Covid: Delay surgery after Omicron and support fraud’s impact on taxpayerson February 23, 2022 at 8:03 am

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We’ll have another update for you this evening.

As a precaution, delay elective surgery by at least seven weeks if you have just had Omicron. This is the advice being issued to NHS hospitals – already under pressure due to backlogs of routine operations – by surgery and anaesthesia experts. They say the first couple of months post infection is riskier and is linked to poorer recovery, but acknowledged urgent surgery should go ahead.

An “unacceptable” level of mistakes, waste and fraud from the Covid support loan scheme will have a lasting impact on taxpayers. That’s according to Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee, who says the government must be held to account. The Treasury rejects the claims, however previous official figures estimated the government is unlikely to recoup up to £21bn of Covid loans to business.

Hong Kong’s battling the worst wave of coronavirus infections it’s had since the start of the pandemic and has ordered the compulsory testing of all of its 7.5 million citizens. Hospitals are full and the number of cases have soared. The city, which has advocated a zero-Covid policy, has been brought to its knees by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. So what went wrong? We’ve investigated.

There’s been mixed reaction to plans by Pharmacy Boots to sell single Covid tests for £5.99. They’re available from today even though you can get kits through the NHS until 1 April – the date when free testing ends as part of the government’s “living with Covid” plan. Boots says it’s started selling them to prepare customers and supply chains but the GMB union describes the move as “rampant profiteering”.

The pandemic put a halt to music festivals but they’re making a comeback. After a two-year absence Splendour returns with a star-studded line-up. The likes of Richard Ashcroft, Craig David presents TS5 and Human league will be performing during the two-day event in Nottingham in July. And in Bristol, a new festival with a capacity of 60,000 over two days, Forwards, has been announced for September, with The Chemical Brothers headlining.

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How will vulnerable people be protected from Covid? We’ve answered this along with other questions you’ve been asking. Take a look.

You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

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