A picture of a man getting a coronavirus jab in his garden on a tiny British island is among a collection of images showcasing people behind the national vaccination effort. The previously unseen photographs capture moments across the UK in museums, stadiums and cathedrals over the past few months as efforts continue to vaccinate the nation against COVID. Taken by photojournalists Jude Palmer, Glenn Edward and Liam McBurney, the series of images showing the size and scale of the nationwide vaccination programme have been published by the government ahead of a new campaign urging under-50s to get the jab. Image: Dr Gavin Chestnutt on his way to Rathlin Island Image: Dr Gavin Chestnutt on his way to Rathlin Island Image: A health worker (right) comforting someone at a vaccination centre … 阅读全文

The public should be able to ditch face masks over the summer as vaccines do the heavy lifting in controlling COVID-19, experts have said. Step four of the government's road map for England currently states all legal limits on social contact will be removed by 21 June at the earliest, when restrictions on large events such as festivals are also expected to ease. Scientists advising the government say there is nothing currently in the data to suggest people will not be able to enjoy a relatively normal summer, though coronavirus cases may well rise as the autumn approaches. Image: England is heading to the fourth stage of lockdown lifting Image: England is heading to the fourth stage of lockdown lifting Asked about mask-wearing in the coming months, one source said … 阅读全文

UK scientists have been investigating whether rats could infect humans with coronavirus - and whether the disease could mutate in wild rodents before being passed to people. Researchers say laboratory evidence indicates that while rats and mice appear unable to contract the most common forms of COVID, the N501Y spike protein mutation found in several concerning variants "has an increased affinity" for rodents. A report issued by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) also found the likelihood that a variant of concern (VOC) that has arisen in humans could infect a rodent and then spread among the animals is high. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:22 1:22 COVID variants 'high on our concerns' But it concluded that the risks of coronavirus adapting in … 阅读全文

Dublin's Aviva stadium has been stopped from staging four of this summer's Euro 2020 football matches due to coronavirus concerns. Wembley Stadium will now stage one of the matches - a last-16 clash - and St Petersburg will host the others. Catherine Martin - Ireland's minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media - said she had been "hopeful" of hosting a "fantastic tournament" at the championships in June. Image: The Aviva stadium in Dublin Image: The Aviva stadium in Dublin "However," she said, "despite our commitment to hosting the games, the public health situation has meant that we were not able to give UEFA the assurances they required earlier this month in relation to guaranteeing minimum spectator attendance levels at Euro 2020 in Dublin." Live COVID updates from … 阅读全文

England's R number has risen slightly to between 0.8 and 1, suggesting the pandemic is still continuing to shrink but at a slower rate, latest figures have shown. Last week, the figure was estimated to be between 0.7 and 1 by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). The daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections is also estimated at between -5% and -1%, compared to -6% and -1% the previous week. R represents the average number of people a person with the virus goes on to infect. When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially - but it is shrinking if it is below 1. On average, that currently means that for every 10 people infected with the virus, they will infect between eight and 10 … 阅读全文

Coronavirus was not the main cause of deaths in England and Wales in March - the first time for four months, new figures show. The leading cause of deaths was dementia and Alzheimer's disease in England, accounting for 10.1% of all fatalities registered that month, according to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world In Wales, ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of deaths, accounting for 11.8% of all fatalities. The data shows COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in both countries that month, accounting for 9.2% of all fatalities registered in England and 6.3% in Wales. The virus was the leading cause of death each month from November to February. The latest figures come at … 阅读全文

A closely-watched report has noted the largest quarterly leap in the number of businesses suffering significant financial distress since 2014 following a year of coronavirus disruption. The latest Red Flag Alert produced by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor measured a jump of 93,000 firms in the first quarter of 2021, a period that took in the anniversary of the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown last March. It meant there were 723,000 businesses suffering in total, the report said, a 42% increase over the past year. Retail jobs endure worst hit from COVID crisis The quarterly rise was put down to the latest enforced shutdowns of parts of the economy deemed non-essential as UK national governments sought to curb the spread of the virus and protect citizens through the vaccination rollout. Begbies Traynor … 阅读全文

India has reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period - the biggest one-day total seen anywhere in the world since the pandemic began. The country's health ministry said there had been 314,835 new cases on Thursday, a number that passes the previous record - 297,430 in the US in January. The previous day, India had reported 295,041 new COVID-19 cases. India's number of deaths rose by 2,104 to reach a total of 184,657. Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier this week that India was facing a coronavirus "storm" which was overwhelming its health system. Hospitals are facing a severe shortage of beds and oxygen, with some private hospitals in Delhi warning they have less than … 阅读全文

The UK has reported a further 33 coronavirus-related deaths and 2,524 new cases in the latest 24 hour period, government figures show. On Monday, the country recorded four deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test - the lowest number since early September. The latest figures take the total number of UK fatalities during the pandemic to 127,307. Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier said the falls in cases and deaths across Britain were more because of the strict lockdown rather than the vaccination programme. Therefore, we should expect to see some rises in these figures as the lockdown eases. Meanwhile, the number of people in the country who have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has passed 33 million, one day after it was announced 10 million … 阅读全文

England's R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 - while the average level of coronavirus infection has fallen sharply across the UK, according to the latest data.  Last week, the figure was estimated to be between 0.8 and 1 by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). R represents the average number of people a person with the virus goes on to infect. When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially - but it is shrinking if it is below 1. Live COVID updates from UK and around world Scientists have not released a UK-wide R number this week as they said country-wide estimates are now less meaningful and may not accurately reflect the current situation. In a trend described as "encouraging" by … 阅读全文