HERE'S everything you need to know about the pandemic.  

  • The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England is between 0.8 and 1, according to the latest Government figures. Last week, the figure was between 0.8 and 1.1. R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect. When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially, but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking. An R number between 0.8 and 1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 10 other people.
  • The number of Covid-19 infections in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level for eight months, new figures suggest. Around one in 1,180 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to May 2, down from one in 1,010 the previous week, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is the lowest figure since the week to September 5 2020, when the estimate stood at one in 1,400.
  • Under-40s are to be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a precautionary move. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has raised the age threshold after the UK’s medicines regulator reported new figures on blood clots last week. The policy of offering an alternative vaccine previously only applied to the under-30s. The change comes despite the JCVI and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) saying there are no fresh safety concerns. The MRHA has said benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh any risks for the vast majority of people.
  • A coronavirus strain first detected in India has been escalated to a “variant of concern”, Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed. Figures show cases of the variant have increased to 520 from 202 over the last week, and almost half of these cases are related to travel or contact with a traveller. The cases are spread across the country, with the majority in two areas – the North West, mainly in Bolton, and London, PHE said. The decision to reclassify the variant is based on evidence which suggests it is at least as transmissible as a strain known as the Kent variant, PHE said. PHE said there is currently “insufficient evidence” to indicate that any of the variants recently detected in India cause more severe disease or make the vaccines available any less effective.
  • The Education Secretary has said the Government is planning to lift the face mask requirement for secondary school pupils in England despite opposition from unions. Gavin Williamson told the Telegraph that the Government planned to remove the measure at step three of its road map out of lockdown, which will be no earlier than May 17. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make the announcement on Monday, according to the newspaper.