Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

12 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 2,474 and 20 died within 28 days of a positive test. Government figures show that 35,587,348 people received a first dose of a vaccine and 18,088,385 have received a second dose as of 10 May.
• The Brit Awards took place last night at the O2 Arena as a pilot event for the post-Covid era, with a 4,000-strong audience, many of whom were key workers, without masks or social distancing.
• The UK economy shrank by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, leaving it 8.7 per cent smaller than it was prior to the pandemic. However, on a month-by-month basis, the economy grew 2.1 per cent in March alongside the return of retail and schools.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has indicated there will be a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic “within this session” of parliament.
• England’s NHS app will be available to use as a ‘vaccine passport’ from Monday for those who have had both doses of the jab, the government has said.

Devolved

• First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed indoor hospitality can reopen from 17 May as Wales’ coronavirus rate continues to fall.
• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has moved most of Scotland down from Level 3 to Level 2 from 17 May, which means up to six people from three households will be able to meet indoors in a private home.
• Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has asked the Government to vaccinate everyone over the age of 16, after a “worrying” spike of cases in Bolton among under-25s.

International

• France’s parliament has backed President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to introduce a Covid “health pass” after deputies pushed back against the move arguing it was discriminatory for those not yet vaccinated.
• Japan’s vaccine booking system has faced technical issues , further hampering it’s low uptake. Japan has only inoculated 2.8 percent of the population. The government is aiming to vaccinate all 36m elderly people before July, when the Olympics are due to take place.
• India saw a record rise in deaths from Covid-19 in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning local time, pushing its total fatalities past the 250,000 mark.

Stakeholders

• UNICEF has called on the UK to give 20 per cent of its vaccine doses to lower-income countries from June.
• Imperial College’s Covid-19 Response Team have warned that a third coronavirus wave could happen in late summer or autumn if the next steps out of lockdown continue as planned.
• Labour’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will use her first House of Commons appearance in her new role to claim the government is “set to fail” workers after the pandemic, as she attacks the absence of an Employment Bill from the Queen’s Speech.
• The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a loss of £16.1m in the past financial year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.