Covid vaccines reduce hospitalisations by up to 94 per cent in Scotland February 22, 2021 The vaccine rollout has had a signifiant impact on driving down Covid-related hospitalisations and risk of serious illness in Scotland, new data has shown. Research from Public Health Scotland (PHS) found that the Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines reduced the risk of hospitalisation from Covid-19 by up to 85 per cent and 94 per cent respectively. [...]
Transferwise rebrands to Wise ahead of London listing February 22, 2021 A decade after its launch Transferwise has rebranded to Wise ahead of its long-awaited IPO. The fintech, which was most recently valued by private investors at $5bn, has come a long way since its launch in 2011 when it initially offered money transfers. It says the new moniker reflects its growth. “Today our name catches [...]
Vaccination programme ‘beginning to bear fruit’, says minister February 22, 2021 The UK’s largest ever vaccination programme is “beginning to bear fruit”, the vaccines deployment minister has said, after early evidence showed it was beginning to bring down hospitalisations and deaths. Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News the “evidence looks good” on the Covid vaccination plan, which has seen almost one in three adults in the UK [...]
Hancock refuses to apologise over High Court ruling on PPE deals February 21, 2021 Matt Hancock has refused to apologise after the High Court ruled he broke the law by failing to publish details of billions of pounds-worth of coronavirus contracts within the required 30-day period. Mr Justice Chamberlain’s ruling followed a legal challenge brought by three opposition MPs and the Good Law Project over contracts to supply personal [...]
Hancock suggests Covid restrictions likely to last past May February 21, 2021 The government will take a “cautious” approach to easing lockdown measures, the health secretary has said, as he hinted that restrictions may stay in place into the summer months. The government has set out plans to offer a first dose of the vaccine to all over-50s and those with serious underlying health conditions by mid- [...]
All UK adults to be offered Covid vaccine by 31 July February 21, 2021 The UK is now aiming to have all its adults offered a first Covid vaccine by 31 July, after already administering 17m jabs. All over 50s, social and health care workers and all those who are clinically vulnerable to Covid will be offered a jab by 15 April. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he now [...]
England Netball chief Fran Connolly on the sport’s huge growth, plans to professionalise, and interest from private investors February 20, 2021 Few sports can have had their momentum checked by the pandemic quite like netball in the UK. A decade of extraordinary growth in which participation doubled and exposure at elite level reached unseen heights was jeopardised when Covid-19 hit, forcing a premature end to the Superleague season and halting grassroots netball. Almost a year on, [...]
Online car retailer Cazoo making plans to go public – report February 19, 2021 Used car retail platform Cazoo is reportedly making plans to go public at a valuation of £5bn. Sky News reported that the start-up, which was only founded just two years ago, was mulling either a London listing or a merger with a New York-listed “blank cheque” firm, or SPAC. Boss Alex Chesterman, founder of LoveFilm [...]
Slave to the algo: facial recognition and fraud in a Covid-19 world February 19, 2021 “There will come a time when it isn’t, ‘they’re spying on me through my phone’ anymore. Eventually, it will be, ‘my phone is spying on me’.” American author, Philip K. Dick, warned us about the rapid advancement of technology. Incredibly, this warning was given long before his death in 1982, when mobile phones were the [...]
Australian Facebook ban: A political gamble gone terribly wrong February 19, 2021 This week, Google and Facebook took two different approaches toward Australian policy changes that would force the tech giants to pay for linked news content on their platforms. Google announced a long-term deal with News Corp, Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Facebook, meanwhile, called the Australian government’s bluff and abruptly blocked Australian users from sharing or [...]