Delta variant surge heaps fresh trauma on health workers September 6, 2021 Hospitals hit by a new surge in Covid cases as a result of the highly transmissible Delta variant are dealing with staff who once again struggle to cope with added stress reminiscent of the worst of the pandemic. Watch the full report.
London pollution: The worse the air you breathe, the worse your Covid symptoms September 4, 2021 Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of more severe coronavirus symptoms and hospitalisation with the disease, according to a new report by Imperial College London researchers. In a review of the latest evidence available, the researchers found a strong link between a person’s exposure to air pollution before the pandemic and the worst cases [...]
PCR test firm for travel being investigated over results, refunds and service September 3, 2021 One of the UK’s largest and cheapest PCR test companies focussed on travel is under investigation by the competition watchdog over several service failings. Expert Medicals faces allegations that tests and results were not provided in a timely manner, or at all in some cases, bosses failed to respond to complaints and refunds were not [...]
Covid jabs for healthy teens not recommended by UK vaccine body September 3, 2021 The Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government on its jab rollout, has decided not to recommend Covid vaccines for healthy 12 to 15-year-olds. After an assessment that focused on health grounds alone, the JCVI has now referred the matter to the UK’s four chief medical officers to review. The JCVI [...]
UK to share 4m vaccines with Australia September 3, 2021 The UK and Australia have agreed to a partnership which will see some 4m vaccines shared with each other, as Britain’s double-jabbed population nears 80 per cent. Britain will be the first to ship over the large batch of Pzifer/BioNTech jabs, while Australia will return the same number before the end of the year. It [...]
UBS chief: Staff who choose not to get vaccine can work from home rather than office September 2, 2021 UBS employees who don’t want to receive the Covid vaccine can apply to work from home instead, the Swiss bank’s CEO Ralph Hamers announced today, indicating a more flexible approach than some banking rivals. Some banks, including Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, have mandated vaccines for staff returning to their desks in some [...]
Govt’s Covid scientists receive suspicious packages for making ‘bad decisions’ September 2, 2021 A number of suspicious packages were sent to scientists who advised the Government during the coronavirus pandemic by people who feel they are “making bad decisions”, one expert revealed today. Professor Calum Semple, who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he had been on the receiving end of a “particularly nasty” [...]
Jump in number of people with long Covid lasting for at least one year September 2, 2021 The number of people in the UK experiencing self-reported long Covid that has lasted for at least a year has risen. The estimate for people in private households in the UK increased to 384,000 from 380,000 a month earlier. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are based on responses collected in the [...]
Coronavirus: New Covid strain Mu lands in UK with 55 cases in England so far September 1, 2021 A new Covid mutation called Mu has been detected in the UK, as 55 cases have been identified in England so far. The new strain, which first popped up in South America, has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to various reports this morning. Mu, or B.1.621, was [...]
Covid vaccine: Immunosuppressed people in the UK to receive third dose September 1, 2021 Around half a million people in the UK whose immune systems are severely weakened will be offered a third primary vaccine dose, following a new recommendation announced by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) today. Anyone over the age of 12 who was immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose [...]