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UK Covid live: second vaccine doses for over-50s and vulnerable accelerated to combat Indian variant, PM says
UK Covid live: second vaccine doses for over-50s and vulnerable accelerated as Indian variant threatens June easing
(32 minutes later)
Prime minister holds briefing as hospital bosses warn spread of Indian variant could lead to a new surge in infections
Prime minister announces acceleration of programme to give second vaccine doses to over-50s and clinically vulnerable
The PM said the plan remains for businesses including restaurants to reopen on Monday and he will not delay the roadmap out of lockdown.
The press conference has now concluded.
Johnson has announced the government will accelerate second doses to the over 50s and people clinically vulnerable, eight weeks after their first dose.
On the PM’s four tests for moving to the next stage of the roadmap out of lockdown including variants of concern, Johnson replied: “I do think we are concerned about this variant that’s the purpose, we’re serving notice, it may cause disruption to our attempts to continue down the roadmap.
Johnson said the Indian variant is “more transmissible” than the previous one “but we don’t by how much”.
“But they don’t change the assessment of step three... the overall numbers across the country remain low and quite flat.
Johnson has been told it is only marginally transmissible at the moment and no evidence suggests that the vaccines will be less effective against it.
“What we’re saying is that the public need to be aware of this variant.”
Boris Johnson’s press conference is about to get underway.
On the possibility of delaying the easing of restrictions on June 21, Johnson said he cannot “speculate at this stage about that” because “there are still things we don’t know abnout the variant”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to hold a Downing Street press conference in around ten minutes alongside Professor Chris Whitty which we will be liveblogging.
He adds that in a few weeks we will know a lot more.
Following the meeting between Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Micheal Martin at Chequers, an Irish government statement said: “The Taoiseach and Prime Minister had constructive engagement across a number of issues, including the Covid-19 response, support for peace and stability in Northern Ireland, and the broader British-Irish relationship.
He adds that he realises today’s conference is “slightly disappointing” due the recent news of the new variant, as well as it posing “a real risk of disruption to our plans”.
“Discussions focused on ways the two Governments can continue to work together to support all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and promote peace and prosperity on both a North/South and East/West basis.
“But it is also possible that we could still be on the right track.”
“The two leaders, in particular, discussed the long journey of the Ballymurphy families for justice to vindicate the innocence of their loved ones.
Reaction from Labour MP Angela Rayner to the government’s handling.
“They also discussed British-Irish relations, and both are ambitious for the development of the next phase of the bilateral relationship framed around a number of areas of common interest.
In response to a question about whether vaccines are being targeted to key areas, Prof. Whitty said if vaccines lose some “efficacy”, this tends to happen first with those who show mild symptoms rather than those likely to suffer most from the virus.
“The Taoiseach and Prime Minister had a good exchange on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the value of working together. They agreed to remain in close touch over the coming weeks.”
He added this is why those in more vulnerable groups are being prioritised and there are “very strong aims” to increase jabs in areas affected by the new variant.
Sturgeon has told MSPs that “pressing pause” would ensure that coronavirus measures would not have to be reimposed at a later date.
Johnson said Colonel Russell Miller is being deployed to support local leaders in managing the response to the Indian variant on the ground.
Announcing that both Moray and Glasgow will remain in Level 3 even as the rest of the country moves to Level 2 on Monday, the first minister said:
The response will include surge testing, mobile testing units and the army will be on the streets handing out tests.
People are being advised not to travel in or out of the affected council areas, while the first minister added she was optimistic that increased testing and vaccination would help to curb the increased spread of the virus.
There will be “targeted new activity” in Bolton and Blackburn to accelerate the vaccine take-up, including longer opening hours at vaccination sites.
Following on from Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement just now, we have more from our Scotland correspondent Libby Brooks.
On whether people should travel from Monday, Johnson has urged people to think twice and wants people to recognise there is “extra risk and disruption to progress caused by this new variant”.
The situation in Glasgow, which is concentrated in Sturgeon’s southside constituency, is causing particular concern with evidence suggesting that the outbreak is being driven by the so-called Indian variant.
He added it is important that people in the areas seeing spikes recognise there is an “extra risk, extra disruption, a threat of disruption to progress caused by this new variant”.
Sturgeon said that she expected accelerated vaccination to be part of the response in Glasgow but that health officials were anticipating further JCVI advice on whether there is any evidence about variations in the effectiveness of the vaccine in relation to the Indian variant.
In response to a question about how likely it is that the final unlocking of restrictions in England will happen on 21 June, Johnson admits he cannot say “for certain”.
NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde and Glasgow City Council is also writing to all households in the G41 and G42 areas, asking people to get tested regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Numbers of infections remain “low” across the country, he added, and the situation is different from last year because of vaccines.
Glasgow took over as Scotland’s worst Covid hotspot according to latest official figures released earlier on Friday with 80.4 cases per 100,000 compared with 68.9 in Moray.
People will have to “wait and see” whether the new variant is more transmissible and wait for more evidence that vaccines have cut risks of hospitalisations and deaths.
Sturgeon said that the situation in Moray was improving but that it was “prudent” for Moray to remain at level 3 for another week.
The PM is asked how soon he would implement restrictions if cases of “variants of concern” put pressure on hospitals. Johnson responds he would implement measures if it appeared the NHS was becoming overwhelmed.
The government said a further 17 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of today, bringing the UK total to 127,668.
Prof. Whitty is asked when the under 30s can except to receive the vaccine. He replies he hopes everybody has their first vaccine by end of July, saying “that is the aim”.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 152,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The PM said he is “very sorry” for the those living in Bolton and Blackburn where there is a surge of the Indian variant and he will not impose further restrictions on them.
The government also said that, as of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 2,193 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,446,824.
Johnson added advanced surveillance and data gathering means if there is a danger of the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure we would see the signs early on and could react in good time.
Glasgow and Moray will remain in level 3 as the rest of Scotland moves to level 2, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Initially, both areas will remain at level 3 for a week, with a further decision made at the end of next week.
To clarify, Johnson said the roadmap out of lockdown remains in place but the Indian variant “could make it more difficult to move to step four in June”.
The situation in Glasgow, the first minister said, is causing even more concern than Moray, with initial research suggesting the outbreak could be being driven by the Indian variant of the virus.
Johnson also said the NHS will also prioritise first doses for anyone eligible who has not yet come forward.
A Conservative council leader strongly hinted that the UK government will give permission imminently for the “surge vaccination” of all adults in areas hit by outbreaks of the Covid-19 variant first identified in India.
He urged people “to exercise the greatest caution because the choices we each make in the coming days will have a material effect” on England’s progress.
Boris Johnson is to hold a Downing Street press conference on India variant concerns at 5.30pm with chief medical officer Chris Whitty. Earlier today the PM’s spokesman did not deny surge vaccines are being planned to target variant hotspots.
“We won’t be preventing businesses from reopening on Monday but we will be asking you do to your bit.
Hospital bosses warned that the spread of the Indian variant could lead to a new surge in infections which puts hospitals still recovering from the huge impact of the pandemic under serious strain again.
This includes getting the vaccine when eligible, getting free lateral flow tests and isolating when asked.
Portugal is to reopen to British visitors with negative PCR test results on Monday, despite the government extending a nationwide state of emergency until the end of the month as the country continues to recover from a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the number of Covid-19 admissions in Greater Manchester NHS trusts, Prof. Whitty said hospital admissions are low but this is “early days”.
Wales could allow small food festivals and small live music and arts events to reopen next week if the Indian coronavirus variant poses no need to pause relaxing restrictions, first minister Mark Drakeford said.
Now onto the seven-day case rates by age in Bolton, Prof Whitty said the Indian variant has been found in the region with cases going up significantly over the past few weeks, especially in the over 60s.
Downing Street appeared to reject calls for an increase in financial support for anyone self-isolating from its current paltry amount, insisting that the “vast majority” do self-isolate when they are told to despite a recent study finding that almost half of those displaying symptoms did not bother to stay at home, often because they could not afford to lose income from not working.
Onto the slide for the weekly number of sequenced cases of the Indian variant in England, Professor Whitty said this is on a steady upward curve. He added there is confidence the Indian variant is more transmissible than the UK strain.
GP patients must now be offered face-to-face appointments if they so wish, new NHS England guidance states. The Patients Association welcomed the new requirements, saying most patients prefer to see their doctor in person, but stressed how difficult people have been finding accessing GP services.
The second slide shows the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 which is also decreasing.
The UK government will use Covid-19 vaccinations and testing to try to ensure vital UN climate talks this year go ahead in person, rather than as an online event.
Most companies have no plans to require evidence of vaccination from their workers, customers or suppliers, research suggests.
The care regulator has “retreated to the sidelines” throughout the pandemic, leaving older people in care at risk and families afraid of speaking out for fear of losing the placement, a charity has said.
PA Media reports:
There is some good news and bad news about the variant first identified in India, based on the limited data available, writes Julian Tang, a clinical virologist and honorary associate professor in the respiratory sciences department at the University of Leicester.
The UK government will use Covid-19 vaccinations and testing to try to ensure vital UN climate talks this year go ahead in person, rather than as an online event.
Alok Sharma, a former UK business secretary and now president-designate of Cop26, the climate summit to be held in Glasgow this November, said:
Sharma is working with health experts, the Scottish government and other officials on the best way to ensure the two-week conference, which 30,000 people were originally expected to attend, can go ahead.
This would include using vaccines and testing for Covid-19, Sharma said in a speech at the Whitelee windfarm near Glasgow on Friday morning. However, he said he could not yet go into detail on what would be involved.
After “listening carefully to feedback from students” and despite concerns over coronavirus, the University of Lincoln has reversed a decision to postpone in-person graduation ceremonies. Students had criticised the postponement.
Chris Spendlove, university registrar, told the BBC:
The university originally said events planned for Lincoln Cathedral in September would be held virtually, with physical ceremonies delayed until next April. But now a number of ceremonies will take place this autumn.
Hospital bosses have warned that the spread of the Indian variant could lead to a new surge in infections which puts hospitals still recovering from the huge impact of the pandemic under serious strain again.
NHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, has also asked the government and its medical and scientific advisers to guide them on how big a threat the variant known as B.1.617.2 poses to the NHS and when it might result in an influx of patients.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said:
Hopson outlined several reasons why the Indian variant may end up becoming a major challenge for already hard-pressed hospitals.
Wales could allow small food festivals and small live music and arts events to reopen next week if the Indian coronavirus variant poses no need to pause relaxing restrictions, Mark Drakeford has said.
