BORIS Johnson has defended the AstraZeneca vaccine after Europe rasied more concerns about its rollout.
Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccines at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) claimed there was now "clear link" between the jab and blood clots, although he admitted he had zero evidence of what might cause them.
He said that CVSTs – bloodclot-related brain blockages that can cause strokes – were occurring more often than expected in younger people.
But Boris Johnson defended the jabs today during a visit to AstraZeneca's Macclesfield plant this afternoon.
He said getting the population vaccinated was "the key thing".
The PM told reporters at AstraZeneca's Macclesfield plant it was "very important to stress that the best thing of all is to vaccinate our population, get everybody out getting the jab, that's the key thing and that's what I would advocate, number one".
On the prospect of Covid status certification, Mr Johnson said several other countries were also looking at "the role of vaccination passports for overseas travel", which was "going to be a fact of life, probably".
His comments come as top experts revealed the UK's looming third wave of coronavirus simply doesn't risk overwhelming the NHS like the first two could have done.
Modelling by Imperial College London academics, who have previously provided some of our more ominous forecasts, said even with lockdown measures fully lifted in June, deaths would remain in the double digits.
The low numbers are due to the UK's brilliant vaccine rollout which means the overwhelming our most vulnerable citizens should have some protection when the third wave does inevitably hit our shores.
While every death is a tragedy, those kind of numbers suggest the NHS would be more than able to cope with the number of increased hospitalisations, meaning lockdown measures are no longer necessary.
Modelling suggests even at the peak of the third wave, covid patients would take up around 5,000 hospital beds across the country – far fewer than the 30,000 beds we saw at the peak of the coronavirus crisis in January.
The modelling comes as the government was blasted for providing a grim vision of the next 12 months in which social distancing, twice-weekly covid testing and mandatory mask wearing could be required.
Scaling back some of his positive messaging around June 21 being "freedom day", Boris Johnson did insist his lockdown roadmap was still on track at a press conference last night.
But earlier in the day data released by the government suggested the June 21 date could spark a fourth wave of coronavirus in the country by late summer / early Autumn.
The earlier the country unlocks, the worse the fourth wave will be, the report produced by the government's SAGE advisory panel suggested.
SAGE also suggested social distancing and mask wearing would need to remain in place until this time next year- and said it only had "reasonable confidence' that Covid will be manageable by spring 2022.
Read our coronavirus live blog below for the very latest news and updates on the pandemic…
- Dan Keane
ITALY SEES DEATHS RISE
Italy has reported 421 coronavirus deaths today – up from 296 the day before.
Meanwhile the daily tally of new infections fell to 7,767 from 10,680 the day before.
Large swathes of the country are currently in lockdown following a sharp rise in cases in the past month.
Credit: EPA - Dan Keane
EXPERT INSISTS BLOOD CLOT INSTANCES ARE 'RARE'
Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics, University of Bristol today said that instances of blood clots relating to the Astrazeneca vaccine remain rare.
He said: "The second is that the vaccines that are available and in use in the UK prevent Covid very effectively.
"The risks of Covid-19 are real, especially for the middle-aged and elderly people alongside those with medical conditions and occupations in health and social care who are currently being offered first and second vaccine doses.
“Although numbers of cases are currently falling, making it less likely that people will get infected in the coming days and weeks, as the lockdown is relaxed we can expect transmission rates to go back up again.
"The risks of death and serious illness from COVID-19 are therefore much greater for all these people than any possible risks due to vaccination."
- Dan Keane
'NO LINK FOR THE MOMENT' BETWEEN OXFORD JAB & BLOOD CLOTS
Dr Rogerio Pinto de Sa Gaspar, director of regulation and prequalification at the World Health Organisation, said there is "no link for the moment" between the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.
He told a briefing: "The appraisal that we have for the moment, and this is under consideration by the experts, is that the benefit-risk assessment for the vaccine is still largely positive."
Dr Gaspar added: "For the time being there is no evidence that the benefit-risk assessment for the vaccine needs to be changed.
"We know from the data coming from countries like the UK and others that the benefits are really important in terms of reduction of the mortality of populations that are being vaccinated."
- Dan Keane
COVID CASES FALL
UK Covid cases have fallen by almost half in a week with 2,379 new infections in the past 24 hours.
A further 26 deaths were recorded in the last day, bringing the total to 126,862.
Today's infection figure is down significantly from this time last week, when 4,040 positive cases were recorded.
The death rate has also dropped compared to the 56 fatalities reported on March 30.
- Dan Keane
PUPILS TO CONTINUE WEARING MASKS
Secondary school and college pupils will need to continue wearing face masks in class when they return after the Easter holidays, the Government has said.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "Schools and students have done a great job adapting to Covid-secure guidance and working hard to make sure it doesn't impact learning.
"We obviously all want to get back to facemask-free classrooms and we will do this in line with the latest scientific data while balancing the interests of students, teachers and the wider community."
- Dan Keane
WORLD CUP FINAL STADIUM TRANSFORMS INTO VACCINE CENTRE
France has started administering shots of the Covid vaccine inside the Stade de France, the national stadium that once hosted soccer's World Cup final.
Queues of people snaked around the concourse waiting for their jabs as part of a French bid to speed up its vaccination programme.
Inside the stadium, a space that in pre-pandemic times hosted conferences and VIP dinners had been fitted out with tents that were being used as cubicles to administer the vaccine.
Credit: Reuters - Dan Keane
NEW WAVE OF COVID 'INEVITABLE'
It is "inevitable" that there will be a new wave of Covid-19 infections, an expert has said.
Professor Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said face coverings and some sort of social distancing may still be needed if there is a new wave of infections later this year.
Prof Hunter said: "I think it is inevitable that we will see another wave of infection because that's how coronavirus behaves.
"There are other coronaviruses that we've been living with for decades and they generally come in waves every two or three years.
"Vaccines reduce the risk of transmission but they don't totally prevent transmission."
- Dan Keane
STURGEON 'OPEN MINDED' ABOUT JAB PASSPORTS
Nicola Sturgeon said she expects vaccine passports or certification in some form in Scotland and called for a "mature, grown-up debate" about their use.
The First Minister said she was "open-minded" on the issue of vaccine passports but insisted that there needed to be public support and confidence in the idea.
Speaking at a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon warned that a scheme to enable people to prove their vaccine or infection status must not "gloss over the practical and ethical issues".
But she said that the Scottish Government should look "very carefully" at the concept of vaccine passports or certification if it could help society return to normal following the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think we will see some kind of vaccine certification starting to be used," Ms Sturgeon said.
- Dan Keane
LONDON STILL LAGS BEHIND ON JABS
NHS England data shows a total of 3,788,068 jabs were given to people in London between December 8 and April 5.
This includes 3,248,123 first doses and 539,945 second doses.
This compares with 5,207,565 first doses and 761,524 second doses given to people in the Midlands, a total of 5,969,089.
- Dan Keane
MODERNA JAB WILL BE ROLLED OUT IN WEEKS
The Moderna coronavirus vaccine will be rolled out in weeks, one minister has revealed.
It will be administered to Brits alongside the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab and the Pfizer/BioNTech offering.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "It will be in deployment around the third week of April in the NHS and we will get more volume in May as well.
"And of course more volume of Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca and we have got other vaccines. We have got the Janssen – Johnson and Johnson – vaccine coming through as well.
"So I am confident that we will be able to meet our target of mid-April offering the vaccine to all over-50s and then end of July offering the vaccine to all adults."
- Dan Keane
ASTRAZENECA JAB REVIEW EXPECTED THIS WEEK
Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said the results of the European Medicines Agency's review of the AstraZeneca vaccine were expected on Wednesday.
She said: "In close contact with @EMA_News on the pharmacovigilance assessment of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Evaluation expected late Wednesday."
- Dan Keane
SWEDEN SEES CASES RISE SHARPLY
Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, has registered 21,802 new coronavirus cases since Friday, health agency statistics showed today.
The figure compared with 16,427 cases during the corresponding period last week.
Sweden's death rate per capita is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours' but lower than in several European countries that opted for lockdowns.
- Dan Keane
'NO REASON TO CHANGE ROAD MAP', BORIS INSISTS
Asked about warnings from the Sage scientific advisory panel about a third wave of cases following the easing of lockdown restrictions earmarked for England in May and June, Boris Johnson said there was no reason to deviate from his road map.
"I just think it's important we take each step on the road map as it comes and continue to roll out the vaccine, build up our defences, build up the natural resistance of our whole population in the way that we are and then continue to look at the data in the intervals that we've set out," he told reporters.
"So we are going to see exactly what happens from the April 12 to May 17 openings and thereafter through to June 21."
"At the moment, as I look at all the data, I can't see any reason for us to deviate from the road map that we have set out, we are sticking to it."
- Dan Keane
FOOTBALL ACE TESTS POSITIVE
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss Tuesday's Champions League clash against Liverpool.
The 27-year-old, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, was set to start the quarter-final first leg in Spain.
But Varane will be unavailable for Zinedine Zidane's side after testing positive for coronavirus on the morning of the match.
Real said in a statement on their official website: "Real Madrid C. F. informs that our player Raphael Varane tested positive in the COVID-19 test he underwent this morning."
- John Hall
UK 'REPEATING LAST SUMMER'S MISTAKES'
The UK is already repeating the mistakes it made last summer as the Covid-19 lockdown starts to ease up, one scientist has warned.
Professor Devi Shridhar, chair of global public health at Edinburgh University today said easing up restrictions when it comes to travel might be a "mistake".
Speaking on Good Morning Britain she said: "Why are we focused on holidays abroad? It feels like we are repeating the mistakes of last summer.
“I’m afraid it we accelerate too quickly then there could potentially be another lockdown, and no one wants another lockdown, we can’t do this again.”
- John Hall
GOVT TRAVEL PLANS BLASTED
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss said that the Government's traffic light system for reopening international travel should work towards enabling people to return from "green" countries without the need for coronavirus tests.
He said: "The essence of the framework should allow for a path to green and removal of testing and quarantine when it is safe to do so."
He added: "We can't have a prohibitively expensive testing system that puts businesses, people and families off travelling.
"Passengers travelling to and from 'green' countries should be able to do so freely, without testing or quarantine at all, and vaccinated passengers travelling to and from 'amber' countries should not face testing or quarantine."
- John Hall
RETAILERS CONFIRM REOPENING PLANS
A host of retailers have confirmed reopening plans for April 12 as shoppers look forward to a return to bricks and mortar shopping after more than three months.
John Lewis outlined its plans for April 12 for its remaining 32 shops in England, which include customers finally being allowed to have their children's feet measured for shoes.
Fitting rooms will be open, "customer service hosts" will manage customer numbers and queues and a returns process will involve new drop boxes and the quarantining of returned stock for 48 hours.
- John Hall
GLOBAL DEATHS CROSS 3 MILLION
Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide have crossed 3 million, according to a Reuters tally.
Worldwide fatalities are rising once again, especially in Brazil and India.
According to a Reuters tally, it took more than a year for the global coronavirus death toll to reach 2 million.
The next 1 million deaths were added in about three months.
- John Hall
A&E PATIENT NUMBERS FALL TO SECOND-LOWEST LEVEL ON RECORD
Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendances have plummeted to the second-lowest level recorded while thousands are still having to wait more than four hours to be seen, the latest NHS Scotland figures show.
A total of 80,423 patients visited an A&E department in February, 47,918 fewer than the same month last year – before coronavirus was discovered in Scotland.
Only April 2020 – the first full month of lockdown – recorded fewer visits to emergency wards, when 65,117 patients attended.
February also experienced the second-lowest percentage of patients seen within the Scottish Government's four-hour target time during the pandemic.
- John Hall
VALNEVA RESULTS 'VERY PROMISING'
Ministers have hailed "promising" early results of the Valneva vaccine as it moves on to Phase III trials.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "These results are very promising and provide renewed hope that a vaccine using a whole inactivated virus might provide strong protection against variants.
"If the results from the phase three clinical trials are positive and the vaccine meets the robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness of our medicines regulator, the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), this will be another powerful weapon in our arsenal to beat this pandemic."
- John Hall
CASES RISE IN RUSSIA
Russia has reported 8,328 new coronavirus cases, taking the official national tally to 4,597,868.
The government coronavirus task force said 389 people had died in the past 24 hours, pushing its death toll to 101,106.
- John Hall
GOVT REITERATES JAB PLEDGE
The Government has recommitted to its pledge to offer all adults a Covid-19 vaccination by summer.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said he is "confident" that the commitment to offer a jab to all adults by the end of July will be met.
He told BBC Breakfast: "It will be in deployment around the third week of April in the NHS and we will get more volume in May as well.
"And of course more volume of Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca, and we have got other vaccines. We have got the Janssen – Johnson and Johnson – vaccine coming through as well.
"So I am confident that we will be able to meet our target of mid-April offering the vaccine to all over-50s and then end of July offering the vaccine to all adults."
- Dan Keane
BORIS SAYS GETTING PUBLIC VACCINATED IS 'THE KEY THING'
Boris Johnson today said getting the population vaccinated was "the key thing".
The PM told reporters at AstraZeneca's Macclesfield plant it was "very important to stress that the best thing of all is to vaccinate our population, get everybody out getting the jab, that's the key thing and that's what I would advocate, number one".
On the prospect of Covid status certification, Mr Johnson said several other countries were also looking at "the role of vaccination passports for overseas travel", which was "going to be a fact of life, probably".
- John Hall
VALNEVA COVID VACCINE SET FOR PHASE III TRIALS
The Valneva coronavirus vaccine is set for Phase Three trials next month following positive results in early stage clinical trials.
The French drugmaker tested its vaccine in 153 adults with three dose levels based on a schedule of two doses with vaccinations three weeks apart.
The jab, Valneva said, was "generally safe and well tolerated across all dose groups tested, with no safety concerns identified by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board".
Valneva has signed a deal with Britain for up to 190 million doses by 2025 in a transaction potentially worth up to €1.4 billion.
- John Hall
LABOUR & TORY REBELS UNITE OVER VACCINE PASSPORTS
Boris Johnson's plan to introduce Covid passports for Brits has already run into major trouble, with Labour threatening to team up with Tory rebels to vote it down.
So far 41 Tories have put their names to a letter calling vaccine passports "divisive and discriminatory", putting the Government's majority of 87 in jeopardy and meaning it may need the support of opposition MPs.
And Labour sources said leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to oppose the Government's vaccine passport plans in their current form, and wants to focus on getting everyone vaccinated instead.
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