UK medicines regulator ‘may restrict Astrazeneca vaccine for younger people’ April 6, 2021 The UK’s medicines regulator is considering a proposal to restrict the use of the Astrazeneca vaccine in younger people over concerns about extremely rare blood clots, according to reports. “Two senior sources have told this programme that while the data is still unclear there are growing arguments to justify offering younger people — below the [...]
Mid-sized firms set for investment and hiring spree as UK exits lockdown April 5, 2021 Mid-sized firms set to splurge on investment and new hires as UK exits lockdown
A third of bosses think working from home has boosted productivity April 1, 2021 A third of UK employers have said that working from home has boosted the productivity of their employees, according to a study published today. The attitude towards remote working has grown more positive over the last year, as only 28 per cent of bosses supported the new work style in June, the Chartered Institute of [...]
Vaccine passports would go against ‘British instinct’, says Keir Starmer April 1, 2021 Vaccine passports for entry to pubs, bars and restaurants would go against the “British instinct”, Sir Keir Starmer has said. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Labour leader said he would only decide his party’s official stance on the scheme once he had studied detailed proposals. “I think this is really difficult and [...]
Kent Covid variant ‘no more deadly’ than original coronavirus strain March 31, 2021 The Kent Covid variant, which is now the UK’s dominant version of coronavirus, is no more deadly than the original strain, research by Public Health England (PHE) has found. A PHE study matched 2,800 cases of the B117 variant first identified in Kent against the original Covid strain and found there was no significant difference in [...]
France and Germany swoop to buy Russia’s Sputnik vaccine March 31, 2021 France and Germany held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin last night to supply doses of the country’s Sputnik Covid vaccine as suspicions over the Astrazeneca jab continue to proliferate across the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a video call with the Russian premier to discuss “co-operation” over vaccine [...]
Covid-19 latest updates: WHO rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’; Germany suspends Astrazeneca vaccine in some women; Half of England has antibodies March 30, 2021 WHO Covid-19 origin report rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’ A highly-anticipated World Health Organization (WHO) report into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has concluded that a leak from a laboratory is “extremely unlikely”. The virus was most likely to have spread from bats via an “intermediate animal host” to humans, prior to an “explosive [...]
One in two people in England estimated to have Covid antibodies March 30, 2021 More than half of people in England are estimated to have Covid antibodies either from past infection or vaccination, according to the latest official figures. The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest infection survey found that 54.7 per cent of England’s population were thought to have some level of immunity against coronavirus in the week [...]
Sir Lenny Henry leads campaign urging black Britons to get Covid vaccine March 30, 2021 Comedian Sir Lenny Henry has led a fresh campaign urging black Britons to get vaccinated against coronavirus, after new figures revealed huge differences in vaccine uptake between ethnic groups. The BAFTA winner joined celebrities such as actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton calling for people to “trust the facts about the vaccine, from our own professors, doctors, [...]
Boris Johnson joins world leaders calling for treaty for future pandemics March 30, 2021 Boris Johnson has joined a list of more than 20 world leaders calling for a new global treaty to ensure countries are prepared for future pandemics. The Prime Minister added his name to a joint statement from global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that the coronavirus crisis has [...]