Italy blocks Astrazeneca shipment to Australia as vaccine shortage row escalates March 4, 2021 The Italian government has blocked the export of an Astrazeneca vaccine shipment to Australia as a row over EU shortages continues to escalate. Astrazeneca had requested permission from the Italian government to export around 250,000 vaccine doses made at its Anagni plant near Rome to Australia. However, Italian authorities blocked the request after the British-Swedish [...]
Matt Hancock urges ‘vigilance’ as decline in Covid infections starts to slow March 4, 2021 The health secretary has urged people to “remain vigilant” as the decline in coronavirus cases has slowed down across parts of the country and in some regions reversed, latest figures showed. Imperial College London’s latest React study found the prevalence of Covid across England slumped by two-thirds between 22 January and 13 February. However, the [...]
BA to offer £33 Covid tests to passengers ahead of summer travel March 4, 2021 British Airways has formed a partnership with a Covid-19 testing supplier to provide tests to passengers ahead of their flight, the airline said today. In preparation for the expected summer travel boom, passengers can buy a testing kit for £33, which they can use abroad with the help of an advisor on video call. The [...]
Budget 2021: UK launches new Covid-19 business loan scheme March 3, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled a new loan scheme to support businesses hit by the pandemic, replacing previous emergency government funding. The Recovery Loans Scheme will offer loans from £25,000 to £10m up to the end of the year, with the government providing lenders with a 80 per cent guarantee. The programme replaces the Bounce [...]
Chinese Covid vaccine prevents severe illness in all cases, study finds March 3, 2021 The vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech prevents hospitalisation and severe illness in all cases, researchers said on Wednesday. Murat Akova, head of the third phase trials in Turkey, said CoronaVac has an 83.5 per cent efficacy. Six people were hospitalised, but they were all in the placebo group. The figure was less than the [...]
Budget 2021: Four key issues for Rishi Sunak today March 3, 2021 Just a few months ago, Chancellor Rishi Sunak had hoped that his spring budget would be an opportunity to move the economic agenda away from Covid-19, and back towards the government’s ‘levelling up’ commitment. But as he prepares to announce his latest set of measures on later today, the reality looks very different. Despite the good [...]
Budget 2021: Furlough extension a life-saver but not enough, analysts say March 3, 2021 The extension of the furlough scheme will swoop in to save sectors and jobs across the UK, but analysts have urged the government to go further. Rishi Sunak will announce the move in today’s Budget, meaning the government will pay millions of people’s wages beyond the end of Covid restrictions. The chancellor said last night [...]
Surge testing rolled out in more London boroughs over new South Africa Covid cases March 2, 2021 The London boroughs of Barnet and Merton have become the latest regions in the capital to receive surge testing, after officials identified new cases of the South Africa Covid variant. Residents in the N2 and NW4 regions of Barnet, as well as the Wimbledon Park area in Merton, are strongly encouraged to take a Covid-19 [...]
Almost 20.5m Brits have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine March 2, 2021 Almost 20.5m Brits have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine
How many Covid-19 infections are there in your London borough? March 2, 2021 London has seen a sharp drop in the number of recorded coronavirus cases over the past few days, after figures released on Friday showed the capital currently has the lowest R rate in the country. A further 629 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of positive tests in London [...]