Kent Covid variant ‘no more deadly’ than original coronavirus strain March 31, 2021 The Kent Covid variant, which is now the UK’s dominant version of coronavirus, is no more deadly than the original strain, research by Public Health England (PHE) has found. A PHE study matched 2,800 cases of the B117 variant first identified in Kent against the original Covid strain and found there was no significant difference in [...]
France and Germany swoop to buy Russia’s Sputnik vaccine March 31, 2021 France and Germany held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin last night to supply doses of the country’s Sputnik Covid vaccine as suspicions over the Astrazeneca jab continue to proliferate across the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a video call with the Russian premier to discuss “co-operation” over vaccine [...]
Covid-19 latest updates: WHO rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’; Germany suspends Astrazeneca vaccine in some women; Half of England has antibodies March 30, 2021 WHO Covid-19 origin report rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’ A highly-anticipated World Health Organization (WHO) report into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has concluded that a leak from a laboratory is “extremely unlikely”. The virus was most likely to have spread from bats via an “intermediate animal host” to humans, prior to an “explosive [...]
Metropolitan Police ‘acted appropriately’ at Sarah Everard vigil, watchdog finds March 30, 2021 The Metropolitan Police’s handling of a vigil for Sarah Everard was “appropriate”, a report from the official policing inspectorate has concluded. Home secretary Priti Patel ordered the review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) after widespread outrage at scenes of police using force against mourners at the vigil on [...]
One in two people in England estimated to have Covid antibodies March 30, 2021 More than half of people in England are estimated to have Covid antibodies either from past infection or vaccination, according to the latest official figures. The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest infection survey found that 54.7 per cent of England’s population were thought to have some level of immunity against coronavirus in the week [...]
Sir Lenny Henry leads campaign urging black Britons to get Covid vaccine March 30, 2021 Comedian Sir Lenny Henry has led a fresh campaign urging black Britons to get vaccinated against coronavirus, after new figures revealed huge differences in vaccine uptake between ethnic groups. The BAFTA winner joined celebrities such as actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton calling for people to “trust the facts about the vaccine, from our own professors, doctors, [...]
Boris Johnson joins world leaders calling for treaty for future pandemics March 30, 2021 Boris Johnson has joined a list of more than 20 world leaders calling for a new global treaty to ensure countries are prepared for future pandemics. The Prime Minister added his name to a joint statement from global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that the coronavirus crisis has [...]
Government to offer free home Covid tests for businesses in back to work push March 28, 2021 The government is set to offer businesses free home test kits for employees, in a bid to get staff back to the workplace after almost a year of home working. In a major expansion of the government’s workplace testing scheme, all businesses with more than 10 employees who cannot offer on-site testing will be eligible [...]
EU will not be ‘blackmailed’ by UK over vaccines, says French minister March 26, 2021 The EU will not be “blackmailed” by the UK over Covid vaccine supplies, France’s foreign minister has said, as a cross-Channel dispute over coronavirus jabs continues to escalate. Jean-Yves Le Drian claimed the UK is set to run into “problems” because it has prioritised first doses of the jab, as he warned that Europe would [...]
Coronavirus latest updates: EU boosts vaccine supply; Norway halts Astrazeneca jab; London R rate rises March 26, 2021 EU boosts production of Covid vaccines The European Medicines Agency announced this afternoon that it has approved the use of two European factories to scale up the EU’s vaccine supply. The Halix factory in the Netherlands has been cleared to produce doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine for the EU, while another in Marburg in Germany [...]
