Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

18 Jun

18 June 2021

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

Key Announcements:

  • Official figures show there were 11,007 new cases of Covid-19 in the UK yesterday and 19 people died within 28 days of a positive test.
  • Up to and including 16 June, a total of 42,216,654 people ha received their first dose of a Covid vaccine and 30,675207 had received a second dose.
  • All adults in England are now able to book their first dose of a Covid vaccine. Over the course of the day, texts will be sent to some 1.5m 18- to 20-year-olds, inviting them to book a vaccine.
  • The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has told the BBC that it is unlikely that 12-17-year-olds will be recommended for vaccination imminently.
  • Minister of State for the Home Office, Kit Malthouse, has said the Government had no intention to make it compulsory for workers to return to offices.

Devolved

  • In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed that a further easing of lockdown restrictions will be delayed by at least four weeks amidst an increase in cases of the Delta variant.
  • The Northern Ireland Executive announced yesterday that any relaxation of rules around live music would be delayed to 5 July.

International

  • There has been an “explosion” of Covid cases in Russia, according to the mayor of Moscow, with infection numbers now as high as in December last year and hospital admissions drastically increasing.
  • The Portuguese government has issued a weekend-long travel ban in the capital city of Lisbon, beginning today at 15:00 and ending on Monday morning. This is in a bid to prevent Covid cases from spreading to the rest of the country.
  • In Holland, officials have said that masks will only be required in airports and on public transport after 26 June. Social-distancing will remain in place until at least mid-August.
  • Health official in Indonesia have warned that cases of the Delta variant of Covid were spreading “very fast”.
  • The Japanese government has approved lifting Tokyo’s emergency virus measures a month before the Olympic games. New restrictions however could significantly limit fans at sporting events.

Stakeholders

  • Charities are calling for a new national strategy for palliative care and more support for people dying at home. This comes following the publication of official statistics in Scotland, which indicate a 41 percent rise in deaths in the community since the start of the pandemic.
  • The GMB has described reports that the UK government supressed access to sick pay for people isolating with Covid during the height of the pandemic was “scandalous and incompetent”.
  • The Labour party has criticised the government’s decision not to classify covid as a “serious” workplace threat.