Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

26 Apr

26 April 2021

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

Key Announcements:

  • The number of people who tested positive for the virus yesterday in the UK was 1,712 and 11 people died having tested positive within 28 days.
  • The number of people who have received their first dose of a vaccine was 33,666,638 and the figure for the second dose was 12,587,116 as of 25 April.
  • The vaccine rollout in England has been extended to 44-year-olds, with plans for opening up to the 40 to 43 age group due in the coming days.
  • The Labour party are calling for ministers to publish all contacts and links they have with firms who received Covid contracts, as No 10 also ruled out a lessons learnt inquiry immediately.

Devolved

  • Shops, gyms, swimming pools, pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland are reopening today after a four-month lockdown, with some travels restrictions also being eased.
  • Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales can reopen to customers outdoors from today, as the Welsh Government continue with their gradual easing of restrictions.

International

  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended resuming the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, after a pause last week.
  • On Monday, India recorded a new global high for daily coronavirus cases for a fifth straight day at 352,991.
  • Reports over the weekend have shown the extent of the latest wave in India, where there aren’t enough beds or medicines for patients, and doctors have been turning to the black market to buy oxygen cylinders and concentrators.
  • The UK has begun sending ventilators and oxygen concentrator devices to India, as they tackle the latest surge in cases, with the US and EU also pledging further aid.

Stakeholders

  • Thomas Cook chief executive Alan French has told Sky News he is ‘confident’ holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean will be open for UK holidaymakers when schools break up, and that he backs plans for a ‘traffic light system’ for travel this summer.
  • Polling by university rankings provider QS finds that nearly half (47 per cent) of prospective international students said they would be more likely to choose to study in the UK because of the rate of vaccinations in the country.