UK steers clear of cash during pandemic, choosing Covid-friendly contactless June 16, 2021 The pandemic has accelerated the decline of cash, as new analysis reveals that the number of UK consumers paying with cash plummeted 35 per cent in 2020. Amid coronavirus restrictions to reduce contact between people, the number of UK payments made using cash plummeted by 35 per cent in 2020 compared with the previous year, [...]
Covid jab rollout slows due to Pfizer shortage, as reopening delayed to vaccinate more people June 16, 2021 Supply shortages of the Pfizer vaccine have forced the NHS to slow down its Covid jab rollout, despite the government delaying “Freedom Day” by four weeks in order to accelerate the vaccination programme. Just 1.2 million first doses were dispensed in the last week, compared with more than three million a week in March. The [...]
Covid vaccines to become compulsory for care home staff in England June 16, 2021 Boris Johnson is backing compulsory vaccine measures, while ministers consider extending them to all NHS staff. Coronavirus vaccinations are to be legally required for care home staff who work with elderly and vulnerable people, under plans to be announced by ministers today. The government is also considering extending the policy to all NHS staff – [...]
Breakthrough: UK researchers find new Covid-19 treatment that injects ‘artificial’ antibodies June 16, 2021 Oxford-based medical researchers have found a new treatment that has managed to reduce death among patients admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19. The idea is to inject these artificial antibodies so they bind to the virus in a bid to stop the infection in its tracks. The therapy uses two artificial antibodies, these are generated [...]
Prime minister calls harassment of BBC journalist Nick Watt ‘disgraceful’ June 15, 2021 Footage posted on social media showed anti-lockdown protesters verbally abusing and chasing Nick Watt, the political editor of BBC Newsnight, near Downing Street on Monday. On Twitter, the prime minister said: “Disgraceful to see the hounding of Nick Watt doing his job.” “The media must be able to report the facts without fear or favour – [...]
All adults in England will be able to book Covid-19 vaccine ‘by end of this week’ June 15, 2021 NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has revealed that all over-18s should be able to book their Covid-19 jab “by the end of this week.” “I expect that by the end of this week, we’ll be able to open up the National Booking Service to all adults age 18 and above,” Stevens said, adding that [...]
Coronavirus lockdowns turn UK’s Mindful Chef profitable June 15, 2021 The healthy recipe box service has been a pandemic winner, with locked-down customers driving sales up threefold to £53m last year. Mindful Chef today reported it is profitable for the first time, with 2020 sales figures up 230 per cent on 2019, buoyed by the pandemic shift to online food delivery. Customers for the Nestle [...]
Staff crisis in hospitality: Act now or risk being the next France June 15, 2021 The hospitality sector is in the midst of a staff crisis. We always knew that staffing would be a challenge with full reopening post-Covid, that not everybody would return to work after furlough. Many of our French and Italian staff went back home during lockdown and had decided not to return to the UK or [...]
Morgan Stanley boss: Eating out? Then you can come in to the office June 15, 2021 Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman sent a strong message to staff in the US who are reluctant to return to their desks, saying, “If you can go into a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office.” “By Labor Day, I’ll be very disappointed if people haven’t found their way into [...]
Michael Gove says only ‘unprecedented and remarkable’ Covid-19 change would delay 19 July ‘terminus date’ June 15, 2021 Michael Gove said 19 July is the absolute “terminus date” for ending England’s remaining coronavirus restrictions, and only an “unprecedented and remarkable” change would push it back further. The Cabinet Office minister’s comments came the morning after Boris Johnson announced a delay of four weeks to so-called “Freedom Day”, the fourth and final step of [...]