Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

1 March 2021

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

Key Announcements:

• Yesterday, the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK was 6,035. Sadly, 144 people died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.
• As of the 28 February , 20,089,551 people had received the first dose of a vaccine in the UK.
• Health Officials in England are trying to trace one person who has been infected with the Brazil variant of covid-19. It is being reported that this person did not complete a test registration form so they remain unidentified.
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock is set to hold a meeting with MPs later today on the Brazilian variant.
• Over the weekend, the government set out further guidance on election campaigning ahead of the local polls in May. Individual activists would be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID secure way from March 8th. This would allow the delivery of leaflets through doors and to engage with electors on a doorstep. However, campaigners cannot enter people’s homes.
• The government have confirmed that all households with children of school age will be able to get 2 rapid COVID-19 tests per person per week . Tests could either be ordered and collected from local sites or administered through workplace testing programmes.
• Italian researchers have found that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people who are obese. “Italian researchers have discovered that healthcare workers with obesity produced only about half the amount of antibodies in response to a second dose of the jab compared with healthy people.”
• It is being reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will announce in his budget statement this week that £1.65bn of funding will be used to ensure the NHS can complete the task of vaccinating the whole population.

Devolved

• From today , wedding venues in Wales can reopen for ceremonies. However, wedding receptions are not permitted under current restrictions.
• Wales’s Chief Medical Officer has announced that people in their 40s are next in line to receive the covid-19 vaccine. All four of Wales’ chief constables have criticised the decision not to prioritise frontline workers, saying they were “incredibly disappointed”. Head teachers’ union NAHT Cymru said all front-line staff “should be protected now”.
• The Northern Ireland Executive is set to release their pathway out of lockdown this week.
• Chair of the Education Committee in Northern Ireland Chris Lyttle has criticised the safety measures in schools to date as inadequate. Education Minister Peter Weir has said that there is a strong case for all pupils in Northern Ireland to return to school by 8th March.

International

• Regulators in the USA have approved the single-shot Johnson & Johnson (J&J) coronavirus vaccine . Trials have found that it is 66 percent effective overall when all moderate cases were included. The UK, EU and Canada have also ordered doses.

Stakeholders

• Following the announcement on Friday from the JCVI about vaccine prioritisation , Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “Those on the frontline interact with members of the public on a daily basis and due to the nature of our work, social distancing is not always possible, and many have been subject to disgraceful assaults involving coughing and spitting. “This increases the risk of transmission to officers as well as to the public.” He added: “We accept that the JCVI has concluded that the best way of protecting those who potentially have higher risk of exposure to the virus, like police officers, is for them to receive vaccines in line with their age-group, however, we remain disappointed for our officers and staff.”