UK Covid news LIVE: South African scientists say a new Covid variant may have increased transmissibility

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Scientists said a new type of Covid virus discovered in South Africa may have increased transmissibility.

The C.1.2 variant, first detected in May, has been found since August in six of South Africa’s nine provinces plus the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Portugal, New Zealand and Switzerland.

It comes as the number of transplants fell by more than 30 percent during the first wave of Covid in 2020. According to modeling calculations, the slowdown in transplants has cost a patient’s life for more than 48,000 years.

View Latest Updates 1630418926 NHS faces winter-like stress in summer, medics warn

The Society for Acute Medicine has warned that health services in England are experiencing “winter-like stress”.

Medics from the organization, which represents physicians working in acute medicine, said doctors are treating “large numbers” of people with non-Covid illnesses as well as many patients attending hospital with severe coronavirus symptoms.

Dr Nick Scriven, former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said many patients have illnesses that usually appear in the winter such as respiratory infections.

This is especially noted in children, but also in large numbers of patients who have seen their health deteriorate over the past 18 months.

The NHS is facing a huge backlog of care that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. There are 5.45 million people waiting for care in England alone.

1630418028 Scotland’s coronavirus cases continue to rise

The number of Covid cases in Scotland has risen by more than 2,000 in the past 24 hours, while seven coronavirus patients have died.

The latest Scottish government figures published on Tuesday recorded 6,029 daily cases, up from 3,893 cases on Monday.

The numbers are still below the record high of 7,113 on Sunday, but hospital patient numbers have continued to rise.

A total of 585 people were in hospital on Monday with Covid-19 recently confirmed, up 34 from the day before, with 54 patients in intensive care, an increase of two.

The death toll according to the daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus in the past 28 days – is now 8,118.

1630416157 Promotion campaign coming soon to the over 80s and the vulnerable, experts say

An expert said the campaign to boost the coronavirus vaccine should start quickly for those over their 80s and for certain groups of people who are clinically at risk.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said a broader promotion campaign may not be needed because vaccines are still effective in warding off serious diseases.

His comments come as experts from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization prepare to make a final decision on the booster campaign, as NHS England prepares to start the campaign from 6 September.

Health officials have plans to deliver a third blow to the 30 million over-50s and clinically at-risk people, but they have yet to get the go-ahead from government advisors.

1630406951 Finance Minister Kate Forbes self-isolates after close contact alert

Scotland’s finance minister is in self-isolation after being identified as having close contact with a family member with the Covid-19 virus.

She said Kate Forbes will be self-isolating for up to 10 days because she received her second dose of the coronavirus vaccine less than two weeks ago.

Forbes announced the news on Twitter, but said it would continue to work from home.

“Late this afternoon, a family member tested positive,” she wrote on Twitter.

“As a close contact, I will now self-isolate for the duration as I am not fully vaccinated. It has been less than two weeks since my second vaccination.”

Forbes added that she will continue to testify in two panels on Wednesday and will actually respond to the debate about McVitie’s nearly shutdown of Tollcross, among other commitments.

Scottish Finance Minister Kate Forbes

Robert Perry/PA163044292EU vaccinated 70 percent of adults

Seven out of ten adults in the European Union have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The European Commission confirmed the news on Tuesday, which means that the bloc has achieved its target set at the start of the year.

It represents an important milestone in the EU vaccination strategy after a slow start.

However, it also hides significant differences between EU countries, with some countries far above the 70 percent target, while others in the bloc’s poorer eastern region lag far behind.

Teenager receiving his own coronavirus vaccine

/ Damien Sturan / PA1630402103 Poor planning pressures GP service, expert says

One health commentator said the lack of advance planning has escalated pressure on GP services.

Concerns have been raised about the access of general practitioners, particularly to direct appointments for the elderly or people who have experienced the “digital first” strategy adopted by many surgeries during the pandemic.

One health expert said that even before the coronavirus crisis, the UK had the fewest number of practicing physicians per population in all of Europe.

While it takes several years to train new physicians, population statistics have been available for a number of years which can easily predict a high demand for care.

Meanwhile, many people have turned away from seeking help during the pandemic, causing a backlog.

It’s kind of the perfect storm that we have in the data right now, added Jamie Jenkins, former head of health analysis at the Office for National Statistics.

“What we’re starting to see is that fewer people have come forward in the last year, and there’s a huge demand for health services right now, especially for GPs.”

Thai PM faces debate over mistrust over handling of Covid

A vote of no confidence has been launched in Thailand targeting the prime minister’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thai lawmakers have launched the operation targeting Prayut Chan-ocha and five members of his government amid allegations that the government erred in its response to the health crisis.

The debate is scheduled to last four days, with a vote by the House of Representatives on Saturday.

Opposition leader Sompong Amornvivat, of the Pheu Thai party, said that if the prime minister was allowed to continue, more people would die and “there would not be enough crematoriums”.

Mr Amorenvivat began the discussion with a blistering attack, accusing Mr Prayuth of being “an arrogant, power-crazy person unfit to lead the country”.

“If we allow him to continue to drive, it will lead to more people getting injured and losing their lives,” he added.

“There will not be enough crematoriums in service and there will be no way to stop the spread of disease.”

Organizers of the ongoing anti-government street protests vowed to intensify their efforts during the debate to force Prayuth out of office.

His coalition government is generally expected to back down from this week’s challenge, although it has come under fire for failing to secure an adequate and timely supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha

New Zealand’s COVID-19 cases fall for second day amid lockdowns

New Zealand’s new coronavirus cases fell for a second day in a row amid a tight lockdown in the country during the latest outbreak this month.

On Tuesday, the government reported that the number of new cases had fallen to 49.

With the exception of a few cases in February, New Zealand has been essentially coronavirus-free for several months.

An outbreak of variable delta imported from Australia prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order a sudden nationwide shutdown on August 17.

The total number of cases in the outbreak is 612, of which 597 are in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, and 15 are in the capital, Wellington.

The decrease in the number of daily cases indicates that social restrictions are reducing the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, Ardern said at a news conference.

“We have the second day where our numbers are down. We want the tail of this outbreak to be as short as possible,” she added.

Mormon Church leaders urge people to get vaccinated in the US, splitting worshipers

Mormon church leaders in the United States have issued their strongest statement yet urging people to “limit the spread” of the coronavirus by wearing masks and vaccinating.

Members of the religion, known as the Mormon Church, remain deeply divided over measures despite continued guidance from their leaders as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

About 65 percent of Latter-day Saints who responded to a recent survey said they are receptive to the vaccine, meaning they have had at least one dose or plan to have it soon.

Another 15 percent identified as hesitant, and 19 percent said they would not get the vaccine, according to the poll this summer by the Public Debt Research Institute in Washington.

1630395853 Center Focuses On Technology Behind Pfizer Punches And Moderna To Boost Vaccine Success

A new center of excellence and training facility specializing in the technology used to make the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna has been launched in the UK.

Those behind the centre, in north-east England, said they would work with government and industry to help protect the world from future pandemics and infectious diseases.

The new facility will expand capacity at an existing site in Darlington and is expected to be ready in November, with courses to train and enhance the skills of technicians and scientists available from January.

Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA (messenger RNA), which carries instructions that tell the body to produce a specific tool that can be used to fight disease.

Scientists involved in the new center said that in addition to the coronavirus, this technology could be used to treat HIV, cancer and heart disease.

Dr Lucy Foley, director of biology at CPI – the technology innovation organization behind the new facility – described the use of RNA as a “more refined way” to make a treatment or vaccine, calling it a “real game-changer”.

“I think the industry is really putting the spotlight on RNA and these chemically manufactured products now,” she said.

She added that manufacturing the products is much faster and could offer a more promising way to treat diseases in the future if the cost of goods can be reduced.

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