Door-to-door testing launches in London Covid hotspots amid concerns over South African variant February 2, 2021 Government ministers have warned people living in areas infected with the South African coronavirus variant to “think again” before leaving the house, as door-to-door testing launches in London hotspots. Residents in the London boroughs of Ealing, Haringey and Croydon will receive knocks on the door from today asking them to take Covid tests for the [...]
EU rows back on Irish border vaccine controls January 30, 2021 The European Union amended its controversial measures seeking to limit exports to Northern Ireland on Friday evening. The bloc had moved to restrict exports of vaccines into Northern Ireland by overriding parts of the Brexit deal, sparking widespread anger from politicians in Belfast, after an escalation in the vaccine row. Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster described the move [...]
EU approves Astrazeneca vaccine for all over-18s January 29, 2021 The EU drugs regulator has approved the use of the Astrazeneca Covid vaccine for all people over the age of 18. The green light from the European Medicines Agency means Astrazeneca vaccine is the third to be approved by the EU, after those developed by Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna. The move follows an increasingly bitter dispute [...]
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine 66 per cent effective January 29, 2021 The Covid vaccine being developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is 66 per cent effective at preventing moderate and severe coronavirus, data published from phase three trials has shown. The jab produced by world’s largest healthcare company is the first single-dose Covid vaccine so far. Britain has pre-ordered 30m doses of the [...]
EU says AstraZeneca contract contains ‘binding orders’ as vaccine row intensifies January 29, 2021 The European Union’s contract with AstraZeneca for its Covid-19 vaccine contains binding orders, the EU Commission head said on Friday. Ursula von der Leyen has demanded a plausible explanation from the UK-based vaccine maker for delivery hold-ups, describing the contract as “crystal clear”. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot defended the drug maker earlier this week, claiming [...]
‘Antibody cocktail’ could cut risk of death from Covid by 70 per cent January 28, 2021 The UK’s medicines regulatory body is reviewing a new “antibody cocktail” that could reduce the risk of death from people most at-risk from coronavirus by 70 per cent. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is carrying out advanced tests of bamlanivimab and etesevimab after trials showed “very encouraging” results. If approved they could [...]
Germany recommends blocking Astrazeneca vaccine for over-65s January 28, 2021 German health authorities have issued a draft recommendation that the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine should not be used in over-65s. A statement by the Standing Vaccine Commission at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) — Germany’s main public health body — said there was “insufficient data currently available to ascertain how effective the vaccination is above 65 [...]
Tory MP slammed after telling anti-vaxxers NHS figures are ‘manipulated’ January 28, 2021 A Conservative MP has faced condemnation from government ministers after he told an anti-vaccination campaign group that NHS statistics are being “manipulated” and that we are living in a “police state”. Sir Desmond Swayne told Save Our Rights UK, which organised the anti-lockdown rally in Trafalgar Square last September, to continue their fight against lockdown [...]
EU and AstraZeneca hold crisis talks to resolve Covid vaccines row January 28, 2021 The EU and UK-based Covid vaccine maker AstraZeneca have vowed to resolve clashes over supply shortages after “constructive” crisis talks. Production issues means that AstraZeneca can deliver only a fraction of the doses promised to the EU in the first quarter of the year, leading to shortages across the 27-member bloc. The EU has remained [...]
Bomb disposal unit called to suspicious package at Astrazeneca vaccine plant January 27, 2021 A bomb disposal unit has been called to a suspicious package at a plant where the Astrazeneca Covid vaccine is packaged into vials. Wockhardt UK, a Wrexham-based pharmaceuticals company, said it had partially evacuated the plant as it investigated the package. In a statement, the firm said: “Wockhardt UK in Wrexham this morning received a [...]
