A GROWING number of experts issued warnings over the major easing of restrictions on Monday – as concerns over the Indian variant grow..
However, scientists urged for a delay in the third stage of the road map to easing the lockdown as medics described the step as a “real worry” while many await vaccination.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) concluded there is a “realistic possibility” the strain is 50% more transmissible than the one that emerged in Kent.
Meanwhile the government plans to vaccinate one million people a day as ‘Covid hit squads’ target India variant hot spots across the country.
By using a stockpile of 3.2 million vaccines, daily doses will be ramped up from 500,000 to 800,000 within a fortnight, according to the Telegraph.
The PM also announced the gap between first and second jabs would be slashed to eight weeks after cases of the new Covid strain more than doubled in the last week.
However, he insisted the Monday’s unlocking of restrictions – including socialising in groups of six indoors – would still take place.
Although the new Indian variant is popping up in local hotspots all over the UK, the PM said Brits just have to “wait and see” how serious the local outbreaks become and whether they result in increased hospitalisations.
As yet all indications show vaccines remain effective against the new variant, meaning that despite an increasing number of covid infections, hospitalisations remain low and deaths incredibly rare.
Reading our coronavirus live blog below for up to the minute updates…
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INDIAN VARIANT: EXPERTS ISSUE WARNINGS AGAINST MONDAY’S EASING OF RESTRICTIONS
A growing number of experts have issued warnings over the major easing of restrictions on Monday which ministers are pushing ahead with despite concerns over the Indian variant.
Boris Johnson was also facing criticism for delaying imposing heightened travel restrictions from India as experts fear the variant may be more than 50% more transmissible than the Kent strain.
The Prime Minister was sticking by plans to allow mixing indoors and physical contact in England, with health minister Edward Argar insisting they are acting “calmly” over the threat.
However, scientists urged for a delay in the third stage of the road map to easing the lockdown as medics described the step as a “real worry” while many await vaccination.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) concluded there is a “realistic possibility” the strain is 50% more transmissible than the one that emerged in Kent.
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GRAPHIC: WHAT ARE THE THREE COVID-19 INDIAN VARIANTS?
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PEOPLE IN BOLTON ‘ARE LIVING IN FEAR’
Colin McGlade, 48, engineer said: “Some people are living in total fear but I’ve worked through lockdown and you just have to adapt and get on with it.
“My main worry is societal impact – all the shops and places like that are going and they’ll never come back.
“I think it’s a bit selfish of the older generation to expect all of society to shut down completely to protect them because it’s the younger generation that are suffering from the societal impact.
“We should protect the older generations and isolate them but let things open up and get back to normal for everyone else.
“Pubs and restaurants aren’t even open at the minute to be contributing to the spread of the new variant so to keep them closed would be pointless.”
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GRAPH: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY
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MINISTERS UNDER FIRE OVER INDIAN VARIANT AHEAD OF RESTRICTIONS EASING ON MONDAY
Ministers are pushing on with a major easing of restrictions on Monday despite concerns over the Indian variant of coronavirus, as they were criticised for allowing the strain’s import.
Boris Johnson was sticking by plans to allow mixing indoors and greater physical contact in England as scientists warned the strain could be 50% more transmissible than the Kent variety.
Health minister Edward Argar said on Saturday that the Government was acting “coolly” and “calmly” in carrying on with step three in the road map to ending lockdown restrictions.
However, the British Medical Association (BMA) said the move is a “real worry” while many are still awaiting vaccination.
Mr Argar was also forced to defend border restrictions, saying it is “impossible to completely hermetically seal” the nation amid criticism of the delay in adding India to the travel red list.
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COVID-19 NEWS ROUND-UP: THE LATEST
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POLICE CLEAR RANGERS FANS FROM GLASGOW’S GEORGE SQUARE AFTER ‘RISING DISORDER’
Police have dispersed a large gathering of Rangers supporters from George Square in Glasgow due to “rising disorder”.
Thousands of Rangers fans took to the streets in celebration of the club’s first Scottish Premiership trophy in a decade, with many marching from Ibrox to George Square despite warnings against large gatherings due to coronavirus.
After supporters celebrated in the square for hours on Saturday – singing, dancing and setting off fireworks – Police Scotland officers formed a line and cleared the group from the area just after 9pm.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf called the gatherings in Glasgow “selfish and irresponsible behaviour” which put lives at risk.
Police said they had been dealing with various incidents of anti-social behaviour and the use of pyrotechnics.
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BREAKING: HUGE COVID VACCINE QUEUES AFTER FALSE CLAIMS (CONTINUED…)
Queues of hundreds of people were seen waiting today for testing and vaccinations as the locals scramble to do all they can to keep their town out of another local lockdown.
Yesterday Boris Johnson announced that the army is set to be deployed in the town in a race to crack down on the strain. Surge testing had already been deployed in the area in order to detect cases of the Indian and South African variant.
Mr Johnson said the army wuld help push out more surge tests and vaccinations will also be pushed in both Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen – with sites opening for longer in these areas.
He said: “We will be throwing everything we have at this task. Colonel Russ Miller, commander of the North West region, will be deployed to support local leaders in managing the local response on the ground.
“For those living in Bolton there is now a new, greater risk from this variant. The army will be out on the streets handing out tests”.
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BREAKING: HUGE COVID VACCINE QUEUES AFTER FALSE CLAIMS EVERYONE IN BOLTON INVITED TO GET JAB TODAY
HUGE queues were seen in Bolton today as locals lined up to get a Covid vaccine after false claims that all residents could get a jab.
The town is fighting a spike in infections sparked by the Indian variant – with an infection rate nearly ten times higher than the UK average. Bolton’s infection rate currently stands at 228.5 cases per 100,000 people, far above many other areas in the UK.
Thousands of people queued after Councillor Andy Morgan shared a Tweet inviting locals of all ages to “visit the vaccine bus” if they live in the area and are registered with a local GP.
He told residents that if they make their way down “the team will find a reason to vaccinate you” – but the tweet was later deleted.
NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group said earlier in the day that anyone registered with a GP in Bolton can visit the vaccination bus – but pointed out that they must be either over 38, a carer, shielding, or have a long-term health condition.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BOLTON? RESIDENTS WERE INVITED TO GET VACCINE BY 5PM TODAY
Bolton is the area with the highest rate of cases – almost ten times the UK average, with the equivalent of 228.5 cases per 100,000 people.
It has seen a particularly sharp rise in cases among unvaccinated under-25s.
Everyone in living Bolton has been invited to get a coronavirus vaccine before 5pm today to halt the spread of the deadly strain.
Queues of hundreds of people were seen waiting today for testing and vaccinations as the locals scramble to do all they can to keep their town out of another local lockdown.
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GRAPHIC: WHAT ARE THE THREE COVID-19 INDIAN VARIANTS?
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WATCH: BORIS JOHNSON SAYS GOVT TO ACCELERATE REMAINING SECOND COVID VACCINE DOSES TO OVER-50S
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PEOPLE IN BOLTON ‘ARE LIVING IN FEAR’
Colin McGlade, 48, engineer said: “Some people are living in total fear but I’ve worked through lockdown and you just have to adapt and get on with it.
“My main worry is societal impact – all the shops and places like that are going and they’ll never come back.
“I think it’s a bit selfish of the older generation to expect all of society to shut down completely to protect them because it’s the younger generation that are suffering from the societal impact.
“We should protect the older generations and isolate them but let things open up and get back to normal for everyone else.
“Pubs and restaurants aren’t even open at the minute to be contributing to the spread of the new variant so to keep them closed would be pointless.”
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PFIZER AND MODERNA COVID VACCINES MAY HELP STOP FUTURE PANDEMICS AS STUDY SUGGESTS THEY BLOCK OTHER VIRUSES FROM ANIMALS
THE Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may help guard against future viruses from animals, according to new research.
Experts say current mRNA Covid-19 jabs may already offer some protection against killers like MERS or other unknown threats.
In “exciting” experiments, scientists at North Carolina’s Duke University tested mRNA vaccines similar to the approved Covid jabs on lab monkeys. They found they induced antibodies that not only protected against Sars-CoV-2 – which causes Covid-19 – but could also protect against other coronaviruses, reports the Telegraph.
“These results demonstrate current mRNA vaccines may provide some protection from future zoonotic betacoronavirus [coronaviruses crossing from animal to human] outbreaks, and provide a platform for further development of pan-betacoronavirus vaccines,” the researchers concluded.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology while AstraZeneca is considered a viral vector-based vaccine. The mRNA-based Covid vaccine works by tricking the body to produce a harmless piece of the virus, triggering an immune response.
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GRAPH: COVID VACCINATIONS IN THE UK
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‘KNIFE EDGE’
In a report released yesterday, Sage found reopening fully on June 21 risked a peak that could be “double that seen in January 2021” because of the variant.
Sir Mark Walport, a member of Sage, said the race between the spread of coronavirus and the vaccination rollout had “intensified”. He told BBC Breakfast: “I think the Prime Minister is right to be very concerned with what’s going on.
“The race between the virus and the vaccination has just intensified and there is a high degree of scientific confidence that this new variant is up to 50% more transmissible than the previous B117 variant.
“So, if you like, the knife edge on which the race sits has just sharpened.”
Vaccine hesitancy is thought to be driving the spread of the virus in areas most affected by the variant. In parts of Blackburn and Bolton with high uptake of vaccines the average weekly Covid rate was 89 cases per 100,000 people.
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BREAKING: HUGE COVID VACCINE QUEUES AFTER FALSE CLAIMS (CONTINUED…)
Queues of hundreds of people were seen waiting today for testing and vaccinations as the locals scramble to do all they can to keep their town out of another local lockdown.
Yesterday Boris Johnson announced that the army is set to be deployed in the town in a race to crack down on the strain. Surge testing had already been deployed in the area in order to detect cases of the Indian and South African variant.
Mr Johnson said the army wuld help push out more surge tests and vaccinations will also be pushed in both Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen – with sites opening for longer in these areas.
He said: “We will be throwing everything we have at this task. Colonel Russ Miller, commander of the North West region, will be deployed to support local leaders in managing the local response on the ground.
“For those living in Bolton there is now a new, greater risk from this variant. The army will be out on the streets handing out tests”.
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BREAKING: HUGE COVID VACCINE QUEUES AFTER FALSE CLAIMS EVERYONE IN BOLTON INVITED TO GET JAB TODAY
HUGE queues were seen in Bolton today as locals lined up to get a Covid vaccine after false claims that all residents could get a jab.
The town is fighting a spike in infections sparked by the Indian variant – with an infection rate nearly ten times higher than the UK average. Bolton’s infection rate currently stands at 228.5 cases per 100,000 people, far above many other areas in the UK.
Thousands of people queued after Councillor Andy Morgan shared a Tweet inviting locals of all ages to “visit the vaccine bus” if they live in the area and are registered with a local GP.
He told residents that if they make their way down “the team will find a reason to vaccinate you” – but the tweet was later deleted.
NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group said earlier in the day that anyone registered with a GP in Bolton can visit the vaccination bus – but pointed out that they must be either over 38, a carer, shielding, or have a long-term health condition.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BOLTON? RESIDENTS WERE INVITED TO GET VACCINE BY 5PM TODAY
Bolton is the area with the highest rate of cases – almost ten times the UK average, with the equivalent of 228.5 cases per 100,000 people.
It has seen a particularly sharp rise in cases among unvaccinated under-25s.
Everyone in living Bolton has been invited to get a coronavirus vaccine before 5pm today to halt the spread of the deadly strain.
Queues of hundreds of people were seen waiting today for testing and vaccinations as the locals scramble to do all they can to keep their town out of another local lockdown.
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GRAPHIC: WHAT ARE THE THREE COVID-19 INDIAN VARIANTS?
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WATCH: HUGE COVID VACCINE QUEUE AS EVERYONE IN BOLTON INVITED TO GET JAB OVER INDIAN VARIANT FEARS
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MAPPED: THE SPOTS WHERE THE INDIAN VARIANT IS DOMINANT
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PEOPLE IN BOLTON ‘ARE LIVING IN FEAR’
Colin McGlade, 48, engineer said: “Some people are living in total fear but I’ve worked through lockdown and you just have to adapt and get on with it.
“My main worry is societal impact – all the shops and places like that are going and they’ll never come back.
“I think it’s a bit selfish of the older generation to expect all of society to shut down completely to protect them because it’s the younger generation that are suffering from the societal impact.
“We should protect the older generations and isolate them but let things open up and get back to normal for everyone else.
“Pubs and restaurants aren’t even open at the minute to be contributing to the spread of the new variant so to keep them closed would be pointless.”
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BOLTON HAS BECOME A GHOST TOWN AND LOCKDOWN WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE, SAYS LOCAL WORKER
Simon Olive, 51, a bank worker told The Sun: “There’s talk of another local lockdown and a lot of people are really fed up with it.
“We just want to crack on with life. My dad is quite old now and he just wants to enjoy what time he’s got left.
“Bolton is already turning into a ghost town and these lockdowns are just making things worse. The pubs aren’t the best here but there’ll be hardly any left soon.
“You can’t even blame the pubs because the inside isn’t even open yet and the new variant is still spreading so what would be the point of keeping them closed.”
The whispers throughout the town of another lockdown are terrifying businesses that have already struggled through the last year of restrictions.
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BOLTON INFECTIONS SPIKE ALMOST TEN TIMES HIGHER THAN UK AVERAGE
Bolton currently has the highest rate of coronavirus infections in the country, with 657 new cases in the seven days to May 10 – the equivalent of 228.5 cases per 100,000 people.
The majority of these new cases are the B16172 variant, which was first identified in India.
Now the town is fighting a spike in infections almost ten times higher than the UK average, sparking fears of perpetual restrictions among residents.
Yet hospitalisations in the over-60s, who are most at-risk from serious infection, remain low, with data suggesting the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are effective against the variant.
Queues of thousands of people were seen waiting today for testing and vaccinations as the locals scramble to do all they can to keep their town out of another local lockdown.