4 million jobs furloughed in the UK, chancellor says
Four million jobs have been furloughed in the UK and a quarter of businesses have stopped trading, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak told the UK Parliament today. He said that “we should be in no doubt” about the seriousness of the economic situation. “We can’t save...
UK risks 100,000 deaths if restrictions are eased, leading scientist warns
The UK could experience more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths later this year if the government eases restrictions to focus on just protecting those most at risk, according to one of the country’s leading epidemiologists. Neil Ferguson is one of the scientists who has been advising...
UK PM Boris Johnson warns against relaxing lockdown as he returns to work
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned against relaxing the United Kingdom’s coronavirus restrictions too soon in his first remarks since returning to work after contracting the disease, imploring the nation to “contain your impatience.” Speaking outside Downing Street in London, Johnson said that the...
UK’s testing target “quite a challenge”
The UK government’s promise to reach 100,000 coronavirus tests per day by Thursday is “quite a challenge,” said Michael Malim, the head of immunology and microbial sciences at King’s College London. The Department of Health and Social Care said 29,058 tests were carried out on...
“Our efforts have begun to pay off,” head of UK National Health Service says
The head of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service in England says the country’s “efforts have become to pay off” after the UK reported its lowest daily death toll from the novel coronavirus since March. The UK reported 413 deaths on Sunday. “The number of...
Military to test key UK workers in mobile units
The military is to begin testing essential workers around the UK for coronavirus in mobile units operating in “hard-to-reach” areas. At least 96 new pop-up facilities, which will travel to care homes, police and fire stations, prisons and benefits centres, are due to be running...
Branson’s Virgin Atlantic in virus bailout talks
Virgin Atlantic says it is still in talks with the UK government about a coronavirus-related bailout. It follows reports in the Sunday Telegraph that billionaire Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson is seeking a buyer for the airline. Virgin Atlantic said talks were “ongoing and...
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson’s return to work ‘a boost for the country’
Boris Johnson’s return to work on Monday after more than three weeks out of action will be a “boost for the country”, his deputy has said. The prime minister will resume full-time duties in Downing Street after a fortnight recovering from coronavirus. Foreign Secretary Dominic...
What life after lockdown could look like — and it is intense
What will the new normal look like when the lockdown finally ends? If it’s anything like Taiwan, it will be a lot less social and a lot more authoritarian. Taiwan was one of the few places in the world that didn’t go into lockdown and...
Over 200,000 now dead worldwide from COVID-19
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed over 200,000 people worldwide. More than 2.89 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and...
UK government denies that Johnson advisors are on scientific committee advising Covid-19
The British government has denied media reports in the United Kingdom that two of the prime minister’s most influential political advisors are sitting on a key scientific committee advising it on Covid-19. Membership of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has been kept a...
It’s 9 a.m. in London and 4 a.m. in New York City. Here’s the latest on the pandemic
The pandemic has killed more than 197,000 people worldwide. If you’re just joining us, here is the latest on the outbreak: Italy’s medical workers: At least 150 doctors have died in Italy after contracting coronavirus — and health care professionals account for about 10% of...
Coronavirus test online slots booked up within hour of site reopening
Coronavirus tests for UK key workers were booked up through the government website within an hour of it reopening, apart from some in Scotland. The site had to close to new applicants within hours of launching on Friday, after 46,000 people tried to access it....
Tests taken up within an hour of site reopening
Coronavirus tests for UK key workers were booked up via the government’s website within an hour of it reopening, apart from some in Scotland. Home testing kits were unavailable less than 15 minutes after the site reopened on Saturday, while drive-through sites in England were...
How close is the UK to 100,000 virus tests a day?
The UK has less than a week to reach its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day. But with its test booking website overloaded with requests within an hour of reopening on Saturday morning, can it scale up fast enough? The UK was...
He is one of the first in the US injected with a possible Covid-19 vaccine
Despite all his medical knowledge, 31-year-old medical student and Ph. D. candidate Sean Doyle couldn’t know for certain all the risks of the injection he had just received in his right shoulder at Emory University Hospital. Yes, of course he was told of the potential...
Covid-19 testing expanded to more ‘key workers’
Testing for Covid-19 has been expanded in Scotland to key workers not directly employed in the health and social care sectors. Drive-through testing sites at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, plus the University of the Highlands and Islands campus in Inverness, will now allow symptomatic...
UK will host “Global Vaccines Summit” on June 4
The UK will host a “Global Vaccines Summit” on June 4 in an effort to encourage the international community to “come together” to support the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced Friday. “Diseases have no borders, so we must come together...
London police arrest more than 4,000 people for domestic abuse during Covid-19 restrictions
London’s Metropolitan Police arrested more than 4,000 people for domestic abuse since the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus were introduced, the force said in a statement on Friday. “The COVID-19 restrictions and ‘stay at home’ instruction is vital to managing this public...
Coronavirus: Virus tests now available to millions of workers
Up to 10 million key workers and their households can now book a coronavirus test online or through their employer. The move allows all essential workers in England to register for tests on the government’s website, if they or a family member have virus symptoms....
Coronavirus: Study to track infection and immunity levels
Twenty thousand households in England are being contacted to take part in a study to track coronavirus in the general population. The study aims to improve understanding of infection levels and how many people may have immunity to the virus. Volunteers will provide nose and...
Coronavirus vaccine: When will we have one?
Coronavirus is spreading around the world, but there are still no vaccines to protect the body against the disease it causes, Covid-19. Medical researchers are working hard to change that. Why is a coronavirus vaccine important? The virus spreads easily and the majority of the...
Coronavirus: NI Covid-19 pandemic death toll rises to 250
The number of Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland has risen to 250, the health minister has said. Eight more deaths occurred in the past 24 hours, with the remainder involving deaths from previous days that have now been recorded. It means the death toll...
It’s just gone 1 p.m. in London and 8 a.m. in New York. Here’s what you need to know.
The coronavirus blame game has reached a new level after Missouri announced it was suing China over the crisis. The US state is seeking damages for what it described as a campaign of “deception” and insufficient action to halt a “preventable” pandemic — allegations Beijing...
Boris Johnson’s stand-in grilled over shortage of testing, during UK’s first virtual Parliament session
Britain’s first virtual sitting of Parliament began with the First Secretary of State coming under intense scrutiny over the UK’s jarring shortage of coronavirus testing. Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Boris Johnson while the Prime Minister recovers from Covid-19, said the government is...
Turkey says it wasn’t to blame for delay in PPE shipment to UK
The Turkish Ambassador to the UK has said his government did everything it could to organize the delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK. An RAF plane carrying some of the PPE landed in England on Wednesday – several days after it was...
British scientists call for volunteers for human trials of coronavirus vaccine
Coronavirus vaccine researchers in London are asking for volunteers to take part in human trials in June. A team at Imperial College London has been carrying out tests on animals since February and has secured government funding to fast-track its work. “We are looking for...
Labour wants more PPE made by British firms
More now on the UK government’s attempts to acquire more personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and social care workers. Labour’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth has called on the government to “mobilise British firms” to make PPE. The government remains under pressure for failing...
What is the EU procurement process and what happened with the UK?
The EU’s Joint Procurement Agreement has four schemes – two for personal protective equipment (PPE), one for ventilators, one for laboratory equipment, mainly testing kits. The EU Commission has confirmed that the UK is not involved in any of them, and has not officially requested...
England’s true Covid-19 death toll 41% higher than previously reported
The true number of deaths from Covid-19 in England and Wales was significantly higher in the period up to April 10 than had been previously reported by the government, new figures show. At the time, the official figures stated that 9,288 people had died from...