Downing Street today played down the prospects of spare coronavirus vaccines being handed to Ireland before July. The PM’s spokesman stressed that the ‘first priority’ is still to cover all UK adults, despite claims that 3.7million doses have been earmarked for gifting in a ‘poke in the eye’ for the EU’s slow rollout. The comments … Read more
Charities urge Boris Johnson to begin donating vaccines to poorer nations or risk ‘hoarding’ supplies while frontline workers are exposed to Covid Charities say UK is on track to have more than 100million surplus vaccine doses They say that’s enough to vaccinate world’s frontline health workers twice over Government has spent £548m on programme to deliver … Read more
The South African coronavirus variant may make vaccines 30 per cent less effective, the Government’s scientific advisers have warned. Analysis by SAGE found the strain can cause up to a 10-fold decrease in the production of antibodies in vaccinated or previously infected people. While antibodies are not the only part of the immune response against … Read more
FOR: By Adrian Vinken, CEO, Theatre Royal, Plymouth For all of us who work in theatre, as in so many industries that rely on bringing people together, the past year has been nothing short of a nightmare. Hopes of reopening have been dashed again and again. Three months after London’s West End went dark last … Read more
Arizona is dropping all of its remaining restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 and opening vaccine eligibility to all residents 16 and older, Governor Doug Ducey said. ‘In Arizona, we never did a shutdown, so it’s impossible to have a grand reopening,’ he said. ‘Instead, we are continuing to take reasonable, safe and sensible … Read more
India today claimed it has spotted a ‘double mutant’ Covid variant that may spread easier and make vaccines less potent. Government-backed researchers detected the strain in samples taken in the western state of Maharashtra. They suggested the variant is a hybrid of two different Covid strains — a rare event which occurs when two viruses … Read more
India today claimed it has spotted a ‘double mutant’ Covid variant that may spread easier and make vaccines less potent. Researchers behind the discovery said the strain, which has two key alterations on its spike protein, was detected in samples in the western state of Maharashtra. Indian scientists believe the variant is a hybrid of … Read more
‘It’s because of greed, my friends’: Boris Johnson says UK left EU trailing in its wake over Covid vaccines through self-interest… but later apologises and insists he ‘regrets’ remark Boris Johnson made comments during private meeting of the 1922 Committee He said: ‘The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism…’ But the … Read more
Vladimir Putin will receive Russian-made Covid jab tonight – but refuses to do so on camera or reveal which vaccine he will be given Russian President Putin will receive one of three Russian-made jabs tonight The Kremlin said refusing to reveal which vaccine Putin will have was deliberate Only four million of Russia’s 144 million people … Read more
Health Secretary Matt Hancock today confirmed the Government is pushing for coronavirus vaccines to be made compulsory for care home staff. Ministers have grown increasingly concerned about low uptake among carers in parts of England and latest data shows as little as a third have had the jabs in London. Mr Hancock admitted mandatory vaccination … Read more