Covid News – Mubasher: Latest updates as ministers insist enhanced strikes will prevent new closures

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The UK government has been called on to enact measures other than vaccines to tackle the growing number of Covid cases

(AFP)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a vaccine alone will not be able to pull the world out of the pandemic.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges people who are eligible for a Covid booster vaccine to get theirs before the winter months.

It comes as people eligible for the third session have been slow to book their appointments.

Cases over the past week have risen to between 40,000 and 50,000 new cases per day over the past week — raising fears of hospitalizations and death rates during the holiday season.

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told Radio Times: “The problem is to focus on one thing, the vaccine is not going to get us out of this.

We have to take other measures.

“We have to be serious about not getting crowded. We still have to wear masks, especially when you are indoors.”

The government’s top scientific advisors have asked ministers to start preparing for the “rapid deployment” of essential Covid measures such as the return of compulsory mask-wearing and work from home.

Downing Street has been urged by local authorities to “act now, not later” and unions have warned that “without decisive action now” the UK is “walking asleep into another chaotic winter”.

Show last update 1634980518 Will there be another shutdown? Here is everything we know

The daily number of new Covid cases has been between 40,000 and 50,000 over the past week.

The high number of hospitalizations and the high number of daily deaths also raised fears of another closure.

But is it likely that we will all have to go into social hibernation again this winter?

Details with my colleague Joe Somerlad

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 10:15

1634979618 Government pledges £65m to pay back pandemic household arrears

The government has announced that vulnerable tenants in England who are in arrears during the pandemic will receive a £65m support package this winter.

This funding is on top of a £500m package announced in September to help families struggling to provide food, energy, water and other necessities.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimates that 3.8 million low-income families are behind on household bills.

The foundation said there are believed to be about 950,000 rent arrears, 1.4 million arrears in council tax bills and 1.4 million arrears in electricity and gas bills.

JRF’s findings suggest that a third of households with an income of £24,752 or less are now behind – three times the 11 per cent estimated in a similar study before the pandemic.

John Sparks, chief executive of the homelessness charity Crisis, said the organization would welcome the funding but “it is impossible for this funding to meet the demand we face”.

He added: “To prevent homelessness in the first place, we urgently need the UK government to ensure that housing benefits cover the true cost of rents by unfreezing the local housing allowance.”

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 10:00

Public urged to ‘not wait for government change of Covid policy’

Professor Openshaw, on the BBC’s Breakfast programme, urged people to “take matters into their own hands” about social distancing and wearing masks before Christmas.

When asked what people should do if they are concerned that the government has not yet implemented ‘Plan B’ measures, he said, “I think you take matters into your own hands. You don’t necessarily wait for government policy.

“I am very reluctant now to go to crowded places because I know that one in 60 people in a crowded place will have the virus.

“If you can, cycle to work, and don’t go on public transportation.

“I think you do whatever you can in your control to try to reduce transmission. Don’t wait for the government to change its policy.

“The faster we all get on the move, the faster we can reduce transmission, and the more likely we are to spend Christmas with our families.”

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 09:45

1634977818 “No point delay” Plan B measures before Christmas

A member of the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats (Nerftag), which advises the government, said he feared the “Christmas closure” again.

At BBC Breakfast this morning, Professor Peter Openshaw was asked what people can expect from Christmas if government policy to implement ‘Plan B’ measures during this phase of the pandemic does not change as daily numbers of Covid cases rise.

Speaking in his personal capacity, Professor Openshaw of Imperial College London said: “I am very afraid we will have another Christmas closure if we don’t act soon.

We know that with public health measures, it’s time to act right away. There is no point in delaying.

“If you delay, you need to take tougher action later. Speed ​​of response is very vital if you want to be in control.

“We all really want a great family birthday where we can all get back together.

“If that’s what we want, we need to implement these measures now in order to properly lower transmission rates so we can meet and see each other over Christmas.”

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) also urged Downing Street to “act now, not later”.

Our science correspondent, Samuel Lovett, reports

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 09:30

1634976751 Poor countries must be vaccinated to prevent variants – WHO

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris has warned that the rest of the world must be vaccinated to prevent the development of new Covid variants.

She went on Radio Times to say that vaccinations are not the only solution to reducing the number of cases in the UK.

But, she added, more needs to be done to vaccinate people in other countries.

Ms Harris said: “What is really going to affect transmission for all of us is making sure there are as few viruses as possible circulating around the world.

“The highest priority groups are those who are exposed to the virus all the time, healthcare workers, yet only one in 10 in Africa is currently vaccinated.

“We’re in a bad situation in a lot of parts of the world, we’ll see more variants evolve, we’ll see more transmission, and even if a vaccine magically protects one population as effectively as we hoped then all of that work can be developed and undoed.”

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 09:12

1634976488

good morning. Welcome to the Independent’s live blog on news about the UK’s response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Lamia Sabine October 23, 2021 09:08

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