Italy starts mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for over 50s, amid COVID protests across Europe
Italians over the age of 50 are now obliged to vaccinate against the coronavirus under a new law that has come into force.
Those who have not yet been vaccinated have been given a grace period until the end of January to do so.
From 1 February, those who have not been vaccinated or who have not received a second dose or booster shot despite having the opportunity to do so will be fined 100 euros ($A158).
The measure is to remain in place until June 15 and applies to all residents over the age of 50, including foreigners.
From February 15, the age group will have to provide proof of vaccination or recovery at work failing which they will be forced to work remotely.
Employees under the age of 50 may also provide a negative test result.
Those who violate the measures face fines between 600 and 1500 euros.
The introduction of compulsory immunization for senior citizens had evoked a mixed reaction in the country.
The measure was welcomed by many in the governing parties, with Prime Minister Mario Draghi arguing that it was designed to protect an age group that was at risk of hospitalization when contracting COVID-19.
Beppe Grillo, the founder of Italy's largest parliamentary group The Five Star Movement, claimed that the government's control led to an "Orwellian image" that weighs heavily on people's minds.
But in comments to La Repubblica newspaper, the president of the Liguria region, Giovanni Totti, argued that the measure should have applied to all adults.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's official death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has topped 150,000, according to government figures.
There were 313 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test reported on Saturday, taking the total number of fatalities on the measure to 150,057.
A comprehensive but less timely measurement of deaths with COVID-19 on death certificates - which includes deaths early in the pandemic when testing was limited - stood at 173,248 as of the last data on December 24.
The UK has reported an increase in cases linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant in recent weeks, although the death rate has been lower than in previous infection waves.
The UK government has focused on rolling out booster vaccinations - which has reached over 60 per cent of the population - rather than necessitating a return to lockdown measures used earlier in the pandemic.
The #COVID19 Dashboard has been updated: https://t.co/XhspoyTG79
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) January 8, 2022
On 8 January 146,390 new cases and 313 deaths in 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK.
Our data includes the number of people receiving a first, second and booster dose of the #vaccine pic.twitter.com/MMvQcHCe9E
Around 1.227 million people tested positive for COVID-19 during the last seven days, up 11 per cent from a week ago, while the weekly number of deaths rose 38 per cent to 1271 in the previous week.
There are tentative signs that the number of new cases may be peaking, with 146,390 new cases reported on Saturday, down from a record 218,724 recorded on January 4.
The UK's cumulative death rate ranks second in absolute terms in Europe, behind only Russia.
But on a per capita basis, the United States, Italy, Belgium and several countries in Eastern Europe have higher cumulative death rates.
In Germany, thousands have demonstrated in the latest protests against policies to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
According to police, the biggest event on Saturday was held in Hamburg, which was attended by some 13,700 people.
Organizers called on attendees to wear masks and maintain distance from each other in line with the rules, though many failed to heed the calls.
According to a tweet from the police, one participant wore a Star of David that read "unvaccinated". Officials said they were investigating for abetment.
Police said several thousand people protested while marching from the state parliament into the city in the western city of Düsseldorf.
According to the organizers, 4000 people had reached this event. Some carried posters "Stop the Corona Dictatorship," and "Against Exclusion."
'fake truth'
In Magdeburg, police used pepper spray as a crowd of 5,000 people marched through the city for several hours, stopping trams and blocking roads several times.
The demonstration of the coronavirus in Berlin took the form of a car and bike convoy. In total, the police counted more than 100 vehicles, 70 bikes and around 200 people.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he sees the protests as a new and frightening development in post-war German history
He said the arguments made by opponents of vaccination and those in denial of COVID-19 have lost all measure and attention.
"A small group is ready to wipe all scientific knowledge off the table and voluntarily enter a bubble of false truth," he told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
Protesters also held rallies in cities across France on Saturday, condemning President Emmanuel Macron's intention to "pee out" as people denied COVID-19 shots by curbing their civil liberties.
Mr Macron said this week he wanted to upset the lives of unvaccinated people by complicating them so much that they would eventually freeze.
He said the irresponsible people were irresponsible and did not deserve to be considered citizens.
In Paris, protesters retaliated, adopting his lewd words, chanting "we will piss you off".
Others made signs saying "not for vaccine passes" in reference to Macron's legislative push to require proof of vaccination to enter places such as cafes, bars and museums.
Protesters also held street rallies in other cities including Marseille, Nantes and Le Mans.
