| UK to pilot new mass testing approach
Britain will launch a COVID-19 mass testing pilot scheme in Liverpool this week, offering everyone tests whether or not they have symptoms, in an attempt to find a new way to use testing to limit the spread of the virus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a “world-beating” national test-and-trace system earlier this year, where people with symptoms get tested and the contacts of positive cases are asked to self-isolate. But the scheme has disappointed and the government’s scientific advisory body said last month its impact on transmission was marginal.
A second national lockdown is due to come into force in England on Thursday.
Ukraine close to catastrophe, minister says
The situation in Ukraine is close to catastrophic and the nation must prepare for the worst, health minister Maksym Stepanov said.
Ukraine registered a record 8,899 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up from the Oct. 30 high of 8,312. Total infections stood at 411,093 by Tuesday with 7,532 deaths.
“The situation quickly turns from difficult to catastrophic. We need to prepare for the inevitable - it is impossible to easily pass the second wave,” Stepanov told parliament.
France considers new Paris curfew
France could reimpose a night curfew on Paris, and possibly the Ile-de-France region around the capital, amid government frustration that too many people are ignoring a new lockdown.
France dramatically slowed the spread of the virus in the spring with one of Europe’s most draconian lockdowns. But 10 months into the epidemic and with winter drawing in, many people are reluctant to endure another period of confinement.
“It’s unbearable for those who respect the rules to see other French people flouting them,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFM TV. “There is an attitude of what will be will be.”
Poland weighs more curbs
Polish authorities are considering tightening restrictions, the prime minister’s chief of staff said, but added any steps would stop short of a severe lockdown.
Michal Dworczyk was speaking ahead of the release of official data showing the total number of infections had passed 400,000 after doubling in less than two weeks.
The government has already closed gyms, swimming pools, and limited restaurants’ activity to selling food for take away only.
T-cell study adds to debate over duration of immunity
A small but key UK study has found that “cellular immunity” to the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 virus is present after six months in people who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 - suggesting they might have some level of protection for at least that time.
Scientists presenting the findings, from 100 non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Britain, said they were “reassuring” but did not mean people cannot in rare cases be infected twice with the disease.
“While our findings cause us to be cautiously optimistic about the strength and length of immunity generated after SARS-CoV-2 infection, this is just one piece of the puzzle,” said Paul Moss, a professor of haematology at Britain’s Birmingham University who co-led the study.
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