NORTH-EAST statistics on how many residents have received Covid vaccines were released yesterday. Here are the key talking points: 

  • A record 4,134 hospital admissions of people with Covid-19 in England were reported for January 12, according to the latest figures from NHS England. This is up 12 per cent on the equivalent figure a week ago on January 5. During the first wave of the virus, admissions peaked at 3,099 on April 1 2020.
  • The Covid infection rate is beginning to fall in parts of the region - a sign that lockdown restrictions may be having an effect. Northumberland and South Tyneside see fall in Covid rates. Two out of fourteen council areas across the North-East and North Yorkshire have reported a fall in cases in the past week. Meanwhile, the Covid infection rate, although still rising in all other areas, appears to be slowing down.
  • The North-East has administered the second-highest number of Covid vaccines across England, official data has confirmed. Vaccination data has been released for the first time shows that the North-East and Yorkshire had administered a total of 310,110 first and second doses. NHS data, which shows how many jabs were given between December 8 and January 7, showed that 270,885 first doses and 39,225 second doses had been issued.
  • A further 48,682 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK have been reported on Thursday, Public Health England said. A further 1,248 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK as of Thursday. The regional breakdown of new cases was unavailable last night. A further 32 people from the North-East and North Yorkshire have died in the region's hospitals.
  • A council leader has praised the Covid-19 vaccination programme after receiving her first dose this week. Councillor Heather Scott, leader of Darlington Borough Council, got her first jab on Wednesday at the vaccination pop-up centre at Feethams House. Cllr Scott, who is 81, said: "I was very impressed by the efficient and friendly way the vaccines are given. It was encouraging the number of people who have been attending today many of them who had not left their homes for some time so an important positive step for them moving forward."
  • South America, Panama, Portugal and Cape Verde will be subject to a travel ban from 4am this morning over concerns about the Brazilian coronavirus variant, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced.
  • The UK is “sleepwalking” into the biggest oral health crisis since the creation of the NHS, ministers have been told. During a parliamentary debate, Labour’s Fleur Anderson (Putney) warned that unless dentistry is recognised as an essential service, the sector will collapse. Ms Anderson made the claim as she explained that one of her constituents had had to pull out his own tooth, whilst an elderly lady had been unable to eat solid food throughout the lockdown due to dental pain. Conservative MP and practising dentist Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley) said that the backlog of people requiring dentist appointments which have been delayed due to the pandemic is “staggering”.
  • Universities are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds each on additional measures due to Covid-19, with one institution forking out £1 million on hardship funds and bursaries for students, figures show. Institutions spent significant sums of money on remodelling campuses to allow for social distancing and supporting students to return to campus in the autumn, according to figures obtained by Research Professional News. The figures come as the majority of university students in England have been told to stay at home and not return to campus until at least mid-February, which has prompted calls for greater financial support for students.