Covid: Shares fall amid China lockdown fears and care homes ruling dueon April 27, 2022 at 6:38 am

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.

Fear over the impact of lockdowns in China on global economic growth has resulted in shares in the US and Asia falling. More than $125bn (£99.3bn) was wiped off Tesla’s market value and technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite index closed at its lowest level since late 2020.

A High Court ruling’s due on legal action brought against the government and health bosses over key policies and decisions made about care homes during the pandemic. The action was launched by Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris, whose fathers died at the start of the pandemic. They say care homes were not helped to keep out Covid and residents were “disregarded”. The government says it “worked tirelessly” to protect the public.

A £1,000 bonus for care workers in Wales has been branded unfair by workers and politicians after exemptions came to light. About 53,000 registered care home and home care workers are eligible but the government says the bonus will not be offered to auxiliary staff such as cleaning and kitchen workers. Kitchen assistant Anwen Jones says the decision makes some workers feel “not as worthy”. Read more here.

The impact of suspending routine breast screening in Scotland during the pandemic meant cancer detection fell by almost 44% – or 718 fewer cases. Screening stopped between March and August 2020 and no new invitations were sent out during that period. The Scottish government says screening uptake in the 50 to 70-year-old age range exceeds the national target.

NHS waiting lists grew to record highs during the pandemic. To tackle this, the Welsh government’s set out a plan to reduce the backlog, and by 2025 promises no-one will wait longer than a year for planned treatment. To understand the scale of the current situation, we’ve spoken to patients including Charlotte Camp, who has told us what life’s like managing conditions while waiting for treatment. Read more here.

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There’s a Covid jab that’s seen as an alternative for people who are vaccine-hesitant, but what’s happened to it? We’ve investigated.

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