Covid news: UK passes 40m vaccine first doses but expert warns full lockdown easing is ‘foolish’
See how we covered Saturday’s events live
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pushing ahead with full lockdown easing on 21 June would be “foolish” and a “major risk”, an expert has warned, amid a surge in new cases of coronavirus.
Professor Stephen Reicher, who sits on the SPI-B advisory committee, said that the rise of the Delta variant meant the government’s own criteria did not support taking the final step to reopening.
It came as reports suggested ministers are considering delaying the full reopening date - or “Freedom Day” - by a fortnight to 5 July.
However further good news arrived on the vaccine front as the UK hit another milestone, with 40 million first doses administered in just six months.
And Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said data from Bolton suggested that vaccines had “broken the chain” between coronavirus infection and serious illness.
Delta variant hospitalisations are increasing but not “very significantly” and, in Bolton at least, typically involve individuals who are “a lot younger and a lot less at-risk of very serious complication” or death – reducing the demand for critical care, he said.
On Friday daily coronavirus cases surpassed 6,000 for the first time since March and health secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday it was “too early to say” whether current plans could go ahead.
Saturday’s daily figure for new cases was down slightly, at 5,765, but that is still higher than Thursday’s tally.
Read more:
Belgium’s most senior virologist forced into hiding over threat of armed far-right soldier
The most senior virologist in Belgium has been forced to go into hiding for the past three weeks after an armed far-right soldier with a lockdown-inspired vendetta set him in his sights.
Professor Marc van Ranst and his family have found themselves living in a police safe house as special forces hunt for Jurgen Conings, a military shooting instructor who disappeared from his barracks three weeks ago, reportedly armed with a rocket launcher and machine gun.
Speaking for the first time of the night he was forced to leave his home, Professor van Ranst told the BBC: “The ex-soldier, heavily armed, was on my street for three hours, right in front of my house, waiting for me to arrive home from work.”
He added: “Unfortunately, he’s a trained sniper with heavy armour, military-grade material and weapons. So, these are the kind of people that you would prefer not to have hunting you.”
Number of fully vaccinated people ‘too low’ to be ‘entirely comfortable’ with 21 June reopening
Sir John Bell has said the proportion of fully vaccinated people in the UK remains “too low” for him to feel “entirely comfortable” with lockdown being completely eased on 21 June.
Speaking to the Financial Times in a report which said that civil servants are drawing up contingency plans in the event restrictions must be extended until 5 July, the Regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford suggested he would feel happier about the unlocking if closer to 70 per cent of the population had received both doses by then.
Just above 50 per cent of the UK’s adult population have now received both vaccine doses.
“My sense is that if things look on the edge or are starting to get more serious then running it out for another two weeks would help manage that, while we get everybody vaccinated,” Sir Bell said, adding that his concerns were “tempered” by the fact that scientists have yet to identify “a truly vaccine resistant strain” hospitalisations are not yet increasing dramatically.
Another 5,765 UK cases recorded
Another 5,765 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus had been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Saturday, the government says.
The number is down slightly on yesterday’s 6,238, which was the highest daily figure since late March.
But it is still higher than the 5,274 reported on Thursday.
Scientists warned yesterday the trend appears to be going in the “wrong direction”.
The government also says a further 13 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the official UK total to 127,836.
Yesterday, 11 deaths were recorded.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
UK passes 40m first-doses milestone
The UK has given more than 40 million first-dose vaccines so far, new figures show.
Government data up to yesterday show that of the 67,284,864 jabs given in the UK so far, 40,124,229 were first doses - a rise of 174,535 on the previous day.
Some 27,160,635 were second doses, an increase of 360,691.
NHS national medical director Stephen Powis said: “This latest milestone in our ongoing fight against coronavirus gives us another welcome opportunity to thank everyone in the NHS working flat out to deliver the biggest vaccination programme in our history - they are protecting millions of people at speed and saving thousands of lives.
“There has never been a more important time to get protected so when it’s your turn and you’re contacted by the NHS, book your jab or bring forward your second dose.”
Hancock hails ‘astonishing’ achievement
Health secretary Matt Hancock hailed the “astonishing” achievement of delivering more than 40 million first doses in less than six months.
“In all corners of the UK, people are rolling up their sleeves when their time comes to protect themselves and the people around them,” he said.
“It seems with every day we pass another major vaccination milestone on the road back to recovery. Over three-quarters of adults have received a first dose and over half of adults have now been vaccinated with the life-saving second dose.
“I pay tribute to the tireless work of the NHS, volunteers and armed forces in building this momentum - but our work is not yet done. I encourage everyone who is eligible to join the millions who have the fullest possible protection from this virus by getting their jab when the time comes.”
UK tourists queue to return from Portugal before travel deadline
British tourists in Portugal are scrambling to get back to the UK before the country is removed from the travel “green list” on Tuesday.
Airlines have laid on extra capacity to bring people back early so they do not have to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival.
The new rules for Portugal on the ‘amber list’ come in at 4am on 8 June.
Photos show a large queue for flights from Faro airport in the Algarve today.
Daily deaths in Italy fall to 57
Italy has reported 57 coronavirus-related deaths against 73 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 2,436 from 2,557.
Italy has registered 126,472 deaths linked to Covid since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eight-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.23 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 5,193 on Saturday, down from 5,488 a day earlier.
Huge queues at London clinic after vaccines advertised to all over-18s
Huge queues formed at a London clinic after it was advertised that all over-18s in the area could turn up and get their first dose of a vaccine. Zoe Tidman reports:
Huge queues at London clinic after vaccines advertised to all over-18s
Images show line running down the street as people wait for jabs
Could ‘Freedom Day’ be delayed to 5 July?
Ministers have reportedy drafted plans to delay the final phase of the lifting of England’s lockdown by two weeks, amid warnings from expects it would be “a major risk” to end all restrictions on 21 June as planned.
Whitehall is said to have earmarked 5 July as the new so-called “freedom day,” after the government admitted this week Boris Johnson’s roadmap could be “blown off track” by rising infections.
End of lockdown could be delayed by two weeks, reports say
It comes as government advisor say going ahead with planned timeline would be ‘foolish’ and ‘hard to justify’
Nearly 400,000 people still have long Covid a year after initial infection, new stats show
In case you missed it yesterday: The number of people suffering from symptoms of long Covid more than a year after their initial coronavirus infection has jumped to almost 400,000, our health correspondent Shaun Lintern reports.
New data from the Office for National Statistics based on a survey of patients found the numbers of patients with persistent symptoms after 12 months jumped from 70,000 in March to 376,000 in May.
Overall, the ONS said an estimated one million people had self-reported signs of long Covid which last for more than four weeks.
Read more details here:
Nearly 400,000 people still have long Covid a year after initial infection, new stats show
Patients are struggling to get help or treatment for long covid as numbers affected surge
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments