Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

27 Nov

27 November 2020

A series of daily updates for CHO members regarding relevant updates pertaining to Coronavirus from home and abroad.

Key Announcements:

  • The government has asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, bringing the UK a step closer to a possible rollout.
  • Conservative MPs have called on the government to publish more evidence to justify areas of England being put into the higher tiers of Covid restrictions when the lockdown ends next week.
  • Most of England will be in the two toughest levels of measures when the national lockdown ends next week.
  • Families have been warned by chief medical adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, against hugging and kissing elderly relatives at Christmas “if you want them to survive to be hugged again.”
  • Astrazeneca will carry out additional trials of the Covid vaccine it has developed with Oxford University to shore up confidence over its effectiveness.
  • An inhaled steroid, Budesonide, will form part of the UK’s priority platform trial for Covid-19 treatments that can be taken at home.

Devolved

  • Tougher new Covid-19 restrictions are in place across Northern Ireland as a two-week circuit breaker takes effect.
  • Plans are underway to allow Northern Ireland’s vaccination programme to begin next month, according to the Health Minister Robin Swann.
  • Christmas “bubbles” of three households in Scotland should contain no more than eight people over the age of 11, the Scottish government has said .
  • Police have been granted extra powers, including carrying out random vehicle checks, to ensure people are not breaking Covid-19 rules in Cardiff.
  • The restrictions in Wales are available
  • The restrictions in Scotland are available
  • The restrictions in Northern Ireland are available here .

International

  • South Korea’s intelligence agency foiled North Korean attempts to hack into South Korean companies developing coronavirus vaccines.
  • The Australian state of Victoria has achieved “Covid elimination.”
  • US president Donald Trump claims deliveries of a vaccine would begin next week.
  • Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has said he will not take a coronavirus vaccine.
  • Germany has surpassed 1 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, recording another 22,806 cases in the past 24 hours.
  • Mass vaccination against Covid-19 is unlikely to start in Africa until midway through next year and keeping vaccines cold could be a big challenge.

Stakeholders

  • Boris Johnson is likely to have to break his manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance to help repair Britain’s coronavirus-ravaged finances, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.
  • Schools must be closed early ahead of the festive break to help children and teachers avoid having to self-isolate on Christmas Day, the UCAC teaching union has warned.
  • Tighter Covid restrictions in Wales before Christmas would be “incredibly difficult” for the hospitality sector, the industry is warning.