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Covid news - live: Whitty says UK ‘past peak’ of current wave as Boris Johnson hails effort to vaccinate 10m

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Chiara Giordano,Eleanor Sly,Vincent Wood
Wednesday 03 February 2021 14:44 EST
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Oxford vaccine director on jab's impact on transmission

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England’s chief medical officer has said the UK is “past the peak” of the current wave of coronavirus infections, but warned that there could be another surge if restrictions are eased too soon.

Professor Chris Whitty told the Downing Street press conference: “Most of my colleagues think we are past the peak. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t have another one.”

Prime minister Boris Johnson hailed the “colossal” effort by the NHS in successfully vaccinating 10 million people so far, but also cautioned that it was too soon to allow people to meet up once they have received a second jab.

He warned that infections were still too “forbiddingly high for us to imagine the relaxation of the current guidelines”.

Family of Capitan Sir Tom Moore ‘incredibly touched’ by national clap

A tweet from Captain Sir Tom Moore's Twitter account said the family were "incredibly touched" that his memory will be honoured with a national clap at 6pm on Wednesday.

The tweet said: "They will be taking part with huge love in their hearts for their father, grandfather and father-in-law."

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 15:46

10 million people have received first vaccine dose

More than 10 million people in the UK have now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, health secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He described the development as a “significant milestone” for Britain, which has one of the highest vaccination rates per capita in the world.

Samuel Lovett has more details:

10 million people have received first dose of Covid vaccine, Hancock announces

'Every jab makes us all a bit safer - I want to thank everyone playing their part,' says health secretary

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 15:35

Military to begin giving coronavirus vaccine in Scotland

The military is to start administering the coronavirus vaccine in Scotland for the first time.

Fifty-seven Armed Forces personnel will deploy tomorrow to help health boards with the vaccine rollout.

The medics and management staff will make up a "vaccine quick reaction force" which will see five teams of 10 able to deploy across Scotland at short notice.

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 15:27

Dubai flight ban could mean Doha becomes top UK destination

The new flight ban imposed on all services from the UAE to the UK means Qatar could overtake Dubai as the location with the highest number of passengers travelling to and from Britain.

Simon Calder explains more:

Could Doha be the next Dubai for British visitors?

New York, normally by far the biggest destination from London Heathrow, has fallen to 16th place

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 15:12

10 million people have now received first dose of vaccine

Ten million people have now received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to health secretary Matt Hancock said.

He tweeted: "This is a hugely significant milestone in our national effort against this virus.

"Every jab makes us all a bit safer - I want to thank everyone playing their part."

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 15:00

New Oxford vaccine specific to emerging coronavirus variants ‘ready by autumn’

A modified version of the Oxford vaccine – one capable of neutralising the emerging coronavirus variants – could be ready by autumn, a senior executive at AstraZeneca has said.

Samuel Lovett has more details:

New Oxford vaccine specific to emerging coronavirus variants ‘ready by autumn’

'Our ambition is to be ready for the next round of immunisations that may be necessary as we go into next winter. That's what we're aiming for,' says senior AstraZeneca chief

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 14:48

Downing Street insists PM’s visits ‘always Covid-secure’ amid criticism

Downing Street has insisted Boris Johnson's visits are "always conducted in a Covid-secure way" as it defended the prime minister's visit to a vaccine laboratory hit by a coronavirus outbreak.

Asked about the prime minister's visit to the Valneva site in Livingston, West Lothian, on Thursday, his official spokesman said: "Valneva made us aware that some Covid cases had previously been reported and that they had implemented control procedures.

“I would point you to the words of the Valneva site director who said clearly that if he thought there was any risk - either to visitors or the site - they wouldn't have allowed the visit to go ahead.”

The spokesman indicated that Mr Johnson had not been told about the outbreak, despite Downing Street being informed.

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 14:35

9.1 million vaccinations in England by 2 February

A total of 9,126,930 Covid-19 vaccinations had taken place in England between 8 December and 2 February, according to provisional NHS England data, including first and second doses, which is a rise of 301,559 on the previous day's figures.

Of this number, 8,663,041 were the first dose of the vaccine, a rise of 300,173 on the previous day's figures, while 463,889 were the second dose, an increase of 1,386.

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 14:27

‘None of us were able to predict’ Covid mutations and variants, says Dido Harding

Baroness Harding has claimed the emergence of mutations and new coronavirus variants was something that "none of us were able to predict” – despite the UK establishing a genomics surveillance network last spring to track the evolution of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Asked to explain this further, she told MPs on the Science and Technology Committee: "I think on the basis that this country is absolutely at the leading edge of genomic sequencing we are better placed than, I would argue, any other country in the world to be able to spot mutations, and to then predict which ones will cause material problems and which ones won't.

"What I was referring to earlier is - predicting exactly when that is going to happen and therefore being ahead of the curve, that's much harder.

"I don't think any scientists in the world would be willing to sign up to a date stamp of when specific mutations are likely to occur."

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 14:05

Stamp duty holiday: Will it be extended beyond 31 March and how will it affect you?

A stamp duty holiday for home buyers is set to end on 31 March unless Rishi Sunak changes his mind and extends the tax break at his upcoming Budget.  

That would mean a tax bill for anyone buying a home for between £125,000 and £500,000 from 1 April – purchases which are currently exempt from paying stamp duty. 

Read our guide by business correspondent Ben Chapman to find out how this could affect you:

 

Stamp duty holiday to end on 31 March - what should you do?

The tax on property purchases is set to come back for homes sold at £500,000 or less - but could the government change its mind and how would the changes impact home buyers?

Chiara Giordano3 February 2021 13:44

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