Amid a slow rollout, 24m vaccines sit in freezers in Japan May 7, 2021 Unused Covid-19 vaccines are stacking up in the millions in Japan, as the country prepares to approve two more shots in the coming weeks amid a sluggish inoculation drive. Due to lack of manpower and logistical bottlenecks, Japan’s vaccine rollout has been slow, in a nation culturally sceptical of vaccines and layered with bureaucracy. Japan [...]
NHS to deliver vaccines to low-uptake communities in a Ford van May 7, 2021 Ford and the NHS in Essex have joined forces with local health leaders to roll out a vaccine drive using a tailored Transit van to deliver jabs. Despite the UK’s successful vaccine rollout, vaccine uptake is lower among some communities facing access challenges, which the vaccine drive seeks to tackle. “Our goal of giving everyone [...]
India’s latest wave worsens, accounting for nearly half of global Covid cases May 5, 2021 India accounted for one in four global Covid-19 deaths last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said today, as the UK pledged to send 1,000 ventilators in aid on Sunday. The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that India accounted for 46 per cent of global cases and 25 per cent of global deaths [...]
‘Freedom day’: Pub bosses wipe down the bar for a 21 June return May 5, 2021 The UK’s pub bosses are wiping the bar down for a June return, coined “freedom day”, urging prime minister Boris Johnson to stick to his roadmap for the easing of restrictions. JD Wetherspoon, Greene King, Slug & Lettuce owner Stonegate and Young’s have all expressed their intentions for a 21 June return of bar service, [...]
Future of high streets look bleak as the end of Covid-19 rent debt relief nears May 5, 2021 The future of UK high streets appears bleak today, as 71 per cent of high street businesses expect further job losses without government or landlord support, according to commercial restructuring specialists Cedar Dean. As the end of the rent moratorium approaches, 80 per cent of high street tenants still face ‘unproductive’ discussions with their landlords. [...]
Covid-19 gives employees itchy feet as job hunts are on the rise May 4, 2021 Job hunts are rising for those in corporates, consultancies and start-ups, according to figures from Movemeon, as multiple lockdowns have shown bosses under a different light. A third of those working in management consultancies are looking for a new role, alongside nearly a quarter of those in private equity and venture capital (PE/VC). Employees getting [...]
Leaked report advises Johnson to scrap social distancing at large events April 30, 2021 Prime minister Boris Johnson will be advised to scrap social distancing at larger events from 21 June, as results from a pilot scheme revealed no surge in Covid-19 cases among attendees. Johnson will be told next week to shelve the restrictions after the interim report into reopening trials found that crowds can return safely and without [...]
Lockdown roadmap cannot be rushed, despite vaccine success, minister says April 29, 2021 Despite the success of the vaccine rollout, the roadmap through lifting lockdown restrictions cannot be accelerated safely, the UK’s vaccines minister has warned this morning. Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that while one in four adults had two doses, “we have to be careful”. The successful vaccine rollout does not ensure full protection, Zahawi warned, adding that “if the [...]
UK to Greece vaccine passports are ‘forthcoming’, Greek minister says April 27, 2021 Covid-19 passports between the UK and Greece are “forthcoming”, the Greek government has said today, allowing some vaccinated Brits to island hop this summer. Foreign holidays this year are increasingly on the cards as vaccine passports have gained traction. The Greek tourism minister, Harry Theoharis, said Greece is looking to welcome back UK tourists who [...]
First shipment of medical supplies arrives in Covid-stricken India from the UK April 27, 2021 The first shipment of emergency medical supplies have landed in India today from the UK, as the country’s infection rates have soared in recent weeks. The supplies form part of a global campaign to curtail India’s sudden increase in infections, with the US offering to export 60m of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. India has reported over [...]