Covid news – live: UK sees highest daily death toll in months as 500,000 to be offered third vaccine dose (msn.com)
© Getty Images/iStockphoto iStock-1251344090 (1).jpg
The
UK has recorded 207 new
Covid-19 related deaths – the highest number since March.
The total number of people who had died within 28 days of testing positive has reached 132,742.
Separate figures published by the
Office for National Statistics show there have been 157,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The new daily figures come following a bank holiday weekend when there is usually a lag in reporting deaths and cases.
It comes after a new coronavirus strain, named Mu, has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mu, or B.1.621, was first identified in Colombia and cases have been recorded in South America and Europe.
The WHO's weekly bulletin on the pandemic said the variant has mutations suggesting it could be more resistant to vaccines, as was the case with Beta, but that more studies would be needed to examine this further.
Key Points
- UK Covid-related death toll highest in six months
- Scotland tops list of UK areas with highest Covid rates
- Severely immunosuppressed people to be offered third jab
- WHO monitoring new variant of interest – called Mu
- Scotland’s increased Covid spread ‘extremely concerning’
- Scotland plans to bring in vaccine passports for events
- Johnson to press ahead with nightclub passports
Charities welcome news of vaccine booster
19:00 ,
Lamiat Sabin
The government’s announcement that people with severely weakened immune systems will get a third dose of a Covid vaccine has been welcomed by charities.
The booster, for people who are not likely to have generated a full immune response with the first two jabs, has been hailed as something that will give “much-needed reassurance and additional protection”.
The charities include Teenage Cancer Trust, Blood Cancer UK, Kidney Care UK, and Kidney Research UK.
Professor Eleanor Riley, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh, said immunity should be “substantially improved” for severely immunosuppressed people with a third dose.
She added: “It would be wise to actively monitor the response to vaccination in this group of patients so that they can be advised individually of their immune status and adjust their daily activities accordingly.”
North Korea rejects offer of vaccines from China
18:41 ,
Lamiat Sabin
North Korea has asked that almost three million Covid jabs offered to it by China be redirected to hard-hit nations.
A UN spokeswoman said that North Korea had asked that Sinovac vaccines be offered elsewhere amid the global vaccine shortage.
The Sinovac vaccines were offered under the Covax scheme, which North Korea is participating in but has yet to receive any doses from.
North Korea, one of the first countries to close its borders in January 2020, claims that it has had no cases of Covid.
But this year, leader Kim Jong-un – who is rumoured to have been vaccinated against Covid –berated senior officials over a “grave incident” believed to be related to the virus.
The details of the incident have not been made public by the highly-secretive and insular country.
In July this year, North Korea rejected shipments of around two million AstraZeneca doses.
The same month, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, told reporters that North Korea had turned down multiple offers of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine.
North Korea has expressed some doubt over the efficacy of the vaccinations, with its state media reporting on incidents in the US and Europe where people have had adverse reactions.
Scotland tops list of areas with highest Covid rates
18:20 ,
Lamiat Sabin
The five areas with the highest numbers of Covid rates are all in Scotland, according to latest data for the UK.
Covid-19 cases among Scottish youngsters have soared as they returned to school in mid-August, while pupils elsewhere in the UK have been set to return this week.
The figures, for the seven days to 28 August, are based on the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in either a lab-reported or rapid lateral flow test.
Except for Fermanagh & Omagh and Swansea, all the areas with the top 20 highest rates of Covid are in Scotland.
East Dunbartonshire has the highest rate out of all local authority areas with a rate of 1,231.3 per 100,000 people, with 1,339 new cases in the seven-day period.
North Lanarkshire is second –1,229.4 – with 4,194 new cases. West Dunbartonshire is third – 1,143.3 – with 1,010 new cases.
Then follows Inverclyde – 1112.1 – with 857 new cases. Renfrewshire is fifth – 1017.9 – with 1,826 new cases.
Fermanagh & Omagh – sixth highest in the UK – has the highest rate in Northern Ireland (1,011.6) and 1,187 new cases.
Swansea – sixteenth highest in the UK – has the highest rate in Wales at 664.3 with 1,638 new cases.
Mansfield – 30th on the list for the UK – has the highest rate in England at 560.6, with 613 new cases.
Severely immunosuppressed people to be offered third jab
18:00 ,
Lamiat Sabin
Around half a million people who have severely weakened immune systems will be offered a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine, it has been announced today.
People with conditions such as leukaemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants who are over the age of 12 will be given a third jab following a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The announcement is separate to any decision on a booster programme, but it is understood news on that is expected soon. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government was continuing to plan for a booster programme to begin this month and said people most at-risk from Covid-19 would be prioritised.
No decision has been given either on any extension of the vaccine programme to include all healthy 12 to 15-year-olds.
Half a million Britons to get third vaccine dose after JCVI ruling