Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

19 Nov

19 November 2020

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

Key Announcements:

  • Yesterday, a total of 19,609 people tested positive for the virus in the UK and 529 people sadly lost their lives.
  • It is being reported that the coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca triggers a robust immune response in the immune system and looks like it would work in older people. This is based of phase 2 findings.
  • Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, shall lay a motion in the Commons today relating to virtual participation in proceedings. The motion states that “the Speaker shall draw up and publish a scheme to permit Members who are certified by a medical practitioner as clinically extremely vulnerable (or equivalent) according to relevant official public health guidance issued in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, to participate virtually in such debates as are designated for virtual participation by the Speaker”. Chair of the Procedure Committee, Karen Bradley, shall make a select committee statement on procedure under coronavirus restrictions.
  • A government statement is taking place in the Commons today on an update on financial support for the sports sector. The Sun is reported that the Government shall announce a £300m of Covid bailout money for struggling sports. The report goes on to say that negotiations between the government, the Premier League and smaller professional clubs are still ongoing.
  • Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam has written to the Guardian saying that the UK must use safe vaccines as soon as they become available and not wait for the very best vaccine to come along.
  • Numerous media outlets are reporting that the government are planning the strengthen the regional tier restrictions, in order to let families see each other during the Christmas period.
  • The Department of Health and Social Care has announced an expansion of the current Vivaldi study which looks to test thousands more care home staff and residents for their immune response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Devolved

  • The Scottish Tourism Alliance has warned that moving 11 local authorities into level 4 would force many hotels to close until next year.
  • Northern Ireland Health Minister, Robin Swann, has stated that he would bring proposals to Thursday’s Executive meeting to set out options to manage the spread of coronavirus in Scotland.

International

  • It has been reported that France has become the first European Country to record 2m coronavirus cases. Frances has the third highest number of deaths, after the UK and Italy.
  • Schools in New York are set to close following a rise of the number of coronavirus cases in the area.

Stakeholders

  • Eighteen mental health charities have written a joint letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The letter calls for a historic commitment to mental health in England’s new public health strategy. Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, commented: “We are at a major turning point for public health. We believe the Coronavirus pandemic is the first time in history that the mental health aspects of a public health crisis have been so prominent. It has arguably never been more important to invest in co-ordinated, well-resourced, and sustained action to safeguard the population’s mental health. Mental ill-health remains the biggest contributor to overall population ill-health in the UK, and the health of our society depends on making a commitment to protecting and supporting our collective mental health.”
  • Swim England has pleaded with the Government to allow swimming pools and leisure centres to “play their part in the shared fight against coronavirus” when the second national lockdown comes to an end. Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson has reiterated the call for facilities to be classed as essential services which are allowed to open under any tiered restrictions imposed in the future in a letter to Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick.