UK Coronavirus Update Live – Latest Vaccine News As Boris Johnson To Reveal Plan To Exit Blockade

There have been another 336 coronavirus cases in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 201,688.

Public Health Wales reported another 16 deaths, bringing the total in the country since the start of the pandemic to 5,237.

It also said that a total of 860,083 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been administered, an increase of 6,179 from the previous day.

The agency said 37,773 second doses have also been administered, an increase of 5,771.

Partygoers hid under mattresses and in a closet in a crowded house in Madrid in an attempt to avoid police at one of 227 illegal parties raided in the city over the weekend for violations of restrictions. of Covid-19.

Police video showed the revelers in hiding, who were arrested. Another raid was carried out on a bar that did not comply with restrictions to try to contain the spread of the virus.

“Two hundred and twenty-seven illegal parties have been detected in Madrid on Friday and Saturday. People did not comply with the curfew, did not wear masks or were on the premises without any security measures,” said the Madrid Municipal Police in a statement .

“We continue to ask for their collaboration and responsibility.”

Statistics professor Sir David Spiegelhalter said there was some evidence to suggest that coronavirus vaccines were having an effect.

He told Times Radio: “There is evidence that deaths in those over 85 and over 70 are declining faster than deaths, for example in those under 65, who have not yet been vaccinated, and so similar for hospital admissions.

“It’s not dramatic yet, but I think it’s a strong enough signal to say that it certainly supports the effect of the vaccine.”

He warned that the country should still be “very cautious.”

He added: “A large increase in cases among lower-risk people who have not yet been vaccinated, even though they are at lower risk, and are much less likely to be hospitalized and die, if there are enough, if there is an explosion Real, the kind of things that we were seeing before Christmas, if this happens again, even among lower risk people, we will still see enormous pressure on the NHS. “

It may take three weeks to assess the impact of changes in the confinement, suggested Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter.

Speaking to Times Radio, the statistician was asked what he thought of Health Secretary Matt Hancock and said the lockdown restrictions will be eased with “weeks between steps.”

Sir David said the government was “quite right to be very cautious” and warned that “there is a lot of uncertainty” about the trajectory of the pandemic.

“Things can change and we notice that they can change quite quickly, and that is quite concerning,” he said.

He said it could take “three weeks” to “get a sense of what’s going on, so any impacts can be reflected on the charts.”

“I like this idea of ​​an adaptive strategy,” he said, adding: “Something that I wish they had done right at the beginning, to admit the uncertainty, that there are so many things that we still do not know and that things can be taken.” by surprise.”

Surge tests are being rolled out in an area of ​​Essex after a case of the South African variant of the coronavirus was found, the government announced.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “Working in partnership with the local authority, additional testing and genomic sequencing is being implemented in the CM13 zip code in Brentwood, Essex, where a unique case of the Covid-19 variant was first identified. in South Africa it has been found. “

They added that people living in the zip code area were “strongly encouraged” to take a test when offered, regardless of whether or not they had any symptoms of the virus.

A leading scientist on the coronavirus pandemic has said that case data shows that outdoor sports for children and small groups of adults should be allowed to return.

Talking to The observerProfessor Mark Woolhouse suggested that a major drop in cases meant that the government’s ban on outdoor sports was no longer necessary.

Our reporter, Chantal da silva, has the full story below:

The coronavirus pandemic has “stripped the role of the cracks” in society and people must have confidence that the government’s “roadmap” to get out of the lockdown will be delivered, the Archbishop of Canterbury said.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge Sunday that there was a “school crisis”, in which children had missed a year of education or had it interrupted.

“There is a housing crisis that is unfolding in its entirety,” he said.

“The health service is desperately tired. There is a great need for a clear roadmap and I am sure the government is working on that and will produce it. “

Labor shadow justice secretary David Lammy has criticized Matt Hancock for “refusing to apologize” for acting illegally on the handling of coronavirus contracts.

“Once again, this government is treating the law with contempt,” Lammy wrote on Twitter.

“The damage this does to public trust is permanent.”

Matt Hancock has dismissed a court ruling that he violated the law by failing to release details of lucrative coronavirus contracts in accordance with transparency rules, insisting that the breach was just “backlogged paperwork.”

The health secretary also rejected the idea that he should resign over the issue, arguing that his team had done a “phenomenal job” during the pandemic.

Our deputy political editor, Rob merrick, has the full story below:

The coronavirus restrictions will be eased with “weeks between steps,” and some measures are likely to remain in place for a long time, Matt Hancock said.

The health secretary told Times Radio that it would take a few weeks for the impact of the lifting measures to be seen.

“So there will be weeks between the steps so we can watch carefully,” the minister said.

He added that social distancing measures and the use of face covers are likely to stick around for a while.

“I want to see you more about personal responsibility over time, as we have vaccinated more and more population,” Hancock said.