People gain ‘not a lot’ from wearing face masks: Danish study November 18, 2020 Wearing a mask does not fully protect against coronavirus, a major study has found, as pressure mounts on ministers to set out a strategy for easing lockdown restrictions across the country. A Danish study of more than 6,000 participants published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that masks are only “50 per cent [...]
British PM defends COVID-19 procurement after “chumocracy” accusations November 18, 2020 By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his government’s handling of the procurement of protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, after a spending watchdog said suppliers with political links had been fast-tracked. The National Audit Office (NAO) said there had been a lack of transparency and a failure [...]
Christmas relaxation of restrictions will likely spell January lockdown November 18, 2020 England could face a month-long lockdown in January in exchange for five days of relaxed restrictions over Christmas, the UK’s health chiefs have suggested. Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to NHS Test and Trace, initially told a Downing Street briefing this morning that advice from Sage showed “for every day that we release [measures] we [...]
Pfizer-Biontech coronavirus vaccine now 95 per cent effective November 18, 2020 Pfizer and Biontech’s coronavirus vaccine has now proved 95 per cent effective and has met the safety criteria needed for emergency authorisation, the companies said today. The two firms last week published preliminary data showing the vaccine offered 90 per cent protection against Covid-19. But the jab has now met the same efficacy rate as [...]
Wrong masks, retrospective due diligence and absent records: Litany of govt PPE failure laid bare November 18, 2020 A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has offered examples of some of the failures made by the Cabinet Office when it came to procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The investigative report, which was published by the NAO today, has outlined examples of the government handing [...]
Deloitte handed PPE contract 4 months after it started work November 18, 2020 The Cabinet Office awarded a £3.2m contract to big four auditor Deloitte to help procure personal protective equipment (PPE), four months after it had started working with the government. According to a critical report from the National Audit Office (NAO), Deloitte was handed the multi-million pound contract on 21 July 2020, with the contract effective [...]
B&M sales benefit from lockdown loophole, but fails to grow customer base November 18, 2020 B&M benefits from being classed as an essential retailer due to stocking food and household goods, meaning stores have been allowed to remain open during lockdowns – an issue that has been widely discussed in the media.
Pfizer chief insists company did not delay vaccine results until after US election November 17, 2020 Pfizer’s chief executive has insisted the biotech company “didn’t conspire with anyone” to delay releasing its phase three trial results until after the US presidential election. Speaking at a New York Times conference today, Albert Bourla also said the company has already hit the required safety milestone for phase three trials of the vaccine and [...]
Rishi Sunak refuses to disclose whether he will profit from Moderna vaccine November 17, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has refused to disclose whether he will profit from a surge in Moderna’s share price, after the US biotech firm yesterday announced its coronavirus vaccine proved almost 95 per cent effective in trials. Sunak was a founding partner of London-based hedge fund Theleme Partners — a major investor in Moderna — before [...]
Editorial: London cannot be kept under lock and key a moment longer than planned November 17, 2020 Over the past fortnight, since new national lockdown restrictions came into force, there has been something of a suspicion abroad in London and the south-east that our part of the country has been collateral damage as a result of increasing cases and deaths elsewhere in the country. To our untrained eye, new data released Tuesday [...]