Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

29 March 2021

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

Key Announcements:

• In the UK, the number of people who tested positive for the virus yesterday in the UK was 3,862, and 19 people lost their lives having tested positive for Covid within the last 28 days.
• As of the 27 March , 30,151,287 people had received the first dose of a vaccine in the UK, and 3,527,481 people had received a second dose of vaccine.
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that more than 30m people have now had the jab across the UK – including 650,000 vaccinations delivered yesterday [Saturday]. The vaccine is saving lives and is our route out of this pandemic. I want to say a massive thanks to the team. When you get the call – get the jab”. Over the weekend, the Government said that over 95 per cent of people aged 60 and over have been vaccinated with the first dose in England.
• Some lockdown restrictions ease in England today as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap to safely unlocking the country. From today, people can meet in groups of up to 6 people (from a number of households) or in a group of any size from up to 2 households in an outdoor space. Full guidance can be accessed here.
• Yesterday, the government set out new details of a testing regime for international arrivals who will be exempt from quarantine for work purposes, this includes hauliers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area into England. The new regime will begin on 6 April and use lateral flow tests to identify cases coming into the UK.
• Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has said that April would be the “second dose month”. This comes as there is expected to be a shortfall of vaccine supplies in April. Zahawi said that the UK remained on track to vaccinate the whole adult population by the end of July.

Devolved

• Northern Ireland’s spend on antidepressants increased by £7m in 2020. Figures show that expenditure went from £11.3m in 2019 to £18.3m in 2020. A leading GP’s union has raised concerns about a “tsunami of mental health issues” caused by Covid-19.
• First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford is to set out the next steps for reopening society on Thursday. He did however warn that he would not give “false assurances too far into the future” as non-essential retailers, gyms and tourism sector hope to reopen.

International

• Mexico has published revised figures of deaths caused by coronavirus in the country. The new figure is 60 per cent higher than previously reported. It is now believed that more than 321,000 people had now died from covid in Mexico.
• 5000 music fans have attended a gig in Barcelona . The fans had to undertake a same-day screening test for Covid-19.

Stakeholders

• The Money Advice Trust has found that 1 in 5 adults worry that finances would not recover from Covid impact according to new research. The charity is calling for a fairer and more affordable approach to collecting debts to central and local government in the wake of the pandemic, specific help for renters who had fallen behind on payments, and a covid-19 self-employment recovery strategy.

Unconfirmed Reports

• It is being reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson shall give a press conference later today in the new media briefing room of Number 9 Downing Street.