Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning. We’ll have another update for you tomorrow.
More than half of 12 to 15-year-olds living in Scotland have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, official figures show. Take-up in some areas is much higher – 66.0% in Aberdeenshire and 63.8% in Perth & Kinross. The take-up among the youngest age group has been brisk – faster than any age group under 65. Elsewhere in the UK progress among the youngest age group has been slower – in England take-up among 12-15s is at 18.9%, while in Wales the figure is 32.5%. Figures from Northern Ireland have not been published yet.
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People have tried to sell their lockdown dogs on Gumtree before disguising them as “fake strays” to rescue centres, an animal charity has said. In March, it was reported that households in the UK had bought more than 3.2 million pets during lockdown. Hope Rescue in Wales said centres had seen an increase in dogs being dropped off and the number was now at its highest in its 15-year history. One-year-old Maggie, an old English sheepdog crossed with a golden retriever, was taken in as a stray but the next day staff saw a recent advert on Gumtree, putting her up for sale for £500.
Romania is in the grip of a wave of Covid-19 far more deadly than anything it has experienced until now. And to make matters worse, the country has had no effective government since the start of the month. Romania’s 2,000 intensive care beds are all full, and patients are now having to wait outside. The first 50 critically ill patients have been transferred to hospitals in Hungary and Poland. Vaccination levels now stand at little more than 34% of the adult population – the second lowest in the EU after Bulgaria. Read Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe’s full analysis of the situation.
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A hospital boss has said reinstating measures such as face masks would help to alleviate pressure on the NHS. Kevin McNamara, the chief executive of Great Western Hospital in Swindon, said he supported masks being made mandatory in public spaces again. He said 99% of beds are occupied at GWH and numbers are moving in the wrong direction as winter approaches. The number of Covid patients was comparable and at times had exceeded what was seen last November during lockdown, he added.
Three months after Boris Johnson brought an end to most legal restrictions on social contact in England, Ros Atkins looks at where the UK is now – and what should happen next.
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
With coronavirus ending commuting for some and home deliveries booming, your car which once racked up hundreds of miles a week may not be working so hard. So should you ditch it and join a car club?
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