The new figures were revealed as the number of people being admitted to hospital is nearing the level of the first peak in April with medical experts warning that the problem could get worse through January and February…reports Asian Lite News
Another 41,385 people in the UK have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, marking the highest increase in single-day cases since the onset of the pandemic in the country, according to official figures.
With the new cases, the country’s overall infection tally now stands at 2,336,688, Xinhua news agency reported.
Another 357 infected patients have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of fatalities in the UK to 71,217, the data showed.
The new figures were revealed as the number of people being admitted to hospital is nearing the level of the first peak in April with medical experts warning that the problem could get worse through January and February.
The situation is “very tough” and the problem is particularly serious in London but “this could easily spread”, Adrian Boyle from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine told Sky News on Monday.
“Ambulances keep coming in. We are desperate to offload ambulances, that’s always been a priority for us and you feel terrible and a sense of helplessness when you can’t because your emergency department is full,” Boyle added.
According to the London Ambulance Service, Boxing Day (December 26) was one of its “busiest ever days”, with 7,918 calls, up by more than 2,500 compared with the same day in 2019.
Meanwhile, the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has urged for all regions of England to be placed in the highest Tier Four restrictions, which require residents in the areas to stay at home, with limited exemptions.
People are also urged to work from home when they can, and should not enter or leave those areas.
London and many other parts of England have already been placed under Tier Four restrictions.
For those in Tiers One, Two and Three, up to three households were allowed to meet only on Christmas Day, while in Tier Four, people are not allowed to mix with anyone outside their own household, apart from support bubbles.
The samples of six UK returnees in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune have been found to be positive with the new variant genome, the central government said on Tuesday, adding that they have been kept in a single-room-isolation in designated healthcare facilities.
The British government had recently announced that the newly identified strain of the virus found in their population is up to 70 per cent more transmissible. This had prompted the Indian authorities to suspend flights to and from the UK till December 31.
Pursuant to this, the government found that about 33,000 passengers had disembarked at various Indian airports from the UK from November 25 to December 23 midnight. All these passengers were tracked and subjected by the states and UTs to the RT-PCR tests. So far only 114 have been found positive. These positive samples were then sent to 10 labs.
“A total of six samples of six UK returnee persons have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome. Three in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in CCMB, Hyderabad and one in NIV, Pune. All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Healthcare facilities by the respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine,” the health ministry said.
Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on. The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to the INSACOG labs, the ministry added.
It is important to note that the presence of the new UK Variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.
Few days back, the Indian government had taken cognizance of the reports of mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus reported from the UK and put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant. It included temporary suspension of all flights coming from the UK with effect from the midnight of December 23 till 31.
Testing of all UK returnee air passengers through RT-PCR test was made mandatory. The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test to be genome sequenced by a consortium of ten government labs.
The strategy also included a meeting of the National Task Force (NTF) on Covid-19 on December 26 to consider and recommend Testing, Treatment, Surveillance and Containment Strategy. Standard Operating Protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 were also issued on December 22.
Over the last few weeks, the UK has faced a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in South East England, leading to enhanced epidemiological and virological investigations. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified that a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster.
The new variant is defined by multiple spike protein mutations as well as mutations in the other genomic regions. Preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this variant is significantly more transmissible than previously circulating variants, with an estimated potential to increase the reproductive number (R) by 0.4 or greater with an estimated increased transmissibility of up to 70 per cent.
Bumpy Road Ahead For Brexit Britain; Sadiq Calls For Levy on Property Developers; ‘Unite Against Chinese Expansion’ – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital UK – please click here to read.
The Melharmony Festival’s fund-raiser concert…writes Prof. Geetha Upadhyaya
Prof. Geetha Upadhyaya
The Melharmony Foundation established by the Chitravina maestro Ravikiran is celebrating its 20th birthday with a grand online ‘Melharmony Festival’ from 26 December 2020 to 4 January 2021. The proceeds of this concert will be donated to artists severely impacted by COVID 19.
Ravikiran, a prodigy and a Chitravina artist par excellence is only one of a handful of people in the world who can play this 21 stringed Indian lute, one of the most ancient types of lute.
Being inspired by ‘Global Echoes’ his musical collaboration with members of the BBC Philharmonc for the Bradford based Kala Sangam, Ravikiran created the concept of ‘Melharmony’.
Melharmony takes into consideration the rules and aesthetics of melody-centric systems like Indian classical as well as harmony-anchored systems like Western classical and jazz but is not limited to only those genres. Ravikiran further enriched Melharmony by working with Prof. Robert Morris, the noted western music composer and theorist, Eastman School of Music, New York.
Inspired by the immortal compositions of the great traditional Indian and western composers, Ravikiran created a new music festival – the ‘Melharmony Festival’ to feature the compositions of two master composers who were contemporaries of the same era but from the diverse worlds of melody and harmony.
The previous Melharmony Festivals of Venkata Kavi – Bach or Tyagaraja – Mozart held in various cities in Germany, Switzerland, UK and USA attracted a wide audience, so much so, that the cities of Middleton and Madison even dedicated one day in the year as a Melharmony Day!
This year, the festival celebrates the immortal compositions of the legendary composers ‘Dikshithar and Beethovan which will be performed by Ravikiran, Grammy award winning artists, ensembles, emerging performers and student orchestras of Western, Indian classical, Jazz and world music. Ravikiran has also created a new Indian raga (mode) named Veetavanam, in honour of Beethoven.
The pièce de résistance of this festival will be performed on 27th December 2020 where the 4-time Grammy Awardee Glen Velez, Rhythm Vocalist Loire Cotler, K.V.Prasad, Apollo Chamber Players and Ed Matthews collaborate in two compositions of Dikshitar – Shree Kantimateem and Parvati patim – arranged by Ravikiran, who will also perform sections of Beethoven’s Op 18, Parts I and IV with the Houston based Apollo Chamber Players.
Other major artists in the festival include artists from south India, namely, Sikkil Gurucharan, R Suryaparakash, Mylai Karthikeyan on Nadaswaram (a double-reed woodwind), Akkarai Sisters, Vittal Rangan, and percussionists Neyveli Narayanan and K V Prasad. The festival will also feature emerging performers from USA, India and Europe performing with or accompanying these celebrities.
Asian Lite wishes the Dikshithar – Beethovan Melharmony Festival great success and the generous support for this good cause for artists affected by the pandemic is gratefully acknowledged.
For further information on the festival, please see below:
UK Returns To Stringent Restrictions; London Traveller Is Sweden’s First Mutant Virus Case; Reading amid the pandemic; Imran-Govt Faces Setback in Riko Diq Mining Case – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital UK – please click here to read.
A person who travelled from London to Sweden to celebrate Christmas has been confirmed sick with the new and more infectious variant of the coronavirus that has been rapidly spreading in the UK recently.
Sara Byfors of Sweden’s Public Health Agency told a news conference on Saturday that the person has been self-isolating since arriving in the southwestern province of Sormland and that no one else in the household has tested positive for Covid-19. However, Byfors added that there are likely more cases in Sweden that have yet to be detected, Xinhua news agency reported.
The person started feeling ill after arriving in Sweden, testing positive for Covid-19 on December 21 after experiencing extreme fatigue and body ache. On Saturday, it was confirmed that the person was infected with the mutated strain of the coronavirus.
Byfors said that the Public Health Agency has increased its efforts to monitor the new coronavirus strain and is now aiming to collect tests from everyone who has arrived in Sweden from the UK since October.
“On Monday, we issued a new recommendation urging everyone who has been in the UK to get tested so that we can conduct contact tracing and ensure this virus strain does not spread in Sweden. Those who do not show any symptoms should also get tested,” said Byfors.
The Public Health Agency has also urged anyone who has travelled to Sweden from the UK and those in their households to self-isolate.
Asked how Sweden’s vaccination program would be affected by a potential spread of the new coronavirus strain in the country, Byfors said it would likely not have a significant impact. However, Sweden’s healthcare system is already under great strain, with 536 out of 684 ICU beds with respirators already occupied, newspaper Aftonbladet reported on Saturday.
The Agency’s latest figures released on December 23 showed that a total 8,279 people have died in Sweden since the start of the pandemic, and the country has confirmed 396,048 cases. The figures are expected to go up when they are updated on December 29.
According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of December 22, there were 233 Covid-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 61 of them were in clinical trials.
A couple of vaccines developed by pharmaceutical companies from the United States, Germany, Russia and China have so far been authorized by several countries and regions for emergency use.
Hundreds of Britons have been evacuated from their homes as Storm Bella was poised to pound the UK with gales and heavy rains.
Dozens of flood alerts and warnings were issued on Saturday across the UK as the country braces for Storm Bella, which will bring wind and rain in parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, with coastal areas expected to be affected the most, Xinhua news agency quoted the Met Office as saying.
It comes as parts of the country are already struggling with recent wet weather and flooding.
On Christmas Day, more than 1,300 households in properties along the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire, England, were advised to evacuate their homes as water levels rose.
Local evacuation centres have been set up to help those affected by flooding, said Bedfordshire Fire Service, adding that the volume of water made the situation “very, very difficult”.
Some residents there spent Christmas night building trenches in a bid to hold off the flood water, reported the BBC.
The Bedford Borough Council said people who had been contacted and asked to evacuate were “permitted to go to other people’s homes”.
Bedfordshire is currently under Tier Four coronavirus restrictions, the highest level, which bans household mixing, while local police said the flooding situation overrides the current Covid-19 regulations.
The Central government said that more than 50 samples of returnees from the United Kingdom, which recently found a potentially more infectious variant of novel coronavirus in its population, are currently undergoing genome sequencing at the designated laboratories across the country.
The genome sequencing study would determine if the Covid-19 positive patients were carrying the existing strain of SARS-CoV-2 or the mutant strain which was discovered in the UK.
“A genomic surveillance consortium, INSACOG, has been formed under the leadership of NCDC, New Delhi, for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance of circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. Further, more than 50 samples of UK returnees are currently under sequencing at the designated laboratories,” said the government in a statement.
Other laboratories in the consortium are: National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in Delhi, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, DBT-Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneshwar, DBT-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in Kalyani, DBT-InStem-National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bengaluru and ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune.
“It has been proposed to continue enhanced genomic surveillance for early detection and containment of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 strains. However, it is important to understand that like all other RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 will continue to mutate. The mutated virus can also be contained by measures like social distancing, hand hygiene, wearing masks and also by an effective vaccine, as and when available,” the statement further read.
The British government had recently announced that the newly identified strain of the virus found in its population is up to 70 per cent more transmissible and is “out of control”. This prompted Indian authorities to suspend flights to and from the UK between December 23 and December 31.
Several people who came to India from the UK in the past few days have tested positive. According to the government’s strategy, 5 per cent of the positive cases from all states and Union Territories will also be tested for whole genome sequencing.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the National Task Force (NTF) on Covid-19 was convened on Saturday by the ICMR under the co-chairpersonship of Vinod Paul, Member, Niti Aayog, and Balram Bhargava, Secretary, Department of Health Research, and Director General, ICMR. The meeting was also attended by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, among others.
The main objective of the National Task Force is to discuss evidence-based modifications in testing, treatment and surveillance strategies for SARS-CoV-2 in view of the recent reports of emergence of a new variant strain of the virus from the UK.
The variant strain has 14 non-synonymous (amino acid altering) mutations, 6 synonymous (non amino-acid altering), and 3 deletions. Eight mutations are present in the Spike (S) gene which carries the binding site (Receptor Binding Domain) of the ACE2 receptors, which are the point of entry of the virus into the human respiratory cells.
The National Task Force deliberated in detail the aspects related to the current National Treatment Protocol, testing strategy and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 vis-a-vis the UK variant strain.
It was emphasised that since the UK variant strain is implicated to cause increased transmissibility of the virus, it is critical to identify individuals infected with this strain and adequately contain them to prevent its transmission in India.
The task force concluded that there is no need to change the existing treatment protocol in view of the mutations emerging in the strain. Further, since the ICMR has always advocated the use of two or more gene assays for testing SARS-CoV-2, it is unlikely to miss infected cases using the current testing strategy.
The NTF recommended that in addition to the existing surveillance strategies, it is critical to conduct enhanced genomic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, especially in incoming passengers from the UK.
Besides, it will also be critical to conduct genome sequencing in samples where there is dropout of the S gene in lab diagnosis, proven cases of re-infections etc.
The National Centre for Disease Control informed that the government of India has taken cognisance of the reports of the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 reported from the UK and the response of other countries to these reports. The situation is being monitored proactively. A strategy has been put in place to detect and contain the mutant variant.
uropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (C) and EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (L) attend a press conference on the post-Brexit trade talks in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/ians)
Britain and the European Union (EU) struck a post-Brexit trade deal on Thursday, which will have many implications for everyday life and Britain’s future relationship with other countries.
While many Britons hailed the historic deal, some were less enthusiastic about it, worrying that any form of Brexit, combining with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, will make things quite different here in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
Richard Wilson, chair of Leeds for Europe which is a pro-EU group in Britain, said he saw Brexit as an absolute defining moment, both for Britain and Europe.
However, “the negative impacts of Brexit have been very much overshadowed by the coronavirus. I mean, talk about the high street, it’s been devastated by coronavirus — we’re still in Tier Three here in Leeds. We’ve been for some time now. So our shops have been restricted and our retail establishments, hospitality, have been shut down for several months,” Wilson said.
Wilson left his role as a member of the Green Party to found and become chair of the pro-EU group after the 2016 Brexit referendum. He said he believes that Britain benefits when working closely with Europe, not against it.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen via video link from the Cabinet room after completing the Brexit deal. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street)
In his hometown of Leeds in north England, he has noticed how both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have really impacted the local economy.
“We’ve been saying for this year that one crisis at a time is enough. Why on earth are we imposing a second crisis on ourselves when we’ve got one massive crisis that we’re already dealing with?” Wilson said.
For Leeds, which is regarded as an international city, Wilson is concerned that its industries that previously crossed borders — manufacturing, financial, legal — and its universities may be badly impacted by any form of Brexit.
“Companies are downsizing or relocating, the major one near here is Haribo, the sweet manufacturer. They’ve announced lots of redundancies. They haven’t explicitly blamed it on Brexit. But I think reading between the lines, that is one of the inevitable impacts of Brexit,” he said.
In Hull, the ferry service that used to run between there and Zeebrugge, Belgium, has been cancelled.
Lord David Frost, Chief Brexit Negotiator, returns to the UK at RAF Northolt, Greater London, following succesful post-Brexit Free Trade Deal Negotiations in Brussels with the European Union delegates.
“We know for sure that there are going to be trade barriers going up one way or another, whether it’s deal or no deal, we know that our freedom of movement is being taken away. And all of these things will be detrimental to business, to jobs, to prices. So I think they’ll affect everybody really one way or another, depending on what their work is,” he said.
Wilson anticipated that Brexit will have a huge impact next year, mainly because he believes a lot of issues are being overlooked in order to get a deal.
With Leeds for Europe, Wilson said the group will continue to monitor the impact of Brexit deep into next year.
One year on, Alexander Shedden, a father of two children who both have Type One diabetes and rely on timely supply of insulin for treatment, still does not have the answers to how insulin will be supplied to his children in Britain after Brexit.
Shedden first raised his concerns to Xinhua last year, stating that any delay in the supply of insulin to his children and to diabetics who rely on the medication could have a serious impact on their health.
For the past few months, Shedden has been on a number of Britain’s revenue and customs webinars regarding the importation of medical supplies and said that he still is not reassured that the structures are in place.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson bilateral meeting with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
With just over a few days to the new year, and with the impact of the coronavirus on international supply lines, Shedden is beginning to get seriously concerned.
“Insulin suppliers, Novo Nordisk, for example, do have a buffer stock in the UK. And presumably, they’ll try and get ahead of the queue in terms of bringing stuff in,” Shedden said.
But the issues that Brexit and the coronavirus may have on the ports could force stress on the air freight industry — where insulin will most likely be transported into Britain.
“I think the insulin suppliers are stepping up to the mark as far as they can do. But I still don’t think there’s any true understanding of what the magnitude of the problem we have is,” he said.
Brexit has not only affected his children’s life, but also his own.
Recently, Shedden, a contractor, was turned down from working in an EU country because of Brexit.
“I could have just applied for it in Belgium. I could have just signed a contract, commuted over there to get the job. Now I would need to prove that I am there not only on the right person for the job, but that there isn’t a Belgian person who could do the job better, or who could be allowed to have the job, who could train up to do the job. My qualifications may or may not be relevant,” he said,
These issues, he told Xinhua, just show how out of touch those leading the calls for Britain to leave the EU are with the rest of the population.
“They just don’t know… they haven’t thought them through. And they don’t understand that they were actually a problem in the first place,” he said.
Both Shedden and Wilson hope that once Britain has left the EU, it will look at ways to reconnect with the regional bloc so that disruption to supply lines and lives can be minimized.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson bilateral meeting with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in London (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua/IANS)
Just seven days before the Brexit transition period was slated to end on December 31, the European Union (EU) and the UK announced the reaching of an agreement that will govern the trade and security relationship between the two sides starting from January 1, 2021.
The European Parliament and EU member states hailed the last-minute deal reached on Thursday with relief while some, with a sentiment tinged with caution, pledged to scrutinize the text before giving a green light, reports Xinhua news agency.
At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday evening, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the 27-member bloc has reached “a fair and balanced agreement” with the UK, which officially exited the EU this January.
“It is fair, it is a balanced deal, and it is right and responsible thing to do for both sides.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
“To our friends in the UK, I want to say, parting is such sweet sorrow,” she added.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in his virtual press conference at Downing Street, said his country has “taken back control” when securing the post-Brexit trade deal.
“We have taken back control of every jot and title of our regulation, in a way that is complete and unfettered,” he said.
Johnson also said the agreement offers certainty for businesses across the whole country and will benefit the whole of Britain because “there will be no palisade of tariffs on January 1 (2021) and there will be no non-tariff barriers to trade”.
DEAL: We have agreed a zero tariff free trade deal which is great news for British families and businesses.
The deal will need the approval of the European Parliament, the British Parliament and the EU’s 27 member states.
The EU is likely to impose a “provisional application” of the agreement until MEPs vote on it in 2021.
Hailing the “historical importance” of the deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country will examine it to decide whether it supported the result.
“With the agreement, we are creating the basis for a new chapter in our relationship,” Merkel said in a statement, adding that the government will now intensively examine the text of the agreement to judge quickly whether Germany can support the negotiation result.
“I am very confident that we have a good result here,” said Merkel.
In a separate statement, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “We have finally seen white smoke rise from the negotiations, but the agreement is not yet finalised.”
Zuallererst: Dank und Hochachtung an @MichelBarnier und sein Team. So komplexe Verhandlungen dauern sonst viele Jahre. Sie haben für die EU in absoluter Rekordzeit eine Einigung mit 🇬🇧 ausgehandelt – trotz Corona. Es hat sich gelohnt, die „Extrameile“ zu gehen. #BrexitDeal (1/4)
Maas added that the deal should be approved by all 27 EU member states and later the European Parliament before it comes into force.
“As the Council Presidency, we want to do everything we can to ensure that the agreement can come into force provisionally on January 1, 2021,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal proved that “European unity and steadfastness have paid off” and “Europe is moving forward and can look to the future, united, sovereign and strong”.
Merci @MichelBarnier pour votre ténacité et votre engagement à défendre les intérêts des Européens et leur unité. Grâce à vous et @vonderleyen, la solidarité européenne a montré sa force. https://t.co/w4yDn7kK0I
“The deal with the UK is essential to protect our citizens, our fishermen, our producers. We will make sure this is the case,” he added.
“Excellent news that an agreement on a new EU-UK partnership has been reached after tough negotiations. This is of great importance to us all. We will now study it carefully,” tweeted Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson with French President Emmanuel Macron
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, in his message, described the deal as “good news”.
“Interests and rights of European businesses and people will be guaranteed. The UK will be a central partner and ally for the EU and Italy,” Conte said.
Bene l’accordo Ue con il Regno Unito. Interessi e diritti di imprese e cittadini europei garantiti. UK partner centrale e alleato per l’unione e per l’Italia.
“Welcome to the beginning of the agreement between the EU and UK,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Twitter.
“The member states will examine it and EU Council will comment in the coming days. Spain and the UK continue to dialogue to reach an agreement on Gibraltar.”
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa also welcomed the deal, stressing that the UK will remain an ally and important partner.
