Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

17 May 2021

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

Key Announcements:

• On 16 May there were 1,926 new cases of Covid-19 registered across the UK and four people died within 28 days of a positive test, according to official figures. The data also showed 36,573,354 people had received a first dose of a Covid vaccine up to and including 15 May, of which 20,103,658 had also received a second.
• As of today, hospitality venues, cinemas and theatres may resume indoor service while observing the rule of six and social distancing measures and serve a maximum of 30 outdoors. Foreign travel also resumes, according to the government’s traffic light system for countries.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to be “cautious and take responsibility when enjoying new freedoms today in order to keep the virus at bay.”
• Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government’s independent scientific advisory group Sage, said the lifting of the rules was the “most difficult policy decision of the last 15 months or so. It is very, very finely balanced.” He added that he would not meet people indoors yet.
• The UK has “increasing confidence” that Covid-19 vaccines work against the Indian variant of the virus, the health secretary has said . He added that the majority of those in hospital in Bolton, a hotspot for the Indian variant, were unvaccinated.
• The health secretary confirmed that this coming week the vaccination programme will be opening up to those over 35.

Devolved

• All mainland council areas in Scotland, with the exception of Glasgow and Moray, have moved to level two Covid restrictions from level three.
• Glasgow may have to remain under level three Covid restrictions for longer than a week, Scotland’s national clinical director has warned.
• Indoor eating and drinking is back on the menu in Wales from Monday, as the country moves into alert level two.

International

• Saudi Arabia has announced that travellers flying from most countries will no longer need to quarantine if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
• The number of Covid-19 patients in France’s intensive care units has dropped for the 13th consecutive day, with 4,255 reported on Sunday.
• Italy’s daily death toll fell below 100 for the first time since October, with 93 Covid-related deaths reported on Sunday.

Stakeholders

• Doctors in Wales have faced bullying and disciplinary action for raising concerns over working conditions and safety, Dr Phil Banfield, of BMA Wales, has said.
• The Waterloo and City line, which has been shut since the start of the pandemic, will reopen in June, transport bosses have announced.