Coronavirus news UK – Jabs now offered to over 40s as UK sees lowest level of Covid cases since pandemic began

CAPTAIN TOM 100 CAMPAIGN

Thousands of Brits are getting stuck into some charity challenges today to pay tribute to the late Captain Sir Tom Moore on his 101st birthday.

The Captain Tom 100 campaign is encouraging people to create their own charity challenge themed around the number 100.

The war veteran's beloved daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and his grandchildren Benjie, 17, and Georgia, 12, will head to Lord's Cricket Ground today to signal the start of the Captain Tom 100 weekend - by ringing the ground's famous five-minute bell.

Sir Tom's family will follow in his footsteps, walking 100 laps of their garden in Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire just as he did.

ASTRAZENECA RAKES IN NEARLY £200M FROM COVID JABS

AstraZeneca has raked in nearly £200 million from the sales of its vaccine in the first three months of this year.

The pharmaceutical company - which is not making profit on their jab - revealed it banked revenues after delivering 68 million doses worldwide.

Europe was responsible for £160.6 million of the total, £30.8 million in emerging markets, and £5.7 million from across the rest of the world.

Overall sales remained strong despite dips in sales in some of the company's other drugs.

NINE WANTED BY POLICE AFTER OFFICERS INJURED IN LOCKDOWN PROTEST

The images of nine people have been released by Scotland Yard after officers were injured during an anti-lockdown protests.

A gathering of over 100 people in Hyde Park last Saturday saw crowds playing music and gathered closely together - prompting police to try and disperse them.

But 14 officers were injured in the ruckus and missiles were even thrown at the officers, according to the Met Police. Five of the 14 required medical treatment.

Detective Chief Inspector Nat Norris said: "These officers were simply trying to do their job and it can never be acceptable for them to be attacked in this way."

INDIA'S HOSPITALS STILL UNDER DIRE STRAIN

Oxygen supplies and hospital beds remain in desperately short supply in India, despite relief arriving from both the UK and the US.

The country's healthcare system is at breaking point - seeing hospitals having to turn patients away as there is simply not enough beds.

NORTHERN IRELAND NON-ESSENTIAL'S AND PUBS REOPEN

In Northern Ireland, retailers, publicans and restaurateurs are gearing up to reopen their doors today amid another relaxation of Covid-19 rules.

After shutting their doors four months ago, outdoor hospitality and all non-essential retail are opening up under Stormont's phased reopening plan.

Licensed and unlicensed premises can serve customers in outdoor settings in groups of six from no more than two households.

Gyms, swimming pools and self-contained tourist accommodation can also open.

YOUNG ADULTS MOST AFFECTED BY ASTRAZENECA SIDE EFFECTS

Younger adults are most likely to be affected by the rare blood clotting disorder related to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the UK's medicines regulator has warned.

There have been 209 cases and 41 deaths in the UK of patients suffering from the rare combination of blood clots with low platelet counts after receiving the jab, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

New data of the side effects showed that 23 cases occurred in people aged 18 to 29, 27 in those in their thirties, 30 in people in their forties, 59 in people in their fifties and 57 in those aged 60 and above, with the age not known in the remaining cases.

But chief executive Dr June Raine stressed that no vaccine or medicine was risk-free and that the blood clots were "extremely rare".

"The benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks for most people."

PM PUSHED FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO HANDLING OF PANDEMIC

The Prime Minister is facing increasing calls to immediately launch a public inquiry into the UK's handling of the pandemic.

The Institute for Government (IfG) and King's Fund brushed off claims it was the "wrong time" to conduct the probe and want it established in May.

The groups said civil servants will be able to juggle the inquiry while still battling the pandemic, and want to set the wheels in motion before beginning its investigations in September after Parliament's summer recess.

The King's Fund's Director of Policy, Sally Warren, said: "The suggestion that everyone in Government is too busy for an inquiry is a poor excuse.

"There are first steps that can be taken to establish the inquiry - such as appointing an independent chair or agreeing term of reference - that will not distract from the efforts of public servants responding to Covid-19."

WHO IS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR A VACCINE IN ENGLAND?

• Those aged 40 or over
• Those who turn 40 before 1 July 2021
• Those employed as frontline health or social care worker
• Those in a high-risk category from COVID-19
• Those who have a condition that puts you at higher risk
• Those who have a learning disability
• Those who get a Carer’s Allowance, get support following an assessment by your local authority or your GP record shows you’re a carer

JABS FOR 40-YEAR-OLDS

Brits aged 40 and over are now being invited to book their coronavirus jabs.

Text messages will be sent out from today allowing 40 and 41-year-olds to book their vaccination, according to NHS England.

It comes after those aged 42 and 44 were invited this week - meaning another 2.5 million have now been invited to receive their jab.

ONLY WAY IS SUP

Pubs and shops are primed for a £4billion Wonder Weekend — with jabbed-up England on course to be unlocked entirely by June.

The first Bank Holiday weekend that most boozers have been open since last August could see 20 million pints being drunk to celebrate success with the vaccine rollout.

Jabs Minister Nadhim Zahawi said indoor mixing will be on next month while Covid proof arrangements will be ready for travelling Brits.

And the last two phases of lockdown should be lifting on time with him insisting: “The good news is May 17 looks good, June 21 looks good, too.”

MASK OFF

Pupils will be spared from wearing masks in class at English schools and colleges in just over two weeks’ time.

Schools minister Nick Gibb revealed the move after MPs raised concerns about face coverings disrupting pupils’ learning and wellbeing.

Mr Gibb said he has earmarked May 17 for the ending of compulsory masks. But he added: “Of course, it depends on the data and the evidence and the advice that we’re getting from Public Health England.” 

Tory MP Caroline Johnson had earlier told the education select committee that masks worsened hay fever and skin conditions. 

DISTANCING ADVICE

Boris Johnson will be told that social distancing at big events can be scrapped after a pilot scheme showed no spike in Covid cases.

Crowds should be able to return without social distancing from June 21, while experts have said older vaccinated people should “get out there and socialise”.

It comes as people are being "terrified" by messages that things may not ever go back to normal - despite the success of the vaccine rollout.

And after initial results from pilot schemes, the Prime Minister will be told next week that there were no spikes in Covid cases among attendees.

UK JAB ROLLOUT 'PROCEDING APACE'

More than 34 million Brits have received their first dose of the Covid vaccine - nearly two thirds of the adult population.

And nearly 14 million people have received their second dose, making them fully vaccinated against the virus.

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "With nine tenths of people aged 45 and over having been jabbed, nearly three quarters of a million new appointments were made in just two days as our booking service opened to people aged 42 to 44.

"With second doses also proceeding apace, we're now ready to invite all those aged 40 and over to join the most successful vaccination drive in health service history."

UK TO HOST SUMMIT TO SPEED UP VACCINE DEVELOPMENT FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS

The UK will host a global summit alongside a major scientific coalition aimed at supporting plans to accelerate vaccine development in response to any future pandemics.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have announced that the UK will host a summit in 2022 in partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi).

It will raise investment from the international community in support of the UK and Cepi's goal of slashing vaccine development time to 100 days - about a third of the time that it took the world to develop a coronavirus jab.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed this goal ahead of a meeting of the G7 leaders in February and it is supported by the Government's new Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (PPP).

Mr Raab said: "UK scientists and researchers have led pioneering work to create life-saving vaccines, now being rolled out in the UK and around the world. But ultimately, we need to be prepared for future pandemics. As we set out in the Integrated Review, we all need to work together to solve this global challenge."

PROXY VOTES

As England prepares to hit the polling stations for the local elections, some Brits are worried about voting in person during the Covid pandemic.

But there's no need to panic, as you can still vote even if you’re unable to make it to the ballot box on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

To be granted an emergency proxy vote, you will need to apply by 5pm on polling day.

'MUM ARE YOU GOING TO KILL YOURSELF?', ASKS KATE GARRAWAY'S DAUGHTER

Kate Garraway has shared the harrowing moment her 15-year-old daughter Darcey asked her if she was going to kill herself amid husband Derek's coronavirus battle.

The 53-year-old star opened up during an appearance on This Morning today where she revealed just how concerned her two children have been about her mental well-being.

Speaking to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Kate said: "Darcey at one point actually said, 'Mum are you going to kill yourself?' out of the blue."

Holly and Phil gasped in shock, with Kate going on: "That sounds horrific, but if you know Darcey she's really blunt and she'll always go to the most awful thing you can imagine and work her way back.

"She just came out with this sentence and I said, 'Oh my god, no, why would you think that?!' She said she wasn't, but 'I just thought I better check'. I said, 'No, if anything it's the absolute opposite - I'm so scared you thought of that.'"

FIRMS ACCUSED OF 'MONETISING COVID'

Private firms are being accused of "monetising coronavirus" as foreign travel arrivals report testing issues.

Arrivals have been forced to repurchase tests, which cost around £200, after companies - recommended by the government - failed to deliver them, reports.

Hundreds have said they either never arrived, arrived late or they never received their results.

And some are accusing firms of refusing to issue refunds once problems have been reported.

A Facebook group of people complaining about these issues has grown to 1,700 over the past few weeks.

STUDENT COMPLAINTS ABOUT UNIVERSITY TEACHING SURGE AMID PANDEMIC

Student complaints to the universities watchdog over teaching, supervision and course-related facilities have surged during the year of the pandemic.

More than two in five (43%) of the complaints received by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) from students were about "service issues" - which includes complaints about disruption caused by industrial action and the coronavirus pandemic - compared with just 29% in 2019.

Complaints from students about disruption to their university due to the pandemic accounted for 12% of all those received in 2020.

But the OIA, which looks at students' complaints in England and Wales, stressed there is a time lag in complaints reaching the adjudicator as students have to raise their complaint with their university first.

YOUNG PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED BY RARE VACCINE CLOTS, MHRA SAYS

Younger adults are particularly affected by the rare blood clotting disorder linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the UK's medicines regulator has said.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there were 209 cases in the UK of the rare combination of blood clots with low platelet counts following being vaccinated the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, with 41 deaths, up to April 21.

This is up from 168 cases and 32 deaths the previous week.

New data, published by the MHRA for the first time on Thursday, also gives breakdown the of the jab's side affects by age.

It shows 23 cases in people aged 18 to 29, 27 in those in their thirties, 30 in people in their forties, 59 in people in their fifties and 57 in those aged 60 and above, with the age not known in the remaining cases.

NO MASKS FOR PUPILS IN TWO WEEKS

Pupils will be spared from wearing masks in class at English schools and colleges in just over two weeks’ time.

Schools minister Nick Gibb revealed the move after MPs raised concerns about face coverings disrupting pupils’ learning and wellbeing.

Mr Gibb said he has earmarked May 17 for the ending of compulsory masks. But he added: “Of course, it depends on the data and the evidence and the advice that we’re getting from Public Health England.” 

Tory MP Caroline Johnson had earlier told the education select committee that masks worsened hay fever and skin conditions. 

Labour’s Fleur Anderson said some deaf children were struggling to keep up as not all teachers wore clear masks, adding they are "losing out on education".

SOCIAL DISTANCING AT BIG EVENTS TO BE SCRAPPED

Boris Johnson will be told that social distancing at big events can be scrapped after a pilot scheme showed no spike in Covid cases.

Crowds should be able to return without social distancing from June 21, while experts have said older vaccinated people should “get out there and socialise”.

With precautions like staggering entries and good ventilation, crowds can return to large events without distancing - following the monitoring of sports games that have already taken place.

A source familiar with the report, according to the , said ministers will be told that the pilots have shown "there are some effective ways to manage risk that could remove the need to have social distancing at events".

The conclusions will be framed as an "initial view" from scientists - with more pilot events coming next month.

CHILE CONSIDERING COVID JAB 'GREEN CARD'

Chile, a global leader in vaccination, is considering issuing a "green card" to those inoculated against the coronavirus in an effort to encourage younger adults who may be reluctant to turn out for their shots, health officials said on Thursday.

Chile's vaccination drive is the fastest in Latin America thus far, and among the top five globally in terms of percentage of its population with at least one shot, according to a Reuters tabulation.

But a recent slowdown in the pace of vaccination has prompted health officials to fast-track a possible rollout of two government-issued ID cards: a domestic "green card" and an international travel "green passport," perks aimed to incentivize participation in the drive, officials said.

"We are looking at it and I think it could be a very important stimulus for people to get vaccinated," Health Minister Enrique Paris told reporters, adding the effort was important to "maintain our campaign".

Chile began vaccinating in December, inoculating health workers, teachers, civil servants, journalists, and age groups progressively - at present, people in their 40s.

But health officials have repeatedly warned that young, healthy adults have been slower to turn out than the elderly, potentially imperiling its goal of vaccinating 80% of its target population, 15 million people, by July to be able to attain herd immunity.

PORTUGAL COULD BE ON UK'S 'GREEN LIST' FROM NEXT MONTH

Portugal could be added to the UK's green list when it is announced next month, thanks to their falling Covid cases and latest vaccine data.

This means that Brits heading to the country won't have to quarantine when returning to the UK.

The UK government is to announce in the upcoming weeks which countries will be placed on the "green" list of the traffic light scheme.

The scheme, which hopes to allow holidays abroad to go ahead from May 17 with few restrictions, will rank countries depending on the risk they pose to the UK, including their own vaccine rollout and Covid situation.

Not only are cases falling in Portugal - with less than 500 daily new cases on average - but the country has reported no new daily deaths in 24 hours, the first time in nine months.

VIVA LA VACAY

Brits people will be welcomed back to Coronavirus- ravaged France from June 9 if they have a ‘health pass,’ it has emerged.

Details of a new roadmap out of the pandemic agreed by President Emmanuel Macron were leaked to the media on Thursday - ahead of Macron’s official announcement of the timeline this evening.

It will allow the British – the biggest visitor group to Paris – and other foreign nationals back into the country if they have proof of being vaccinated or a negative PCR test. 

France is currently in lockdown, but this will gradually be lifted in May as restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen.

The four-phase plan will see France fully reopened just nine days after the UK, despite its far higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates.