Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

4 May 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 the virus in the UK was 1,649 and one person died having tested positive within 28 days.
• As of the 2 May, a total of 34,588,600 people had received the first dose of a vaccine in the UK and 15,500,949 people had received a second dose.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there is a “good chance” the one metre plus social distancing rule could be scrapped on 21 June in England as stage four of reopening begins. Johnson said the results of the vaccine rollout were “really starting to show up in the epidemiology” although the government would proceed with caution.
• Care home residents can now leave for “low risk” visits without isolating for 14 days on their return, as campaigners welcome the end of “cruel” isolation rules that “falsely imprisoned” residents.
• More than 30 people will be able to mourn their loved ones at funerals in England from 17 May under plans announced by the government. This means any number of mourners will be able to gather as long as the venue can comply with social distancing.
• Foreign travel could begin to open up on 17 May with caution, the Prime Minister has said, although more details are expected this week to confirm when and how travel could restart. Reports suggest that fewer than 10 countries may be on the government’s “green list” to which people can travel without having to isolate for 14 days.
• The EU Commission has recommended easing restrictions on non-essential travel to the bloc from June, permitting those who have been fully vaccinated with an EU-approved jab. Legislation would retain the power to pull an “emergency brake” if necessary.

Devolved

• People aged between 30 and 34 are now eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine in the latest expansion of Northern Ireland’s vaccination programme, the Department of Health has confirmed.
• Shoppers have returned to town centres as outdoor hospitality and non-essential retail returns to full operations in Northern Ireland for the first time since Christmas.
• Gyms have reopened and two households can now form a “bubble” to meet and have contact indoors as Covid-19 restrictions ease in Wales. Indoor classes can also restart as Covid-19 cases have fallen to their lowest point in eight months in Wales.
• Workers at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) offices in Swansea have begun a four-day strike over a dispute relating to Covid-19 safety.

International

• India has become the second nation to see Covid-19 infections surge past 20 million amid an ongoing oxygen shortage. The government has said that cases are slowing down, although testing numbers have also dipped, sparking fears that India’s true caseload is much higher.
• The Indian Premier League has been indefinitely suspended following the Covid-19 crisis in the country. Two members of staff within the Chennai Super Kings team tested positive to Covid-19 amid a nation-wide surge of cases.
• Scientists in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea have begun recruiting volunteers to test a new drug to treat people with mild to moderate forms of Covid-19.

Stakeholders

• Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that a further £25-32bn is needed over the coming years to ensure most adults around the world are immunised against Covid-19. An international effort known as the Covax scheme was launched last year to try to ensure fair access to vaccines.
• Researchers at Swansea University have found heavy metals and plastic fibres were released when throw-away masks were submerged in water, raising fears that disposable face masks could be releasing pollutants and nano-plastics into the environment.
• A survey by leading unions and charities has found that one third of government-funded nurseries are cutting staff and services because of a Covid-19 funding crisis, which is threatening their survival.
• The Campaign to End Loneliness has warned that people affected by feelings of loneliness and isolation as a result of lockdowns could find it difficult to re-integrate as the country unlock