Here are updates from the last 24 hours

  • There have been more than 1,500 new Covid-19 cases recorded in the region according to the latest Government figures. A further 1,295 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday, bringing the UK total to 88,590. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 104,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
  • The number of people in the UK to have been given a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is 3,559,179 as of January 15, according to Government data published on Saturday – marking a rise of 324,233 from Friday’s figures. Some 117,906 first doses have been given in Northern Ireland, on top of the 3,090,058 in England, 126,375 in Wales and 224,840 in Scotland. So far, 447,261 second doses have been administered in the UK, including 424,327 in England, 129 in Wales, 19,474 in Northern Ireland and 3,331 in Scotland. The total number of jabs administered in the UK, including both first and second doses, is 4,006,440.
  • A concerning new strain of coronavirus is likely to already be in the UK despite the Government imposing a travel ban from affected countries, a leading epidemiologist has warned. Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he would find it “unusual” if the second of two new variants from Brazil was not already present, despite it not yet being detected. The first variant has a small number of mutations and eight genomically confirmed cases of this variant have been identified in the UK. The second, which has been detected in Manaus and in travellers arriving in Japan, has not been detected in the UK so far.
  • Emergency legislation is needed to protect doctors and nurses from “inappropriate” legal action over Covid-19 treatment decisions made amid the pressures of the pandemic, health organisations have argued. A coalition of health bodies has written to the Government urging it to update the law to ensure medical workers do not feel “vulnerable to the risk of prosecution for unlawful killing” when treating coronavirus patients “in circumstances beyond their control”. Health groups argued that there is no legal protection for Covid-related issues such as when there are “surges in demand for resources that temporarily exceed supply”.
  • Toughened lockdown restrictions have come into force in Scotland due to a rapidly spreading strain of Covid-19. In response to what the First Minister called an “extremely serious” situation, further measures have been brought in to stop the spread of coronavirus and limit non-essential contact. People who live in a Level 4 area – currently all of mainland Scotland – should not leave or remain outside their home, except for essential purposes. Working from home has become a default position for all businesses through statutory guidance and services, and only those who cannot do their job from home should go into a workplace.
  • The public are being warned by doctors and police not to fall for fraudsters trying to sell fake coronavirus vaccines, affirming that the jab will always be free. Reports to Action Fraud have been rising in the last two months, particularly around scam text messages, as con artists seek to gain from the pandemic. City of London Police are investigating one case in which a man knocked on the door of a 92-year-old woman and administered a fake vaccine before charging £160 and claiming it would be reimbursed by the NHS. Con artists have also been known to use telephone calls to extract payments.
  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested he would back further coronavirus measures, as he said “the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control”. Sir Keir, answering questions following a speech to the Fabian Society’s new year conference, said he was “still worried” by the number of infections despite signs they are falling. He said the “sense that we are through the worst” of the third wave is wrong, as he welcomed further restrictions on travel announced by the Government on Friday. The Labour leader said: “Nobody likes restrictions but the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control, the quicker we reduce the number of hospital admissions and the quicker we get that number of deaths, tragically, down.”
  • There was more interest than usual in Saturday’s Premier League fixtures after the Government told players to stop celebrating goals in groups as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic and remains in lockdown. The rate of infection has risen since a new strain was detected towards the end of 2020. Even clubs have seen a spike in cases that has led to games being postponed – some at the eleventh hour.