Launch of mass vaccination centre in Northamptonshire is '80 per cent there'

Launch of mass vaccination centre in Northamptonshire is '80 per cent there' The venue is already picked out and is "good to go" - provided we can secure enough vaccines.

Northamptonshire is the final stages of launching its own "large vaccination centre" in the style of the one unveiled in London this week. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Covid-19: Horsey seal sightseeing couple fined for 130-mile trip BBC Norfolk
• Trust boss warns region faces 'absolute crisis' with trusts 'hanging on by their fingernails' Health Service Journal
• Health chiefs tell Northamptonshire 'non-Covid believers' that virus could soon affect ability to offer other emergency care Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Lockdown 3 press conference begins as 14 more deaths announced at NGH and KGH Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• 1 in 5 people in England may have had Covid - millions more than first thought Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• A lack of social distancing in supermarkets is causing concern - how to stay safe Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• This is how the Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines differ Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire couple fined after travelling over 120 miles to go seal-watching Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire health chief's Test and Trace plea: 'We're not interested in fines, just keeping you and your loved ones well' Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Corby’s Covid rate now one of the highest in England after almost TRIPLING in a week Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Why Corby’s tight-knit family ties may have caused its soaring Covid rates Northamptonshire Telegraph
• NatWest issues urgent warning over fake Covid and delivery scams - what to look out for Northamptonshire Telegraph

Policy paper: UK Rare Diseases Framework

Policy paper: UK Rare Diseases Framework A framework setting out a coherent, national vision on how the UK will improve the lives of those living with rare diseases. Department of Health and Social Care

Statement from Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty on national alert levels

Statement from Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty on national alert levels We have faced several grave moments during our battle against coronavirus. But right now, the country is perhaps facing the most serious yet.

The new, more transmissible variant of this disease is spreading rapidly across the country and having tragic consequences. On Monday the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers and the NHS Medical Director recommended raising the national alert level to the maximum of level 5 for the first time. This means that without further action there is a material risk of our healthcare services being overwhelmed within 21 days. Since then the situation has deteriorated further. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Statement from Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock on testing and vaccinations Department of Health and Social Care
• Asymptomatic testing to be rolled out across the country starting this week Department of Health and Social Care
• Policy paper: Community testing Department of Health and Social Care
• Statement from Chief Medical Adviser for NHS Test and Trace, Susan Hopkins on community testing Department of Health and Social Care
• Moderna COVID-19 vaccine authorised by UK medicines regulator Department of Health and Social Care
• Statement from Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi on vaccine deployment Department of Health and Social Care
• New TV advert urges public to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives Department of Health and Social Care
• Hundreds of thousands invited to new NHS vaccination centres NHS England
• Guidance: National protocol for COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) Public Health England
• Guidance: National protocol for COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) Public Health England

Covid: 'Most dangerous time' of the pandemic, says Whitty

Covid: 'Most dangerous time' of the pandemic, says Whitty The UK will go through the "most dangerous time" of the pandemic in the weeks before vaccine rollout has an impact, England's chief medical officer has warned.

Prof Chris Whitty urged people to minimise all unnecessary contact.

The next few weeks will be "the worst" of the pandemic for the NHS, he said. BBC News

See also:

• Covid: UK reports more than 80,000 deaths BBC News
• Covid-19: Hancock warns flexing of rules 'could be fatal' BBC News
• Covid: The truth behind videos of 'empty' hospitals BBC News
• Covid: Mass vaccination centres to open in England BBC News
• Pfizer vaccine 'works' against key variant mutation, study suggests BBC News
• Why is the new UK Covid-19 strain more infectious? BBC News
• Are Covid patients getting younger? BBC News
• SAGE warns people must still wear masks AFTER getting Covid vaccine The Daily Mail
• Covid: UK approves Moderna vaccine but won't get any until MARCH The Daily Mail
• Switzerland's decision to close schools was one of most effective measures of reducing Covid spread, study says The Daily Telegraph
• Tighter restrictions on the cards as concerns grow over public compliance with coronavirus rules The Daily Telegraph
• Covid in the UK: why is it so bad now and when will cases decline? The Guardian
• 'We're bursting': a day inside a Covid intensive care unit The Guardian
• Calls to escalate English lockdown amid fears one in five may have had Covid The Guardian
• All UK adults will be offered Covid vaccine by autumn, says Matt Hancock – video The Guardian
• Covid patients occupying more than 30,000 hospital beds in England The Independent
• Covid: Unions urge public to back ‘decent’ pay rise for NHS workers The Independent
• COVID-19: NHS at breaking point and public 'not listening' to lockdown, warns top doctor Sky News

1000 cleaners cut from NHS over the past decade

1000 cleaners cut from NHS over the past decade New figures show £38 million has been taken out of NHS cleaning budgets in real terms.

The number of cleaners employed by the NHS in England has been cut by almost 1,000 in the past decade, a union is claiming.

GMB said its research showed the need for urgent investment in cleaning services, especially during the worsening coronavirus crisis. iNews