EU regulator to investigate Covid vaccines after blood clot deaths March 12, 2021 The EU’s drugs regulator has launched an in investigation into whether any of the three vaccines approved in the bloc may be linked to a blood clotting deficiency, after several blood clot-related deaths were reported in various countries. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced today that several cases of immune thrombocytopenia — a lack of platelets [...]
London records drop in coronavirus prevalence as infection rate holds steady March 12, 2021 The percentage of Londoners testing positive for coronavirus has fallen in the past week, latest official figures showed, as Covid cases continue to decline across the country. The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest infection survey estimated that the proportion of people in the capital testing positive for coronavirus fell to 0.3 per cent last [...]
Thailand joins Nordic countries in halting Astrazeneca vaccine rollout March 12, 2021 Thailand has joined a list of countries in delaying the rollout of the Astrazeneca vaccine over reports of blood clots among patients, as scepticism over the Oxford vaccine continues to spread across the globe. Denmark, Iceland and Norway suspended vaccinations using the Astrazeneca jab yesterday during an investigation into a blood clot-related death of a patient in [...]
Analysts: UK economy ‘like a punchdrunk boxer hanging off the ropes’ March 12, 2021 UK’s GDP shrank by 2.9 per cent in January, it was announced this morning, blowing a “cold snap” through the UK economy as a third national lockdown was imposed. Analysts were torn as to whether the harsh fall is a glass of cold water to the face, or better than what was forecast. January’s figures [...]
UK’s Covid-19 death toll passes 125,000 March 11, 2021 The UK’s official Covid-19 death toll passed 125,000 today, according to data from Public Health England.
EU regulator approves Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot Covid vaccine March 11, 2021 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has authorised Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot coronavirus vaccine, in a major boost for the EU’s vaccine portfolio amid ongoing shortage disputes. The EU medicines regulator today announced its recommendation for the J&J vaccine to be used in all over-18s “after a thorough evaluation” of data found the jab met the [...]
EU extends vaccine exports checks by three months amid Astrazeneca row March 11, 2021 The European Commission has extended export controls on Covid vaccines until the end of June, amid an ongoing row with the UK over “vaccine nationalism”. The export authorisation scheme was introduced in January amidst a separate dispute over low supplies of the Astrazeneca jab within the EU. The scheme, which was originally intended to run [...]
UK to receive extra 10m vaccine doses as rollout accelerates March 11, 2021 Up to 10m extra vaccine doses are set to be made available to the UK within the following days, as ministers look to accelerate the nation’s largest ever vaccination programme. More than 22.8m people have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine so far, including all top four priority groups. Overall vaccine numbers have [...]
Kent Covid variant could be twice as deadly as previous strains, report suggests March 10, 2021 The Kent coronavirus variant could be twice as deadly as previous Covid strains, analysis of more than 100,000 infections has suggested. Research published today in the British Medical Journal showed that the Kent mutation, which is now the dominant strain of coronavirus in the UK, may be around 64 per cent more lethal compared to [...]
Nightingale Hospitals were meant to save us, but the £500m idea was dead on arrival March 10, 2021 NHS England announced yesterday that four out of seven Nightingale Hospitals will shut permanently from next month as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations continue to decline. The remaining three, including the site at London’s Excel Centre, will remain open as vaccination centres. The temporary hospitals were swiftly erected in just two weeks last March to deal [...]