Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
Coronavirus: Latest updates on lockdowns, vaccines and Covid mutations around the world January 4, 2021 Countries around the world continue to grapple with rising coronavirus rates, as two new mutations of the virus have sparked calls for fresh restrictions across the globe. German politicians have called for a three-week lockdown extension, as current measures fail to stem ballooning cases across the country. Tight restrictions in place including the closure of [...]
National lockdown looms as teachers go head-to-head with government January 4, 2021 Ministers have refused to rule out a third national lockdown in England, as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations surge beyond numbers seen in the peak of the first wave. Health secretary Matt Hancock said this morning that the new strain of coronavirus was spreading rapidly across the country. “We can’t rule anything out,” he told Sky [...]
UK begins rollout of Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine January 4, 2021 The UK will today begin Covid-19 vaccinations using the vaccine developed by Astrazeneca and the University of Oxford. Britain last week became the first country in the world to authorise the use of the vaccine after it was given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The government has secured [...]
UK records 55,000 new Covid-19 cases as death toll passes 75,000 January 3, 2021 The UK has recorded almost 55,000 new daily Covid-19 cases as the total death toll from the virus passed 75,000. Another 54,990 coronavirus cases were reported today, marking the sixth day running that the total has exceeded 50,000. A further 454 people died, according to government data, taking the death toll to 75,024. Britain is [...]
Keir Starmer calls for full national lockdown within 24 hours January 3, 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to announce a full national lockdown in the next 24 hours. The leader of the opposition said the Covid-19 pandemic was “clearly out of control” and urged the prime minister to act immediately. “There’s no good the PM hinting that further restrictions are coming in [...]
Labour MP Jo Stevens in hospital with Covid-19 January 3, 2021 Labour’s shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens is being treated in hospital for Covid-19. A statement posted on the Cardiff Central MP’s Twitter account read: “Jo has asked us to let you know that she is being treated in hospital for Covid. “Thanks for all your good wishes we will give an update when we can.” [...]
Sunday Talk: Mark Ridley, CEO of real estate giant Savills January 2, 2021 In a wide-ranging interview, City A.M. discusses fundraising challenges, Brexit and the shift to home working with Mark Ridley, who has been the group CEO of Savills since 2019, the London-based, LSE-listed real estate services giant which had a revenue of £1.93bn in 2019 and currently employs around 40,000 people in the UK and across Europe. The [...]
‘I relive pandemic rather than endure lasting Brexit damage,’ says Pimlico Plumbers founder January 2, 2021 With 2020 done and dusted, the coronavirus pandemic caused havoc and helped to put last year down in the history books for the wrong reasons, London’s most famous plumber, Pimlico Plumbers’ founder and CEO Charlie Mullins, told City A.M. “Having said that, I would relive this current crisis rather than endure the lasting damage that we [...]
BioNTech founders warn of vaccine supply gaps -Spiegel January 1, 2021 By Douglas Busvine BERLIN (Reuters) – BioNTech is working flat out with partner Pfizer to boost production of their COVID-19 vaccine, its founders said, warning there would be gaps in supply until other vaccines were rolled out. The German biotech startup has led the vaccine race but its shot has been slow to arrive in [...]