(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Austria imposes full lockdown, Germany may follow
Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full COVID-19 lockdown, it said on Friday as neighbouring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout.
A fourth wave of infections has plunged Germany, Europe’s largest economy, into a national emergency, Health Minister Jens Spahn said. He urged people to reduce their social contacts, warning that vaccinations alone would not reduce case numbers.
Austria said it would require the whole population to be vaccinated as of February.
Europe lockdown fears knock stocks, spark dash for bonds
European stocks retreated from record highs, while government bond yields, oil prices and the euro tumbled on Friday as the spectre of a fresh COVID-linked lockdown in Germany and other parts of Europe cast a fresh shadow over the global economy.
Markets went into a tailspin after news that Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full coronavirus lockdown.
“A total lockdown for Germany would be extremely bad news for the economic recovery,” said Ludovic Colin, a senior portfolio manager at Swiss asset manager Vontobel.
Russia’s daily COVID-19 deaths hit record high
Russia on Friday reported 1,254 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, a record daily high that follows a surge in cases.
The government coronavirus task force also reported 37,156 nationwide infections, including 3,371 in Moscow, down from a peak of 41,335 recorded on Nov. 6.
Hungary reports record daily 11,289 COVID infections
Hungary reported 11,289 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic, the government said.
Hungary, a country of 10 million people whose vaccination rate lags the EU average, imposed new curbs on Thursday, a day before neighbour Austria, which also has a relatively low vaccination rate, announced its full lockdown.
England’s COVID prevalence drops for second week
The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England fell back to about one in 65 people in the week ending Nov. 13, Britain’s Office for National Statistics said on Friday, dropping for a second week after hitting its highest level of the year.
Prevalence had been one in 60 people the previous week. Recorded cases and estimated prevalence of infection have both dropped back from peaks hit before a school half-term holiday at the end of last month.
Market in China’s Wuhan likely COVID-19 origin – study
The first known COVID-19 case was a market vendor in the Chinese city of Wuhan, not an accountant who appeared to have no link to the market but whose case contributed to speculation the virus could have leaked from a lab, according to a U.S. study.
The origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 remains a mystery and a major source of tension between China and the United States.
A joint study by China and the World Health Organization (WHO) this year all but ruled out the theory that COVID-19 originated in a laboratory, saying that the most likely hypothesis was that it infected humans naturally, probably via the wildlife trade.
(Compiled by Nick Macfie)
