Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

22 Apr

Key Announcements:

  • Yesterday, the number of new confirmed cases of Covid-19 was 2,396 and 22 people died having tested positive for the virus within 28 days.
  • The figures show 33,139,742 people have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine and 10,775,817 have had a second dose.
  • In yesterday’s PMQs, the Prime Minister said he made “no apology” for seeking to obtain ventilators from James Dyson during an exchange of phone messages. Reports showed he also said in the exchange that he could “fix” tax issues relating to Dyson staff who came to the UK to work on the pandemic. The Telegraph reports that Johnson had been advised to change his personal number over concerns that his current one was too widely known.
  • According to Transparency International UK , one in five government Covid contracts awarded between February and November 2020 contained one or more red flags for possible corruption and require urgent further investigation.
  • Professor Adam Finn, a scientist on the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, has warned that the UK is likely to see a “summer surge” in Covid cases as lockdown is relaxed. The Prime Minister has said there is nothing in the data to suggest the next step in easing lockdown cannot go ahead as planned.

Devolved/Regional

  • In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said his decision to bring forward the easing of some lockdown measures had “nothing to do with electioneering” and was based on scientific advice. The Senedd election is on 6 May.
  • Public Health Scotland has said that it “cannot rule out” a link between patients being discharged from hospital and Covid outbreaks in care homes. In its report, the body found that mortality was high, with Covid associated with 21.6% per cent of deaths within 30 days of discharge to a care home.

International

  • In India, at least 22 Covid patient died after they lost oxygen supply due to a leak, the BBC reports.
  • India has also set a global record for daily new Covid cases after reporting 314,835 infections in the last 24 hours. This brings the country’s total confirmed cases close to 16 million.
  • Australian Health Secretary Brendan Murphy has announced that Australia will not make the Pfizer vaccine available to those over 50 due to issues around supply. The country will use the AstraZeneca vaccine in the meantime.
  • Syria has received its first delivery of Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX initiative, with the arrival of approximately 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca jab.
  • The US Government has added the UK to its “do not travel” list along with 100 other countries, citing a “very high level of Covid-19”. The update could kill hopes for a UK- US air bridge in time for the summer holidays.

Unconfirmed reports

  • The Times reports Covid passports are being readied for use from 17 May. The Department for Transport wants official certification for their use by British travellers and is asking for the scheme to be in place by the date the Prime Minister is set to lift the ban on foreign holidays.