Covid news - live: New drugs that ‘significantly’ reduce risk of death rolled out as daily UK fatalities pass 1,000 again
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Almost 1.5 million people have now been vaccinated against Covid-19 and everyone in care homes should receive a jab by the end of January, Boris Johnson says.
But GPs are warning of problems in some areas getting supplies as surgeries began rolling out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, beginning the largest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS.
A further 1,162 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, the second-highest daily increase since the start of the outbreak. And coronavirus cases in England rose by almost a quarter over Christmas according to the latest Test and Trace data.
NHS hospitals across the country have been told to start vaccinating frontline health and care workers immediately, and seven mass vaccination centres will open next week, in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage.
But an official briefing has warned hospitals in London are on the verge of being overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases even under the “best case” scenario, leaving the capital short of nearly 2,000 general and acute and intensive care beds by 19 January.
Meanwhile critically ill Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care units across the UK will be able to receive new drugs that can "significantly" reduce the risk of death as well as time spent in hospital by up to 10 days.
NHS patients will have access to tocilizumab and sarilumab - which are typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis - under updated guidance due to be issued tomorrow by the Government and the NHS to Trusts across the UK.
Arthritis drugs cut risk of Covid death and will be used in hospitals
Two drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis have been shown to “significantly” reduce the risk of mortality in Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care.
Under new NHS guidance, critically ill patients taken to hospital with the disease will be given access to tocilizumab and sarilumab, which are immunosuppressant drugs and can improve the chances of survival and recovery, reports Samuel Lovett:
New treatment ‘significantly’ reduces mortality in critically ill Covid patients, study finds
Tocilizumab and sarilumab both shown to improve chances of survival and recovery in patients admitted to intensive care
First care home residents receive jabs
The first doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine rolled out in care homes have been given to residents by GP surgeries.
Ten people at Sunrise of Frognal care home in Sidcup, southeast London, received their first jab this afternoon.
They included Ellen Prosser, 100, who said getting the vaccine was "easy". The widower and mother of six, who is known as Nell, said: "It didn't hurt at all - I really didn't feel a thing. I'm very, very pleased, because it's been very well tested."
Nikki Kanani, a GP and NHS medical director for primary care, who carried out the vaccinations, appealed to people who are called on to "please, please get your vaccine", adding: “The vaccines that have been approved by the regulatory body, the MHRA, have been tested really, really thoroughly. They've been tested on tens of thousands of people.”
UK extends travel ban to southern Africa and Seychelles over virus variant
A ban on entering the UK from nine southern African countries, as well as the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles and Mauritius, will begin at 4am on Saturday, the government has announced. British and Irish citizens will still be allowed to travel, but they must self-isolate with the rest of their household. Simon Calder has more:
UK extends travel ban to southern Africa, Seychelles and Mauritius over virus variant
Health secretary, Matt Hancock, said he was ‘incredibly worried’ about the variant
Fishing permitted during lockdown as form of ‘exercise’, says angling group
The Angling Trust has said that recreational fishing will be allowed in England under the current national lockdown, after the government accepts it was a form of exercise.
Jamie Cook, CEO of the Angling Trust, said in a statement: “We have worked extremely hard to reach this position and we as anglers have a duty to abide by the strict conditions under which fishing is once again permitted.
“With infection rates and death tolls rising we must stick to the Government's rules and ensure that angling remains part of the solution and does not cause problems.”
He said anglers must remain local to their area, and if they have no fishing nearby, they must find another form of exercise.
No competitions are allowed, and no overnight fishing is allowed as exercise is limited to once a day.
“We are once again able to enjoy the sport we love at a time when many others can not and we must ensure that every angler adheres to the rules,” said Mr Cook.
Mother of baby hospitalised with Covid warns of mottled skin symptom
Myer Rudelhoff, whose four-month-old baby was hospitalised for Covid-19, is urging parents to be on the lookout for less common symptoms, such as mottled skin and sickness.
The mother told the BBC that her son, George, showed several signs of being sick but she did not connect the symptoms to coronavirus.
Chantal da Silva has the details of the story:
Mother of baby hospitalised with Covid warns of mottled skin symptom
Baby George was the only member of the family to test positive for coronavirus
Concerns over demand for school places during England lockdown
The “sheer demand” for school places during England’s current lockdown has sparked concerns, with a leading education union saying it appeared much higher than last spring.
Alison Peacock, the chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, warned that the numbers of children attending school amid the third lockdown “could seriously undermine the impact of lockdown measures”.
My colleague Zoe Tidman reports:
Concerns over demand for school places during England lockdown
'We've heard stories of some schools having 50-70 per cent in,' Paul Whiteman from the NAHT says
Government needs to do more to support university students, says PM
The prime minister has said the government needs “to look very hard at the deal that students are getting” and said education secretary Gavin Williamson will provide an update.
He was asked by a university student about the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, given that many students are being told to stay at home and cannot access their places of learning or rented accommodation.
Boris Johnson said: “We need to see what more we can do, frankly, to support students and to help them in what has been a very, very difficult time.
“Of course, at the moment they are not able to go back to their universities, except in a very few key practical courses, and I know how frustrating that is and I know the financial frustrations that that entails.
“I can tell you that we are looking at that now and that you'll be hearing more about that from the Education Secretary.”
Watch: Covid conspiracy theorists ‘need to grow up’, says Johnson
‘Covid truthers’ need to ‘grow up’, says Boris Johnson
The prime minister has told anyone still claiming that coronavirus is a hoax to “grow up”.
He told today’s Downing Street press conference: “The kind of people who stand outside hospitals and say Covid is a hoax really need to grow up.”
Sam Hancock reports:
Boris Johnson tells ‘Covid truthers’ to ‘grow up’
Boris Johnson has told anyone still claiming coronavirus is some kind of ruse “need to grow up” while addressing the nation at a Downing Street press conference.
Final death toll from Covid dependent on success of vaccine programme and people’s response to restrictions - PM
Boris Johnson said the final Covid death toll was likely to be “tragically far too high” and will depend on how successful the vaccination programme is and how closely people adhere to social restrictions.
He said: “On your question about the overall toll, I can't give you that number but what I can say is that it will be tragically far too high.
“Every death is a tragedy and we mourn every person we lose in this pandemic.
“But the number will depend, of course, on how successful we are in rolling out the vaccine programme.
“But also, perhaps even more importantly, it will depend on our continued ability to work together to stop transmission and that is why we are having to do the measures we are at the moment.
“In a sense, it depends on all of us following the guidance, protecting the NHS - that is the crucial thing.”
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