UK Covid-19 vaccinations: Latest figures
Four of England’s Nightingale hospitals set up to cope with a spike in Covid-19 cases are to close permanently from April after costing £500 million to set up.
The three remaining emergency field hospitals will remain open at sites in London and Sunderland as mass vaccination centres.
NHS England said existing hospitals have been able to increase their beds so successfully that the Nightingales are no longer needed.
Research suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is able to combat a new variant of Covid-19 rapidly circulating in Brazil.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found the engineered version of the virus, containing the same mutation carried on the spike protein as the highly contagious P1 variant first identified in Brazil, was effectively neutralised among people who were given the jab.
The new variants are observed to carry changes in the spike, which is used by the virus to enter the human cells. These changes, in turn, affect how transmissible the virus is and is therefore the primary target of coronavirus vaccines.
Closure of Nightingale hospitals is ‘important moment in national recovery’, says Hancock
Health secretary Matt Hancock said the closure of the Nightingale hospitals was an “important moment in our national recovery”.
In a video posted to Twitter, Mr Hancock said the vaccine programme and lockdown restrictions had meant that there were now fewer than 10,000 people in hospitals across the UK, down from 40,000 seven weeks ago.
He said the hospitals were a “monument to this country’s ability to get things done fast when it really matters” and played a “critical role” in the UK’s response to coronavirus.
Chiara Giordano9 March 2021 08:30
Nightingale hospitals to close
Four Nightingale hospitals set up to cope with a spike in Covid-19 cases are to close from April, although sites in London and Sunderland will stay open for vaccinations.
NHS England said existing hospitals have been able to increase their beds so successfully that the Nightingales are no longer needed.
Our health correspondent Shaun Lintern has more details:
Chiara Giordano9 March 2021 08:13
Pfizer vaccine ‘neutralises Brazil variant’ in study
A new study has found the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is able to combat a new variant rapidly circulating in Brazil.
The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found the engineered version of the virus, containing the same mutation carried on the spike protein as the highly contagious P1 variant first identified in Brazil, was effectively neutralised among people who were given the jab.
Chiara Giordano9 March 2021 08:03
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Follow for rolling updates on the latest news and statistics throughout the day.
Chiara Giordano9 March 2021 08:00
