A man receives the first dose of CoronaVac vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac during a mix and match Covid inoculation programme at a vaccination centre in Bangkok
(EPA)
The government is “confident” that a Covid vaccine booster programme will get the green light in the next few days, the health secretary has said.
Speaking on Wednesday, Sajid Javid suggested his vaccine advisory committee would spell out the terms of the programme this week, saying the work on the scheme was “almost done”.
“I’m very confident there will be a booster programme but in terms of who actually gets it and when, we’re waiting for final advice, which could come across certainly in the next few days from the JCVI. We need to see that advice,” Mr Javid told Sky News.
“That work is almost done and based on the timeline they’ve given us, I’m confident we could start the booster programme this month.”
Meanwhile, official figures have revealed that Northerners were more likely to die from Covid-19, spent almost six weeks longer in lockdowns and were made poorer than the rest of England during the first year of the pandemic.
The report, commissioned by the Northern Health Science Alliance, found that people living in the north had a 17 per cent higher mortality rate due to Covid-19 than in the rest of England.
Covid mortality in care homes in the north was 26 per cent higher than the rest of England, while people in the north experienced a larger drop in mental well-being, more loneliness, and higher rates of antidepressant prescriptions.
More deaths and longer lockdowns in northern England’s pandemic, figures show
People in the north of England were more likely to die from Covid-19, were made poorer during the first year of pandemic and spent an additional six weeks in lockdowns, new analysis has revealed.
Researchers analysed government statistics to see how areas in the northeast, northwest, Yorkshire and Humber compared to the rest of the country, writes Joe Middleton.
The results showed that northerners had a higher mortality rate (17 per cent) due to Covid-19 than the rest of the country and a 14 per cent higher overall mortality due to all causes.
The North’s care home Covid-19 mortality was also 26 per cent higher than the rest of England and 10 per cent more hospital beds were occupied by Covid patients than in the rest of England.
Leonie Chao-Fong8 September 2021 08:25
October firebreak ‘not something we need to consider’ says health secretary
Sajid Javid said he has not thought about a so-called “firebreak” lockdown in October.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, he said: “I don’t think that’s something we need to consider. I haven’t even thought about that as an option at this point.
“I think the decisions that we’ve made in the last few weeks and certainly in the time I’ve been Health Secretary, I think they’ve turned out to be the right decisions.”
On Tuesday a Sage member told the i newspaper that the PM’s Cabinet has drawn up plans to introduce a firebreak in the event that current rates of Covid-19 hospitalisations continue and threaten to overwhelm the NHS this autumn.
That could see the government reintroduce restrictions like mandatory mask wearing, social distancing and travel rules in time for the school half-term period, according to the newspaper, but a full lockdown would only be considered as a “last resort”.
Leonie Chao-Fong8 September 2021 08:15
Covid booster vaccines to get green light in ‘next few days’ says health secretary
The government is “confident” that a Covid vaccine booster programme will get the green light in the next few days, the health secretary has said.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Sajid Javid suggested his vaccine advisory committee would spell out the terms of the programme this week, saying the work on the scheme was “almost done”.
“I’m very confident there will be a booster programme but in terms of who actually gets it and when, we’re waiting for final advice, which could come across certainly in the next few days from the JCVI. We need to see that advice,” Mr Javid told Sky News.
“That work is almost done and based on the timeline they’ve given us, I’m confident we could start the booster programme this month.”
Leonie Chao-Fong8 September 2021 07:55
