Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

17 Jun

17 June 2021

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

Key Announcements:

  • Official figures show there were 9,055 new cases of Covid-19 in the UK yesterday and nine people died within 28 days of a positive test.
  • Up to and including 15 June, a total of 42,021,089 people have received a first dose of a Covid vaccine and 30,440,373 have received a second dose.
  • The number of people infected with the coronavirus is increasing rapidly in England, doubling every 11 days, according to latest REACT study. The findings from Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI show infections have increased by 50% since the last REACT study in May, with 1 in 670 people infected and an R number of 1.44 in England.
  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that Covid vaccinations will become compulsory for staff at care homes in England.
  • Researchers say they have found another life-saving Covid therapy treatment – a potent intravenous infusion of antibodies to neutralise the virus.
  • Surge testing has begun in more areas of Berkshire amid a rise in cases of the Delta variant.
  • British travellers who have had two Covid vaccines could be allowed quarantine-free entry into England under plans being considered by ministers, the Guardian reports.
  • Ministers are considering plans to enshrine in law a default right to work from home, requiring employers to prove it is essential for staff to attend the workplace.

Regional/Devolved

  • The number of Delta/ Indian variant Covid cases has more than doubled in Northern Ireland over the past week.
  • Central stocks of some items of personal protective equipment (PPE) came within eight hours of running out in April 2020, a report by Audit Scotland has found.
  • The Scottish government has said it is not planning to make the vaccination of care home workers compulsory.
  • The Welsh NHS is under “substantial pressure” as services return to pre-pandemic levels, its chief executive has warned.

International

  • South Africa’s Covid-19 infections jumped by 13,246 on Wednesday, the highest daily total in five months, its government said.
  • Johnson & Johnson is expected to miss its Covid vaccine supply target to the EU for the second quarter after millions of doses were banned for use in Europe over safety concerns, according to the European Commission.
  • France and Spain are moving to ease rules around wearing face masks outside, in a development attributed by both countries to their Covid-19 vaccination campaigns.

Stakeholders

  • Ryanair and the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports are planning to launch a legal challenge against the government’s travel traffic light system, the BBC reports.