UK Covid-19 vaccinations: Latest figures
Care home residents will be allowed to have indoor visits from a person of their choice from 8 March, the government has announced.
Under the current rules, visits can only take place outdoors or behind screens. This will change from early next month, as the country gradually comes out of its third national lockdown.
Visitors will need to take a coronavirus test before entry and will be required to wear PPE inside care homes.
Although they can hold hands with their relatives, hugging and kissing will not be permitted.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said he was “pleased” that people could soon be “carefully and safely reunited with loved ones who live in care homes”.
In other coronavirus news, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said that ambulance delays over Christmas caused “secondary Covid victims”.
Time spent waiting to offload patients rose by 63 per cent in London and 48 per cent in the West Midlands, the BBC has learned.
UK grants Covid-test exemption to travellers from Myanmar
People travelling from Myanmar to England do not need to take a Covid-19 test prior to departure, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said.
Although this is normally compulsory for all travellers, the exemption has been made in light of the coup in Myanmar on 1 February.
“The present situation in Myanmar means that it is not reasonable to seek to obtain a pre-departure coronavirus test in that country before departure to England,”the DfT said in a statement.
The department will review this policy every 10 days starting on 1 March.
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 11:11
More than one in 10 Covid patients died within five months of hospital discharge, research finds
More than one in 10 coronavirus patients died within five months of being released from hospital, research has found.
Papers released by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ISage) also showed that nearly a third of Covid-19 survivors had to be readmitted to hospital.
Our health correspondent Shaun Lintern has the details:
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 10:52
Russia approves third vaccine for domestic use
Russia has approved a third coronavirus vaccine for domestic use, the country’s prime minister Mikhail Mishustin announced on Saturday.
Large-scale clinicial trials for the new vaccine – known as CoviVac – have yet to take place. Russia took the same approach with its previous approvals, but only started using them for mass vaccinations once they were shown to be effective.
More than two million Russians have been give at least one dose of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to the health ministry.
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 10:27
Philippines records second-highest daily Covid death toll
The Philippines has reported 239 new Covid-19 deaths, its second-highest daily jump in casualties since the start of the pandemic.
Only the death toll of 259 from 14 September is higher.
In total, 12,068 have died with the virus in the Philippines and there have been 559,288 confirmed infections.
Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s president, will decide next week whether to lift some restrictions in the capital, Manila, in an attempt to kickstart the economy.
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 10:04
Britain should donate Covid vaccines now, says WTO chief
Britain should start donating coronavirus vaccines to developing countries now, the new head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s comment on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme comes after Boris Johnson pledged to donate the majority of the UK’s surplus doses to Covax, an initiative distributing vaccines to middle- and low-income nations.
However, this is not expected to happen for some time.
Ms Okonjo-Iweala said: “I think that any donations that are coming must come now.
“The reason is very simple. It’s in the interest of rich countries as well as poor countries to have equitable access.”
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 09:47
Relaxation of rules on care home visits ‘welcome’, says National Care Association boss
The relaxation of rules on care home visits is a “welcome step forward”, the head of the National Care Association has said.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Nadra Ahmed said the decision to allow indoor visits from 8 March comes after a “gruelling” year.
“I think it is a welcome step forward. I think we need to be very careful and cautious and make sure that everybody understands the implications and the risks that might be attached,” she said.
Ms Ahmed added that the biggest issue would be staff shortages, as testing and cleaning is necessary for the visits to go ahead.
“We have staff who are exhausted, we’ve got staff who are going down with Covid and also getting long Covid,” she said.
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 09:30
Indoor care home visits allowed from 8 March
Indoor visits to care homes will be allowed from 8 March as part of the gradual lifting of the third national lockdown.
Under the current restrictions, only outdoor visits and interactions behind screens are permitted.
From early next month, visitors will be able to see their relatives face-to-face as long as the former test negative for coronavirus and wear PPE.
The news comes ahead of a speech from the prime minister on Monday detailing the country’s route out of lockdown.
Here’s an explainer from Sam Hancock on what Boris Johnson could announce next week:
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 09:13
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coronavirus coverage.
Rory Sullivan20 February 2021 08:59