Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

21 April 2021

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

Key Announcements:

• The government has launched a new Antivirals Taskforce which will work to identify innovative Covid treatments for UK patients.
• Government figures show that 2,524 people tested positive for Covid on 20 April and 33 people had died within 28 days of a positive test. They also show 33m people in the UK have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine up to and including 19 April, of which 10.4m have had a second dose.
• During yesterday’s Covid press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he did not think there would be any need to deviate from the roadmap out of lockdown.
• The UK’s carbon footprint has fallen by 17 per cent, in large part as a result of reduced travel during the pandemic, Sky News reports.

Devolved

• In Wales, eight cases of the Indian variant of concern have been confirmed.
• Teachers in Wales have said they need support following the pandemic, particularly with focus on the mental health of teachers and pupils.
• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that shops, hospitality and gyms will be able to reopen in Scotland from Monday. Non-essential travel will also resume with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Doctors in Northern Ireland have warned that as restrictions ease, Covid infection rates could rise further in the north west. The BBC reports that infection rates in Derry and Strabane are higher than anywhere else in the UK.

International

• The European Medicines Agency has said that it has found a “possible link” between the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine and the development of rare blood clots. Overall, however, it said the benefits outweigh the risks associated.
• Distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine begins in Spain today.
• In Denmark, restaurants and museums reopen today and football fans can return to stadiums, in part due to the development of a so-called coronapas. The phone app shows whether a person has had a negative test in the last 72 hours, a vaccine certificate, or proof of infection two to 12 weeks earlier.
• Schools in South Sudan will reopen on 3 May after a year of closure due to Covid restrictions.
• There have been reports of chronic bed shortages in India as the country battles a fresh surge in Covid cases. The situation has been called “unbelievable” by travellers returning to the UK.

Stakeholders

• A new report by Nottingham Trent University suggests there has been an improvement in how charities and local authorities work together during the pandemic.
• As coronavirus restrictions ease in the UK, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink will be adding an additional 1,000 extra services per week from 16 May.
• The Institute of Economic Affairs, commenting on statistics from the ONS, said unemployment rates among young people remain “unacceptably high”.
• A number of groups and unions representing NHS workers have written to the Prime Minister urging him to increase investment in staffing. This comes following increased demand for services due to the coronavirus.