Matt Hancock ‘thrilled’ 30 million people have had Covid-19 vaccination
More than 70 MPs have come together in a cross-party call to warn against the introduction of vaccine passports in England.
The cross-party group, including at least 40 Conservative MPs, have said they fear the use of vaccine passports would be “divisive and discriminatory”.
Vaccine passports have been touted as a way to enable international travel and to potentially open up the UK economy by allowing people to prove they have had their coronavirus jab or are unlikely to have Covid-19.
MPs’ opposition comes as a report in The Telegraph suggested that the government plans to run a series of pilot tests for the use of Covid passports within weeks.
It also comes after Boris Johnson said the certificates would “definitely” play a role in at least opening up international travel.
Meanwhile, THE Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency revealed on Thursday that it has identified 30 cases of rare blood clots in patients who had recently received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
The number represents 25 more cases than the agency had previously reported.
UK unlikely to experience severity of third wave sweeping through Europe, health expert says
The UK is unlikely to experience the same severity of the third wave of coronavirus sweeping through some European countries, a leading public health expert has said.
Speaking on Times Radio, Linda Bauld, a professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she believes the UK is in a “very different” position from European countries hardhit by a third wave.
“I think we are in a very different position for two main reasons – the first one is that they are dealing with the B117 (variant) which unfortunately we exported to them and caused us huge challenges – still does – but much more in the winter,” she said.
“More importantly, 11.6% of citizens in the EU on average have been given their first dose of the vaccine – that’s all people, not just all adults – compared to over 40 per cent of people in the UK, so you can see they are in a different place than we are.”
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 10:57
More countries added to ‘red list’ amid variant concerns
England has expanded its “red list” to block incoming travel from Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Kenya.
In a release, the Department for Transport said it was broadening the list to “protect the country against new variants of coronavirus…at a critical time for the vaccine programme”.
Starting at 4am on Friday, 9 April, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the four countries within a 10-day span will be denied entry into England.
Only British and Irish citizens or those who have residence rights in the UK, including long-term visa holders, will be able to entry the country and will be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility for 10 days.
They will also need to arrive at a designated port.
“No direct flight bans from these countries will be put in place, but passengers are advised to check their travel plans before departing for England,” the DfT said.
“With over 30 million vaccinations delivered in the UK so far, the additional restrictions will help to reduce the risk of new variants – such as those first identified in South Africa (SA) and Brazil – entering England,” the department said.
It noted that “so far, surveillance has found that few cases of the SA variant have been identified as being imported from Europe, with most coming from other parts of the world”.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 10:46
Covid passports ‘set to be trialled’ at major test events despite resistance from MPs
Coronavirus passports are reportedly expected to be trialled in pilot “test events” in the UK this spring, despite resistance from MPs who have branded the possibility of vaccine certification “divisive and discriminatory”.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the government will push ahead with plans to trial vaccine certification at certain events being held in the spring.
Under the model, participants will be asked to use a modified NHS app to log their information.
Political Correspondent Ashley Cowburn has more:
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 10:29
MHRA maintains benefits of AstraZeneca jab ‘outweigh any risks’
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has maintained that the benefits of receiving the AstraZeneca jab continue to “outweigh any risks” after 25 new very rare blood clotting events were observed in patients who had received the shot.
On Thursday, the MHRA said it had recorded a total of 30 blood clotting cases, with five cases having previously been identified by the regulator.
The main concern with the blood clotting events is the possibility of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which sees blood clots form in the veins running from the brain, which can potentially be fatal.
The MHRA said it had received 22 reports of CVST and eight reports of other thrombosis events with low platelets as of 24 March.
Still, it concluded that the “benefits of the vaccine against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks”.
“You should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so,” the regulator said.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 10:26
MHRA reports 25 new cases of blood clots in AstraZeneca jab recipients
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced on Thursday that it had identified 25 new cases of very rare blood clotting events in patients who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The MHRA had already identified five cases before, bringing the total number up to 30.
The regulatory agency said it had not seen similar events in recipients of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine.
Previously, blood clotting cases had mainly been reported in mainland Europe.
Health officials are most worried about the possibility of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which sees blood clots form in the veins running from the brain, which can be deadly.
The MHRA said it had received 22 reports of CVST and eight reports of other thrombosis events with low platelets as of 24 March.
Despite the new development, the regulatory body said the “benefits of the vaccine against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks”.
“You should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so,” it said.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 10:10
Vaccine passports could ‘scupper things’ for hospitality venues, representative warns
The introduction of vaccine passports in England could potentially “scupper things” for pubs, restaurants and other hospital venues trying to reopen, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, has said.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms McClarkin warned that the rollout of vaccine passports would “be an additional burden put on to the pubs.”
“We are desperate to get back open again. We are desperate to do that,” she said.
“We will play our part in test and trace but the additional burden of the vaccine passport could really, really scupper things,” Ms McClarkin warned.
“It could make it feel that we are discriminating against sections of the population that have not been offered a vaccination or are unable to have one like pregnant women or a grandad who is probably going to forget his actual vaccine passport because he does not have it on his smartphone,” she asserted.
Members of the hospitality industry are not alone in expressing such concerns, with dozens of MPs signing onto a cross-party call warning the government against the introduction of vaccine passports.
The MPs have warned that the use of the certificates would be “divisive and discriminatory”.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 09:29
Police issue warnings ahead of ‘Kill the Bill’ protests
Police have issued warnings against large gatherings ahead of protests expected to take place across England today in response to a controversial policing bill.
Rallies against the Government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill are expected to take place in London, Manchester, Leeds and Southampton, with a rally expected to take place in London’s Finsbury Park starting at 2pm.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police warned that “enforcement action will be taken, if needed, in the interests of public health”.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police rolled out a 48-hour dispersal order for the city centre, which will allow officers to order anyone displaying behavior deemed anti-social to leave the area.
The order is expected to remain in effect until 3pm on Saturday.
Protesters have taken issue with the policing bill as it will give police and the Home Secretary new powers over public demonstrations, with law enforcement able to impose start and finish times on rallies and to set noise limits, among other powers.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 09:24
Vaccine passports ‘dangerous’ and ‘discriminatory’, Shami Chakrabarti says
Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has joined a cross-party call warning against the introduction of vaccine passports, with the former shadow attorney general calling the potential move “dangerous” and “discriminatory”.
Speaking with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said the use of passports indicating whether someone has received their coronavirus jab or is in some other way unlikely to have the virus would represent a significant “level of intrusion”.
“It’s dangerous, it’s discriminatory, it’s counter-productive,” she said, according to PA.
“It seems to me, and many others, that on the one hand, if this level of intrusion into our lives were to be proportionate, then probably it’s not safe to open up the economy,” she continued.
“On the other hand, if it is safe to open up the economy, to come out of this lockdown and this crisis that we have been living under, if it is safe to do that, why create this tool of discrimination, oppression and bullying?”
The former shadow attorney general is among more than 70 politicians to join in a cross-party urging the government against use of the vaccine passports.
It comes as reporting from The Telegraph suggested that the government could be running vaccine passport pilot tests within weeks.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 09:09
More than 70 MPs warn against vaccine passports in cross-party call
More than 70 MPs have joined forces in a cross-party call to warn against the introduction of vaccine passports in England.
The cross-party group, which includes former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as 40 Conservative MPs, say they believe the use of vaccine passports could be “divisive and discriminatory”.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he believed vaccine passports would “definitely” be used to enable international travel, with the certificates expected to show whether someone has received their coronavirus vaccine, but also potentially whether they have coronavirus antibodies or have recently tested negative for the virus.
MPs’ opposition comes on the heels of Mr Johnson’s support for the use of the certificates, as well as amid reporting from The Telegraph suggesting that the government could be running a series of pilot tests for use of the passports within weeks.
Dozens of MPs have signed the pledge against the rollout of vaccine passports, which states: “We oppose the divisive and discriminatory use of Covid status certification to deny individuals access to general services, businesses or jobs.”
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 09:04
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog following the latest on UK politics as dozens of MPs warn against the use of vaccine passports.
Chantal Da Silva2 April 2021 08:58
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