Clinically at-risk Britons won't shield when Covid curbs are lifted.
More than two million clinically vulnerable Britons will be warned to limit social contact when Covid restrictions are lifted on July 19.
Ministers are to issue advice in the coming days to the millions who 'shielded' at home during the first lockdown last year.
Sources said the advice would 'set out the risks' involved in exploiting the new freedoms – but would not tell them to stay at home.
'There were so many downsides to shielding, such as isolation, and the vaccine programme means we are in a very different situation to last year,' a source said.
'But it is right to remind the most vulnerable that there are still risks.'
All clinically vulnerable people have been offered two vaccine doses which slashes their risk of serious illness.
But health minister Lord Bethell yesterday acknowledged that the Government was 'to a certain extent walking into the unknown' by lifting all restrictions on July 19 at a time when cases are soaring.
He also said some with weak immune systems may be feeling 'left behind'.
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Brinton said any advice to the clinically vulnerable should be issued 'extremely urgently', adding: 'They may be planning to mix with people, or perhaps even go on holiday.'
Lord Bethell said: 'If you are at home and your immune system does not work as well as other people's, and you see the rest of the country opening up, you will feel extremely uncomfortable, as though the world has moved on and that you have perhaps been left behind.
'On an emotional level, I completely sympathise with that.'
Lord Bethell acknowledged the need for 'clear advice' but said it would have to be 'tailored' to reflect people's individual conditions.
Delta variant is reinfecting people who have already had Covid-19
People who have previously caught Covid are now more likely to be reinfected because of the delta variant, a study has found.
Laboratory analysis revealed that the mutation that originated in India is four times more able to overcome protective antibodies from a previous infection compared to the UK’s alpha variant.
The study also found that a single dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines provided just 10 per cent protection against the delta variant.
The variant was already thought to be up to 60 per cent more infectious than the version which swept the UK last winter.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, help explain why the virus is spreading so quickly, particularly among younger adults, fewer of whom are double-vaccinated.
UK cases rise by 32,551 and 35 hospital deaths
Bookings for flights to amber list countries up by 400% after no-quarantine announcement.
Covid-19 vaccine rates plummet as roll-out hits young and hard-to-reach
The Covid-19 vaccination programme is hitting a “demand ceiling” as the daily numbers of people getting their first jab has almost halved in the last fortnight.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @renatew5😺🐶 @roz @margaret.s @Flossy 🧁🧁🧁 @Flotson @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 and any one interested.
Full list of COVID Omicron XE symptoms as 600 new variant cases detected in UK
More than 600 people have tested positive for a brand new coronavirus sub-variant that has swept through the UK. The COVID Omicron XE variant has mutated from the Omicron variant yet the symptoms are allegedly slightly different.
When the Omicron variant was first detected, it was found to be more easily transmissible than the previous variants, including Delta. This latest variant, Omicron XE, is thought to be more like a cold with runny noses and sneezing being the most commonly reported symptoms as well as a sore throat.
In the beginning, there were three main symptoms to be aware of for COVID - a new, or continuous cough, fever or a loss of smell. COVID XE was first identified in mid-January with more than 600 cases reported across the UK so far.
What are the new symptoms of COVID XE?
The new variant COVID XE is a mutation of the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 strains - and is referred to as a "recombinant". The most likely symptoms are:
Colds
Coughs
Running nose
Sore throat
As COVID variants meet they multiply and evolve by sharing their genome or characteristics, therefore ending up with a recombinant. However, the virus is more likely to spread as it has reported to be 10% more transmissible than other strains.
Meanwhile, the most recent data from UK public health officials finds that the new strain only accounts for 1% of cases in Britain. Thankfully, health bosses do not believe this variant is more severe than its predecessors with the vaccine holding up the barrier against the virus successfully.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), early tests indicated XE is around 10% more transmissible - but the body has added the findings need more investigation. The WHO report published last week said: "Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10% as compared to BA.2, however this finding requires further confirmation.
Another new variant of coronavirus initially detected in Finland last month appears to be spreading with reports of more cases found in two more countries. The 'XJ' variant has seen two strains of the virus combine.
It has caused mutations which can allow the disease to spread more easily and more quickly - evading vaccines and immunity or casing more serious disease. But experts say there is no evidence that XJ is more dangerous at this stage.
Omicron XE has recently been detected in the UK with hundreds of cases. Now a new strain is being reported in Europe and Asia,
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz and anyone interested
Vulnerable coronavirus patients getting at-home treatment which improves symptoms 'within hours'
More than 32,000 vulnerable COVID patients in England have been treated with "cutting-edge" antiviral drugs which improve symptoms "within hours", the NHS has said.
The health service has procured nearly five million doses of Pfizer's Paxlovid and other antivirals, such as Molnupiravir, via a deal struck by the government.
Paxlovid was found in trials to cut coronavirus hospital admissions and deaths by 88% and has been given to more than 6,000 patients already - 1,400 in the last seven days alone.
Molnupiravir, which clinical trials suggest reduces the risk of hospital admission or death by 30%, was approved in November 2021 and has been used as an at-home treatment since December.
'I was back at work in four days'
Helen West, 56, from Walderslade, Kent, was given Paxlovid after testing positive for COVID and said she felt the difference in less than six hours.
She had initially declined the drug, as she "didn't feel too bad".
She added: "I had initially felt fine, just a bit tired, but two days in I had an extremely sore throat, to the point where I couldn't swallow or talk, and I could barely walk."
Ms West has ankylosing spondylitis, a rare long-term condition in which the spine and other parts of the body become inflamed, painful, and stiff, requiring her to take medication that suppresses her immune system.
As her joints became painful, she changed her mind and phoned the hospital to request it.
"The process was so quick and efficient," she said.
"Within six hours of taking the first tablet, I felt a very slight improvement. After four days, I was back to work.
"COVID hit me hard, but Paxlovid really made a positive difference to my recovery."
The drugs are being used to treat those identified to be at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID or of being admitted to hospital, in line with government guidance.
The treatment stops the virus from multiplying in cells, helping patients to fight the infection and get better, faster.
They are currently only being prescribed by clinicians on a case-by-case basis, but the health secretary says others might be eligible as part of a trial.
Sajid Javid said: "Both of our groundbreaking antivirals - Molnupiravir and Paxlovid - are available to those most vulnerable to the virus directly through the NHS, and it's fantastic to see 32,000 patients reaping the benefits.
"For anyone not in this high-risk group, if you're aged 50 and over or 18 to 49 with an underlying health condition and test positive, you can sign up to the PANORAMIC study to potentially access this treatment too."
@nabob @harryflatters @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz and anyone interested
Every morning I switch on the laptop and look at my mail box. Nothing special there, a few special offers from Amazon and some garden centres and of course the "Notifications" from the Justwannachat forum and dear members, is there nothing else to discuss as COVID and the war in the Ukraine. With regards to Covid and anything else concerning NHS and health issues, there is nothing we really can do about. As our darling Boris says, we just have to live with it. The war, again we are doing our best to help in anyway we can, seeing that dropping a large bomb on the Kremlin is out of the question. That is my opinion and I shall now switch of the 'Notifications.'
Critical incident declared at Portsmouth NHS trust hours after South Central Ambulance Service makes same move
The trust have said their "immediate priority is to ensure there are beds available to admit our most seriously ill patients".
A hospital trust has declared a "critical incident" due to "extreme pressures" its services are facing.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS trust said "increasingly challenging staffing positions as a result of sickness" has led to the trust declaring a critical incident.
In a statement, they said: "Our beds are full and our Emergency Department remains full with patients requiring admission.
"We have limited space to treat emergency patients and we are only able to treat patients with life threatening conditions and injuries.
"Please do not attend the ED unless it's an emergency."
They added non-emergency attendances will not be seen and will instead be redirected to the Urgent Treatment Centres at St Mary's Hospital, Gosport and Petersfield.
The move comes just hours after a major ambulance trust has declared a "critical incident" due to "extreme pressures" it's facing on its services.
South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which operates across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, said its staff are continuing to "work extremely hard" to manage the situation.
A critical incident is usually declared when an organisation's services are disrupted so much they are no longer able to operate as normal, meaning special requirements have to be implemented.
Announcing the situation in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the trust said: "SCAS has tonight declared a critical incident due to extreme pressures across our services.
"Our staff are working extremely hard to respond to calls and manage the situation and we continue to prioritise those patients with life-threatening injuries and illnesses."
It added that it is now only able to focus its resources on "those patients most in need" and the situation "communicated the pressures" it is under.
What to do if you need an ambulance?
People in need of non-urgent care have been told they could be instructed to make their own way to hospital to receive treatment, South Central Ambulance Service said.
On Twitter, the trust added: "If your situation is not a life-threatening or serious emergency then we will discuss your needs and provide advice."
Yesterday, six hospital trusts across West Yorkshire and Harrogate warned of long A&E waiting times, with some patients waiting up to 12 hours to be treated.
The West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), which is the official name of the trusts, also urged people to only attend A&E departments in "genuine, life-threatening situations".
COVID case rates in England reach highest level ever
It comes as the prevalence of COVID-19 across England reaches an all-time high and experts warn there could be an increase in the number of hospital admissions.
Results from the final influential React-1 study by Imperial College London found the two variants of Omicron - BA.1 and BA.2 - have caused twin peaks in the pandemic - one in January, and another in March.
It also showed about one in 16 people were infected between the 8 and 31 of March and the highest rates of infection were in primary school-aged children and those over 55.
According to the study, the "high and increasing prevalence in older adults may increase hospitalisations and deaths despite high levels of vaccination".
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @Tanith and anyone interested
Nine new symptoms added to COVID list as free testing ends
The official list of COVID-19 symptoms has been expanded to include nine new signs of the disease including headaches, diarrhoea and a blocked nose.
The list has been updated as COVID infection levels hit a record high in the UK, with almost five million people estimated to be currently infected.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist of the Zoe COVID-19 symptom tracker app, has said updating the symptoms list is overdue and could help reduce infections.
The extension comes just days after the government ended the offer of free universal COVID-19 tests.
The new symptoms have been added to the NHS website, alongside the three traditional symptoms of a fever, a new and persistent cough, and a loss or change in taste or smell.
According to the NHS the signs of COVID-19 that people should look out for also include:
shortness of breath;
feeling tired or exhausted;
an aching body;
a headache;
a sore throat;
a blocked or runny nose;
loss of appetite;
diarrhoea;
feeling sick or being sick.
A note on the NHS website adds: "The symptoms are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses, such as colds and flu."
On Friday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said some 4.9 million people in the UK are estimated to have had COVID-19 in the week ending 26 March, up from 4.3 million in the previous week.
@nabob @harryflatters @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 and anyone interested
I think, @harryflatters, that asking me not to do too much is rather redundant! I am about to paint my nails, if that counts.....
The Yeti went to be fixed after my close encounter with a car park in Bath and came back screeching when reverse gear was engaged. The little sensors in the rear bumper had disappeared inside the bumper, so they were talking to the inside of the plastic! Have filed a complaint and making them pay a local bloke to fix it. I'm fed up with hospitals, garages etc saying "just pop it down to us" when it's a 100 mile round trip!
Does anyone else have Naked Wines? They are good and generous. Mentioned my kidney in the hope that someone else will do the same and they sent me a bottle off good stuff!
Ah... C-19 begone! Another delivery from Naked Wines had just arrived! @harryflatters
Oh I hope its not too long before you feel better @nabob but good to hear Mr nabob is on the mend. This awful thing is not going away anytime soon is it? 😒
COVID-19 cases in UK soar by around a million in a week, data from ONS shows
The number of COVID-19 infections soared to 4.26 million in the seven days to 19 March, according to published figures - up 29.7% on the week before.
This is just short of the 4.3 million in the first week of 2022, which was the highest total since estimates began.
Over the week, cases of coronavirus rose to near record levels in England, while they have reached an all-time high in both Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland is the only nation where infections are thought to have fallen, with levels declining for two weeks in a row.
Meanwhile, separate data showed the estimated range of England's COVID-19 reproduction or R number held steady at between 1.1 and 1.4, the UK Health Security Agency said.
It means that for every 10 people with the virus, they will on average infect between 11 and 14 others.
Although the estimate was unchanged from the previous week, the daily growth of infections was put at +3% to +6% compared to a previous estimated range of +2% to +6%.
The sharp rise in cases across much of the UK is due to the Omicron BA.2 variant, a more transmissible form of Omicron, the ONS said.
The latest data will be seen as further evidence that COVID-19 is rapidly becoming more prevalent in the UK with the lifting of legal restrictions and comes as the number of people in hospital with the virus continues to increase.
In England, around one in 15 people in private households are estimated to have had COVID in the week to 19 March, or 3.5 million people - up from one in 20, or 2.7 million people, in the week to 12 March.
In Wales, the estimate is up from 125,400 people, or one in 25, to 192,900 people, or one in 16.
Scotland has seen infection levels rise for eight weeks in a row and they have now reached a new record high, with nearly half a million people (473,800) estimated to have had COVID-19 last week, or around one in 11.
This is up from 376,300 people, or one in 14, the previous week.
In Northern Ireland 108,700 people were likely to have had COVID-19 last week, or one in 17 people - down from 130,600 people, or one in 14.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @roz and anyone interested
Sorry to hear @nabob that Mr has caught it. Hope he recovers soon. Re sore throat, normally not C19 related, but don't over rely on the LFT either, not always accurate, and sometimes the second line can be very faint @harryflatters and @nabob. Found using it first thing in the morning works better.
@harryflatters there's a lot of it about, if it's not COVID. Thank you, hope you are feeling better soon too!
[@Happygirl] @harryflatters @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @renatew5😺🐶 and anyone.. Unfortunately Mr nabob has caught COVID. We think he picked it up from his sick father when visiting him. Mr nabob hasn't been anywhere else and I was always acutely aware that that was the weakest link so to speak. He's coping well at the moment, considering. I have been wearing a mask around the house, but for the last few days I've had a vicious sore throat but negative results. That's scuppered our plans for us to visit Mum on Sunday. 😞
Large number of Covid-19 patients ‘seriously unwell’ in hospital, top GP warns
Large numbers of people are “seriously unwell” in hospital with Covid so it remains vital that those most at risk come forward when they are invited to do so, NHS England’s top GP has warned.
Dr Nikki Kanani said health chiefs are expecting high uptake of spring boosters among people aged 75 and over after 4.5 million of them got their top up jab over autumn and winter. This age group and those who are immunosuppressed will be able to book from 7am on Monday.
The booster will be made available to around five million people, with 600,000 expected to receive invitations in the first week. Local NHS teams will also be contacting care homes to arrange the jab for people who are eligible and have been invited. The move comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the spring top-up as a precautionary measure.
The NHS said it has recruited additional call handlers for the 119 service to help people book their vaccine appointments, while hundreds of sites including community pharmacies, vaccination centres and hospital hubs will administering the booster. Some 14,671 people are in hospital with Covid-19 latest UK figures show, a rise of more than 2,500 in a week.
Dr Kanani, Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England and deputy SRO for the NHS Covid Vaccination Programme, said: “Sadly, we are still seeing large numbers of people seriously unwell in hospital with Covid so it remains vital that those most at risk come forward when they are invited to do so.
“The response so far from the public to the largest and most successful vaccination programme in NHS history has been incredible, with more than nine in 10 people aged 75 and over getting their initial booster. The NHS Covid vaccination programme is once again ready to get people protected, so when you are invited please do come forward for your spring dose.”
Recent research from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimated just over 157,000 hospitalisations had been avoided through the vaccination programme since December. But the NHS said hospitals had still treated over 100,000 since the start of the Omicron wave.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Spring boosters will help top up the immunity of the elderly and the most vulnerable to ensure they are protected and will help us continue to live with this virus. Thanks to the NHS for rising to the challenge yet again to get people boosted. Please come forward as soon as you are contacted.”
The NHS said it will invite people to arrange a jab through the national booking service, which can be accessed online at nhs.uk/covidvaccine or by calling 119, when it is their turn.
Warnings issued over spread of 'Stealth Omicron' as Dr Jenny Harries says pandemic is 'not over'
Nicknamed 'Stealth Omicron', it is a highly contagious sub-variant of Omicron which is more difficult to differentiate from other variants with a PCR test. Officially named BA.2, it is the latest variant confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
While cases have fallen significantly since the original wave of Omicron, infections are now starting to rise in people aged 55 and older. Dr Harries, the chief executive of the UKHSA, has said that we can expect Covid to circulate at 'high levels'.
Researchers have suggested that increased infections could be due to more mixing since restrictions were eased, as well as the waning effectiveness of boosters, Hull Live reports.
Dr Harries said:"Vaccination remains the best way to protect us all from severe disease and hospitalisation due to Covid-19 infection. We urge you to come forward for your primary or booster doses straight away if you have not already done so."
Professor Paul Elliot, director of Imperial College London's React programme, has said that the numbers could indicate that infections are beginning to rise again in England, but that it is not clear as to how high they will go. When he was asked whether the increase of BA.2 cases could lead to a surge in new cases, Prof Elliott said that the data needed to be tracked carefully.
"So I think what we say in our paper is that we really need to be monitoring closely the infection data through surveys, such as React, and we need to monitor the hospitalisations. At the moment, we're possibly seeing the beginning of an uptick, but we don’t know where it’s going to go."
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith @roz @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 and anyone interested
I think that the age should be lower than 75! It would be good if we could all opt in if we want to! [@Happygirl]
Spring booster jabs to be offered to millions of vulnerable people in England
The NHS says coronavirus booster vaccine jabs for millions of people in England will begin to be offered this week.
Millions of vulnerable people in England will be offered a fourth COVID vaccine in a bid to top up protection against the coronavirus.
Spring booster jabs will be available to care home residents, people who are 75 and over, and the immunosuppressed aged 12 and over.
A total of around five million people are expected to be given the jab, with around 600,000 invited to book their dose this week, the NHS says.
Eligible adults will be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, with any eligible people aged between 12 and 18 offered the Pfizer vaccine.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Our phenomenal vaccination programme has saved countless lives and built a wall of defence which has allowed us to learn to live with COVID.
Following the massive success of the rollout so far, we are now offering over-75s and the most vulnerable a spring booster dose to top up their protection against this virus."
The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme will contact people when it is their turn to be vaccinated again and, once they have an invitation, they will be able to book their appointment through the National Booking System either online or by calling NHS 119.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @renatew5😺🐶 @Tanith @Flotson @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @duchess and anyone interested
Yes @harryflatters it may kill some viruses, but not all! Due to the skin, that has many tiny crevices in the grooves and pores. So it's effective to a degree, as there are "envelope" and "non envelope" viruses. It's a good alternative option if no soap and water to hand. In saying that, after some research hand sanitiser has also got many other benefits too.
[@Happygirl] not surprising really. 😞
COVID: Number of people with the virus in UK rose to 1 in 21 last week - as England's R number stands above 1
The number of people with COVID in the UK rose to around 1 in 21 last week, or 3.28 million people, the latest ONS figures show.
In England, around one in 20 in private households are thought to have the virus in the week to 12 March - or 2.7 million people.
That was up from 1 in 25, or 2.1 million people, recorded for the previous week to 5 March.
The ONS said hospital admissions for children under the age of 15 were more than double the peak recorded in the week ending 17 January last year.
England's COVID R number currently stands between at 1.1 to 1.4 - compared to last week's estimate of 0.8 to 1.1.
An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 11 and 14 other people.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @harryflatters @Tanith @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 and anyone interested
And also I have no intention of leaving the UK for now [@Happygirl], I read somewhere to give it another couple of years from now to be ok to travel again. We'll see...
Unfortunately we have to get back to normal somehow [@Happygirl] and just get on with it. Our body, immune system will adapt, like it always has. I barely use hand sanitiser as it's only antibacterial not antiviral, so it only cleans hands between washing, water and soap will always be the best option.
Remaining COVID restrictions for travel to UK scrapped despite rising coronavirus cases
A range of "contingency measures" will be kept in reserve so ministers can take "swift and proportionate action" if needed to tackle new variants, according to the Department for Transport.
It is understood that these include targeted testing from a country where a new variant has been detected.
The plans would only be enacted "in extreme circumstances", the department said.
Previously only fully vaccinated people were able to enter the UK without the need for tests.
All arrivals were also required to fill in a passenger locator form within 72 hours of travel, sharing their address, phone number, passport and flight details.
The forms were launched two years ago, when arrivals had to quarantine at home, to help check if travellers were following the rules.
'Greater freedom ahead of Easter' despite rising COVID cases
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "I said we wouldn't keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we're delivering on today - providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays."
Aviation minister Robert Courts said the lifting of restrictions was due to "sacrifices made by the whole country", adding that he hopes to "never see a day" when the rules are re-introduced.
The decision was made despite rising COVID-19 cases in all four UK nations since the end of January, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Infections in the UK have risen by 43.9% in the last seven days, with another 534,747 people testing positive.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus has increased 22% in the last week - a total of 11,580 patients in the last seven days.
In England hospital admissions remain well below the peaks reached during the Omicron and previous waves, while in Scotland the figure was close to the record peak seen in January last year, according to data from ZOE and King's College London.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the lifting of travel restrictions was possible due to the success of the vaccine rollout and said the government would continue to monitor potential new variants.
Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK - the industry body representing UK carriers, welcomed the changes, saying "the time to return to the skies is now".
"People want to go away, and there is a real air of positivity within the sector now," he said.
Derek Jones, chief executive of Kuoni, a tourism company, said: "The removal of all travel restrictions is the final game-changer - people can now go on holiday or visit family and friends overseas without all of the stress that comes with testing before they return home.
"Finally, we've seen the back of the unpopular and ineffective passenger locator forms, which were always a hassle to complete.
"Travel has been in turmoil for two years but now it's back."
He said bookings have risen in the last few months for destinations like the Maldives, Mauritius, the Caribbean and Europe.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @Tanith @harryflatters and anyone interested
No [@Happygirl] you've never mocket me.
UK Covid wave grows on all fronts as another 91,000 test positive
The UK's Covid outbreak continued to rebound today as daily cases, hospital admissions and deaths all rose.
Another 91,345 Britons were diagnosed with the virus over the past 24 hours, Government dashboard data shows, up by a third in a week.
The surge in cases over the past fortnight coincides with the rise of a more transmissible subvariant of Omicron, which is feared to be as contagious as measles and is now dominant across the country. It also comes after all of England's restrictions were ditched on February 24.
There were also another 153 virus deaths today, a rise of a quarter compared to last Wednesday. Fatalities have barely budged since the start of the month, although it takes weeks for them to filter through.
Latest hospital data shows there were 1,541 Covid admissions on March 12, marking a 29 per cent increase on the previous week.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
I see what's happening @roz, at the bottom right there's a volume 🔊 simbolo, tap on that and it will work, i have just tried it.
It's because the jab has weakened their immune system, it's also been released somewhere that's it's not a vaccine but a gene therapy and sadly still under experimental study,
Covid hospital admissions rising across the UK ‘due to waning immunity among older people’
Waning immunity from booster shots among the elderly and vulnerable is likely to be behind a sudden uptick in hospital admissions of people with Covid over the past week, public health officials believe.
Hospitalisations are rising in all seven English NHS regions, Scotland and Wales, after a period of decline since the start of January.
In south west England, admissions are higher than they were at the peak of the Omicron wave in January. Other areas that are seeing an increase are still well below their January peak, however.
While details are yet to be confirmed, most of those being admitted are older patients, a source involved in the government’s pandemic response said.
Public health experts and scientists do not believe a new variant is behind the rise, with nothing unusual detected in analysis of samples. While a new variant is expected at some point, “right now it’s still Omicron’s pandemic,” one scientist said.
The increase in hospital admissions will fuel calls for the government’s rollout of a fourth Covid vaccine for the over-75s and clinically vulnerable, currently planned to start in early April, to be brought forward.
The spring dose is supposed to be six months after an individual’s third jab, although some of them will be due this month as they had their booster shots in September.
The figures will also cast doubt on the Government’s “living with Covid” strategy, under which mass testing is being phased out by 1 April and people are no longer required under law to self-isolate if they test positive.
The rise in admissions has not followed, as would normally be expected, a rise in cases – suggesting a decline in people taking lateral flow tests. However, reported cases are now also on the rise, with 61,900 reported on Tuesday, the highest daily figure for a month.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Flossy 🍰🍰🍰 @roz and anyone interested
UK's Covid cases soar 40% in first week after No10's 'Freedom Day'
Government dashboard data shows another 44,740 infections were logged over the last 24 hours, a surge on the 31,933 recorded last Friday. It is the biggest week-on-week for two months, since the Omicron wave was starting to peak, and marks the third day in a row that cases have risen week-on-week.
Meanwhile, hospitalisations are also creeping up. Latest UK-wide admission data shows 12 per cent more infected people required NHS care on February 28 (1,316) than the week before.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Flossy @Flotson @harryflatters @Tanith @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 and anyone interested
It was kinda obvious [@Happygirl], it would happen. But it will be their mistake to do so.
Get ready to pay £5.99 for one lateral flow test at Boots
Boots will begin sales of lateral flow tests from tomorrow as ministers are warned people may soon face a choice between ‘eating or heating or paying for a test’.
Customers will be able to buy individual lateral flow tests for £5.99 or pay £17 for a pack of four, including delivery, from the high street chain – even though swabs cost pennies to be manufactured abroad.
It comes after Boris Johnson announced the end of free testing as part of his ‘living with Covid’ strategy, arguing it is time to rely on a ‘sense of responsibility towards one another’.
The price of an individual swab at Boots will be brought down to £2.50 by the time the free testing scheme is axed in April.
These tests will also be available online and in-store, alongside a bundle for two tests at £4.75 and four tests at £9.50.
The government was pressed in the Lords today to reveal how much people will be expected to pay for swabs from April 1.
What about those working with the most vulnerable people? In the statement Mr Johnson merely offered the government was working with retailers to supply tests.
‘So can they shed further light on this? Including whether reports of £3 per each individual test is accurate and whether the price will be fixed?’
From next month, only the oldest age groups and those most vulnerable to the virus will continue to receive free symptomatic tests, while social care staff will be getting further details after March 31.
Liberal Democrat leader Lord Newby criticised the PM’s ‘lack of self-awareness’ in easing Covid-19 rules after allegedly breaking them at Downing Street parties.
He added: ‘If faced with eating or heating or paying for a Covid-19 test, it is pretty obvious what is going to be the lowest priority.
‘So we have real concerns about getting rid of free testing, especially for those who are either vulnerable or have family who are vulnerable.’
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
Totally agree, I got a nice little amount of shopping from lidl this morning @ £18.00, we're making homemade meatballs, and once frozen we'll get a few meals. I still have some LFT packs, will see if school can give me more and if they'll continue handing them out, but I have a funny feeling they won't [@Happygirl] .
Taking free testing away is 'not only reckless but dangerous'
Charities have also been warning that the end of mandatory COVID rules in England will cause "huge anxiety" to immunocompromised and disabled people. Phillip Anderson, head of policy at the MS Society, said the PM's plan "fails to give a credible explanation of how over 500,000 immunocompromised people, including some with MS, can live safely alongside the virus". He said the announcement of a further booster is welcome, but added that this will be "little comfort to those who are less protected - or not protected at all - by further vaccine doses". Mr Anderson said: "Throughout the pandemic, universal free testing has been a crucial tool, helping many vulnerable people to continue living normal lives by providing reassurance that those they are meeting do not have COVID. "Taking this away is not only reckless but dangerous, and instead of 'restoring freedom' may force vulnerable people back into isolation, with no support from the government whatsoever. "If we are to truly move forward and live with COVID, the government must ensure that friends and family of vulnerable people can get free tests, and they must improve access to antiviral treatments for those at risk."
Government's 'living with COVID' plan fails to protect vulnerable, BMA chair warns
The government's "living with COVID" strategy "fails to protect those at highest risk of harm from COVID-19, and neglects some of the most vulnerable people in society", the BMA has warned. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: "We recognise the need, after two years of the pandemic, to begin thinking about how we adjust our lives to manage living alongside COVID-19, but as the BMA has persistently said the decision to bring forward the removal of all protective measures while cases, deaths and the number of people seriously ill remain so high is premature. "Living with COVID-19 must not mean ignoring the virus all together - which in many respects the government's plan in England seems to do." He added: "Far from giving people more freedom, today's announcement is likely to cause more uncertainty and anxiety. "Crucially, it will create a two-tier system, where those who can afford to pay for testing - and indeed to self-isolate - will do so, while others will be forced to gamble on the health of themselves and others."
The next coronavirus variants "could be more severe" than Omicron and future winters will be "tricky", the government's top medical advisers have warned.
Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing, England's chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty stressed that new COVID variants may cause "significant problems" - including potentially a higher risk of hospitalisation than Omicron.
Meanwhile, England's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance added that "the virus will continue to evolve and it will probably will be quite fast for the next five years".
"One thing this virus has taught us is not to be cocky," he added.
'Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance have been notably silent of late'
British scientists and medics have written an open letter to England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, asking them to clarify the science behind potential COVID decisions. The letter, posted online, references reports that Boris Johnson plans to end free coronavirus testing and self-isolation for positive COVID cases. It says: "We ask you to clarify the scientific advice underpinning these policy decisions. We do not believe there is a solid scientific basis for the policy. "It is almost certain to increase the circulation of the virus and remove the visibility of emerging variants of concern."
Remaining restrictions in England will be scrapped on Thursday and free testing to end in April, PM reveals
Boris Johnson had hinted on Sunday that provision for free tests could not continue at their current rate due to the cost of £2bn a month.
The legal requirement for people who test positive for coronavirus to self-isolate will be removed from Thursday and free symptomatic and asymptomatic testing will end in England from 1 April, the PM has announced.
Boris Johnson confirmed the move as he unveiled his government's plan for "living with COVID" in the Commons.
The changes will be subject to approval by Parliament.
In an attempt to ensure people do not build up personal stockpiles of free lateral flow tests before the 1 April cut-off, individuals can now only order a box every three days, instead of every 24 hours.
TIMELINE OF END OF COVID RESTRICTIONS
From today:
• Guidance for staff and students in most education and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing removed
From 24 February:
• Adults and children who test positive will still be advised to self-isolate but the legal requirement will be removed
• Vaccinated contacts of positive cases will no longer be asked to test for seven days
• There will no longer be a legal requirement for close contacts who are not vaccinated to self-isolate
• Contact tracing will also come to an end
From 24 March:
• COVID provisions attached to statutory sick pay will be removed
• Wider guidance on workplace safety that been changed for COVID will be updated
From 1 April:
• Free universal testing will be scrapped and will instead be targeted at the most vulnerable
• Government officials expected the cost of a box of seven lateral flow tests to settle at around £20
• The use of voluntarily COVID status certification will also no longer be recommended
Lateral flow kits 'unavailable for delivery' after PM announcement triggers rush for free tests
The number of rapid tests available each day has been capped to 'manage demand', but the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says that more should be made available later in the day.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
The only thing, with the LFT, if ppl have to pay for it, don't think many will buy it. So I hope school will still provide it.
Queen tests positive for COVID after 'a number of cases' diagnosed within Windsor Castle
The 95-year-old monarch is said to be experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms and intends to carry out "light duties" during her recovery.
The Queen is planning to continue working at Windsor Castle after testing positive for coronavirus.
Buckingham Palace confirmed she had COVID-19 yesterday - and Sky News has been told "a number of cases have been diagnosed within the Windsor Castle team".
Boris Johnson set to unveil England's 'living with COVID' plan at news conference tonight
Self-isolation for those who test positive will be scrapped by the end of the week as the government sets out its plan for "living with COVID".
Over-80s set to get free Covid tests as they are scrapped for majority of public
Over-80s could continue to access free Covid tests once they are scrapped for most of the public, The Telegraph understands, as Boris Johnson on Monday unveils plans for the country to live with the virus.
Fourth Covid jabs for over-75s and vulnerable in coming weeks
Vulnerable people and over-75s are set to receive their fourth covid jabs in the coming weeks as Boris Johnson is set to declare Thursday is Covid Freedom Day with all curbs - including legal self-isolation - to end in England.
It has been six months since many received their last jab in late 2021.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @Tanith @harryflatters and anyone interested
My understanding is that LFTs will be available for quite a long time.
BTW [@Happygirl] hope it all goes well on the 11th and nothing to serious.
Luckily we get ours from work, so no shortage so far. But as from March, it will no longer be required to do LFT. I guess in a way we'll just have to get used to it, and try get back to normal.
Our local bus service is taking the same line and asking people to continue to wear masks. For the time being, we are going to do that and in shops as well.
'Safety our highest priority': Sainsbury's and Waitrose ask shoppers and staff to keep wearing face coverings
Mandatory wearing of face masks is being scrapped as part of the lifting of Plan B measures - with work from home guidance and COVID passports also being dropped.
Sainsbury's told Sky News it will continue to have a number of safety measures in its stores in an effort to keep customers and staff safe.
Its guidance will also apply to Argos and Habitat stores, which are part of the Sainsbury's business group.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said: "Safety remains our highest priority.
"From Thursday, we're asking our customers and colleagues in England to continue to wear a face covering in our stores if they are able to.
"In Scotland and Wales face coverings remain mandatory for those who can wear them in our stores, in line with the latest government restrictions.
"We continue to have a range of safety measures in all of our stores, including screens and sanitizing stations."
Waitrose and John Lewis are "suggesting" customers and staff should wear a face covering when inside their stores.
'We value safety of our customers'
A John Lewis spokesperson told Sky News: "We value the safety of our customers and partners and continue to follow the latest government guidelines.
"From Thursday, we'll be suggesting people wear masks in our stores, although it will be down to individuals to make a personal choice."
The relaxing of Plan B measures comes despite fresh warnings by scientists of a new wave of COVID cases.
The relaxing of Plan B measures comes despite fresh warnings by scientists of a new wave of COVID cases.
Sajid Javid issues bleak warning on new Covid variant to cause 'trouble' for UK
The minister told MPs that the Government had to "stay on top of" the virus as new strains emerge in the months and years ahead.
"It's a reminder of the importance to stay vigilant but also to stay vaccinated," he said.
"I think there likely will be a variant that will be trouble in the future."
Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would not be extending his Plan B Covid measures - which mandated Covid passes for large events and made face masks in indoor spaces compulsory - beyond January 26.
He also said he was planning to remove further rules such as self-isolation for those infected with the virus this spring.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith and anyone interested
Covid cases starting to flat-line at high levels, scientists warn.
infections appear to be flat-lining at worryingly high levels in England, experts have said.
Although rates are falling among adults, the prevalence of the virus in children is growing, according to the latest data from the UK’s React survey, run by Imperial College London.
Two-thirds of recent cases were also among those who said they had previously caught Covid, although scientists cautioned that it was hard to determine whether these were true reinfections, or a result of people still testing positive from lingering infections.
The study, which assessed 100,607 swabs between 5 and 20 January, suggests that infections peaked around the beginning of the month, when 1 in 23 people had the virus, before declining and then flattening off.
“We've seen in January a decline overall, with an R number below one,” said Professor Paul Elliot, director of the React survey. “So it got to a very high level and then has declined. But there is some indication that that decline is now plateauing.”
He pointed to the example of Delta’s spread last summer, which saw cases “bubble around … at what we thought were high levels of prevalence.
“Then we've had this massive surge in infections from Omicron and now we're at a much higher level. Are we going to see the same thing again, at a new set point for Omicron?
“We just don’t know. There’s this balance between the upward slope in the children and the downward slope in the adults … There’s this question about reinfections. The trends are a bit uncertain right now.”
The React study suggests that 4.41 per cent of the population in England had Covid between 5 and 20 January, three times higher than reported for December.
The highest prevalence was observed in those aged five to 11, at 7.81 per cent. This figure stood at 2.43 per cent for those aged 75 and over, having risen 12-fold from December, and reflected “a high level of infection among a highly vulnerable group,” the study said.
Prof Elliot said this trend was of “particular concern”. He added: “Clearly the rapid increase in Omicron infections may continue to put pressure on health services and it will be clearly important to monitor hospitalizations over the coming weeks to see if the trends we’re seeing in infections follow through into admissions.”
The authors of React said that although there was a fall in prevalence among adults towards the end of the study, rates still remain “very high”.
“Among school-aged children there has been a rise in prevalence as they returned to school in January after the end-of-year break,” they added, with around 10 per cent of under-17s testing positive by 20 January.
The latest figures from the Department for Education show that the number of children off school because of Covid-19 in England has hit record levels, with 415,000 absent from class last Thursday.
With infections so high among the young, there is the “risk that it [Covid] might now spill over from the children back into the adult group,” said Prof Elliot.
The flatlining of cases could also be fuelled by the ability of the Omicron variant to reinfect people who previously caught Covid, the scientists suggested.
According to the survey, two-thirds of people who tested positive between 5 and 20 January said they had previously been infected with Covid.
“Those with infection were 10-times more likely to have reported previous Covid-19, suggesting continued higher risk of exposure,” the authors said.
“Such individuals were more likely to be key workers (health care, social care or other key workers), to live in larger households, to have one or more children in the household and to live in the most deprived areas.”
However, Prof Elliot cautioned that the volunteers did not provide information on when they had previously caught Covid, raising the possibility that they were still testing positive for the React study from a lingering infection that was picked up in December.
It comes as a further 94,326 infections and 439 deaths were reported nationally on Tuesday, the highest toll since 24 February last year.
Cases of Omicron of the new sub-variant ‘increasing in many countries,’ warns WHO. ( stealth omicron )
Cases of a sub-variant of coronavirus first discovered at the end of last year are spreading fast around the world, the World Health Organisation has warned.
BA.2 which the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has marked as a “variant under investigation” – is a sub-lineage of the Omicron strain, BA.1, with early data suggesting it may be both more transmissible and better able to evade vaccines than previous Covid variants.
In an updated post to its website this week, the WHO said BA.2, “which differs from BA.1 in some of the mutations, including in the spike protein, is increasing in many countries”.
The agency added: “Investigations into the characteristics of BA.2, including immune escape properties and virulence, should be prioritized independently (and comparatively) to BA.1.”
BA.2 has not yet caused enough concern to be classified as a “variant of concern” – as both Omicron and Delta were – but because it is spreading in so many countries, the WHO has asked officials to monitor it closely.
As of last Friday, the new variant was already thought to be in at least 40 countries, including the UK, Denmark, Singapore, India and the US.
In the UK, some 426 cases have been detected since the new lineage was first designated in December, but this figure is likely to lag behind the latest tally reported by the genome sequencing database of the UK Covid Genomics Consortium. Although that number may seem small in comparison with the tens of thousands of daily cases of Covid-19 over the last two months, it is thought the real figure of BA.2 will be many times higher because only a fraction of infections are checked for variations.
Meanwhile, scientists in Denmark believe more than 45 per cent of all new infections in the country are now related to the new variant. WHO representatives are in Copenhagen as a result, investigating BA.2, which has been nicknamed “stealth Omicron” due to one of its key differences from the original Omicron variant.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
More than 400 cases of new Omicron sub-variant found in England
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has described Omicron BA.2 as a “variant under investigation”.
So far, 426 infections have been confirmed in England.
Early analysis suggests it may spread faster than Omicron, though scientists are not certain of this and it has not been designated a “variant of concern as of yet ”.
UKHSA said further analysis will be carried out into BA.2 to determine its characteristics and better understand how it could shape Britain’s epidemic in the weeks to come.
“It’s to be expected that we will continue to see new variants emerge,” she said. “Our continued genomic surveillance allows us to detect them and assess whether they are significant.”
“So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than Omicron BA.1, but data is limited and UKHSA continues to investigate.”
The areas with the most confirmed cases are London, with 146, and the southeast, with 97. The earliest dates to 6 December.
It is also not clear where the sub-variant first emerged, but the new strain has been reported in 40 countries, including Denmark, India, Sweden and Singapore, according to the UKHSA.
In Denmark, BA.2 has risen rapidly. It accounted for 20 per cent of all Covid cases in the last week of 2021, increasing to 45 per cent in the second week of 2022.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and I don't think it is the virus, no temperature, no aches or pains, just a dry raspy throat and the sniffles. On reflection, I have not had that kind of cold in ages (4 years ago after the flu jab). Steven must have caught it the weekend, he usually always walks but this time he used the bus without a mask and hand gel. It just shows that the drivers don't care or are afraid to get a smack in the face when the regulations are being quoted. We all know this type of low-life.
Tilly is sitting on the back of Patty's chair by the window looking for Patty, she usually does when she sees Steven and Patty going for walkies. Not only is it emotionally very draining but the cost is very draining too.
Talking about Covid, my Steven sent me an e-mail this afternoon. He sounded a bit hoarse this morning and I thought he was coming down with a cold. He said he was going to do a test when gets back home and in his e-mail he confirmed that the test was positive. I felt a bit iffy too but blamed it on the booster I have had on Sunday, otherwise I have not been out anywhere. Steven answered that it was probably he who passed on to me if it is the 'moronic' virus. He has been on the bus without a mask and hand gel. My symptoms are a niggling headache over the bridge of the nose and a dry throat, no temperature. Perhaps it is just the stress of the moment. So, Steven will stay in his flat and I don't have to go out anywhere until this coming Monday. @Happygirl
Intensive care doctor says every Covid patient currently in his hospital’s ICU is un-vaccinated
An intensive care doctor has revealed that every single coronavirus patient in his hospital’s critical care unit is un-vaccinated.
Dr David Hepburn said there were no vaccinated Covid patients in critical care at Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, as of Tuesday.
The £350 million Specialist Critical Care Centre, with 24 ICU beds, opened four months early in November 2020 to tackle soaring coronavirus cases at the time.
Dr Hepburn said the only people in the hospital’s ICU are those who have decided not get jabbed.
He told the Mail Online: “’All the Covid patients on ITU are unvaccinated at present and we’ve had several deaths this week.
‘None of them had significant comorbidities and were people you would usually expect to live another 30-plus years.”
He urged all those who had not yet got a jab to do so, saying: “Even if your risk is low of getting seriously unwell, vaccination makes a huge difference to those around you who are awaiting treatment for other conditions.
‘We all need to do what we can to help our neighbours and friends — this is reason enough in my opinion”.
However, he added that everyone should be “sympathetic” to the reasons why some are vaccine hesitant.
His comments came as nearly 20,000 Covid patients were recorded as being in hospital in the latest available data published Tuesday.
This is up 21% week-on-week, and is the highest number since February 16, 2021.
This is also just over half the 39,254 patients recorded on January 18, 2021 - at the peak of the second wave.
However, the number of Covid patients in hospital has fallen in recent days in some parts of the country, including London.
The latest data also reveals that 62.3% of the population age 12 or over have received a booster or third dose.
I also saw this too, from some one who is un-vaccinated and thought I would share it.....
'It was a big mistake': Patient in intensive care regrets being 'too lazy' to get vaccine
Jasem Nissi has woken up in a nightmare. He can't move his legs. His arms are shaking. His strength is gone.
His hand quivers over some white gauze on his neck where doctors removed the tube that had been necessary to keep him alive.
His predicament is something we saw often on television this time last year when a "tsunami of patients" (as one nurse put it) arrived at hospitals with COVID, many needing intubation to sustain their oxygen levels.
It's been a year since I first walked into the intensive care unit on the 4th floor of the Royal Free Hospital in north London and witnessed unprecedented scenes, during the second wave of the pandemic.
Things have changed. Today, the ward looks emptier. Last year they had more than 90 COVID patients in ITU and 300 in the hospital, today there are just 10 in ITU, and around 90 overall.
But the very sick seem younger than before. Mr Nissi is 48 years old and several others on the ITU ward are a similar age or younger still.
After two months of support he can just about breathe by himself, although the CT scan of his lungs show multiple threads of white fibrosis; a scarring that may never fully clear.
"I'm worried," he says. "I want to walk - but in this position I can't. My body is shaking because I'm very weak and my hand when I want to eat it's shaking and I feel very cold - freezing."
"Did you get vaccinated?" I ask.
"No - I was lazy to be honest with you. Every day I said tomorrow, tomorrow…
"It was a big mistake."
Steve Ward, the ITU consultant treating Mr Nissi tells me: "While over 80% of the population is double vaccinated, over half of patients in ITU are not. So, the risks of not being vaccinated seem to speak for themselves on the intensive care unit.
"It does (the vaccination) seem to keep you out of the intensive care unit more so, which is a benefit for that individual, but its also a benefit to other individuals you've seen today (in the hospital) - it allows beds to be available for people who are having cancer operations and other needs."
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith @harryflatters @roz and anyone interested
To put things in perspective, it took 1 year (January 2021) to get to 100,000 deaths. In the subsequent year, another 50,000 deaths (January 2022). About 30,000 people die from influenza and pneumonia each year. So we are strating to get the number of deaths down to what might be manageable.
Thanks for the information [@Happygirl] That is a lot of deaths.
Thanks for the information [@Happygirl] That's a lot of deaths, so sad.
UK reports 146,390 new COVID cases and 313 deaths
Cases are somewhat lower than the 179,637 reported last Saturday. However, they are still likely to be an underestimate due to some people not getting tested, due to lack of PCR and lateral flow tests.
UK has reached 150,000 COVID deaths
A total of 150,057 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID test have been recorded in the UK. Today's 313 deaths brought the UK to the upsetting milestone. Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 174,000 deaths registered in the UK where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith
Daily COVID statistics - another UK record for cases
The UK has recorded a further 218,724 coronavirus infections - a new daily record and the first time the figure has surpassed 200,000. However, it covers a four-day period for Northern Ireland and a two-day period for Wales. A further 48 COVID-related deaths have been recorded, official figures show. The UK-wide figures have been released after the Bank Holiday, when only England released figures for both deaths and cases. A further 141,825 people have had their booster jab - bringing the total to 34,363,986, the latest figures show. Another 19,158 people have had a first dose, making the total 51,820,652. And an extra 29,295 people have had a second dose, the total reaching 47,482,789.
University Hospitals Plymouth 'has 475 off due to COVID' and '15 ambulances waiting outside'
We have been reporting through the day on hospital trusts declaring critical incidents. One of the latest to do so is University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. Shaun Lintern of the Sunday Times has shared a tweet that shows an urgent message sent to staff of the Plymouth hospital. In a message to her colleagues, chief operating officer Jo Beer said that staff absences remained a "significant challenge". She reveals there are currently 475 staff absences due to COVID. 15 ambulances were left waiting outside the hospital as they were "no longer able to offload ambulances". The first of these tweets relates to another critical incident in Blackpool, before the Plymouth situation is outlined...
'Critical incident' declared by Wiltshire NHS trust
Kevin McNamara, chief executive of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon, said that following a "tough few days" an "internal critical incident" had been declared. It is because of "sustained high levels of demand, COVID and non-COVID, and availability of beds", Mr McNamara added. He continued: "This is causing delays to patients accessing services for which I am very sorry. "We always knew that January would be a tough month for everyone and our modelling shows that it is likely to get tougher in the next few weeks. "Our teams are working hard to provide care to those that need it and we are of course working closely with partners seeking support. "Our COVID-19 inpatient numbers are currently 67 patients confirmed or suspected - an 81% increase from 37 on Christmas Eve." We have been reporting a steady stream of trusts in England declaring critical incidents throughout the day.
Blackpool NHS trust declares critical incident
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has become the latest NHS trust to declare an internal critical incident. Chief operating officer Natalie Hudson said: "Because of the pressures the trust is under, we have made the decision to declare an internal critical incident which means staff across the trust will be working together today to take actions immediately to attempt to alleviate the pressure we are under including stepping down some non-urgent activity." She said the trust is "currently seeing very high demand for our services" and "long waits" in emergency departments and urgent care. The hospital is having trouble discharging patients who are medically fit to leave due to issues like the availability of social care, with "high levels of bed occupancy" exacerbated by rising COVID cases, she said. She said infections are having a "significant impact on staff absence rates across the organisation". She said the trust is working across the Fylde Coast to "ensure care packages and support are provided as quickly as possible to aid discharge".
Javid - still no need to move beyond Plan B in England
The health secretary has perhaps pre-empted what Boris Johnson will say in his 5pm press conference. Speaking to reporters after visiting a vaccination centre in south London, Sajid Javid said: "There's nothing in data at this point that suggests that we need to move away from Plan B. "I think Plan B, implementing that, has been the right approach and also being absolutely focused on the vaccination programme." He added that "getting to over 75% of eligible adults getting boosted is fantastic" but insisted "we still need to get through to that other 25% and that can really make a difference in how this country gets through this pandemic". Mr Javid said there was no current intention to reduce the seven-day isolation period to five, saying the policy is "based on the very latest evidence" and is a "balanced, proportionate approach".
The health secretary said "around six trusts" had declared critical incidents and he is updated regularly on the "very fast-moving situation".
Asked whether the military could help to ease staff shortages, while doctors and nurses isolate, he said it is "helping already in vaccination centres across the country".
He added: "But the NHS is also widely using an emergency list of workers that has been able to develop over the pandemic so far, and then call on clinicians and others that may have retired, for example, to come back and help.
"Also the NHS Reserves Programme is something that the government set up with the NHS.
"We piloted it in six regions across England and now it's being rolled out nationally and that's helping as well."
A summary of the PM's news briefing:
The PM has concluded his news briefing after just under an hour. The big talking points were:
The PM ruling out any further measures in England and instead saying he is going to suggest to his ministers that the country continues with Plan B measures - including the mandatory wearing of face masks in some settings, working from home where possible and having to provide a vaccine passport or a negative lateral flow test to enter some venues.
The PM announcing that next week, around 100,000 critical workers - from industries including food supply and transport - will be given lateral flow tests to do daily in a bid to curb staffing pressures.
Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty saying that conversations he has had with unvaccinated COVID hospital patients have left him "rather saddened," adding: "The great majority are not anti-vaxxers with weird views."
The PM saying the NHS will move to a "war footing" in the next few weeks but that further restrictions are not yet required as the health service is "not where it was in the [last] January peak".
Vallance: No evidence Omicron has peaked in London
Nic Cecil of the Evening Standard has the final question. He asks about the COVID situation in London and whether people there should be going to pubs and clubs in the capital - he also asks whether London has "peaked" with Omicron. Professor Whitty replies by saying that "until we have had the peak in the most vulnerable" - any restrictive measures are still beneficial to everyone - including businesses suffering from low trade. "There is a need for people to be very careful still - to prioritise," he adds. On the peak in London, Sir Patrick adds that there is "no evidence it has reached the peak". He says although flattening or falling may be happening in younger age groups in London - rates are still going up in older age groups.
Boris Johnson faces Commons showdown after rejecting calls to abandon Plan B
MPs are returning to Westminster after their Christmas break and plunging straight into a potentially fiery Prime Minister's Questions and a Commons showdown over COVID-19. Immediately after the leaders' first confrontation of the New Year, Health Secretary Sajid Javid will face a lengthy and tough interrogation from MPs on the government's latest COVID strategy.
MPs will want to challenge Mr Javid on NHS staff absences, the controversial issue of masks in schools, shortages of COVID test kits, and demands from doctors and health chiefs for tougher curbs.
17 hospitals in Greater Manchester pause non-urgent surgeries as cases surge
Seventeen hospitals in Greater Manchester have paused some non-urgent surgery and appointments after coronavirus cases have "risen sharply" in the region.
The move is a "temporary measure" and will not affect cancer and urgent care - including cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and transplantation - the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said.
It comes as about 15% of staff in the region are off ill with the virus or isolating, while one in five people in some hospitals have COVID-19.
Outbreaks in an increasing number of care homes have also affected how people are discharged from hospital.
A total of 17 hospitals - including Manchester Royal Infirmary, Salford Royal and North Manchester General - have been affected.
Fiona Noden, lead for elective care in the region, said: "This has been a very difficult decision and not one that we have taken lightly, but we've done it so we can keep people safe, can maintain the very best infection control measures, can make sure we deploy staff to where they're needed most and can keep looking after people who need urgent and emergency care, including cancer treatment.
We would urge anyone with health concerns to continue to come forward for help and treatment in the usual way, using their local emergency department only for serious illnesses or injuries."
It comes as multiple hospitals across the country declared critical incidents amid warnings the NHS is "in a state of crisis".
In a letter to Health Secretary Sajid Javid, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the NHS can "ill afford" the current level of absences as it called for a "more cautious approach" to COVID restrictions in England "without further delay".
Mild disease is incorrect' Whitty sends urgent warning on how dangerous Omicron really is...
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street on Tuesday, England's Chief Medical Officer said Britons should be under no illusion that Omicron is not as dangerous as previous variants as he sought to clamp down on theories spreading about the variant.
He said: "Rates in older people look as if they are still going up, these are the people which are much more likely to be hospitalized.
"The thing which is much more likely to reduce that... is the fact that people have got boosted."
While in a sobering warning, he added: "The idea that this is a mild disease as opposed to less likely to be hospitalized I think is easily demonstrated to be incorrect."
He stressed that anyone who is eligible "should get boosted" in a further plea to the British public to protect themselves from serious disease.
While he stressed there was a "variety of different patterns" in hospitalizations, London has been in advanced of the rest of England.
He said: "The numbers however are going up, they may be slowing, but they are still going up."
The Chief Medical Officer also stressed that the impact of mixing on New Year's Eve will not be felt until later, which he suggested could change the data.
Sir Chris also added that up to December 28, the majority of people that were admitted to hospital and have COVID-19 will "have COVID as their primary reason for admission".
But he added for a "significant minority" that is not the case, where they instead contract COVID-19 in hospital but were not admitted primarily for the virus.
Speaking at the press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson dealt grim news to the nation as he warned the UK's battle with Covid is far from over.
He said: "Anyone who thinks our battle with Covid is over, I'm afraid is profoundly wrong.
"This is a moment for the utmost caution."
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
Sorry to hear of your MIL's upset.
Thanks for this information, [@Happygirl] very good explanation of its generation time.
Multiple hospitals declare critical incidents as nurses call for more COVID restrictions 'without delay'
Multiple hospitals have declared critical incidents amid warnings the NHS is "in a state of crisis" in the face of staff shortages caused by coronavirus and rising pressures.
In a letter to Health Secretary Sajid Javid, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the NHS can "ill afford" the current level of absences as it called for a "more cautious approach" to COVID restrictions in England "without further delay".
The union, which has more than 465,000 members, also questioned the "confusing and concerning" differences in coronavirus measures in the different UK nations.
It said there were "significant concerns" about staffing plans for the new "Nightingale surge hubs", which will look after people who are not well enough to go home but need minimal supervision during their COVID recovery.
What are the COVID rules in the UK's four nations?
"It is confusing and concerning that the different UK governments have set out their own different rules and regulations in relation to the management of the pandemic," the RCN says.
"Nursing professionals are questioning the level and nature of the variation between governments."
The RCN urged ministers to introduce "a more cautious approach for England without further delay", saying this was supported by "high levels of staff absence due to COVID-19".
But cracks were already beginning to show as six NHS trusts had reportedly declared "critical incidents" - where bosses are concerned they may not be able to provide priority services - on Monday evening.
The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said that "in many parts of the health service, we are currently in a state of crisis".
"Some hospitals are making urgent calls to exhausted staff to give up rest days and leave to enable them to sustain core services," he said.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts, said "a number of trusts across the country have declared internal critical incidents over the last few days".
Fourth Covid jab: We can’t vaccinate the planet every six months, says JCVI chief
Covid live news: Chinese city puts 1.3 million in strict lockdown over three…
The absolute worst action movies of all time
Fourth Covid jabs should not be offered until there is more evidence, the head of Britain's vaccine body has said - as he warned that giving boosters to people every six months was “not sustainable”.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said “we need to target the vulnerable” in future, rather than giving boosters to all over-12s.
Sir Andrew said there was no point in trying to stop all infections, and that “at some point, society has to open up”.
Ministers will meet to finalise plans to keep the economy, hospitals and schools running by fast-tracking tests for up to 10 million “critical” workers through their employers.
Up to 50 per cent of staff in some frontline services, including care homes and the police, have been forced off work by Covid.
The shortages have been worsened by problems accessing lateral flow tests or getting PCR results, delaying people’s return to work.
Omicron: ‘The fastest-spreading virus in history’
Omicron is the fastest-spreading virus known to humankind. Barely a month after its detection in southern Africa, the new variant of the coronavirus was already dominant in countries around the world, with more cases than ever before. “It’s an incredibly rapid spread,” said physician Roby Bhattacharyya, an infectious disease expert at Massachusetts General Hospital (USA).
To demonstrate omicron’s infectious power, Bhattacharyya has done a back-of-the-envelope calculation to imagine what a race between omicron and measles, another of the world’s most-contagious viruses, would look like. One person with measles infects 15 others on average if none are vaccinated, compared to the six people infected by omicron. But the key lies in the so-called “generation time”: i.e. the number of days that elapse between when the first person is infectious and when those they infect also become infectious. With measles, that takes about 12 days. In the case of omicron, this only takes four to five days. “One case of measles would cause 15 cases within 12 days. One case of omicron would give rise to another six at four days, 36 cases at eight days and 216 after 12 days,” explained Bhattacharyya.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith and anyone else interested
England and Scotland report 157,758 cases on Monday
An additional 157,758 confirmed cases were reported for England and Scotland on Monday. There were 42 deaths reported, but this figure only covered England. It is not possible to compare this data with that reported on other days due to impact of the holidays on reporting to the government dashboard.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @Tanith @harryflatters
England and Wales have reported 137,585 new COVID cases and 73 deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government data shows.
It compares with the 162,572 cases reported in England only on Saturday.
Figures from Scotland and Northern Ireland are going to be updated after the bank holiday weekend.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @roz @Tanith
Oh dear, a rough time ahead of us.....stay safe [@Happygirl]
Significant increases' in patients with coronavirus - as Northampton hospital suspends visitors
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 is increasing significantly, it has been warned, with another hospital suspending visitors "due to health and safety concerns".
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the council at the British Medical Association, told Sky News: "What's concerning is that we are seeing significant increases in people in hospital.
"In fact, as of yesterday, the number of people admitted and also the number of patients in hospital is at a level as high as during the lockdown earlier this year in spring, in February-March.
"Now that is a significant number and it is increasing, so while the proportion of people who end up in hospital as a result of Omicron is smaller, we are definitely seeing significant increases."
Dr Nagpaul said 25,000 patients were admitted with COVID-19 in the four-week period leading up to Christmas and he said those admissions have been preventing six million people on the NHS waiting list from being treated.
UK reports 189,846 COVID-19 cases and 203 deaths in latest 24-hour period
In England, a total of 12,395 people were in hospital with COVID as of 8am today, according to figures from NHS England, which is up 68% from a week earlier and is the highest number since 25 February.
The UK has reported 189,846 new COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour period - a new record high in the pandemic, according to government data.
A further 203 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters and anyone interested
Thank you for the update [@Happygirl].
Tsunami’ of Omicron and Delta ‘twin threats’ driving cases to record highs will pile pressure on health systems, warns WHO
Delta and Omicron are now twin threats driving up cases to record numbers, leading to spikes in hospitalisation and deaths,” Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
“I am highly concerned that Omicron, being highly transmissible and circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases.”
He warned that the “virus will continue to evolve and threaten our health system, if we don’t improve the collective response.”
The WHO chief repeated his call for countries to share vaccines more equitably and warned that the emphasis on boosters in richer countries could leave developing nations short of vaccines.
189,213 and 332 deaths for Thursday 30th December 2021.....Hospital numbers soar as Covid-19 cases hit yet another new record high
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital soared during Christmas week according to new figures which also show the UK has seen another record number of daily cases.
There were 11,898 Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals as of 8am on December 29, Government data shows, up 44% compared to the previous week, and the highest number since March 2.
In England alone, the number of patients in hospital has climbed to its highest level since February.
A further 189,213 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Thursday, the Government said, another new record for daily reported cases.
The total includes reported figures for Wales covering a two-day period.
It comes as the Government faces increasing pressure to give NHS staff priority access to lateral flow tests amid ongoing supply issues.
The BMA said there are more than 18,000 staff absent from acute hospital trusts in England, adding it expected that figure to be much higher when the most recent data is published later this week.
BMA chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul, said: “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has no doubt had a massive impact on demand for lateral flow test kits and PCR tests, however it is vital that the promised new supply of kits are offered to key workers such as health and social care staff as a priority.
“Being unable to get the tests means staff may not be legally allowed to work, and at a time of acute workforce shortages and winter pressures this could be devastating for the care that can be given right across the NHS.”
The latest daily figures also show a further 332 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
This includes a backlog of hospital deaths reported by NHS England covering the period of December 25th and 26th 28th December, .
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @roz and anone interested
Luckily I still have two packs [@Happygirl], they will last till I'm back to work, then I can try and get more. For some unfortunately it won't be easy to pick up a box, and eventually they'll give up trying, and just carry on as per normal, not knowing if positive or not. Although common sense (what's that?) if someone feels poorly, just stay home for now. Yet that's not always possible either.
Hospitals in England asked to look for up to 4,000 emergency Covid beds
Hospitals have been asked to identify sites for up to 4,000 emergency beds to deal with a potential wave of Omicron admissions in England, as cases hit a record 183,000.
On Wednesday, more than 10,000 patients were in hospital with Covid, a figure not reached since March.
NHS England confirmed that it was creating new small-scale “Nightingale” facilities with up to 100 beds each at eight hospitals across the country. The health service said it had asked trusts to identify empty spaces to accommodate beds in places such as gyms or teaching areas. NHS managers are aiming to create up to 4,000 beds as surge capacity if needed, with work on the first tranche, in temporary structures, starting this week.
A number of huge temporary hospitals, called the “Nightingales”, were built in exhibition halls in the first wave of the pandemic but were dismantled without being used to capacity.
The new approach will ask for surge capacity to be built in the grounds of hospitals to make it easier for staff to move between new and old sites and keep patients closer to diagnostics and emergency care. The first sites will be at Preston, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester, Stevenage, St George’s in London, Ashford and Bristol.
There are currently almost 90,000 adult acute and general beds available in England, with occupancy at about 90% on 19 December.
The announcement came as new data showed there were 10,462 people in hospital in England with Covid as of Wednesday, although it is still unclear how many were admitted with the disease and how many are there for another reason while also testing positive.
Covid testing in tatters as Sajid Javid blames huge surge in demand
Sajid Javid has told MPs there will be "no quick fix" to the growing Covid testing crisis, with officials warning that the system will be overwhelmed within days.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters and anyone interested
Number of COVID patients in English hospitals up 48% in a week
A total of 10,462 people were in hospital in England with COVID-19 as of 8am on 29 December - an increase of 916 on Tuesday. This is up 48% from a week earlier and is the highest number since 1 March, according to figures from NHS England. During the second wave of coronavirus, the number peaked at 34,336 on 18 January. In London, 3,310 people were in hospital with COVID-19 on 29 December, up 63% week-on-week and the highest number since 16 February . The second-wave peak for London was 7,917 on 18 January. The definition used to identify a hospital admission with COVID is that someone either tested positive for the virus in the 14 days before their admission or during their stay in hospital. It could mean that someone goes into hospital for a non-COVID reason, and subsequently tests positive.
183,037 new UK COVID cases reported
The UK has reported a further 183,037 coronavirus cases and 57 deaths in the latest 24-hour period. However, the government's daily figures include Northern Ireland whose newly reported figures cover a five-day period. This compares to 109,655 cases reported a week ago on 22 December, when 140 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were confirmed.
Dozens of cruise ships report COVID cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was monitoring 89 cruise ships that have reported COVID-19 cases. An additional 38 ships are being investigated, while another 48 are "under observation", according to an update from the health body. The ships include those from Disney, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival. The Cruise Lines International Association said in a statement that its members are taking part in "very productive dialogue and are working together with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety".
800,000 booster jabs administered over Christmas
More than 800,000 booster and third vaccine doses were recorded across the UK during the past five days, figures show. A total of 33,091,891 extra doses had been delivered as of 28 December - the first time a UK-wide figure has been available since 23 December, when the number stood at 32,290,487. It means 801,404 booster and third doses have been recorded from Christmas Eve to 28 December. Around 62% of all adults in the UK have received a booster or third dose. The figures were published by the UK's four health agencies.
Sajid Javid acknowledges 'global shortage' of COVID tests
The health secretary spoke to Tory MP Sir Roger Gale in a phone call this afternoon amid reports of a lack of coronavirus tests. The North Thanet MP said: "The long and the short of it is he says there is a worldwide shortage of lateral flow tests. "A British company that is making them has ramped up its production line fourfold and we are buying the lot, plus anything we can get from anywhere else around the world, but we are competing in a global market." He said his constituents had been advised to keep trying online as availability was updated throughout the day. Sir Roger said the shortage of lateral flow tests was having a knock-on effect with people opting for PCR tests instead, but "there is not enough capacity" in laboratories to process them.
Record number of daily cases in Scotland
Speaking to MSPs, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed another 15,849 coronavirus cases were reported in Scotland yesterday - the highest of the pandemic so far. The positivity rate was at 28.9%, but Ms Sturgeon said this could be "partially explained" by people being more selective about taking tests over the Christmas period. She said 769 people are currently in hospital with COVID, including 36 in intensive care. Another three deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours. Ms Sturgeon said: "It's clear from these figures that the wave of Omicron that's been predicted is now rapidly developing. "Omicron now accounts for around 80% of all cases." She added that the number of reported cases has increased by 47% in a week. "It is reasonable to assume we will continue to see increases of cases in the days and weeks ahead," Ms Sturgeon said.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Tanith @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹
The alternative headline is 'ONE expert states that England is not being guided by the science, but other experts disagree'.
I have noticed that various media outlets have asked ministers the same question. What they are hoping for is to get disagreement between government ministers. What they actually comment on is irrelevant.
Thank you [@Happygirl], we all know England will follow a bit late with any plans. Both sons and their mum caught it over Christmas, she's double jabbed and feeling a bit rough, can just about cope with it, both her sons, one is asymptomatic (she thinks) has asthma and was not to bad, the younger son had it mild, father so far hasn't catch it.
[@Happygirl] thanks for the information. Best Wishes.
More than 500 children admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England in week to Boxing Day
A total of 512 children were admitted to hospital with COVID in England in the week leading up to Boxing Day, figures have revealed. The numbers, released on the government's coronavirus dashboard, also show that 59 children under five were admitted to hospital between Christmas Day and Boxing Day alone. A further 50 children in the same age bracket were admitted in the 24 hours prior.
Scotland recorded highest daily cases ever over the Christmas period
Health authorities have just released their official figures for Christmas Day until today. The daily totals for each of the four days are the highest recorded in Scotland since the start of the pandemic. The figures are:
25 December - 8,252
26 December - 11,030
27 December - 10,562
28 December - 9,360
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the figures "remain provisional" but there is now a "steep increase" in cases.
Number of people in England's hospitals up 38% in a week
A total of 9,546 were in hospital in England with COVID as of 8am today, according to NHS England figures. This is up 38% from a week ago and is the highest number since 3 March. It's also a jump of more than 1,000 since yesterday, when there were 8,474 patients in hospital. However, the number is still well below the peak in January this year, when 34,336 people were in hospital with the virus. In London, 3,024 people were in hospital with the virus today - a jump of 59% in a week. The second wave peak for London was 7,917 on 18 January. There were 1,374 new hospital admissions in England on Boxing Day - the highest number since 11 February.
England is 'not being guided by the science', warns expert
After choosing not to impose more restrictions before the New Year, England remains an outlier among the four nations. Professor Andrew Watterson, a public health expert, has said there are "real causes for concern" here. "It's very strange, because if we're looking at the evidence then just before Christmas, the English COVID rate per 100,000 was way, way above anything in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland," he told Sky News. "So on that basis, I think you'd be looking for more precaution, more prevention, and practical action based on the evidence and that's not coming." He continued that COVID numbers are still going up and things can "change very rapidly indeed". "I think there are real causes for concern about England not being guided by the science," he said.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Flossy 🧁🧁 @Flotson @harryflatters @Tanith etc etc
Doctors' Association UK calls for increased protection for NHS staff
The Doctor's Association UK (DAUK) has called for more protection for NHS staff, saying it is "alarmed" by the rise of the Omicron variant. It says: "We have requested an urgent amendment to the outdated PPE guidance, to ensure all NHS staff are protected from this virulent strain, by being provided with FFP3 masks. "Protecting NHS staff is of the utmost importance as we enter this new wave of the pandemic, which again threatens to overwhelm our capacity." Dr Jenny Vaughan, chair of the Doctors' Association UK, said: "The only surety we have in this pandemic is that waiting until you’re sure is certain to be too late. "The prime minister has the best advisors to make the hardest decisions but if that counsel is to act swiftly now to stop many tragedies and avoidable suffering later will he? "We sincerely hope that courage of conviction prevails, because the NHS cannot be allowed to buckle and patient safety has to be the top priority. "Our frontline healthcare workers must be protected. They are telling us in increasing numbers of the hugely challenging and extreme conditions they are working under. "The priority must remain for them to be allowed to save as many lives as possible and to have the necessary protection to enable this to happen."
PM urges people to act with caution
Boris Johnson has tweeted to confirm what Health Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier that there would be no new coronavirus restrictions in England before the New Year. He added: "However, I would urge everyone to continue to act cautiously given the rising number of Omicron cases. "Most importantly I urge everyone to get their first, second or booster jab without delay to protect yourselves and your loved ones."
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith
UK cases over the last two days, you will see not all the figures are yet in.
As reported this morning, today's coronavirus data also includes figures from Christmas Day and Boxing Day as there was a break in reporting over the holiday period. Some data from the devolved nations is still not available yet, so here's a breakdown:
25 December England - 113,628 Scotland - no data Wales - no data Northern Ireland - no data
26 December England - 103,558 Scotland - no data Wales - 5,335 Northern Ireland - no data
UK reports 98,515 new COVID cases and 143 deaths
The number of cases will look artificially low today as it only includes figures from England. Figures are not available from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to the holiday period. However, provisional figures from Scotland suggest cases are at 10,562. If correct, that would take the total so far to 109,077, with Wales and Northern Ireland still to report their daily totals.
Christmas Day saw highest number of cases reported so far in England
According to the figures we've just received, England had its highest ever daily total of COVID cases on Christmas Day. A total of 113,628 cases were recorded on 25 December. The previous record of 107,055 was hit just two days before on 23 December.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith
You have to be very careful with looking at the questions and the answers to those questions.
Would I be willing to have a vaccination every 6 months. Yes.
Every 3 months. Yes.
Every month. Yes.
Every week. Yes. BUT it would need to be really easy to get it; local phamacies, Boots, perhaps Tesco/Sainsbury's/ASDA. Get it with the weekly shop. BUT not if I had to constantly book.
Am I worried about Covid? No. Because it is senseless worrying about something theat I have no control over. I will try my best to mitigate the issue (wear mask, social distancing, careful about coming into contact with others). But I will not worry about it.
That's my saying all along with all the variants that are yet to come [@Happygirl]. Just like the flue jab, you're not fully protected for the rest, it may help, but who knows the truth. Hope you had a lovely Christmas day.
Majority of people willing to get Covid booster vaccine every six months
A survey of 1,500 adults by Redfield and Wilton Strategies found that 75 per cent of the 1,380 vaccinated respondents would be willing to have a new dose twice a year for the next few years, if officials recommend it.
The finding comes after new data made the prospect of a fourth Covid vaccine more likely, as officials revealed that boosters are less protective against omicron than the delta variant.
Analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that although the booster dose gives “significant protection” against symptomatic disease compared to two doses alone, immunity starts to wane after 10 weeks.
However, the poll, carried out on Tuesday, December 1, also found that as many as 23 per cent of people are "not at all" concerned about getting Covid amid the surge of omicron cases.
Data released by the UKHSA since the poll was carried out showed that the risk of admission to accident and emergency was 31 to 45 per cent lower than with delta,
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @roz @Tanith @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹
UK national statistician: 'First time in months seen COVID growth rate rise in over 70s'
The UK's national statistician, Professor Sir Ian Diamond, has said all age groups are seeing a rise in COVID rates and he is concerned about the over 70s. He told Sky News: "We’re seeing rises right across the board. At very young ages – particularly among young adults. "Those over-70s, I don’t want to play this too far because the numbers are still very small, but this is the first time in some months that we’ve recorded an increase in the over-70s." He added it is too early to say if that will translate into a rise in hospital admissions. And he said: "I suspect workforce absence is something we’re going to see in January when I expect most employers will be thinking about how they handle it." Prof Diamond said all regions of England are seeing cases rise, apart from the Southwest, and London is the "epicentre" of the rise as well as the South East.
London COVID admissions up 92%
A total of 386 COVID-19 hospital admissions were recorded in London on 22 December, new NHS England figures show. That is up 92% week-on-week and the highest number for a single day since 1 February. London's admissions during the second wave peaked at 977 on 6 January. Across England, 1,246 admissions were recorded on December 22, up 55% week-on-week and the highest number for a single day since February 16. The second-wave peak was 4,134 admissions on 12 January.
A total of 122,186 new COVID cases were reported across the UK on Friday, up from 119,789 the day before.
Government data showed there were 137 new deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test -
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith @roz and anyone interested
UK records 119,789 new coronavirus cases - highest daily figure since start of pandemic
The UK has recorded 119,789 new COVID cases in the latest 24-hour period - the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic.
A further 147 coronavirus-related deaths have also been reported.
The latest daily figures compare with 106,122 cases - the previous record - and 140 deaths reported on Wednesday.
Yesterday's 106,122 figure has since been revised up to 109,655 following previous under-reporting in Scotland due to a technical issue.
Last Thursday, the UK reported 88,376 new COVID cases, and 146 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
However, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, which has been advising the government during the pandemic, has warned that COVID data over the Christmas period will be "significantly disrupted".
In minutes from a meeting on 20 December, the group warned that "testing behaviour and capacity limits may already be affecting case data", which would make "interpretation of trends difficult".
Meanwhile, a total of 840,038 booster and third doses of COVID vaccine were reported in the UK on Wednesday.
This is the lowest daily figure since 15 December.
More than 31.6 million booster and third doses have now been delivered in the UK, with 6.2 million in the past seven days.
The figures were published by the UK's four health agencies.
Earlier on Thursday, new data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that COVID infection levels have reached a record high in the UK.
An estimated 1.4 million people in the UK had the virus in the week ending 16 December, the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the ONS said.
In separate figures, the UK Health Security Agency's latest weekly surveillance report showed that COVID case rates are rising in every region of England.
London has the highest rate, with 1,732.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 19 December, up significantly from 729.7 the previous week and the highest figure for London since comparable figures began.
Eastern England has the second highest rate at 1,027.7, up from 631.0. The North East has the lowest rate at 470.1, up from 386.1.
Despite the high levels of infection in the UK, Health Secretary Sajid Javid maintained that no further restrictions in England would be set out before Christmas.
Mr Javid said that people "should enjoy their Christmases with their families and their friends" but added they should "of course, remain cautious".
The health secretary welcomed studies suggesting the Omicron variant may cause less severe illness than earlier strains, but he warned it could still lead to "significant" hospital admissions.
NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis warned that the health service is on a "war footing" as Omicron sweeps through the country.
New modelling says tougher restrictions needed to stop hospitals being overwhelmed
by Thomas Moore, science correspondent Tougher COVID restrictions are going to be needed to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, according to new modelling for scientists advising the government. Experts at University of Warwick estimate that even if Omicron's severity is just 20% of Delta's, the current plan B restrictions are likely to lead to a peak in daily hospital admissions of just under 5,000 a day in England in early January. They found that a return to step 2 restrictions from the spring - with a ban on indoor mixing and the rule of six outdoors - could reduce the peak, but only if they started almost immediately. If they kicked in on Boxing Day the restrictions would reduce the central estimate on peak admissions to around 3,000 a day. But if the restrictions didn't start until January they would come too late and there would be no impact on hospital admissions, the models show. Similar conclusions were reached by a separate team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Both models were considered at the latest meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies on 20 December.
Number of COVID patients in London hospitals up 44% in a week
In London, a total of 2,097 people were in hospital with COVID as of 8am on 23 December. The figure from NHS England is the highest since 27 February and up 44% from a week ago. The total peaked at 7,917 during the second COVID wave at the start of 2021, on 18 January. Across England, a total of 7,114 patients were in hospital with COVID on 23 December. This is the highest number since 4 November and up 11% week-on-week. The peak during the second wave came on 18 January, when 34,336 people were in hospital with the virus.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @Tanith
UK daily cases pass 100,000 for the first time
A total of 106,122 coronavirus cases have been reported today - the highest daily figure ever reported during the pandemic. It is also the first time cases have passed 100,000 in one day. However, experts have said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day - with many being missed. A further 140 deaths have also been announced today.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith @roz
Oh yes I know, I wear mask or shield in shops and work [@Happygirl], no doubt more restrictions will come in place. I'm thinking same, mid 2022 or just after @Tanith
Well done @nabob, we have a little stock under the stairs 😁
Tbh after last year's performance, I'm happy that there's now extreme restrictions, unfortunately we can't keep living with restrictions either. We're humans and have a fully functioning brain, it's down to us to still enjoy and just be careful. Yes not everyone is going to be responsible, but that's normal anyway, can't live like this for ever, a new variant will be on it's way, then what, more restrictions? We just have to get on with it, no disrespect to any one vulnerable, but if everyone is cautious as best as they can be, really I can't see the problem, in the end of the day, there are far more serious illness that are being pushed into the back [@Happygirl]. Pls no offence to anyone.
We are bunkering down now. Cupboards and freezers and fridges are stocked. Stay safe everyone. [@Happygirl] @harryflatters @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz
Boris Johnson says no further restrictions before Christmas - but situation remains 'finely balanced' due to Omicron.
Boris Johnson has confirmed he will not introduce any further COVID restrictions in England before Christmas, but warned that the situation remains "finely balanced" ahead of the New Year.
In a video posted on social media and released by Downing Street, the prime minister said "people can go ahead with their Christmas plans" but urges caution and suggests people should take a test before meeting elderly relatives.
"The situation remains extremely difficult, but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear about whether their Christmas plans, your Christmas plans, are going to be affected," Mr Johnson said.
"What I can say tonight is that naturally we can't rule out any further measures after Christmas, and we're going to keep a constant eye on the data - we will do whatever it takes to protect public health."
Meanwhile......90,629 new cases and 172 new deaths in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters and anyone interested
The other day on the news they gave out a high figure, then it got changed to a small figure as someone got it wrong. It just makes you wonder what the reality is. I said it all along, jab or no jab, and sorry to say, but ppl can't keep pumping boosters in their body every so many month, surely it can't do any good, numbers will go up due to the new variants. That's my opinion, its a worry I agree, and it won't stop just yet, but it won't go on forever either.
UK reports 93,045 daily cases of coronavirus - record high broken for third day in a row
88,376 cases were announced on Thursday, following a previous daily high on Wednesday of 78,610. This time last week, 58,194 cases were reported.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @roz
I hope all went well for you today [@Happygirl] It is all very worrying with the in creases of COVID and hospital admissions again.
The UK has reported another 88,376 coronavirus cases and 146 more deaths, according to official daily figures.
It compares with 78,610 new infections yesterday - the highest since the start of the pandemic - fuelled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The UK Health Security Agency said there were 1,691 additional confirmed cases of Omicron reported across the UK yesterday bringing the total to 11,708.
A record number of daily booster jabs have also been administered for a second day in a row, the NHS said.
Another 626,846 were carried out on Wednesday, while a record 821,075 third-dose appointments were made.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters @Tanith
What is unsurprising is that the distribution of infections throughout the country is 'relatively' even, yet the distribution of deaths is not.
In my postcode (south-west), as of the 11th December, the percentage of total infections is 16.15% and in a friend's postcode (south), it is 16.45%.
When I look at deaths, the numbers are 0.16% for me and 0.26% for my friend.
I go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274 and enter my postcode. In the early days, they also listed the 'total population' of a postcode/county. Not sure where that is now.
As stated; unsurprising.
Not looking forward to the next few months! [@Happygirl]
UK reports highest number of daily cases since start of pandemic
The record number of lab-confirmed cases should "worry us all", the chief executive of NHS England has said.
Another 78,610 COVID cases have been reported in the UK, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic.
The previous highest number of cases was on 8 January 2021, when 68,053 were recorded.
The government also reported a further 165 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. This time last week, 161 deaths were recorded.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters
The latest COVID data for the UK
Another 59,610 coronavirus cases and 150 deaths were reported in the UK on Tuesday. Additionally, 513,722 people were administered a booster or third dose of a COVID vaccine on Monday, when thousands flocked to walk-in sites. The latest COVID data compares to 45,691 infections and 180 deaths reported a week ago on 7 December.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested
Daily lateral flow testing for double-jabbed contacts of coronavirus cases to start on Tuesday
Daily testing for anyone double-jabbed who comes into contact with a COVID-19 case will start from Tuesday.
Those fully vaccinated should take a daily lateral flow test for seven days to slow the spread of the virus, the government has said.
Un - vaccinated adults must continue to self-isolate for 10 days if they are a contact of someone with COVID, and anyone who tests positive or develops symptoms will need to self-isolate.
People will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace or via the NHS COVID-19 app to tell them they are a contact of someone who tested positive and what action they need to take.
The move comes following a significant rise in Omicron infections in the UK with the variant expected to become the dominant strain in the UK by mid-December.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "We are taking this proportionate and more practical measure to limit the impact on people's day to day lives while helping to reduce the spread of Omicron.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Tanith @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz and anyone interested in the latest
Omicron cases rise sharply by 448 and all coronavirus infections top 58,000 in latest UK daily figures.
The UK has recorded 448 new Omicron cases in the latest 24-hour period - taking the total across the country to 1,265.
It comes after 249 new infections of the COVID-19 variant were reported on Thursday.
The latest figures released by the UK Health Security Agency show 443 cases have been recorded in England, one in Scotland and four in Wales.
A total of 58,194 COVID infections and 120 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported across the UK, the figures showed.
It's the highest daily increase in cases since 9 January this year and the sixth biggest rise on record for the UK.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters and anyone interested in this
Thank you for this [@Happygirl].
Thank you @Happygirl Very much appreciated.
What is Plan B and why is the government introducing restrictions again?
Fresh COVID restrictions are being brought in across England after the government implemented its 'Plan B' in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
In September the government set out its plan for tackling coronavirus over the winter period, with a set of 'Plan B' measures to prevent the NHS "coming under unsustainable pressure".
Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing on 8 December, Boris Johnson said it was now the "proportionate and responsible thing to move to Plan B".
"It's become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant," the prime minister said.
"We can't yet assume that Omicron is less severe… and it could lead to a big to a big increase in hospitalizations and sadly deaths."
Before the announcement, Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE), said Plan B would "buy us time" to continue with the booster programme, but failed to rule out another lockdown if it did not stop the spread fast enough.
Here we look at what Plan B consists of, why it is being implemented now and how effective it might be against the new variant.
What is Plan B?
As part of its COVID-19 Autumn and Winter Plan 2021, the government outlined a set of measures that would be brought in "if the data suggests the NHS is likely to come under unsustainable pressure".
They were drawn up before the Omicron variant emerged and only apply to England, as COVID restrictions are devolved to the Scottish and Welsh governments and Northern Ireland Executive.
Those changes, which have now been expanded in light of the variant, are:
Reintroducing guidance to work from home, if you can, from 13 December
Legally mandating face masks in "most public indoor venues", including theatres and cinemas from 10 December, with exceptions "where it's not practical, including while eating, drinking, exercising or singing"
NHS COVID passes for nightclubs, unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people
Daily testing for people identified as a contact of a coronavirus case - with isolation required only for people who test positive
Face masks were already a legal requirement in shops, banks, post offices, hairdressers and on public transport in England as of 30 November.
Previously the government claimed that with "high levels of protection" provided by the vaccine rollout, the changes introduced for Plan B could be "relatively small".
But the announcement made on 8 December is wider-ranging than the measures first proposed in September.
Why is it being brought in now?
Boris Johnson has warned the Omicron COVID variant is "growing much faster" than Delta and its doubling rate could be between two and three days.
At the same time the UK Health Security Agency said in a statement: "If the growth rate and doubling time continue at the rate we have seen in the last two weeks, we expect to see at least 50% of COVID-19 cases to be caused by the Omicron variant in the next two to four weeks."
Professor Neil Ferguson, the epidemiologist who helped formulate plans for the first lockdown, has told the BBC that introducing more restrictions would "slow down" another wave of cases from Omicron and would "buy us more time to get boosters into people's arms".
But Dr Chris Papadopoulos, principal public health lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, warned that vaccines alone will not protect people against the new variant.
"The government puts a real emphasis on vaccination in their Plan B, but we don't yet know the degree to which Omicron evades vaccines," he told Sky News.
"So it's not as simple as vaccines only.
"We cannot allow a significantly mutated version of the virus like this to run free in our society when we don't understand it yet - it's not the ethical thing to do."
He added that social distancing would be key in reducing transmission over the coming weeks.
"This is a reminder that vaccines are effective, but they aren't our only defence," he said.
"The biggest defence against an airborne, respiratory virus is social distancing, because if you're distanced from someone the virus cannot transmit."
On the timing of Plan B, Dr Mike Gill, former regional director of public health for the South East, added: "You don't wait until it's too late in this kind of situation. There's too much uncertainty and too much risk if you don't act early."
Hospital admissions 'single most important thing'
According to its winter plan, the government says the purpose of Plan B is to stop the NHS being overwhelmed.
Dr Simon Kolstoe, reader in bioethics at the University of Portsmouth, stressed that the aim of restrictions is keeping COVID hospitalisations down - not the number of cases.
"The single most important thing to consider here is what is going to happen in hospitals - particularly in intensive care," he told Sky News.
"If a peak in hospital admissions is going to come in January, then it makes sense to put measures in place to stop that peak from happening.
"We have to do things two, three or even four weeks in advance - because the earlier we put things in place, the better position we will be in."
Dr Papadopoulos added that although COVID-related deaths have been falling in recent weeks, they are up 3% over the past seven days.
"In the last couple of days that downward trend has been changing," he said.
"With deaths there's always a two-to-four week lag. And with a mutated version of the virus like this, we should expect to see an increase in deaths and hospitalizations."
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters @Tanith and anyone interested in this article
Boris Johnson holding 6pm news conference amid talk of new Plan B restrictions
Boris Johnson will lead a COVID-19 news briefing alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
It comes after two senior government sources told Sky News earlier today that the PM is ready to move to Plan B.
Plan B involves working from home where possible, the use of vaccine passports for some settings and the wearing of mandatory face masks.
I WILL UPDATE THIS AFTER THE PM HAS SPOKEN
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @roz and anyone interested
I read on an FB page I'm part of, one comment mentions that this new variant has changed less than 0.3% to the original variant [@Happygirl].
COVID variant spreads to more countries as world on alert
The U.K. on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two cases. New cases were confirmed Saturday in Germany and Italy, with Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong also reporting that the variant has been found in travelers.
Boris Johnson announces tightening of coronavirus rules after Omicron reaches UK
BACK TO WEARING MASKS NOW ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT, SHOPS.
Mask rules will be mandatory in shops and on public transport, Omicron contacts will have to self-isolate and new arrivals will have to quarantine until they test negative for coronavirus, after two cases of the concerning new Omicron variant were detected in the UK.
THE TWO CASES ARE IN NOTTINGHAM, AND BRENTWOOD ESSEX
Boris Johnson has ordered the return of mandatory mask-wearing in shops and on public transport, and for contacts of Omicron cases to self-isolate, even if they are vaccinated, after the concerning variant was detected in Britain. All international arrivals will have to take a PCR test by the end of their second day in the UK, as the Prime Minister prepared to reimpose measures to control the spread of coronavirus over fears the new strain could evade existing vaccines. The Prime Minister said the “temporary and precautionary” measures will be reviewed in three weeks, while the Government’s vaccine experts will be tasked with considering whether to extend booster jabs to all over-18s. Health Secretary Sajid Javid will be questioned on the details of the restrictions, including on when exactly they will be introduced, during broadcast interviews on Sunday.
Mr Johnson announced the strengthening of England’s rules at a Downing Street press conference, after two cases of Omicron were identified, in Nottingham and Brentwood, Essex, with both linked to travel to southern Africa.
He said the strain, designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation, appears to spread “very rapidly”, can transmit between the double-vaccinated and may partially reduce the protection of existing vaccines.
@nabob @roz @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @harryflatters @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @margaret.s and anyone interested in this new variant
Thank you for the information [@Happygirl]
50 million first COVID jabs given in UK
A total of 50,800,732 first coronavirus jabs had been delivered in the UK by 22 November, the latest figures show. This is a rise of 23,258 on the previous day. Some 46,186,817 second doses have been delivered, an increase of 18,517. A combined total of 15,639,477 booster and third doses have also been given, a day-on-day rise of 308,166.
The latest COVID data for the UK
The UK has recorded another 42,484 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours. A further 165 deaths were also confirmed
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @roz @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters etc etc
A total of 46,807 COVID cases were reported in the UK in the previous 24 hours, according to the government's website on Thursday.
It is the highest daily rate of infections since 22 October, when 49,298 people tested positive for COVID.
A total of 277,261 coronavirus cases were reported in the past seven days - up by 35,058, the equivalent of a 14.5% rise.
Data published on Thursday also revealed that 199 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @roz @harryflatters and anyone interested in the figures
I hope he continues to recover @Happygirl . My niece had covid last December and still hasn't regained her taste. She says things taste strange and textures aren't right.
More infectious variant of Delta virus accounts for 1 in 10 COVID cases in England
Professor Paul Elliott, director of the REACT programme at Imperial College London, said the strain "seems to be less symptomatic" than the original Delta virus - adding this is a "good thing" as it "may be spreading less far in distance" when people are coughing.
A variant of the Delta virus that is more infectious, but is less likely to cause symptoms, now accounts for more than one in 10 COVID cases in England, new research shows.
The latest results from the long-running REACT-1 study shows the prevalence of the AY.4.2 variant has been growing at a rate of 2.8% a day since September.
The variant is an evolutionary spin-off from the original Delta virus and is being closely tracked by the UK Health Security Agency.
Tests carried out between 19 October and 5 November on around 100,000 randomly selected people showed that 11.8% carried the variant.
But the data also shows that only 33% of those with the variant had the classic COVID symptoms of a fever, persistent cough, or a loss or change in taste or smell - compared to 46% of those with Delta.
They were also less likely to show any other symptoms.
@nabob @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @harryflatters @Flotson @Flossy 🧁🧁 @margaret.s @roz and anyone interested
@Happygirl Thanks for the info. Masks would go a long way to help IMHO!