Covid UK News – Live: Latest updates as Raab does not rule out another lockdown

The further deployment of a rapid coronavirus testing machine in English hospitals will be halted due to difficulties in operating the technology.

As part of Operation Moonshot, Downing Street ordered 300 high-tech PCR test devices designed by Primerdesign, a Southampton-based diagnostic firm, to be placed in clinical settings across the country.

High hopes were initially raised for the machines, which, once delivered and installed, would have been able to process approximately 60,000 samples a day.

This would have allowed patients and hospital staff to be quickly assessed prior to surgery or other procedures, a key requirement for health services to get back on track.

Read more of this from my colleague Samuel Lovett:

The government has ordered another two million doses of a coronavirus vaccine that tests have found to be 95% effective.

It brings the total number of hits per order from the American firm Moderna to seven million, enough for around 3.5 million people in the UK.

The vaccine has not yet been approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), but doses could start to be administered next spring if it meets the standards.

Interim data suggests that the jab is very effective in preventing people from getting sick and can work in all age groups, including the elderly.

The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, enough to vaccinate the majority of the population, and it is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks if the vaccine is approved by the MHRA.

Police apologized after a pastor was accused of violating coronavirus regulations while conducting an online religious service.

The Reverend Daniel Mateola said he was “treated like a criminal” when officers arrived at Kingdom Faith Ministries International Church in Milton Keynes earlier this month.

Thames Valley Police said there had been a “misunderstanding” by officers in “what is a complex and changing area of ​​law enforcement.”

Although community worship is not allowed during the second lockdown, the guide states that support staff, including musicians and singers, may attend a place of worship for a broadcast service if deemed “essential.”

The launch of the coronavirus vaccines could begin in January, said Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

Donnelly will meet with Professor Brian MacCraith, head of the state’s vaccination task force, on Monday.

He said: “Potentially early in the new year we could be looking at things. Brian MacCraith and his team are obviously very quickly rolling out the necessary distribution for that.

“I’d say December is unlikely to be honest with you, but very soon.”

Two more Covid-19-related deaths and 299 additional confirmed cases were recorded in Ireland today.

Austria: Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner tested positive for Covid-19. He had already been in quarantine for 10 days because he had been in contact with another person who tested positive. The country is subject to lockdown restrictions until December 6.

Czech Republic: The government has announced that it is easing restrictions to allow all shops, restaurants and bars to reopen with limited hours. Health Minister Jan Blatny said hair salons, gyms and gymnasiums can reopen, as can zoos, museums and galleries.

New York: The city’s public schools will begin to reopen for in-person learning on December 7, announced Mayor Bill de Blasio. The schools, which make up the nation’s largest school system, closed less than two weeks ago after the rate of positive tests for coronavirus exceeded the baseline 3% agreed to by the mayor and the teachers union. “It’s a new approach because we now have a lot of evidence of how safe schools can be,” de Blasio told reporters, saying the 3% benchmark was being dropped.

Turkey: The daily death toll hit a record for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, with 185 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Health Ministry. The number of new cases of coronavirus infections, including asymptomatic ones, dropped slightly to 29,281.

Italy: 541 more coronavirus-related deaths were reported today, up from 686 the day before, and 20,648 new infections, up from 26,323 on Saturday, the Health Ministry said.

With the new and stricter three-tier restraint system coming into effect on December 2, you might be wondering what it means for couples who don’t live together and for those in budding relationships.

As there have been several rule changes regarding physical contact and overnight stays during the pandemic, here is everything you need to know about how the relationship rules differ at each level.

The death toll from coronavirus in the UK has risen by 215, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 58,245, official figures show.

You can find more information about this latest story below:

The UK government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has “exposed the excesses of value of the Westminster government,” the Plaid Cymru leader said.

Adam Price, who has led the Welsh Nationalist Party since 2018, predicted at the SNP’s annual conference that anger over the crisis response could usher in the “Indy summer of 21.”

He also criticized the Boris Johnson government for its “dubious PPE contracts, a dire testing regime, and a growing conservative ‘chumocracy’.”

In response to Johnson’s description of the Scottish return as a “disaster,” Price added: “The only disaster is the Prime Minister himself, the greatest recruiting agent ever to have independence.

“At this rate, Westminster’s ruined palaces will last longer than the Union itself – hopefully we won’t have to pay for the remodel.”

Public Health England has confirmed that the approved coronavirus vaccines will be distributed primarily by age, with some exceptions for clinically vulnerable people and healthcare workers.

Nursing home residents and staff will be first in line to take hits, possibly before the end of this year, while those over 80, along with health and care workers, will be in the second priority level.

Our reporter, Colin drury, has the full story below: