Coronavirus UK latest – Rapid tests to be offered to everyone in England as Covid deaths lowest since September
RAPID tests are to be offered to everyone in England as Boris Johnson raises hopes by unveiling the mass testing blitz.
People will be able to collect or order batches of their free Covid tests – which provide results in just minutes – whether they have symptoms or not.
So far the rapid kits have been mainly aimed at office staff and those who have to leave their homes to work, alongside the NHS and schools.
But everyone will soon be able to order kits at home, get them through their workplaces, at schools, or via the network of testing centres that has been set up across the country.
Updates will be made to the NHS Covid-19 app in England to coincide with the testing offer.
It comes as covid-related deaths in the UK have dropped to its lowest numbers since September.
Read our coronavirus live blog below for the very latest news and updates on the pandemic…
- Niamh Cavanagh
GERMANY SEES 20% OF POPULATION VACCINATED AGAINST VIRUS BY MAY
Germany will have immunised 20% of its population against the novel coronavirus by the beginning of May, the country's health minister Jens Spahn said on Monday.
Germany has seen a rise in infections as it lags Britain, Israel and the United States in the pace of vaccinations.
Spahn, speaking at a vaccination centre in Berlin, said Germany had taken three months to get shots to the first 10% of its people who have now been vaccinated.
"We will manage the next 10% in a month in light of the expected deliveries (of vaccinations)," he said.
- Niamh Cavanagh
UK ONE OF THE LOWEST COVID DEATH RATES IN EUROPE AS FATALITIES FROM ALL CAUSES PLUMMET BELOW 2014 LEVELS
Britain now has one of the lowest Covid death rates in Europe – while the number of people dying of all causes is at its lowest level since 2014, in spite of the pandemic.
Experts say the number of people losing their lives for any reason is currently at a low not seen in almost a decade. Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, and Anthony Masters of the Royal Statistical Society say in the week ending March 19, 10,311 deaths were registered in England and Wales – a "remarkably low total".
In an article for the Observer, the experts said: "Every one of these events is a cause of sadness and mourning. But, from a statistical perspective, this is a remarkably low total, the lowest since 2014 for that week."
- Niamh Cavanagh
VACCINE PASSPORTS WILL BE READY FOR JUNE 21 END OF LOCKDOWN
Brits will need vaccine passports to enter big venues like football grounds and nightclubs from as early as June 21 under plans set to be announced by Boris Johnson today.
The PM will give a "direction of travel" update on his plans to introduce so-called Covid certification for large scale events at a Downing St press conference this evening.
And it has emerged ministers are still looking at the possibility of making pubs ask for proof of a jab or negative test in future if they want to drop all social distancing requirements.
A key part of those plans is the vaccine passport scheme, which would allow Brits who have had the shot, or who can prove antibodies or a negative test, to attend certain events.
- Niamh Cavanagh
INDIA'S DAILY VIRUS CASES SOAR PAST 100,000 FOR FIRST TIME
India reported its biggest single-day spike in confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began on Monday, and officials in the hard-hit state home to Mumbai are resuming the closure of some businesses and places of worship in a bid to slow the spread.
The Health Ministry reported 103,558 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, topping the previous peak of 97,894 daily cases recorded in late September.
Fatalities rose by 478, raising the country's death toll to 165,101.
India now has a seven-day rolling average of more than 73,000 cases per day and infections in the country are being reported faster than anywhere else in the world.
- Niamh Cavanagh
SHADOW CABINET OFFICE MINISTER HAS 'MANY RESERVATIONS' ABOUT USE OF VACCINE PASSPORTS
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said Labour had "many reservations" about the use of vaccine passports in the UK.
The senior Opposition MP told BBC Radio 4's Today: "I have reservations, the Labour Party has reservations around the introduction of vaccine passports.
"We have an amazing take-up of the vaccine, it is being rolled out incredibly successfully by the NHS – it is not totally clear to me that we need a sledgehammer to crack a nut here. The big priority has got to be ensuring that everybody is vaccinated so we can get back as quickly as possible to the things we love doing, whether that is going to the pub, the restaurant, the football match or the concert.
"The priority should be ensuring that the vaccine is rolled out, that we have a Test and Trace (system) that works properly but the Government does not have a great track record in introducing new IT systems and what we don't want to see is more taxpayers' money wasted, more bureaucracy and red tape for businesses who have already gone through an incredibly tough year."
- Niamh Cavanagh
TEEN SCAMMER RISKING LIVES BY SELLING £80 FAKE INVOICES TO HELP UK ARRIVALS DODGE COVID TESTS
A teen scammer is putting lives at risk by selling fake invoices helping UK arrivals dodge Covid tests while quarantining, it has been reported.
Malik Younas Fazal, 18, has been caught out again after first being busted by The Sun in February for selling a counterfeit PCR test — or DNA test — to an undercover reporter.
Now, he is reportedly charging £80 for fraudulent paperwork needed by passengers when arriving in the UK. His latest document is said to falsely show the passenger has registered for tests used by the Government to track incoming mutant strains. And last night, health experts warned the fraud could put hundreds of lives at risk, the Daily Mail reports.
- Niamh Cavanagh
BORIS JOHNSON TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY ON HOLIDAYS, COVID PASSPORTS AND LOCKDOWN
Boris Johnson will today confirm if holidays abroad can go ahead in May, and address the much-debated Covid passports.
The PM will speak to the nation at 5pm this evening – outlining the next steps for England as we make our way out of lockdown
He is expected to talk about the next stage of lockdown easing, with pub gardens and hair dressers due to open up.
And the PM will touch on holiday hopes and the new traffic light system of approved countries.
- Patrick Knox
LOCAL OFFICES 'COULD LET STAFF WALK TO WORK IN 15 MINUTES
Many offices in the future will be around the corner from workers' homes or just down the street, as the country comes out of pandemic working, one of the UK's top property bosses has said.
The shift could allow people in the UK to live in so-called 15-minute towns, where most amenities, and work, are within a quarter-hour commute by foot, bike or public transport of residents' front doors.
It could also take some pressure off public services and the environment.
Mark Dixon, chief executive of IWG Group – which rents out offices in dozens of countries – has a simple reason why office life is unlikely to return to its pre-Covid status quo: "Because it's what people want, and because it's what companies want."
- Patrick Knox
HOW DO I GET A COVID PASSPORT FOR UK EVENTS?
The details have not been finalised but it seems people will be able to gain access to an app that they can show to gain entrance to events.
It depends on how the trials go and which systems work the best.
Scientific advisers will use evidence from the nine pilots to assess transmission risks in different settings.
An insider said: “These events will not only be used to try out the new Covid passport.
"We’ll have lots of eyes and ears and systems gathering a mass of data.
"What we learn in the next few weeks will be crucial to how we proceed into step three of the unlocking process on May 17.”
The Covid passport could be an app which holds details about your vaccinations
- Patrick Knox
‘TEACHERS NOT GIVEN TIME OFF BY SCHOOLS TO GET JAB’
Some schools are not giving teachers time off from work to receive their Covid-19 vaccine, a teaching union leader has said.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, has called on ministers to act and "step in" when employers refuse to listen to teachers' concerns amid the pandemic as he said they "deserve better".
Addressing the NASUWT's annual conference, Dr Roach highlighted "shoddy" practices where he said some employers have not put teachers' safety first.
He said: "Ministers mustn't only listen to the concerns of the profession – they need to act on them. Listen to teachers' concerns about those employers who have felt emboldened to pursue 'business as usual'."
- Patrick Knox
BRAZIL REGISTERS 1,240 NEW COVID-19 DEATHS
The stricken South American Country has registered deaths now total 331,433, which is believed to be an underestimate.
Cases rose by 31,359 and now total 12,984,956.
- Patrick Knox
10 MORE DEATHS
A further 10 Covid -related deaths have been reported in England and Scotland.
It comes as new cases are at their lowest since early September.
But today's data does not include Wales and Northern Ireland, with both having paused the release of stats for Easter Sunday.
- Patrick Knox
PICTURED: RAVE IN BELGIUM
Belgian police clashes with a large crowd of revellers who gathered at the Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels for an unauthorized festival despite Covid-19 restrictionsCredit: Zuma Press - Patrick Knox
CRACKDOWN ON BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND ILLEGAL RAVES IN ENGLAND
Essex Police said around 100 people attended an unlicensed music event on land off Buckingham Hill Road in the town of Stanford-le-Hope last night.
The force seized music equipment from the event and is now working to identify those who fled the area as officers arrived in order to issue fines for a breach of Covid-19 regulations.
Meanwhile, West Mercia Police said arrests had been made following reports of a large gathering in the village of Dorstone, Herefordshire, at around 1am this morning
Elsewhere, Kent Police thwarted an illegal rave that was planned to take place at Polhill in Sevenoaks on Saturday.
- Patrick Knox
COLOMBIA TO EXTEND COVID RESTRICTIONS AS CASES RISE
The Andean country, which has recorded more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases and nearly 64,000 deaths, has so far administered nearly 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The government has repeatedly warned people not lower their guard during the Easter holidays – traditionally a popular travel period – and put in place weekend curfews.
- Patrick Knox
MUM PARALYSED FROM EYES DOWN AFTER COVID BATTLE
Ayesha Hussein’s family say they just want the 55-year-old from Cambridge to survive so they can take care of her.
Her Covid nightmare began at Christmas, when she developed a cough and had trouble breathing.
On December 29 she was taken to hospital in an ambulance and days later she was put on a ventilator, then after a week her temperature soared to 42C before she fell into a coma.
Staff at Addenbrooke hospital have told her family they need to consider the possibility of ending her life, her daughter Mina Bux said.
- Patrick Knox
BRAZIL LEGEND BRANCO LEAVES HOSPITAL
The former Middlesborough star is due to enjoy his 57th birthday today with a quiet celebration at home after being discharged from Copa Star Hospital in Rio de Janeiro.
Left-back Branco, a member of the triumphant Brazilian team from the 1994 World Cup, was filmed thanking staff from a wheelchair with a bouquet of flowers in his hand after applauding nurses and doctors who had helped save his life.
His hospital release yesterday came just hours before he turned 57.
- Patrick Knox
MEXICO'S CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL RISES TO 204,147
It reported 1,263 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 136 more fatalities, bringing the country's total to 2,250,458 infections and 204,147 deaths, according to data from the health ministry.
The government said the real case numbers are likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently by the health ministry suggested the actual death toll from the coronavirus may be at least 60 per cent above the confirmed figure.
- Patrick Knox
EASTER COVID SPREAD FEARS AS FAUCI WARNS OF ‘DISTURBING’ SPIKE
Speaking with CNN's Jim Acosta on Saturday, Dr Anthony Fauci said: "Just yesterday, we had over 60,000 new cases in a day.
"That's disturbing.
"That's what happened in Europe, and what is happening, and Europe, for the most part, is going through another disturbing surge.
"There is the dangerof having a resurgence. And another big surge.
"So, don't declare, prematurely, victory. Because we're not there yet."
Dr Fauci's stark warning came as worshipers pack out churches this weekend for Easter ceremonies.
- Patrick Knox
GENERATION Z WILL BE OFFERED SINGLE-SHOT JAB
The UK has already secured a deal for 30 million doses of the Janssen jab, made by Johnson & Johnson, which could cover half the population.
Because the vaccine is single dose, it means people do not need to get another dose in order to be protected against Covid.Ministers are hoping the Janssen vaccine can be given as a “jab and go” to young adults born around turn of the century, the Telegraph reports.
- Patrick Knox
SCOT ELECTION CANDIDATE CLAIMS GAY MARRIAGE ’CAUSED COVID’
Covidiot Peter Tait, an Independent candidate standing in Shetland, said the deadly bug – which has so far claimed almost 127,000 lives in the UK – is "possibly related" to same-sex weddings.
The retired mussel farmer claims his position relates to his religious beliefs.
And he said: “I’m representing as best I can things that God would want me to represent."
- Patrick Knox
BORIS TO MAKE FOUR COVID ANNOUCEMENTS TOMORROW
Boris Johnson is set to make four big Covid announcements tomorrow as he lays out England’s next steps out of lockdown.
The PM is tipped to reveal more on holidays, vaccine passports, lockdown and social distancing.
Click here to find out what to expect.
- Patrick Knox
FRENCH COVID INTENSIVE CARE PATIENTS EDGE UP
The number of people in intensive care units in France rose by 68 to 5,341 today, official data showed, as the country entered its third coronavirus lockdown.
That followed a smaller jump the previous day, when the number of ICU patients – a key indicator of the pressure on hospitals during the pandemic – climbed by 19.
The number of coronavirus deaths in France rose by 185 on Sunday to a total of 96, 678 since the start of the pandemic.
New cases jumped by 66,794, bringing the total to just over 4.8 million, although the health ministry had given no updated figures for contagions on Saturday due to data problems.
- Patrick Knox
IT COMES AS:
- Boris Johnson will give the green light to holidays abroad from May 17
- British clubbers will hit the dance floor as part of a new trial next week
- Millennials will be offered a single-shot 'jab and go' vaccination
- A plan for vaccine passports in pub has been ditched by the PM in a huge boost for the industry
- Two mums have appeared in court accused of failing to quarantine after a trip to Dubai for boob jobs
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