HERE'S everything you need to know about the Covid pandemic from the last 24-hours:  

  • The Government said a further 30 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 127,191. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 151,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The Government also said that, as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 2,672 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,380,976. In our region there were a further 89 confirmed cases on Thursday compared to the previous day. Here is a breakdown of cases recorded in our area: County Durham: 37,772 was 37,761; Darlington: 7,476 was 7,472; Gateshead: 13,714 was 13,710

    Hartlepool: 8,849 was 8,841; Middlesbrough: 12,411 was 12,404; Newcastle: 23,413 was 23,390; North Tyneside: 12,431 was 12,428; North Yorkshire: 29,502*; Redcar and Cleveland: 9,277 was 9,274; South Tyneside: 11,300 was 11,292; Stockton: 15,813 was 15,806; Sunderland: 22,010 was 22,004; York: 12,174 was 12,169; Total increase: 89 *Government figures had not been updated on Wednesday for North Yorkshire so comparison not available

  • Introducing coronavirus status certificates could create a “two-tier society” that discriminates against certain groups, the equalities watchdog has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said vaccine passports could be a “proportionate” way of easing restrictions, following the “significant curtailment” of freedoms due to lockdown measures. But in a submission to the Cabinet Office following a call for evidence, it raised concerns about “unlawful discrimination” against people from disadvantaged or ethnic minority backgrounds, by restricting access to jobs and services. The warning came after the Department of Health and Social Care launched a consultation on making vaccination a condition of deployment for staff at older adult care homes in England.
  • Charities and health organisations warned of the Covid-19 pandemic’s “catastrophic” impact on NHS services as new figures revealed that the number of people in England waiting to begin hospital treatment has risen to a new record high. According to data from NHS England, a total of 4.7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of February 2021 – the highest figure since records began in August 2007. The number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to start their hospital treatment stood at 387,885 in February 2021 – the highest number for any calendar month since December 2007. A year ago, in February 2020, the number of those having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment stood at just 1,613.
  • Care homes in England are being “failed” by a flawed rollout of rapid-result tests, an expert has warned as analysis of a pilot found “poor” adherence and no impact on outbreaks. The majority of staff in 11 Liverpool care homes carried out less than a third of the rapid-result lateral flow device (LFD) tests required over six weeks between December and January, according to a pre-print paper. Researchers from the universities of Liverpool, Nottingham and Imperial College London found no significant difference in the proportion of care homes with outbreaks or the size of outbreaks when comparing the results with homes that were not participating in the pilot. Factors linked to poor adherence included testing requirements adding to an already “excessive” work burden, being required to return to the workplace during time off for tests, concerns around accuracy and the implications it could have on income and workload.
  • More than a third of adults in England have found self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 has had a negative effect on their wellbeing and mental health, new figures suggest. Some 36 per cent of adults surveyed said self-isolation had a negative impact, while 59 per cent reported no effect and 4 per cent said it had a positive effect. Around three in 10 people (28 per cent) reported a loss of income, while 14 per cent of those who had been working prior to self-isolating – either in or outside their home – said they were not paid during the self-isolation period. The figures have been compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), based on responses collected from adults between March 8 and 13.
  • Britons have a duty to buy alcohol, soft drinks and food to help “save our pubs”, according to a Cabinet minister. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg also suggested MPs could “lead by example” in supporting the hospitality sector across the country. Mr Rees-Mogg’s rallying cry came days after lockdown easing in England saw people able to enjoy visits to pub gardens. Speaking in the Commons, Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan (Wakefield) raised data suggesting spending in pubs in his constituency on Monday was only at 43.9 per cent of pre-Covid 19 pandemic levels – and asked for a debate on support for the industry.
  • Meanwhile, ventilation in pubs and restaurants must be improved to prevent another spike in coronavirus following the reopening of outdoor hospitality in England, doctors have warned. The British Medical Association (BMA) said the Government has clearly conveyed the “hands, face, space” message, but more needs to be done to guard against airborne transmission of the virus. Pubs, bars and restaurants, workplaces and other public settings should be given ventilation guidance as they welcome the public indoors again, the BMA added.
  • SAGE Gateshead welcomes music to its stages for the first time in 2021 with a live streamed classical concert. The music centre’s first series of 2021, entitled New Beginnings, starts with one of classical music’s superstars Dame Sarah Connolly joining the Royal Northern Sinfonia and its recently-announced Principal Conductor Designate, Dinis Sousa, at 7.30pm on Friday. Dawn and Dusk is a programme of new beginnings with music that is full of optimism. Opening with the sunrise depicted in the introduction to Haydn’s ‘Le Matin’ (Morning) seems a fitting way to break the silence of the last few months.
  • A new recipe book aimed at helping people who have lost their sense of taste following Covid is set to launch in a North East city. The book is available to 3,000 residents across Sunderland in a collaboration between the City Council and award-winning chef Ryan Riley. Mr Riley was inspired to set up his Life Kitchen cookery school in 2018 after nursing his mother Krista who died from terminal cancer. Using ingredients and textures designed to combat the loss of taste and smell some cancer patients experience as a result of their treatment. With Life Kitchen co-founder Kimberley Duke, he has turned his expertise to helping people who, are still suffering from the loss of taste and smell following Covid-19.
  • A Covid-19 testing site is to open full-time in Catterick Garrison as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing. The Department of Health and Social Care plans to open the site fully on Thursday this week to increase testing capacity for people experiencing symptoms and to act as a collection point for lateral flow tests. The site, at Ypres Lines, Richmond Road, will be open between 8am and 8pm seven days a week. It will be for symptomatic testing only. Later, it may act as a collection point for lateral flow testing kits. Tests must be booked in advance at nhs.uk/coronavirus or 119.