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Covid spreading faster in England than 'worst-case scenario', documents show
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says there are around four times as many people catching Covid than anticipated.
A "reasonable worst-case scenario" is used by officials and the NHS to plan for the months ahead.
It had estimated 85,000 deaths from Covid over the course of winter.
But an official Sage document, dated 14 October and published Friday, reveals we are in a worse position than expected.
Scientists crunching the numbers estimated that, by mid-October, there were between 43,000 and 74,000 people being infected with coronavirus every day in England.
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Widespread closures in Winnipeg as region moves to code red, rest of Manitoba to orange on Monday
Manitoba announces 480 new cases of COVID-19, with record-high test positivity rate
Broad shutdowns will start in Winnipeg and surrounding areas on Monday as Manitoba moves its capital area to the red, or critical, level — the highest stage of its pandemic response scale — following days of record-shattering COVID-19 case announcements.
Movie theatres, concert halls, sports facilities and restaurant dining rooms in the region will be ordered to close starting Monday, as officials struggle to control a rising tide of cases.
Elective and non-urgent surgeries and diagnostic procedures in the region will be suspended in the face of pandemic strain on the health-care system, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said on Friday.
"We were left with no choice," he said. "We have to deal with this virus and the transmission now."
The rest of Manitoba will move up to the orange, or restricted, level starting Monday, Roussin said. The order will limit gathering sizes to five and reduce capacity in public-facing businesses.
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Lock down Manitoba because 'it's too late' for targeted restrictions, doctors urge government
COVID-19 surge prompts doctors to pen letter underscoring need for swift action from premier, health minister
The time is now for a provincewide shutdown due to surging COVID-19 numbers straining the health-care system, more than a dozen Manitoba doctors say.
In a letter addressed to the premier and health minister published by the Winnipeg Free Press on Friday morning, the doctors said they feel duty bound to express their concerns about where things are heading.
"We're well past the stage where even a robust community response will significantly slow the epidemic. Fortunately, your government has already shown us what needs to be done," the letter said.
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Coronavirus: Remote Marshall Islands records first cases
The Marshall Islands, one of the last few places in the world untouched by Covid-19, has recorded its first two positive cases of the virus.
The government of the remote Pacific archipelago said two workers at a US base had tested positive after arriving from Hawaii on Tuesday.
The pair flew in on a military flight and have been isolated from the wider community since arriving.
The Marshall Islands closed its borders in March to keep the virus out.
Authorities stressed the two were "strictly border cases" discovered while the 35-year-old woman and 46-year-old man were in quarantine" with no threat of community transmission.
Safety measures in place have ensured they have not had contact with the community, said officials.
Most island nations in the Pacific closed their borders in the early days of the pandemic, amid concerns their weak healthcare systems would not be able to cope with an outbreak.
In June, the Marshall Islands eased restrictions to allow in mostly US military base workers and only with a three-week quarantine at the base.
Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are all believed to be still free of the virus.
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The United States recorded its 9 millionth case on Friday, nearly 3 per cent of the population, with almost 229,000 dead since the outbreak of the pandemic early this year
A record surge of coronavirus cases in the United States is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity and killing up to 1,000 people a day, the latest figures show, as much of the country focuses on Tuesday's presidential election.
The U.S. broke its single-day record for new coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting at least 91,248 new cases, as 21 states reported their highest daily number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients since the pandemic started, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.
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