Coronavirus UK news – UK looking for volunteers to take part in world-first Covid vaccine booster trial

MATT Hancock has announced the world's first clinical trial on booster jabs – and volunteers are needed.

Seven existing vaccines are to be tested in the Cov-Boost trial to see which jabs could be used in any forthcoming autumn vaccination programme.

Some 2,886 people aged 30 and older are being recruited at 18 NHS sites from London to Glasgow, with the first booster jabs administered in early June.

The trial will cost £19.3million, backed by taxpayers' money.

The trial will test the Pfizer jab alongside those from AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax, Janssen from Johnson & Johnson, Valneva and CureVac.

Read our coronavirus live blog below for the latest news and updates…

  • Jon Rogers

    WHO IS MATT HANCOCK?

    Matthew Hancock, 42, replaced Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary on July 9, 2018.

    He was an first an economist, then became the economic advisor at the Bank Of England.

    Mr Hancock entered the field of politics as the chief of staff to George Osborne, the shadow chancellor at the time.

    Since then, he rose through the ranks to become health secretary in July 2018.

    His ambitions didn't stop there and in July 25, 2019, he announced that he was going to stand to become leader of the Conservative Party.

    Read more here.

  • Jon Rogers

    CONSUMER GROUPS ISSUES WARNING OVER HOLIDAY REFUNDS

    A consumer group says the reopening of international travel is at risk of "descending into farce" as it warned about refunds for amber list destinations.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should only travel to an amber list country "for some extreme circumstance, such as the serious illness of a family member" and not for a holiday.

    Passengers arriving from amber list countries are required to self-isolate for 10 days and take two tests.

    But the rules have caused confusion, with mixed messaging from ministers adding to the lack of clarity.

    Environment Secretary George Eustice said people could go to amber-listed countries to visit family or friends as long as they observed quarantine rules on their return, while Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said "some people might think a holiday is essential" and therefore a valid reason to travel.

    Many holiday firms are continuing to sell trips to amber destinations.

    But consumer group Which? warned that those who no longer want to take a holiday against Government advice, including those with bookings from last year, were unlikely to secure a refund.

  • Jon Rogers

    EU'RE WELCOME

    The European Union took a step toward relaxing travel rules for tourists from outside the 27-nation bloc Wednesday when EU ambassadors agreed on measures to allow in fully vaccinated visitors.

    The ambassadors also agreed to ease the criteria needed for nations to be considered Covid-19 safe and from which all tourists can travel, depending on their coronavirus and vaccination status. Under the existing criteria, the list includes only seven nations.

    The EU imposed restrictions on nonessential travel last year to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The bloc's ambassadors say many of those restrictions should be eased, including to permit vacation travel by non-EU residents.

    The European Council made up of EU nations, "will now recommend that member states ease some of the current restrictions" for those who have been vaccinated, European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said. He didn't give a precise date for when the borders will reopen since EU countries have yet to formally approve the measures.

  • Jon Rogers

    CALL FOR HEALTH WORKERS TO GET MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT LIKE VETERANS POST-PANDEMIC

    Healthcare staff who have worked through the coronavirus crisis should have a similar mental health service as that offered to war veterans, a group of leading medical organisations has said.

    The pandemic has had a "huge impact" on a workforce that has already been stretched thin, according to the 13 healthcare organisations which have come together to call on the Government to make sure there is a dedicated mental health support service similar to that established for former troops.

    Staff have been dealing with "extremely high" numbers of critically ill or dying patients.

    Some have suffered "moral injury" of not being able to deliver the care they would like to their patients.

    Meanwhile support and facilities staff have been under "significant pressure" to keep services functioning at periods during the crisis, they said.

    The letter said: "The duration and severity of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on an already stretched workforce.

    "Many have been dealing with extremely high numbers of critically ill and dying patients, made more challenging by restrictions on family visits."

  • Jon Rogers

    COVID VACCINATION PROGRAMME OPENS TO 25-29 YEARS OLDS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

    Northern Ireland's coronavirus vaccination programme has opened up to the 25 to 29-year-old age group.

    The latest expansion comes just days after the region hit the landmark 1million figure for the number of those who have received at least one dose of the jab.

    From Thursday, anyone born between 01/05/91 and 31/07/96 can book an appointment at one of the Trust vaccination centres across Northern Ireland.

    In line with the latest JCVI advice, anyone under the age of 40 can book a Pfizer-BioTech vaccine, or they can make what the Department of Health has described as an "informed decision" to receive the AstraZeneca jab at the SSE Arena in Belfast or participating community pharmacies.

    Vaccine supplies have been described as limited, with approximately 20,000 slots available each week.

  • Jon Rogers

    VACCINATION PROGRAMME IN ENGLAND TO EXTEND TO 34-YEAR-OLDS

    People aged 34 and over can book their Covid-19 jab from Thursday, the NHS in England has said.

    More than one million people aged 34 and 35 will get a text message on Thursday or Friday asking them to come forward for their Covid vaccine, NHS England said.

    The vaccination programme is expected to extend to people in their early thirties "over the next few days and weeks", it added.

    Health officials have sped up the timetable to offer second jabs in a bid to ensure that those at highest risk are protected from the variant of the virus first identified in India.

    At the same time, the programmes are extending to younger age groups to try and mitigate risk.

  • Jon Rogers

    BRAZIL RECORDS 79,000 NEW COVID CASES

    Brazil recorded 79,219 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 2,641 new deaths from Covid-19, Health Ministry figures showed on Wednesday.

    Brazil has now registered 15.8million cases since the pandemic began, and the official death toll stands at 441,691, according to ministry data. 

  • Jon Rogers

    THE KEY POINTS FROM MATT HANCOCK'S PRESS CONFERENCE

    Speaking to the nation, Mr Hancock revealed thousands of Brits will receive coronavirus booster jabs in a world-first trial in the UK.

    He said: "This is all making sure that the vaccines stay ahead of the virus.

    "This includes new vaccines specifically targeted at variants of concern.

    "I'm delighted to be able to announce a new clinical trial, backed by £19 million of tax-payers money, to look at the use of current Covid vaccines as booster vaccines and to see what combination and part they can play to keep us safe in the long-term."

    Individuals over the age of 30 that have had both Covid jabs can sign up to be a potential participant in the study.

    Matt Hancock reveals thousands will get Covid booster jabs in world-first trials to tackle autumn ‘wave’

  • Jon Rogers

    ALMOST 300,000 BRITS WILL FLY TO 'AMBER' COUNTRIES BY WEEKEND

    ALMOST 300,000 Brits desperate for a holiday will fly to "amber list" countries by the weekend after days of chaos and confusion over travel advice.

    More than 1,300 flights are set to fly to "amber" countries in the next five days – with 54,000 passengers jetting off each day, according to analysis for The Telegraph.

    The number of scheduled flights to holiday resorts in Spain, Greece and Italy are set to jump by 200 percent in the next three days, according to figures from Cirium, a global aviation data firm.

    Flights to Spain will double from 38 on Wednesday to 80 on Saturday – carrying 16,000 holidaymakers.

    TUI, Britain's biggest tour operator, is flying hundreds of Brits to amber-listed Corfu, Kos, Rhodes, Cuba, St Lucia, Tenerife and Lanzarote this week.

    Read the full story here.

  • Jon Rogers

    MEXICO REPORTS 2,000 NEW COVID CASES

    Mexico reported 2,000 coronavirus cases and 104 deaths on Wednesday, according to health ministry data, bringing the total number of cases to 2,387,512 and the total death toll to 220,850

  • Jon Rogers

    LABOUR FAILS IN BID TO MAKE MINISTERS PUBLISH COVID-19 INTERNAL REVIEW

    Conservative MPs have rejected attempts to make the Government publish its internal review of its handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

    Labour argued that publishing the document would ensure better scrutiny of the Government's response to the Indian Covid-19 variant.

    But the Opposition's Queen's Speech amendment seeking the release of the review was rejected in the Commons by 367 to 264, majority 103.

    The failed bid came as a separate report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the pandemic had "laid bare existing fault lines within society and has exacerbated inequalities".

    Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth referenced Prime Minister Boris Johnson's former senior adviser as he told the Commons: "For the first time in my life I think I find myself agreeing with Mr Dominic Cummings."

  • Jon Rogers

    US KIDS COULD GET COVID JAB BY END OF YEAR

    Kids in the United States will likely be able to get Covid-19 vaccinations by the end of this year or the first quarter of 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said at an event on Wednesday.

    The United States earlier this month cleared the way for the use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE in adolescents aged 12 and above.

    Fauci also noted the need for a Covid-19 booster shot within a year or so after getting the primary shot.

    "I think we will almost certainly require a booster sometime within a year or so after getting the primary because the durability protection against coronavirus is generally not lifelong similar to measles," he said.

    Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla at the event said there is likely a need for booster shots between 8-12 months. In April, Bourla told CNBC people will "likely" need a third booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines within 12 months.

  • Jon Rogers

    MOST CANADIANS APPROVE OF VACCINE PASSPORTS FOR TRAVEL

    A majority of Canadians say they are willing to embrace a vaccine passport to enable a return to travel but are less open to using them for things like restaurant reservations, according to polls.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said a vaccine certification aligned with other countries makes sense, and two government officials said talks with international partners about standards are ongoing, particularly among G7 countries.

    The European Union is working on a certificate with a digital Quick Response (QR) code and has agreed to welcome fully vaccinated tourists, while Britain plans to use a phone app and other countries may rely on a paper document.

    In Canada, the mainly French-speaking province of Quebec is sending a QR code to those who get vaccinated, though so far it has not been activated to reveal anyone's vaccination status when scanned.

    About three-quarters of Canadians are in favor of some sort of proof of vaccination when it comes to travel, according to an EKOS poll conducted between April and May, but only about 40% supported being screened to get a table for indoor dining.

  • Jon Rogers

    NUMBER OF COVID PATIENTS IN INTENSIVE CARE IN FRANCE DROPS BELOW 4,000

    The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units in France dropped below 4,000 on Wednesday as the country reopened outdoor cafe terraces, museums and shops selling non-essential goods.

    The ICU tally fell by 153 to 3,862, the first time it has been below 4,000 since March 11, health ministry data showed.

    Following the country's second nationwide lockdown in November, COVID-19 intensive care numbers fell to just below 2,600 early January, but then rapidly climbed again to a 2021 high of 6,001 on April 26. They have fallen nearly every day since.

    The health ministry also reported 19,050 new coronavirus cases, an increase of 1.64% compared to last week. The rate of increase set a new 11-month low after rising slightly in the past three days. The seven-day moving average of new cases fell to 13,676.

    France also reported 141 new deaths. The 7-day average of daily deaths fell to a new 2021 low of 141, down from 450 in early February.

  • Jon Rogers

    JOHNSON: INCREASING CONFIDENCE THAT VACCINES WORK AGAINST CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS

    There is "increasing confidence" that vaccines are effective against the Indian strain of coronavirus, Boris Johnson said in a boost for efforts to keep the June 21 date for the further easing of lockdown restrictions.

    At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said the latest data indicates the jabs are working against all variants of the virus.

    The spread of the B1617.2 variant had cast doubt on next month's plans to ease the remaining restrictions in England, but Mr Johnson has said there is no conclusive evidence to suggest a deviation from the road map.

    In a further sign of optimism, the Prime Minister told MPs on Wednesday: "We've looked at the data again this morning and I can tell the House we have increasing confidence that vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant."

    Mr Johnson thanked people in Bolton and Blackburn – Indian variant hotspots – for "coming forward in record numbers" to receive a jab.

  • Jon Rogers

    POORER COUNTRIES MAY SHUN UN CLIMATE SUMMIT OVER COVID VACCINES

    Poorer nations struggling to access Covid-19 vaccines may make the "moral" choice not to send delegates to November's UN climate summit in Scotland if others more in need of the doses remain at risk, climate and health experts warned on Wednesday.

    Giving climate-talks delegates priority in vaccine-short countries would go against the principle of not "jumping the queue", Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, deputy director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told journalists in an online briefing.

    Such a move could dim prospects for success at the high-profile COP26 climate conference, which aims to swiftly ramp up action on climate change as the world veers toward failing on its targets to curb dangerous planetary heating.

    After negotiations were postponed in 2020, COP26 organisers hope to hold the key gathering in person – but the pandemic has complicated efforts to safely bring tens of thousands of delegates and observers from around the world to Glasgow.

    Britain's COP26 president, Alok Sharma, said last week that decisions had yet to be made about whether conference attendees must be vaccinated, but noted that "the safety of people in Glasgow and the UK, as well as delegates" was a priority.

  • Jon Rogers

    'IMPERATIVE' NEED TO SPEED UP VACCINES ACCESS FOR POOR COUNTRIES – OXFORD SCIENTISTS

    There is an "imperative" need to ensure that poorer countries have quicker access to Covid-19 vaccines, leading scientists have said.

    The researchers behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, as well as other leading epidemiologists and experts, have called on G7 leaders to take leadership on vaccine equity.

    In a letter, published in The BMJ, experts said that in some countries less than 1% of adults have had their first jab.

    It comes as the UK celebrated reaching the milestone of giving the first dose to 70% of its adult population.

    On Tuesday, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group said that it is "morally wrong" to offer Covid-19 jabs to children in wealthy countries when high-risk groups in poorer nations remain unvaccinated.

  • Jon Rogers

    HANCOCK DEFENDS CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO TRAVEL

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended the Government's cautious approach to international travel restrictions as being due to a "higher rate of the virus" in mainland Europe and the vaccination programme needing to progress further before holidaying abroad is safe.

    Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he said: "Most areas of Europe have a higher rate of the virus than we do, some significantly, and there is also a much more significant presence of the so-called South African variant of concern in mainland Europe, and that's why we've chosen to put only Portugal out of mainland Europe on the green list.

    "On the latest data, a proportion of the South African variant in France was around five per cent, and hence we've kept it on the amber list.

    "I've seen the proposals from the EU and I work with my EU counterparts all the time, so we will work with them.

    "In the long term, we need to find a way to have safe international travel, but right now with our levels of vaccination – really good but not yet there – we are, I think, wise to take a cautious approach to international travel."

  • Jon Rogers

    UK TO WORK WITH EU ON TRAVEL

    Britain will work with the EU on reopening travel but a cautious approach is needed, health minister Matt Hancock said on Wednesday, after the bloc agreed to ease Covid-19 rules on non-EU visitors in a move that could open the door to Britons.

    "We will work with them," Hancock said at a news conference.

    "We are, I think, wise to take a cautious approach to international travel." 

  • Jon Rogers

    SPAIN WANTS BRIT TOURISTS WITHIN WEEKS

    A senior Spanish government official says he expects British and other vacationers to return to Spain within weeks as the country races to revive its tourism industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Deputy Minister for Tourism Fernando Valdes told The Associated Press on Wednesday that falling coronavirus incidence rates and accelerating vaccine rollouts in some countries will enable Spain to drop travel restrictions early next month.

    Some people from countries outside the European Union will be able to come for example, from the United Kingdom, which is in a good epidemiological situation without any restrictions, Valdes said in an interview.

    And we are going to begin to accept citizens that can present a vaccine certificate, he said.

    In 2019, Britain sent 18 million people to Spain, the most of any country. Spain is one of the world's top tourism destinations.

  • Jon Rogers

    CORONAVIRUS IN NUMBERS

    Coronavirus in numbers -UK cases rise by 2,696 with three further deaths

  • Jon Rogers

    14,000 COVID VACCINATIONS GIVEN IN BOLTON SINCE FRIDAY

    The Health Secretary said almost 14,000 vaccinations had been given in Bolton and Blackburn since Friday and more than 26,000 have been given in the past week – the highest weekly total in the two areas.

    "When you get the call, get the jab," Matt Hancock urged the public during a Downing Street press conference.

    He said the surge testing "playbook" being used in the North West areas had worked in south London when tackling the South African variant.

    The Cabinet minister said monitoring travel patterns and analysis of waste water in 70% of the country had helped identify where variants are and also where they are at risk of spreading to.

    "We can spot the virus and variants in the water, and that can help us identify communities where there is spread," he added, with new surge testing taking place as a result in places such as Bedford and Burnley.

  • Jon Rogers

    'KEEP GETTING YOUR JAB' SAYS JOHNSON

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on people to "keep getting your jab" as 70% of UK adults have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

    He said in a tweet: "Seven in 10 adults in the UK have now had the first dose of the vaccine.

    "It's a monumental achievement and my thanks go to all the healthcare workers, Armed Forces personnel and volunteers who have made this incredible rollout possible.

    "Please keep getting your jab when called."

  • Jon Rogers

    HOLIDAY ADVICE IS 'CRYSTAL CLEAR' – HANCOCK CLAIMS

    Matt Hancock tries to insist holiday advice is ‘crystal clear’ despite mass confusion over trips abroad

  • Jon Rogers

    INDIAN VARIANT 50% MORE TRANSMISSIBLE THAN KENT ONE – VAN TAM

    While Van Tam said the figures were not fully known he said a credible is range is between a few percentage points more transmissible and 50% more transmissible

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