Thought I would add some personal perspective on the UK's approach to testing.
My wife and 2 kids are unwell with what (we hope) are colds. I am a little worse, with what (I hope) is a heavy cold. Not terrible, but enough to stop me playing UKOPS. All had this since 24th December. All other things being equal, it is more likely that we have colds.
My wife has asked for a Test-told she has insufficient Covid symptoms to warrant a test. And told she is not required to self-isolate.
Fair enough, you might think. Until I mention what the NHS regard as irrelevant. My wife works at a school. She is in a work bubble of 11 people. On the last day of term, 1 of them tested positive. Since then, at least 6 more have tested positive, 4 of which since Xmas.
Next Monday, it seems likely my wife will return to school. There are plans to mass-test pupils and teachers, but not kitchen staff.
Covid is an infectious disease. If work contacts are deemed irrelevant, then it is no wonder that infection rates are rising.
Empty Nightingale hospitals are quietly dismantled 'because there aren't enough staff to run them' - despite NHS chief warning health service is back 'in the eye of the storm' and hospitalisations PASSING peak of first Covid wave
London's Nightingale hospital has already being mostly dismantled, shocking pictures reveal (top). Health bosses have already started stripping the emergency unit of its 4,000 beds, ventilators and even signs pointing patients to wards, shocking photos reveal, while the hospitals in Birmingham and Sunderland are also yet to re-open.It comes as Covid-19 hospitalisations across England surged past the peak of the first wave, with health bosses fearing they are likely to rise further. NHS England data shows 20,426 beds were occupied by patients who had tested positive for coronavirus as of 8am on Monday, up from 17,700 a week ago and above the 18,974 recorded on April 12.
Many of Thursday's front pages describe a momentous and historic day for the UK.
"Two giant leaps to freedom" reads the headline in the Daily Mail, which says the approval of both the Oxford Covid vaccine and the Brexit trade deal herald "a new dawn for Britain".
The Sun adopts a similar tone. It depicts the new jab as a rocket blasting into space, emblazoned with the Union Jack, as the headline declares: "One giant hope for mankind."
The Times says the jab will bring "freedom by Easter". The paper reports that the NHS is aiming to vaccinate almost 30 million people before the end of May - with a shift in focus meaning they'll administer as many first jabs as possible, before concentrating on the follow up injections.
But the Guardian reports that the makers of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have raised concerns about the changes. The paper says they cannot guarantee its sustained protection, if the second dose is given more than 21 days after the first.
For most of the papers, the hope offered by the vaccine is tempered by the reality of the days and weeks ahead.
For the Daily Mirror, Wednesday was "a day of despair and hope", with the Oxford vaccine approved shortly before the largest daily death toll since April was announced.
"It's always darkest before the dawn" reads the headline, above a photograph showing ambulances lined up outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. With hospitals struggling to cope and 20 million people moved into the toughest tier four restrictions, it was, says the paper, "another grim day".
'Major reversal' The Daily Telegraph says Britain's in a race to roll out the vaccines to stave off a third national lockdown. It describes the decision to keep secondary schools and many primaries in England closed as "a major reversal by the government" which will "raise fresh questions about whether exams will go ahead as normal in the summer."
Boris Johnson is pictured signing the Brexit trade deal at Downing Street on many of the front pages. The Guardian shows him holding aloft the massive leather-bound 1,200-page document - after MPs approved the fast-tracked legislation.
The Daily Express declares that the end of the transition period at 23:00 GMT will mark "Our finest hour" and "a time to come together as a country". "Regardless of how anyone voted in 2016", says the paper, "it's time to unite in pursuit of a fairer, healthier and more prosperous future."
The Sun notes that all of England's pubs are now shut - with the exception of those on the Isles of Scilly, which remains in tier one.
The paper reports that some social media users have suggested it could be the only place to enjoy a proper New Year's Eve - but says the islands have been quick to point out that they are closed to tourists.
Thought I would add some personal perspective on the UK's approach to testing.
My wife and 2 kids are unwell with what (we hope) are colds. I am a little worse, with what (I hope) is a heavy cold. Not terrible, but enough to stop me playing UKOPS. All had this since 24th December. All other things being equal, it is more likely that we have colds.
My wife has asked for a Test-told she has insufficient Covid symptoms to warrant a test. And told she is not required to self-isolate.
Fair enough, you might think. Until I mention what the NHS regard as irrelevant. My wife works at a school. She is in a work bubble of 11 people. On the last day of term, 1 of them tested positive. Since then, at least 6 more have tested positive, 4 of which since Xmas.
Next Monday, it seems likely my wife will return to school. There are plans to mass-test pupils and teachers, but not kitchen staff.
Covid is an infectious disease. If work contacts are deemed irrelevant, then it is no wonder that infection rates are rising.
Confusion for millions over Covid school closures: Parents rage as some primaries are allowed to open while others a few yards away are forced to close - as Williamson refuses to apologise and London's Labour councils demand ALL classes must be cancelled Primary schools in dozens of areas across London, Essex, Kent will not be allowed to reopen as planned Vulnerable children and children of key workers will be only pupils allowed to attend the schools in person Students in years 11 and 13 who are facing exams will physically return on January 11 as previously planned Children in the other year groups will now have to wait an extra week until January 18 to return to lessons
Total national lockdown by the end of January is inevitable, says SAGE expert as 20million are plunged into Tier 4 and Boris pins everything on Oxford vaccine after 981 die in worst daily death toll since April
A total national lockdown is inevitable a SAGE expert is warning today, as 20million people across England this morning wake up in Tier 4 amid a spike in Covid death figures. Doctor Mike Tildesley (pictured inset), a member of the scientific modelling committee, a modelling subgroup of SAGE, says the whole country will likely have to be plunged into Tier 4 (pictured left: A map showing the Tiers) or a national lockdown ordered before the end of January in a bid to stem spiralling infection rates. In a grim warning on BBC Radio 4 today, he said: 'Cases are rising in a really concerning way, so I suspect that unfortunately we will see a ramping-up even further of restrictions, probably more of the country being in Tier 4 or ultimately probably a national lockdown before we get to the end of January'. It comes as a Boris Johnson last night warned of a new 'reality' with mutant Covid rampant on Wednesday as he plunged virtually the whole of England into brutal lockdown until the Spring - with the UK recording 981 deaths in the worst daily toll since April and vaccines (pictured right: A graphic showing how the vaccine works) the only hope of escape.
As pressure grows on the government to speed up the availability of the coronavirus vaccine, the Times reports that the team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab expects to supply two million doses each week by the middle of January.
The paper says members of the team have been "frustrated" by the pace of production so far - blaming the UK's "virtually non-existent manufacturing capacity" before the pandemic hit.
But the Daily Telegraph reports that AstraZeneca and Pfizer - which makes the other jab licensed for use - have both "hit back" at government claims of a vaccine shortage, insisting there is no problem with supply.
The Daily Mail focuses on GPs' concerns about the decision to delay giving patients a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which was made to allow more people to get their first jab sooner.
A spokesman for the Doctors' Association tells the paper that most of those affected are over 80 and have already made transport arrangements for their second appointment - so cancelling it "at such short notice will cause untold levels of anxiety".
In an editorial for the Mail, the 87-year-old Labour peer Dame Joan Bakewell says she's heard nothing about her booster jab - so has "no idea" when her life will go back to normal.
A picture of six ambulances queuing outside a London A&E department fills the front page of the i newspaper.
It says the number of coronavirus patients being admitted to hospitals across the UK every day could double by the end of the month to around 6,000.
Meanwhile, the Guardian talks of an escalating crisis, and says the Nightingale field hospital in east London is expected to start treating Covid cases next week for the first time since last spring.
Schools latest "Another screeching U-turn" is how the Sun describes the education secretary's move to keep all primary schools closed in London for the next fortnight - because of concerns about the spread of Covid-19.
The Daily Mirror says Gavin Williamson confirmed the change "24 hours after insisting it was safe for schools in eight boroughs to open".
The Schools Week website calls the situation "chaotic", while the Daily Express highlights the "incredible pressures" facing parents as a result of the closures - which could continue until mid-February.
Meanwhile, "raving mad" is how the Daily Mirror describes the "hundreds of revellers" who ignored coronavirus restrictions to hold parties on New Year's Eve.
In its editorial, it says "their selfish behaviour was not just insulting to those who've spent months shielding but risks fuelling the spread" of the disease.
The Sun agrees, calling them "deadly dunces" whose "irresponsible delusion could cost someone else their life".
But the Daily Express praises "the vast majority of people" who obeyed the rules - and urges readers to stick with them and "get through this last gruelling chapter" of the pandemic.
The Prince of Wales has written in the Daily Telegraph to say he is seriously concerned about the impact the virus is having on cancer treatment.
In a comment piece for the paper, he says he fears the disease could become the "forgotten C" - with cancelled appointments and delayed operations causing "despair" for thousands of people.
The prince - who is the patron of Macmillan Cancer Support - adds that the virus has had a "devastating" effect on the charity's fundraising income, which is expected to fall by £175m over the next three years.
In another health story, an investigation by the Guardian has found that a record 6-million people in England were given antidepressants between July and September last year.
The paper suggests the figure has risen because access to mental health services has narrowed during the pandemic, while some patients have been reluctant to seek help to avoid putting extra pressure on the NHS.
Health officials tell the Guardian that online talking therapy sessions are now "rapidly increasing".
The front pages all lead with Boris Johnson's decision to put England into a new lockdown.
"It's back to Square One" suggests the Daily Mail, describing the measures as "the most draconian" since last spring.
The Daily Telegraph understands the "tipping point" for the prime minister came on Monday, when he was told more than 80,000 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus on 29 December.
The Guardian says the crackdown comes amid "catastrophic figures" for hospital admissions in England and warnings of a "grim death toll" by the end of the month.
The Financial Times cites John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, warning that it was now "baked in" that the UK's Covid death toll would exceed 100,000.
'What I'll look like when we FINALLY get out of lockdown': Brits wearily take to social media to ponder how long it will be before they are free again
Britons are using humor to take the sting out of the prospect of a third national lockdown last night after Boris Johnson unveiled a dramatic set of restrictions for England in a desperate bid to control the new mutant coronavirus . Social media users tried to find humour at the looming measures which will see schools shut from today and multiple households banned from mixing as vaccines are rolled out across the country. Some users pondered how they will have aged once the measures finally come to an end while others suggested it will be more than ten years before the UK is finally rid of the virus.
Thought I would add some personal perspective on the UK's approach to testing.
My wife and 2 kids are unwell with what (we hope) are colds. I am a little worse, with what (I hope) is a heavy cold. Not terrible, but enough to stop me playing UKOPS. All had this since 24th December. All other things being equal, it is more likely that we have colds.
My wife has asked for a Test-told she has insufficient Covid symptoms to warrant a test. And told she is not required to self-isolate.
Fair enough, you might think. Until I mention what the NHS regard as irrelevant. My wife works at a school. She is in a work bubble of 11 people. On the last day of term, 1 of them tested positive. Since then, at least 6 more have tested positive, 4 of which since Xmas.
Next Monday, it seems likely my wife will return to school. There are plans to mass-test pupils and teachers, but not kitchen staff.
Covid is an infectious disease. If work contacts are deemed irrelevant, then it is no wonder that infection rates are rising.
Personal perspective re: the chaos that is the vaccination programme
My Mother in Law -85 yrs old- had a hospital appointment on 9th December so was pleased to be offered dose 1 of the Pfizer vaccine and upon her return for dose 2 on 30th, my wife 61( not a particularly vulnerable adult) was offered and accepted dose 1?.? I was due to be with them in the car but decided it was an unnecessary outing...but my wife was told I could also get vaccinated with dose 1 when she returns for dose 2 in 3 12 weeks
SO what about my next door neighbours 92 year old mother who as yet hasn’t had a call?
My daughter has a strategic role for 7 London boroughs in trying to source and set up vaccination sites.....thank god we now have the Oxford vaccine!
Michael Gove warns March is the EARLIEST that brutal new lockdown can start to be eased - but that depends on government managing to vaccinate 13MILLION people in just seven weeks
Michael Gove admitted there was no 'certainty' that the brutal squeeze imposed by Boris Johnson on England last night will be eased at the end of February as hoped. The PM set a goal of giving first doses of vaccine to more than 13million vulnerable people over the next seven weeks, with doubts already voiced over whether it is possible. But Mr Gove cautioned that even in the best case scenario not 'all' of the curbs will go, as he braced the weary public for a long haul to combat the fast-spreading new variant of coronavirus. 'We hope we will be able to progressively lift restrictions after that but what I can't do is predict - nobody can predict - with accuracy exactly what we will be able to relax and when,' he said. The heavy caveats came after the PM made another extraordinary U-turn by plunging the country into a March-style lockdown, saying the NHS risked being overrun within weeks if he failed to act. Just a day after he urged parents to send their children back, Mr Johnson declared in a sombre address from No10 that primary and secondary schools will be shut from today, with only the vulnerable and offspring of key workers allowed to go in. Nurseries can stay open. But university students are being told to stay at home and study remotely, while GCSE and A-level exams will not go ahead as planned. Teenagers might not know for weeks how their exams will be replaced, with Ofsted expected to launch a consultation. Under the new guidance, published overnight, non-essential retail, all hospitality, gyms and swimming pools will be ordered to close - with Rishi Sunak due to lay out another package of support today.
The Guardian warns of "tough curbs for months", quoting the prime minister's acknowledgment that the plan to emerge from the national lockdown in mid-February was subject to "lots of caveats, lots of ifs".
The Financial Times says "Britain faces long haul out of crisis". The Sun has the stark headline "1 in 50 has Covid"; while the Metro hones in on the capital's predicament saying "one in 30 has virus in London".
The Daily Mirror claims Boris Johnson's late lockdown "could spark 20,000 deaths this month"; the Daily Express focuses on Mr Johnson's "optimism and fundamental hope" that "things will be very different in the spring"; while the Daily Mail warns "Covid curbs may be back next winter".
The front page of the Times is dominated by a stark picture showing two lone figures walking over an otherwise deserted Millennium Bridge in central London yesterday. The paper says Britain has become "a land of ghost cities".
The Daily Star laments the return of lockdown and panic-buying - exclaiming "Shove your Dry January!"
The Daily Telegraph suggests an offer from High Street pharmacies to roll out more than a million doses of the Oxford vaccine every week has been "snubbed by ministers".
Simon Dukes, a senior industry leader, has told the paper there's "an army of thousands of pharmacists up and down the country who administer the flu jab every winter". He continues: "We've been telling the NHS that we're ready, willing and desperate to help, but we've been met by a de facto silence."
The i focuses on vaccine hubs, saying they'll open in sports stadiums and exhibition centres next week.
Red line The Times carries a suggestion from a Conservative MP that retired teachers and Ofsted inspectors should check pupils' GCSE and A-level work to ensure the right grades are given this summer.
Robert Halfon, who's the chairman of the education select committee, told the paper that independent assessors and human moderators - rather than algorithms - should be used to avoid last summer's results fiasco.
The i stresses the PM "is unable to guarantee that children can return to school before summer holidays".
Hancock wriggles on Boris's 13million vaccines pledge, PHE won't deliver on a Sunday and small chemists desperate to give jabs are left out in the cold . . . so can the Prime Minister really get us out of lockdown by Spring?
Tory MPs accused Matt Hancock of playing down the Government's vaccination ambitions yesterday, amid claims that the his department has snubbed an offer by pharmacists to help the biggest vaccination drive in history – and it emerged doses of the vaccine will not be delivered to GPs on a Sunday. The Health Secretary described the prospect of giving the coronavirus jab to the 13million vulnerable people who are most by mid-February as a 'best-case scenario' – despite it being the only way the country will get out of lockdown, with the livelihoods and mental well-being of millions riding on it. Many of his parliamentary colleagues were not reassured by his comments to them over Zoom yesterday morning, as fears grow that the government will not be able to move fast enough to hit the target. One MP who referred to the call as 'Hancock's half-hour' said: 'He emphasised that the prospect of the vulnerable being vaccinated by mid-February was a best-case scenario. It was heavily caveated. 'He set out plenty of reasons why it might not happen by then. He left himself plenty of wriggle room. It was very much an aspiration and there were no guarantees. I fear that they have not got the vaccine in sufficient quantities.' 'He said two million doses of the Oxford vaccine would arrive this week for use next week. They should have been stockpiling. The rollout needs to happen as fast as possible. It's the only chance we've got.' The Tory MPs fears follow claims from industry leaders that high street pharmacies 'desperately' want to roll out more than a million Oxford vaccine doses a week but have been snubbed by the government. They say pharmacies could help deliver more than a million injections a week if the 11,400 locations with a pharmacist trained to give injections carry out 20 a day.
Comments
London's Nightingale hospital has already being mostly dismantled, shocking pictures reveal (top). Health bosses have already started stripping the emergency unit of its 4,000 beds, ventilators and even signs pointing patients to wards, shocking photos reveal, while the hospitals in Birmingham and Sunderland are also yet to re-open.It comes as Covid-19 hospitalisations across England surged past the peak of the first wave, with health bosses fearing they are likely to rise further. NHS England data shows 20,426 beds were occupied by patients who had tested positive for coronavirus as of 8am on Monday, up from 17,700 a week ago and above the 18,974 recorded on April 12.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9095087/Londons-Nightingale-hospital-quietly-broken-arent-medics.html
"Two giant leaps to freedom" reads the headline in the Daily Mail, which says the approval of both the Oxford Covid vaccine and the Brexit trade deal herald "a new dawn for Britain".
The Sun adopts a similar tone. It depicts the new jab as a rocket blasting into space, emblazoned with the Union Jack, as the headline declares: "One giant hope for mankind."
The Times says the jab will bring "freedom by Easter". The paper reports that the NHS is aiming to vaccinate almost 30 million people before the end of May - with a shift in focus meaning they'll administer as many first jabs as possible, before concentrating on the follow up injections.
But the Guardian reports that the makers of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have raised concerns about the changes. The paper says they cannot guarantee its sustained protection, if the second dose is given more than 21 days after the first.
For most of the papers, the hope offered by the vaccine is tempered by the reality of the days and weeks ahead.
For the Daily Mirror, Wednesday was "a day of despair and hope", with the Oxford vaccine approved shortly before the largest daily death toll since April was announced.
"It's always darkest before the dawn" reads the headline, above a photograph showing ambulances lined up outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. With hospitals struggling to cope and 20 million people moved into the toughest tier four restrictions, it was, says the paper, "another grim day".
'Major reversal'
The Daily Telegraph says Britain's in a race to roll out the vaccines to stave off a third national lockdown. It describes the decision to keep secondary schools and many primaries in England closed as "a major reversal by the government" which will "raise fresh questions about whether exams will go ahead as normal in the summer."
Boris Johnson is pictured signing the Brexit trade deal at Downing Street on many of the front pages. The Guardian shows him holding aloft the massive leather-bound 1,200-page document - after MPs approved the fast-tracked legislation.
The Daily Express declares that the end of the transition period at 23:00 GMT will mark "Our finest hour" and "a time to come together as a country". "Regardless of how anyone voted in 2016", says the paper, "it's time to unite in pursuit of a fairer, healthier and more prosperous future."
The Sun notes that all of England's pubs are now shut - with the exception of those on the Isles of Scilly, which remains in tier one.
The paper reports that some social media users have suggested it could be the only place to enjoy a proper New Year's Eve - but says the islands have been quick to point out that they are closed to tourists.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55494015
Confusion for millions over Covid school closures: Parents rage as some primaries are allowed to open while others a few yards away are forced to close - as Williamson refuses to apologise and London's Labour councils demand ALL classes must be cancelled
Primary schools in dozens of areas across London, Essex, Kent will not be allowed to reopen as planned
Vulnerable children and children of key workers will be only pupils allowed to attend the schools in person
Students in years 11 and 13 who are facing exams will physically return on January 11 as previously planned
Children in the other year groups will now have to wait an extra week until January 18 to return to lessons
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9101387/Return-school-chaos-millions-Confused-parents-rage.html
A total national lockdown is inevitable a SAGE expert is warning today, as 20million people across England this morning wake up in Tier 4 amid a spike in Covid death figures. Doctor Mike Tildesley (pictured inset), a member of the scientific modelling committee, a modelling subgroup of SAGE, says the whole country will likely have to be plunged into Tier 4 (pictured left: A map showing the Tiers) or a national lockdown ordered before the end of January in a bid to stem spiralling infection rates. In a grim warning on BBC Radio 4 today, he said: 'Cases are rising in a really concerning way, so I suspect that unfortunately we will see a ramping-up even further of restrictions, probably more of the country being in Tier 4 or ultimately probably a national lockdown before we get to the end of January'. It comes as a Boris Johnson last night warned of a new 'reality' with mutant Covid rampant on Wednesday as he plunged virtually the whole of England into brutal lockdown until the Spring - with the UK recording 981 deaths in the worst daily toll since April and vaccines (pictured right: A graphic showing how the vaccine works) the only hope of escape.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9101427/Total-national-lockdown-end-January-inevitable-says-SAGE-expert.html
The paper says members of the team have been "frustrated" by the pace of production so far - blaming the UK's "virtually non-existent manufacturing capacity" before the pandemic hit.
But the Daily Telegraph reports that AstraZeneca and Pfizer - which makes the other jab licensed for use - have both "hit back" at government claims of a vaccine shortage, insisting there is no problem with supply.
The Daily Mail focuses on GPs' concerns about the decision to delay giving patients a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which was made to allow more people to get their first jab sooner.
A spokesman for the Doctors' Association tells the paper that most of those affected are over 80 and have already made transport arrangements for their second appointment - so cancelling it "at such short notice will cause untold levels of anxiety".
In an editorial for the Mail, the 87-year-old Labour peer Dame Joan Bakewell says she's heard nothing about her booster jab - so has "no idea" when her life will go back to normal.
A picture of six ambulances queuing outside a London A&E department fills the front page of the i newspaper.
It says the number of coronavirus patients being admitted to hospitals across the UK every day could double by the end of the month to around 6,000.
Meanwhile, the Guardian talks of an escalating crisis, and says the Nightingale field hospital in east London is expected to start treating Covid cases next week for the first time since last spring.
Schools latest
"Another screeching U-turn" is how the Sun describes the education secretary's move to keep all primary schools closed in London for the next fortnight - because of concerns about the spread of Covid-19.
The Daily Mirror says Gavin Williamson confirmed the change "24 hours after insisting it was safe for schools in eight boroughs to open".
The Schools Week website calls the situation "chaotic", while the Daily Express highlights the "incredible pressures" facing parents as a result of the closures - which could continue until mid-February.
Meanwhile, "raving mad" is how the Daily Mirror describes the "hundreds of revellers" who ignored coronavirus restrictions to hold parties on New Year's Eve.
In its editorial, it says "their selfish behaviour was not just insulting to those who've spent months shielding but risks fuelling the spread" of the disease.
The Sun agrees, calling them "deadly dunces" whose "irresponsible delusion could cost someone else their life".
But the Daily Express praises "the vast majority of people" who obeyed the rules - and urges readers to stick with them and "get through this last gruelling chapter" of the pandemic.
The Prince of Wales has written in the Daily Telegraph to say he is seriously concerned about the impact the virus is having on cancer treatment.
In a comment piece for the paper, he says he fears the disease could become the "forgotten C" - with cancelled appointments and delayed operations causing "despair" for thousands of people.
The prince - who is the patron of Macmillan Cancer Support - adds that the virus has had a "devastating" effect on the charity's fundraising income, which is expected to fall by £175m over the next three years.
In another health story, an investigation by the Guardian has found that a record 6-million people in England were given antidepressants between July and September last year.
The paper suggests the figure has risen because access to mental health services has narrowed during the pandemic, while some patients have been reluctant to seek help to avoid putting extra pressure on the NHS.
Health officials tell the Guardian that online talking therapy sessions are now "rapidly increasing".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55511566
"It's back to Square One" suggests the Daily Mail, describing the measures as "the most draconian" since last spring.
The Daily Telegraph understands the "tipping point" for the prime minister came on Monday, when he was told more than 80,000 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus on 29 December.
The Guardian says the crackdown comes amid "catastrophic figures" for hospital admissions in England and warnings of a "grim death toll" by the end of the month.
The Financial Times cites John Edmunds, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, warning that it was now "baked in" that the UK's Covid death toll would exceed 100,000.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55539635
Britons are using humor to take the sting out of the prospect of a third national lockdown last night after Boris Johnson unveiled a dramatic set of restrictions for England in a desperate bid to control the new mutant coronavirus . Social media users tried to find humour at the looming measures which will see schools shut from today and multiple households banned from mixing as vaccines are rolled out across the country. Some users pondered how they will have aged once the measures finally come to an end while others suggested it will be more than ten years before the UK is finally rid of the virus.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html
My Mother in Law -85 yrs old- had a hospital appointment on 9th December so was pleased to be offered dose 1 of the Pfizer vaccine and upon her return for dose 2 on 30th, my wife 61( not a particularly vulnerable adult) was offered and accepted dose 1?.? I was due to be with them in the car but decided it was an unnecessary outing...but my wife was told I could also get vaccinated with dose 1 when she returns for dose 2 in
312 weeksSO what about my next door neighbours 92 year old mother who as yet hasn’t had a call?
My daughter has a strategic role for 7 London boroughs in trying to source and set up vaccination sites.....thank god we now have the Oxford vaccine!
Michael Gove admitted there was no 'certainty' that the brutal squeeze imposed by Boris Johnson on England last night will be eased at the end of February as hoped. The PM set a goal of giving first doses of vaccine to more than 13million vulnerable people over the next seven weeks, with doubts already voiced over whether it is possible. But Mr Gove cautioned that even in the best case scenario not 'all' of the curbs will go, as he braced the weary public for a long haul to combat the fast-spreading new variant of coronavirus. 'We hope we will be able to progressively lift restrictions after that but what I can't do is predict - nobody can predict - with accuracy exactly what we will be able to relax and when,' he said. The heavy caveats came after the PM made another extraordinary U-turn by plunging the country into a March-style lockdown, saying the NHS risked being overrun within weeks if he failed to act. Just a day after he urged parents to send their children back, Mr Johnson declared in a sombre address from No10 that primary and secondary schools will be shut from today, with only the vulnerable and offspring of key workers allowed to go in. Nurseries can stay open. But university students are being told to stay at home and study remotely, while GCSE and A-level exams will not go ahead as planned. Teenagers might not know for weeks how their exams will be replaced, with Ofsted expected to launch a consultation. Under the new guidance, published overnight, non-essential retail, all hospitality, gyms and swimming pools will be ordered to close - with Rishi Sunak due to lay out another package of support today.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9113833/Michael-Gove-warns-March-EARLIEST-lockdown-start-eased.html
The Guardian warns of "tough curbs for months", quoting the prime minister's acknowledgment that the plan to emerge from the national lockdown in mid-February was subject to "lots of caveats, lots of ifs".
The Financial Times says "Britain faces long haul out of crisis". The Sun has the stark headline "1 in 50 has Covid"; while the Metro hones in on the capital's predicament saying "one in 30 has virus in London".
The Daily Mirror claims Boris Johnson's late lockdown "could spark 20,000 deaths this month"; the Daily Express focuses on Mr Johnson's "optimism and fundamental hope" that "things will be very different in the spring"; while the Daily Mail warns "Covid curbs may be back next winter".
The front page of the Times is dominated by a stark picture showing two lone figures walking over an otherwise deserted Millennium Bridge in central London yesterday. The paper says Britain has become "a land of ghost cities".
The Daily Star laments the return of lockdown and panic-buying - exclaiming "Shove your Dry January!"
The Daily Telegraph suggests an offer from High Street pharmacies to roll out more than a million doses of the Oxford vaccine every week has been "snubbed by ministers".
Simon Dukes, a senior industry leader, has told the paper there's "an army of thousands of pharmacists up and down the country who administer the flu jab every winter". He continues: "We've been telling the NHS that we're ready, willing and desperate to help, but we've been met by a de facto silence."
The i focuses on vaccine hubs, saying they'll open in sports stadiums and exhibition centres next week.
Red line
The Times carries a suggestion from a Conservative MP that retired teachers and Ofsted inspectors should check pupils' GCSE and A-level work to ensure the right grades are given this summer.
Robert Halfon, who's the chairman of the education select committee, told the paper that independent assessors and human moderators - rather than algorithms - should be used to avoid last summer's results fiasco.
The i stresses the PM "is unable to guarantee that children can return to school before summer holidays".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55554533
Tory MPs accused Matt Hancock of playing down the Government's vaccination ambitions yesterday, amid claims that the his department has snubbed an offer by pharmacists to help the biggest vaccination drive in history – and it emerged doses of the vaccine will not be delivered to GPs on a Sunday. The Health Secretary described the prospect of giving the coronavirus jab to the 13million vulnerable people who are most by mid-February as a 'best-case scenario' – despite it being the only way the country will get out of lockdown, with the livelihoods and mental well-being of millions riding on it. Many of his parliamentary colleagues were not reassured by his comments to them over Zoom yesterday morning, as fears grow that the government will not be able to move fast enough to hit the target. One MP who referred to the call as 'Hancock's half-hour' said: 'He emphasised that the prospect of the vulnerable being vaccinated by mid-February was a best-case scenario. It was heavily caveated. 'He set out plenty of reasons why it might not happen by then. He left himself plenty of wriggle room. It was very much an aspiration and there were no guarantees. I fear that they have not got the vaccine in sufficient quantities.' 'He said two million doses of the Oxford vaccine would arrive this week for use next week. They should have been stockpiling. The rollout needs to happen as fast as possible. It's the only chance we've got.' The Tory MPs fears follow claims from industry leaders that high street pharmacies 'desperately' want to roll out more than a million Oxford vaccine doses a week but have been snubbed by the government. They say pharmacies could help deliver more than a million injections a week if the 11,400 locations with a pharmacist trained to give injections carry out 20 a day.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9116135/Is-Matt-Hancock-backing-mid-February-vaccine-target-ALREADY.html