Government to set out post-lockdown plan next week November 19, 2020 The government will set out a plan for exiting England’s month-long lockdown next week, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson has said. Boris Johnson has repeatedly vowed the country will return to a “regional tiered approach” when lockdown restrictions are due to expire on 2 December. However, head of Public Health England Dr Susan Hopkins earlier this [...]
Crossrail 2 ‘still needed in the future’ despite cash drought November 18, 2020 London’s Crossrail 2 is “ready to be restarted” in the future despite London mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this month agreeing to shelve the £33bn project in return for a bailout for Transport for London (TfL). Khan agreed to put the north-south rail project on ice as part of a last-ditch financial package from Westminster to [...]
People gain ‘not a lot’ from wearing face masks: Danish study November 18, 2020 Wearing a mask does not fully protect against coronavirus, a major study has found, as pressure mounts on ministers to set out a strategy for easing lockdown restrictions across the country. A Danish study of more than 6,000 participants published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that masks are only “50 per cent [...]
Christmas relaxation of restrictions will likely spell January lockdown November 18, 2020 England could face a month-long lockdown in January in exchange for five days of relaxed restrictions over Christmas, the UK’s health chiefs have suggested. Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to NHS Test and Trace, initially told a Downing Street briefing this morning that advice from Sage showed “for every day that we release [measures] we [...]
Pfizer-Biontech coronavirus vaccine now 95 per cent effective November 18, 2020 Pfizer and Biontech’s coronavirus vaccine has now proved 95 per cent effective and has met the safety criteria needed for emergency authorisation, the companies said today. The two firms last week published preliminary data showing the vaccine offered 90 per cent protection against Covid-19. But the jab has now met the same efficacy rate as [...]
Pfizer chief insists company did not delay vaccine results until after US election November 17, 2020 Pfizer’s chief executive has insisted the biotech company “didn’t conspire with anyone” to delay releasing its phase three trial results until after the US presidential election. Speaking at a New York Times conference today, Albert Bourla also said the company has already hit the required safety milestone for phase three trials of the vaccine and [...]
Rishi Sunak refuses to disclose whether he will profit from Moderna vaccine November 17, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has refused to disclose whether he will profit from a surge in Moderna’s share price, after the US biotech firm yesterday announced its coronavirus vaccine proved almost 95 per cent effective in trials. Sunak was a founding partner of London-based hedge fund Theleme Partners — a major investor in Moderna — before [...]
Government hits back at claims the UK is ‘back of the queue’ for Covid vaccines November 17, 2020 The government has hit back at claims that Britain is “back of the queue” for coronavirus vaccines and denied that there was a “scramble” to secure a supply of the drug being developed by US biotech firm Moderna. The business department today slammed reports in the Guardian and Metro claiming the UK had failed to [...]
Government faces lawsuit over £250m PPE contract with US jewellery firm November 17, 2020 The government is facing legal action after awarding a £250m contract for personal protective equipment (PPE) to an American jewellery company with no experience producing healthcare equipment. The Good Law Project today filed legal proceedings against the government over its multimillion-pound deal with Saiger LLC to provide equipment such as gowns and face masks to [...]
Four more London boroughs to roll out rapid Covid tests November 17, 2020 Four more London boroughs are set to roll out rapid coronavirus tests, as part of government plans to step up asymptomatic testing across virus hotspots around the country. Croydon, Ealing, Havering and Hounslow will this week start offering lateral flow tests to the community, meaning 25 out of 32 London boroughs are now involved in [...]
