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England’s former medical director has claimed that the UK was ill-prepared for the Covid-19 crisis because officials planned the ‘wrong pandemic’.
Dame Sally Davies said she questioned whether the country should rehearse for a coronavirus outbreak in 2015, but was told by England Public Health officials that it would not “get to us correctly.”
She said The Daily Telegraph officials focused on the threat of an influenza pandemic and therefore the UK was prepared for the “wrong pandemic”.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has insisted that there will be no interruptions in the delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine if the UK leaves the EU without a trade deal.
Freight operators have warned of long delays and possible spoilage of urgent goods, while the government has introduced “Kent access permits” to regulate the flow of trucks to Dover.
But Shapps said he “can rule that out” when asked if customs controls could delay the vaccine when the transition is complete.
UK R rate drops
The R rate for the UK is estimated to have fallen between 1.0 and 1.2, while the number of new daily infections remains around the 50,000 mark, the latest figures show.
Chiara giordano13 November 2020 14:02
The right to protest during the confinement is maintained, says Unite
A leading union has said that the right to picket labor disputes during the lockdown has been secured after a legal challenge.
Unite said the government was forced to confirm that workers taking legal industrial action still have the right to picket their workplace despite coronavirus restrictions.
A judicial review in High Court was scheduled to take place on Friday against the North Yorkshire Police Chief of Police and Health Secretary, but Unite said the government granted at the last minute that the right must be respected. to picket.
The case came after Unite members on strike last week at the Optare bus factory at Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire, who were conducting socially estranged pickets, were moved by police.
Chiara giordano13 November 2020 13:55
New daily cases decline in UK, according to Zoe app
The number of new daily coronavirus cases is now declining across the UK, according to data from the Zoe Covid Symptom Study app.
Zoe’s latest figures record a total daily new cases of 35,963, more than 6,000 fewer than last week’s figure.
Chiara giordano13 November 2020 13:30
The rate of spread slows, but new infections continue to rise
The coronavirus replication number, the R-value, has dropped to between 1 and 1.2 across the UK, government scientists say.
But the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned that deaths and the demand for medical care will continue unless R falls below one for an extended period.
If the R value is above one, the pandemic continues to grow, but if it is below one, the outbreak is receding.
For the last few weeks, Sage has put the R between 1.1 and 1.3.
The group said that the number of new infections is growing between 1% and 3% every day.
Jane dalton13 November 2020 12:30
Another Covid vaccine ‘about to be approved in the US’
America’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has said the country is about to approve another coronavirus vaccine, days after Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech announced that their vaccine has shown a 90% efficiency. Mayank aggarwal reports:
Jane dalton13 November 2020 13:06
Home visitors will be tested for viruses in the test project
A pilot project to test selected visitors to nursing homes for the coronavirus will begin Monday, Downing Street said.
The prime minister’s spokesman said the system, to be tested in 30 homes, was intended to make it possible for family and friends to reunite with their loved ones inside.
“Our priority is to protect the staff and residents of the nursing home, but we know how important it is to allow residents to meet their loved ones safely,” the spokesperson said.
“Starting Monday, we will launch pilot tests in 30 residences. Various PCR tests and the new lateral flow tests will be used to allow specific families and friends to make interior visits to residents.”
The government has faced criticism for the anguish it causes to families by not being able to visit loved ones in residences.
Jane dalton13 November 2020 13:00
Scotland records 56 new deaths
Scotland has recorded 56 deaths from coronavirus and 1,357 positive cases in the last 24 hours, the deputy prime minister announced.
It brings the death toll from Covid-19 in the nation to 3,244.
John Swinney said the test’s daily positivity rate is 5.7 percent, up from 6.1 percent Thursday.
A total of 79,017 people tested positive in Scotland, up from 77,660 the day before.
Jane dalton13 November 2020 12:51
New cases in private homes are on the rise again, but less quickly
More new daily cases of Covid-19 were recorded in private homes in England last week than in the previous seven days, official data suggests.
Between October 31 and last Friday, an average of 47,700 new cases were registered per day, according to the latest estimates from the National Statistics Office (ONS).
This represents an increase from an estimated 45,700 new cases per day during the previous week, Friday through Friday.
The ONS said the rate of new infections had increased in recent weeks, but remained at around 50,000 new cases a day.
The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, nursing homes or other institutional settings.
An estimated 654,000 people in private homes in England had Covid-19 last week, the ONS said. This equates to approximately 1.20% of the population.
It represents a jump of 618,700 people, or 1.13 percent of the population, who were estimated to have Covid-19 in the period from October 25 to 31.
The ONS said that while the infection rate had increased in recent weeks, “the rate of increase is slower than in previous weeks.”
Jane dalton13 November 2020 12:42
Daily UK Covid-19 Cases
This Statista chart tracks daily lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK
Graphical Tracking of Laboratory Confirmed Covid-19 Cases in the UK
(Statista)
Chiara giordano13 November 2020 11:50
Irish player tests positive for coronavirus after England game
Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan Browne tested positive for coronavirus, just hours after playing England in Thursday night’s international friendly at Wembley.
Chiara giordano13 November 2020 11:32
