Green list countries news LATEST – UK blasted for ‘cautious’ plan to test jabbed tourists ahead of Friday announcement

THE UK has been criticised for being overly cautious in getting Brits abroad for their summer holidays.

While just a "handful" of countries are due to get the coveted green status from May 17 when the list is announced later this week, a three-weekly review will pave the way for more places to be added.

Popular destinations including Spain, Greece and France are pencilled in by Downing Street to be added by the end of June, reports the Telegraph.

A government source said the list will be updated every few weeks to give Brits the chance to get away.

But travel industry leaders have slammed the “cautious” approach.

In a joint article in The Daily Telegraph, leaders of British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Heathrow Airport and the Manchester Airport Group took aim at the British government’s “overabundance of caution”.

The industry chiefs said that while they wanted to support a “safe reopening…if we are not prepared to accept any risk then travel will never restart and we will not be able to support UK travel and tourism businesses and supercharge the UK’s economic recovery.”

Read our coronavirus live blog below for the latest updates…

  • Joseph Gamp

    NORTHERN IRELAND: SEVEN CASES OF INDIAN VARIANT DETECTED

    Seven confirmed cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said.

    They are the first confirmed cases of the variant in the region.

    Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said a detailed health protection risk assessment would be carried out along with contact tracing.

    “This news is not entirely unexpected and plans are in place for such an eventuality,” he said.

    “While preventative measures – including travel restrictions – are very important, the assessment is that these will delay rather than permanently prevent the spread of variants already detected elsewhere on these islands.”

  • Joseph Gamp

    REVEALED: YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING COVID BY PROFESSOR TIM SPECTOR

    Your odds of getting Covid tomorrow revealed by Prof Tim Spector

  • Joseph Gamp

    FURLOUGH CLAIMS FELL IN MARCH AS ECONOMY PREPARES TO REOPEN

    Fewer people were furloughed on Government support in the UK in March, as shuttered businesses across the country prepared to open their doors.

    Provisional figures show 14% of eligible people in the UK were furloughed on March 31, compared to 16% a month earlier.

    It marks the last set of data before pubs and non-essential shops were allowed to open for the first time in months.

    In April, thousands of businesses across the UK that had been closed since the start of the year welcomed back customers and staff.

    The latest figures do not include this period.

  • Joseph Gamp

    GRAPHIC: DAILY NUMBER NEW COVID-19 CASES IN THE UK

  • Alice Peacock

    BRITS TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY COULD GO ON HOLIDAY TOMORROW

    Brits will find out where they can go on holiday from May 17 as the UK government is to announce which countries are to be put onto the "green list" tomorrow.

    Only green countries will be quarantine free, with Brits able to avoid self–isolating for 10 days on their return.

    Malta and Gibraltar, both with vaccine rates higher than the UK, are likely to be on the list, as both countries are also reporting low daily rates of Covid.

    Gibraltar was also the first nation to offer the Covid vaccine to the entire adult population, while Malta is even offering to pay tourists £173 to holiday there this summer.

    Portugal may be the only popular holiday hotspot for Brits to make the list due to their low cases as well.

  • Alice Peacock

    MORE HELL TO COME

    India could hit a grim milestone of one million coronavirus deaths by July as mutant variants wreak havoc in the country.

    It comes as health chiefs warn of an "inevitable" third wave of Covid as hospitals buckle under a “tsunami” of infections and soaring death numbers.

    According to a prediction from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the worst case scenario could see India's death toll top one million by July.

    But even by the research centre's forecast based on current conditions, India is still on course to hit more than one million Covid deaths by August.

    The IHME believes in the worst case scenario, by July 1 the total number of fatalities from Covid will be 1,021,200, while "current projection" is that 961,692 deaths would have been recorded by this date.

  • Alice Peacock

    VACCINE BOOKING SITE FLAW ALLOWS PEOPLE TO WORK OUT ANOTHER USER'S STATUS

    An apparent flaw has been uncovered on the coronavirus vaccine booking website that allows anyone to work out another person's status using basic personal information.

    The service for England requires an individual's NHS number or simply their name, date of birth and postcode to arrange an appointment.

    Using such simple details, the responses on the subsequent screen can be used to deduce whether a person has been vaccinated.

    According to The Guardian, using the information of a person who has not had any jabs goes through to a standard screening page.

    An individual who has had their first vaccination and has already booked a second is asked to provide a booking reference.

  • Alice Peacock

    JAB SIDE EFFECTS

  • Alice Peacock

    MOST COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF COVID VACCINE REVEALED

    Headache and fatigue have been revealed as the most common side effects of the Covid vaccines used in the UK.

    Data from one million people show for each of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna jabs, the symptoms in the following days differ slightly.

    A descending list of the most frequently reported problems was compiled by Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London (KCL).

    Prof Spector is the lead researcher on the ZOE Covid study, which tracks symptoms of the disease, vaccines and the size of the outbreak.

    Using data for app users, Prof Spector said most people reported a headache after the AstraZeneca jab, followed by fatigue.

  • Alice Peacock

    NO HINT THAT COVID VARIANTS CAN FULLY EVADE VACCINES

    Health experts “haven’t seen any hint” at the moment of a Covid variant that can fully evade the effectiveness of vaccines, a leading scientist has said.

    Sharon Peacock, head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) and professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said it could be the case that coronavirus mutates to become less infectious.

    Despite this, she warned it could take years for it to become like the common cold.

    Asked whether a variant will emerge somewhere across the globe that is resistant to current vaccines, Prof Peacock told Times Radio: “That’s what we’d call it, a variant of major concern.

    “We haven’t seen anything like that to date, and the question you’re asking is the million dollar question in many ways, everybody wants to know what’s the likelihood and when is it likely to occur, if at all.”

  • Alice Peacock

    INDIAN VARIANT DETECTED IN NORTHERN IRELAND

    Seven confirmed cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said.

    They are the first confirmed cases of the variant in the region.

    Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said a detailed health protection risk assessment would be carried out along with contact tracing.

    "This news is not entirely unexpected and plans are in place for such an eventuality," he said.

    "While preventative measures – including travel restrictions – are very important, the assessment is that these will delay rather than permanently prevent the spread of variants already detected elsewhere on these islands."

  • Alice Peacock

    ALCOHOL DEATHS RISE BY A FIFTH DURING PANDEMIC YEAR

    Alcohol-related deaths jumped by a fifth last year and are at their highest level for 20 years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

    The 19.6% rise, from 6,209 in 2019 to 7,423 in 2020, came after previous annual jumps of just 1% in England and Wales.

    The rise began in March, in line with the start of the first coronavirus lockdown, and the rates for the rest of the year remained significantly higher than previous years.

    According to the ONS, the final quarter of 2020, October to December, showed the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths at 1,963, and was the highest in any quarter for 20 years.

    The provisional data showed deaths among men were 4.2 times higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived, jumping from 8.1 deaths per 100,000 to 34.1 per 100,000.

  • Alice Peacock

    FURLOUGH CLAIMS FELL IN MARCH AS ECONOMY PREPARES TO REOPEN

    Fewer people were furloughed on Government support in the UK in March, as shuttered businesses across the country prepared to open their doors.

    Provisional figures show 14% of eligible people in the UK were furloughed on March 31, compared to 16% a month earlier.

    It marks the last set of data before pubs and non-essential shops were allowed to open for the first time in months.

    In April, thousands of businesses across the UK that had been closed since the start of the year welcomed back customers and staff.

    The latest figures do not include this period.

  • Niamh Cavanagh

    MORE HELL TO COME

    India could be struck with an "inevitable" third wave of coronavirus as mutant variants wreak havoc in the country.

    The country's top medical advisor has warned people to brace for a repeat of devastating scenes, with the crisis already overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums – where bodies are being burned en masse.

    "Phase three is inevitable given the high levels of circulating virus," K. Vijay Raghavan said, reports the Mail.

    "But it is not clear on what timescale this phase three will occur. We should prepare for new waves."

  • Alice Peacock

    TWO PFIZER DOSES ‘EFFECTIVE AGAINST INFECTION, ILLNESS, AND DEATH’

    Two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech can provide more than 95% protection against infection, severe illness, and death, according to the first nation-wide data from Israel.

    A single dose of the jab, meanwhile, is associated with 58% protection against infection, 76% against hospital admission, and 77% against death, research published in the journal The Lancet suggests.

    The findings are based on a national-level assessment of the effectiveness of the vaccine and is thought to be the first observational evaluation of its kind.

    Israel currently leads the world in Covid-19 vaccinations, with more than more than half (56%) of the population jabbed with two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

    New cases of Covid-19 have dropped dramatically since the country’s vaccination programme began, from a peak of more than 10,000 a day in January to a few hundred in March when lockdown was lifted.

  • Alice Peacock

    MUSIC FANS HAPPY TO PROVIDE COVID CERTIFICATION TO ATTEND GIGS

    According to new survey results, the majority of music fans would be happy to show Covid certification to attend a live event.

    The survey, by live music industry body LIVE, which represents more than 3,000 businesses, also found 85% of fans are planning to attend either the same or higher numbers of live music events as they did before the pandemic, and 55% have already bought tickets for gigs in the coming months.

    Some 75% of people surveyed said they have no problem with being asked to show evidence of a negative test or vaccination so they are allowed in to a concert.

    More than half of the 25,000 people questioned said they would attend concerts now if they were allowed, while a further 25% said they will return to gigs once safety measures are in place.

  • Alice Peacock

    RAPID COVID TESTS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND STAFF

    Rapid Covid tests are being rolled out for staff and students through their local college.

    More than 100,000 lateral flow testing kits have been distributed to colleges across Scotland to help detect cases in people with no symptoms.

    And authorities are urging people to take part in voluntary testing twice a week, using the at-home kits.

    Scotland's national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said: ""Around one in three people with Covid-19 do not have symptoms. Rapid lateral flow testing helps to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can transmit the virus to others.

    A limited number of students were allowed on to college campuses at any one time in line with current public health guidance, with safety measures such as social distancing in place.

  • Alice Peacock

    TRAVELLERS COULD FACE 10 HOUR QUEUES AT UK AIRPORTS

    Holidaymakers are being warned they could face delays of up to ten hours at airports, a union has warned today.

    Queues are already being caused by stringent checks to ensure travellers are not breaching Covid rules designed to stop mutant strains entering the UK, the Mail Online reported.

    However, the Immigration Services Union, which represents border immigration and customs staff in the UK, is urging the government to change the system to cope with an influx of arrivals and demand when countries reopen.

    British Airline Pilots’ Association general secretary Brian Strutton said: 'Sorting border queues is absolutely in the Government's control, and they must do it now".

  • Alice Peacock

    TRAVEL FIRMS CRITICISE 'UK CAUTION'

    Travel industry leaders have struck out at the UK over its "cautious" approach to easing holiday restrictions.

    In a joint article in The Daily Telegraph, leaders of British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Heathrow Airport and the Manchester Airport Group took aim at the British government's "overabundance of caution".

    The group was critical of the government's plan to require fully vaccinated holidaymakers to take a PCR test when returning home from a country on the green list.

    “Instead of taking advantage of the success of the vaccine programme the Government risks closing the UK off from the rest of the world,” they said.

  • Alice Peacock

    WORLD’S FIRST TWEAKED COVID VACCINE

    A refined vaccine has been found to ‘neutralise’ the Brazil and South African coronavirus variants, US company Moderna claims.

    Latest trials have found getting a third jab of either its current Covid-19 shot or the experimental new tweaked vaccine increases immunity against both variants.

    The booster jabs, given to volunteers previously inoculated with Moderna’s two-dose vaccine programme, also boosted antibodies against the original version of Covid-19, Moderna said.

    The early data comes from a 40-person trial testing both Moderna’s existing shot and a version developed to protect against the South African variant of Covid-19 called mRNA-1273.351.

    Two weeks after the new jab, Moderna says both the booster shot and the tweaked vaccine increased the antibodies in the blood that can neutralise the two variants of concern.

  • Alice Peacock

    LOWEST NUMBER OF POSITIVE TESTS SINCE WEEK TO SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

    A total of 15,593 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to April 28, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.

    This is down 8% on the previous week.

    It was also the lowest number since the week to September 2 2020.

  • Alice Peacock

    SPAIN: REGIONS TO DECIDE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS FROM MAY 9

    Its government will pass responsibility for coronavirus restrictions on to the country’s 17 regions after a state of emergency expires next week, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said on Tuesday.

    The six-month emergency decree, which provides a legal framework for the most restrictive Covid-19 measures, expires on Sunday.

    Regional authorities will then be able to set up curfews and lock down areas but must secure the support of local courts, Calvo said.

    “Regions can justify, argue, propose measures to tribunals curfews or lockdowns that limit rights and freedoms, but they need a judicial authorisation,” she told a news conference.

  • Alice Peacock

    NEW STUDY ASSESSES RARE BLOOD CLOT LINK TO ASTRAZENECA VACCINE

    The absolute risk of blood clots after the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are “small”, a new study examining the vaccine in Denmark and Norway has concluded.

    But the researchers cautioned that the risks linked to the jab should be “interpreted in the context of the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination”.

    And one UK scientist said that for most people the probability of surviving the year is “much greater for people who accept any vaccine when offered than if they decline it”.

    The study, published in The BMJ, suggests that the vaccine was linked to increased rates of vein blood clots, including clots in the veins of the brain, compared with expected rates in the general population. But the risk of such events is “small”, the authors said.

    The UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, previously concluded that there is a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca jab and extremely rare blood clots.

  • Alice Peacock

    VACCINE HESITANCY GREATER IN BLACK BRITISH ADULTS, MUSLIMS, NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS

    Vaccination rates for the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine were lower among all ethnic minority groups compared with the white British population.

    The lowest vaccination rates were among people identifying as Black Caribbean and Black African, according to ONS data

    Vaccination rates also differed by religious affiliation, with the lowest rates being among those who identified as Muslim and Buddhist.

    There also appeared to be a relationship between proficiency in English language, as recorded in the 2011 Census, and vaccination rates.

    The lowest vaccination rates were for those who do not speak English at all.

  • Alice Peacock

    FLU OVERTAKES COVID

    More people are dying of flu and pneumonia than coronavirus for the first time since the second wave erupted, new data has revealed.

    Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that deaths from Covid are down 28 percent on last week and are at the lowest number since the week ending September 25.

    Deaths caused by Covid were at 260 – but it was only listed as the underlying cause for 176 people.

    This is compared to 278 deaths listed for flu and pneumonia – however this was mentioned on 1,203 death certificates.

    It means that the flu is now causing more deaths than coronavirus – suggesting that lockdowns and the vaccine rollout has helped stop the spread.

    Source: Read Full Article

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