Sputnik V makers demand apology from EU after comparing vaccine to ‘Russian roulette’ March 9, 2021 The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine have questioned the neutrality of the European Medicines Agency after an official urged EU members not to approve its jab. Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, head of EMA’s management board, told an Austrian talk show on 7 March that emergency rollouts would be “comparable to Russian roulette”. The developers took to [...]
Pfizer vaccine ‘neutralises’ Brazil Covid variant, study finds March 9, 2021 The Pfizer/Biontech coronavirus vaccine is able to combat a new variant of Covid-19 first identified in Brazil, according to a new study. Scientists tested blood samples from patients who had received the Pfizer jab and found it was effective in neutralising a laboratory-made version of the virus similar to the Brazil variant. The research, published in the [...]
DFS Furniture enjoys lockdown cushion as online sales soar March 9, 2021 DFS Furniture’s revenue soared to £572.6m in the final six months of last year as consumer demand for new home furnishings jumped in lockdown. Revenue increased 17.3 per cent compared to 2019, despite the closure of non-essential retail during Covid lockdowns, boosted by a 66.2 per cent surge in online sales. Shares in the furniture [...]
London’s Nightingale Hospital to close next month as coronavirus cases plummet across capital March 9, 2021 The Nightingale Hospital at London’s Excel centre will close next month as hospital admissions and coronavirus cases continue to fall dramatically across the capital. All seven Nightingale Hospitals across England will shutter from April, one year after they were built last spring in a bid to ease pressure on the NHS. The temporary facilities, including [...]
Rush hour in Israel as global interest in potential Covid-19 cure accelerates March 9, 2021 Brazil’s foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, arrived in Israel yesterday as his government is said to be highly interested in EXO-CD24, a new drug that has been hailed as a possible cure for Covid-19. Araujo, accompanied by Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, is reportedly keen to learn more about the treatment, which [...]
Testing our way to recovery: One firm on how they’ve navigated the Covid-19 minefield March 8, 2021 With light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, thoughts are increasingly turning to what the ‘new normal’ might look like. Part of that may well include testing. Stuart MacLennan, CEO of testing firm Circular1 Health, tells City A.M. how they’ve operated testing sites at major manufacturing and military sites since the beginning of the [...]
Dutch to lift ban on flights and ferries from UK tomorrow March 8, 2021 The Dutch government will tomorrow lift a travel ban on commercial flights and passenger ferries from the UK, local media reported. As with many European countries, the Netherlands banned incoming travel from Britain back in January in a bid to prevent the spread of a new, more infectious variant of Covid-19. However, with that variant [...]
Premier League tester to launch Covid testing ‘pods’ at UK offices March 8, 2021 Covid-19 testing pods are set to be introduced this week at a number of IWG-run offices, which will be available to both the public and employees, the genetic tester said this morning. The company, which does the testing for The Premier League, will roll out 10 pods this week, with another 100 due to be [...]
The Week Ahead: ITV, Rolls Royce, Morrison, ECB and UK GDP data March 8, 2021 It’s Monday morning. City A.M. looks ahead at what this week has in store. China Trade for February This morning – The Chinese economy finished 2020 on a strong note, its surplus hitting a record high in December. Exports rose by 18.1 per cent, slightly down from November’s 21.1 per cent but still better than expected, [...]
EU to urge US to export doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to Europe March 6, 2021 The European Union will urge the United States to permit the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to Europe. The EU is scrambling the bridge supply shortfalls, the Financial Times reported, and has turned to the US for help. The EU also wants Washington to ensure the free flow of shipments of [...]