More than 5m receive Covid-19 booster jab in six weeks as rollout picks up the pace October 26, 2021 More than half of over-50s have received their Covid-19 booster jab, as the once sluggish rollout picks up the pace, NHS England has confirmed. The booster rollout, which targets those who were prioritised last year in the UK’s immunisation programme, has seen over 4.5m over-50s receive a third dose in less than six weeks. The [...]
Pandemic festivities: A ‘normal Christmas’ is on the horizon, says Sajid Javid October 25, 2021 A “normal Christmas” is on the way, providing everyone “plays our part”, health secretary Sajid Javid has said today. Responding to concerns that this Christmas could face the same fate it did last year, Javid told BBC Breakfast: “What we know about this virus is that it’s unpredictable and I don’t think any sensible health [...]
Global vaccine programmes: How do they compare? October 25, 2021 While the UK was one of the first nations to begin the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines, it has fallen behind in the race for full inoculation. So, how do global vaccination programmes compare? Portugal Leading the world’s vaccination success is Portugal, with 82.82 per cent of its population having received both doses as of [...]
Potential Covid Plan C could ban household mixing October 21, 2021 Under a potential Plan C for Covid-19 that is currently being discussed by Cabinet officials, household mixing could be banned, the Telegraph reported. Health secretary Sajid Javid said “at this point” the government would not implement measures such as mandatory masks, vaccine passports and the advice to work from home, instead recommending people to meet [...]
J&J pulls in $2.5bn from Covid-19 jabs alone, but slips below Wall Street forecasts October 19, 2021 Johnson & Johnson quarterly revenue slipped below Wall Street forecasts in its latest trading update, though the business giant turned Covid-19 vaccine maker pulled in $2.5bn from its jab sales. The vaccine sales figure comes despite a string of production setbacks, including quality issues at one of its single-dose vaccine manufacturing facilities – which saw [...]
Scientists behind AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine start developing Delta-specific jab October 19, 2021 A new version of the Oxford vaccine is reportedly being developed to specifically target the Covid-19 Delta strain. The team of scientists behind the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab, led by Professor Sarah Gilbert, has begun early work on the new vaccine with the goal of “having something on the shelf ready to scale up – if it’s [...]
Airlift 240m Covid-19 vaccines says Gordon Brown after COVAX scheme misses target October 17, 2021 Former prime minister Gordon Brown has urged that 240m Covid-19 vaccines being distributed to countries in the global south could save 100,000 lives. It follows the global COVAX scheme, a World Health Organisation (WHO) programme designed so wealthier countries can donate vaccine doses to states less able to bulk buy, missed its target, according to [...]
Vaccine walk-ins to open up to 12-to-15-year-olds as Covid positivity rates fly October 17, 2021 Walk-in vaccine centres are reportedly set to open up to children as Covid-19 positivity rates become highest in secondary school-age children. Ministers are planning on unveiling the scheme within weeks, according to the Mail on Sunday. The government sources reportedly added that the new clinics are an attempt to keep anti-vaxxers away from school premises. [...]
Tony Blair: The UK must accept vaccinated people from everywhere October 11, 2021 The UK must open its borders to all vaccinated people, regardless of country of origin, said the Tony Blair Institute. In a paper entitled “Keeping Travel Open: A Vaccine Anywhere, A Vaccine Everywhere”, the NGO funded by the former Prime Minister outlined several key recommendations the government should follow if it wants to help travel [...]
New Covid vaccine formulation could be needed by mid-2022, says BioNTech boss October 4, 2021 The boss of BioNTech, the German biotech firm behind the Pfizer Covid-19, has predicted that a new formulation for jabs will likely be needed by mid-2022. Scientists have warned that the virus could mutate in a way that means it is less resistant to vaccines. “This year [a different vaccine] is completely unneeded. But by [...]