggest the Brazil P.1 form may likewise resist antibody treatment, scientists have said.

The so-called UK variant that first emerged in Britain has already been detected in at least 20 US states.

12.37am GMT

On Christmas morning, Siouxsie Wiles got a call from her father-in-law. He he had woken up feeling fluey after attending an event a few days before.

As he spoke, Wiles looked up his closest Covid-19 testing centre on her phone. “I recommend you give them a call,” she told him, “because you are not coming for Christmas dinner.”

Continue reading…Moderna says jab works against new variants; California eases lockdown; WHO warns rich-poor vaccine divide is growingBiden warns deaths will pass 600,000 before US turns cornerEU threatens to block vaccine exports amid AstraZeneca shortfallFrance bans certain homemade Covid masks for use in publicHealth secretary fires warning at MPs calling for England lockdown easingSee all our coronavirus coverage 1.00am GMTLaboratory testing by the Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed the first known coronavirus case in the United States associated with a more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus originally seen in Brazil, the agency said on Monday.Reuters: The announcement came as President Joe Biden signed an order extending a travel ban barring nearly all non-US citizens who have recently been to Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 other European countries from entering the United States.The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that the federal government is stepping up efforts to track coronavirus mutations as a flurry of more infectious variants emerge around the globe.The variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as Brazil P.1 was detected in a specimen from a Minnesota resident with recent travel history to Brazil, the state health department said in a press release. The agency said it marks the first documented instance of the P.1 variant in the United States.While the Brazil variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain of virus that causes Covid-19, it is not known whether the illness it causes is more severe.Similarities between the Brazilian variant and a South African variety that reduces the efficacy of three antibody treatments developed for patients suggest the Brazil P.1 form may likewise resist antibody treatment, scientists have said.The so-called UK variant that first emerged in Britain has already been detected in at least 20 US states. 12.37am GMTOn Christmas morning, Siouxsie Wiles got a call from her father-in-law. He he had woken up feeling fluey after attending an event a few days before.As he spoke, Wiles looked up his closest Covid-19 testing centre on her phone. “I recommend you give them a call,” she told him, “because you are not coming for Christmas dinner.” Related: ‘No system is perfect’: Siouxsie Wiles on New Zealand’s fight against Covid complacency Continue reading…