Cases, hospitalisations, deaths all climbing in the US. British GPs allowed to use Pfizer"s sixth dose "at their discretion" General practitioners in Britain have been given new guidance allowing them to use Pfizer Inc’s extra Covid-19 vaccine doses “at their discretion”, NHS England said, with the development coming a day after US regulators issued a similar guidance. Every vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was expected to include five doses, but GPs found it was possible to make six doses out of the vials. The National Health Service (NHS) confirmed to Reuters that in a weekly webinar with NHS England on Thursday, clinicians were told they could use the sixth dose “at their discretion”. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) did not respond to a request for comment. The Telegraph reported that the British regulator was looking at the feasibility of getting six vaccines out of the vials and was consulting with NHS England. The US Food and Drug Administration had said on Wednesday that extra doses from vials of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine can be used after reports of vaccine doses being thrown away by pharmacists due to labelling confusion. The Pfizer vials are supposed to hold five doses, according to the labelling, but media reports said pharmacists had found a way for a sixth or even a seventh dose. Without clear approval from the manufacturer, the extra dose had to be discarded. The Pfizer/BioNTech shot, the first Covid-19 vaccine to be approved by Western drugs regulators, is being rolled out in countries including Britain and the United States, and is expected to be approved for use in the European Union next week. Pfizer will request for an approval of its Covid-19 vaccine in Japan on Friday, according to Kyodo News. Britain became the first country in the world to deploy Pfizer’s vaccine earlier this month. Northern Ireland is preparing for a sweeping lockdown and the deployment of paramedics from the Republic of Ireland in an effort to control Covid-19. Health officials on Thursday proposed a six-week lockdown and approved a plan to reinforce the ambulance service with units from across the border. The Northern Ireland Executive agreed to the move on Thursday night. The deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, said the lockdown would start on Boxing Day and be reviewed after four weeks. “It’s very clear from the positive cases we’re seeing every day that an urgent intervention was required,” she said. Sir Paul McCartney has said he will have the coronavirus vaccine as soon as he is able to. The former Beatle, 78, told The Sun that “the vaccine will get us out of this”. He said it was “great news” that vaccinations are now under way. However, Sir Paul said there are still challenges lying ahead. “I mean it’s going to be very difficult for a while yet, because you can’t just lock down a whole country unless you’re China,” he told the newspaper. “We can’t have that kind of lack of freedom, we’re all brought up to enjoy this great freedom that we have in a democracy.” The rollout of the vaccine has begun in the UK - starting with healthcare workers, people living in care homes and the elderly. Those receiving the Pfizer vaccine will be given a booster jab 21 days after their first dose to ensure the best chance of being protected against the virus. Famous faces including actor Sir Ian McKellen, Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith and rock and roll star Marty Wilde have already been vaccinated. Sir Paul also told the newspaper he is looking forward to being able to perform live again. He said he will be “glad when we can get back, it will be a nice change to actually play to some people”. Coronavirus nearly three times more deadly than flu: study Roughly a year into the pandemic it is clear the new coronavirus is worse than seasonal flu, and a study released on Friday outlined just how much worse, showing a death rate almost three times higher among Covid-19 patients. The research, using French national data and published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, underscored the increased severity of illness for people with Covid-19. Researchers compared data for 89,530 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in March and April this year with 45,819 patients hospitalised with seasonal influenza between December 2018 and the end of February 2019. Some 16.9 percent of Covid-19 patients died during the period of study - which was during a devastating first wave across Europe when doctors had few therapies to turn to for severely ill people. This compares to a death rate of 5.8 percent among those with influenza. Catherine Quantin, a professor at the University Hospital of Dijon and the French national health institute INSERM who jointly led the study, said the difference in death rates was “particularly striking” given the 2018/19 flu season was the deadliest France had seen in five years. The authors note that the difference in the number of hospitalisations - which saw twice as many people admitted for Covid-19 than flu - may be partly explained by existing immunity to influenza, either because of previous infection or vaccination. Researchers found that more patients with Covid-19 needed intensive care - 16.3 percent compared with 10.8 percent for influenza - while the average stay in ICU was nearly twice as long (15 days compared to 8 days). The study also reported far fewer children under 18 hospitalised with Covid-19 than with flu - 1.4 percent compared to 19.5 percent. For those in Australia with plans to travel at Christmas, these are the details on border closures, restrictions, and quarantine requirements. In Australia, premier of the country’s most populous state, Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed a new cluster detected on the northern beaches of Sydney has grown to 28 cases. The New South Wales premier said those suburbs would be on lockdown for the next three days. People should only be leaving their houses for essential reasons. “We do have the potential to get on top of it, but it does require hard work on the behalf of all of us.” Berejiklian urged leaders of other states and territories to implement “measured” and “proportionate” responses to Sydney’s outbreak, in particular regarding potential border closures. This year, for the first time in a century (since the Spanish flu), Australia’s internal state borders were closed, some for months. Some states, such as Queensland and Victoria, have implemented quarantine orders for people travelling from Sydney’s northern beaches. Western Australia has closed its borders to travellers from NSW. Berejiklian said vast parts of NSW were completely unaffected, and people living there who had gone through months of “torture” should be free to see their loved ones. She agreed with any action that related to declaring the northern beaches as a ‘hot spot’. Berejiklian said no-one in NSW should travel on public transport, or go to supermarkets or places of worship without masks. “Nobody should be getting on public transport without a mask ... It would just be crazy if people are undertaking those activities without wearing a mask.” Emmanuel Macron has been diagnosed with Covid-19 after developing symptoms, the Élysée Palace has announced, forcing several other European leaders who recently met the French president into self-isolation. The palace said Macron was “very likely” to have been infected at a European council summit in Brussels late last week, where he was seen mingling with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, and others, all wearing masks. Back in Australia, where there are fears state borders might be closed again. There has been a massive rush at Sydney Airport, with people seeking to leave New South Wales ahead of any lockdown. A new cluster of infections have been identified on Sydney’s northern beaches. Colombia’s daily confirmed cases of coronavirus reached their highest level since mid-August on Thursday, as the government warned people against large holiday gatherings. The Andean country, which has had a total of 1,468,795 confirmed cases and 39,787 deaths, recorded 12,196 new cases on Thursday, according to health ministry data. The figure was the highest since Aug. 19, when there were 13,055 new cases. President Ivan Duque and health officials have repeatedly warned Colombians against gathering in crowds at shopping areas and urged them to keep family celebrations limited in order to reduce spread of the virus. Duque on Wednesday said rising cases numbers could be traced to celebrations to mark the feast of the Immaculate Conception - known locally as Night of the Candles - when families gather to put candles in their windows or outside their homes. The daily death toll also rose past 200 on Wednesday and Thursday, reaching 204 and 227 respectively. Daily new recorded deaths have not surpassed 200 since September. Colombia expects to vaccinate about 15 million people against COVID-19 in 2021, including health care workers, those over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions. Intensive care units in Bogota, a epicentre for infection, were at 74% capacity on Thursday, according to local health department figures. Brazil and Colombia are reporting the highest number of new cases in South America, the World Health Organization said this week. Summary - Emmanuel Macron ‘very likely’ infected with Covid-19 during EU council. Good morning/afternoon/evening (wherever you may be), Ben Doherty in Sydney, Australia with you, helming our continuing coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic for the next few hours. As ever, comments, contributions and correspondence all welcomed at ben.doherty@theguardian.com or by twitter @BenDohertyCorro. To begin, a quick recap of the latest coronavirus developments across the world over the last few hours: US president-elect Joe Biden tested negative for Covid-19, after an incoming White House adviser, Cedric Richmond, contracted the virus, a spokeswoman for Biden said in a statement.Richmond was not in close contact with Biden as defined by the Centers for Disease Control Emmanuel Macron ‘very likely’ infected with Covid-19 during EU council. The French President tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, prompting a track-and-trace effort across Europe following numerous meetings between the French leader and EU heads of government in recent days. Six week lockdown to start in Northern Ireland from Boxing Day. Northern Ireland is preparing for a sweeping lockdown and the deployment of paramedics from the Republic of Ireland in an effort to control Covid-19. Health officials on Thursday proposed a six-week lockdown and approved a plan to reinforce the ambulance service with units from across the border. Portugal imposes overnight curfew on New Year’s Eve. An overnight curfew from 11pm will come into force in Portugal on New Year’s Eve, prime minister António Costa said, as the country introduces measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus during the usually busy night. Australia’s largest city of Sydney told to brace for more Covid-19 cases. Australia’s largest city of Sydney should brace itself for more Covid-19 cases, New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned, as authorities rushed to contain a new virus cluster in the city’s northern coastal suburbs. Colombia daily coronavirus cases reach highest since August. Colombia’s daily confirmed cases of coronavirus reached their highest level since mid-August on Thursday, as the government warned people against large holiday gatherings. King of Sweden blasts country’s ‘failed’ coronavirus response. The king of Sweden has said the country has failed in its response to Covid-19, as hospitals in the Stockholm region warned they were struggling to cope with a surge in cases and polls showed public confidence in the authorities had plunged to a new low. US surpasses 17m coronavirus cases as vaccines are distributed. The United States on Thursday surpassed a total of 17m coronavirus cases, with infections rising by more than a million a week during the early winter surge – while at the start of the year it took three months for the US to accumulate its first million cases.