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Found 452 results
  1. News Article
    People in prisons are at an increased risk of COVID-19, with a death rate more than three times higher than that of the general population, and should be made a vaccine priority, according to public health experts. There were 118 deaths related to COVID-19 among people in prisons in England and Wales between March 2020 and February 2021, representing a risk of dying more than three times higher than that of people of the same age and sex outside secure environments, the research team at University College London (UCL) found. The higher rate of death comes despite extensive physical distancing measures, including prisons keeping many inmates in their cells for 23 hours a day. The lead author of the study, Dr Isobel Braithwaite of UCL Institute of Health Informatics, said: “Our findings show that people in prisons are at a much higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than the general population, and we make the case that both they and prison staff should be given high priority in the rollout of vaccines." “We believe the current methods of regime restriction are not enough to protect people adequately, and a systematic, ‘whole-prison’ approach to vaccination is key to preventing further outbreaks and reducing overall deaths in prisons.” The Ministry of Justice challenged the authors’ work, however, arguing it failed to adjust for worse health among the prison population than the community and movements of prisoners in and out of prison. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 March 2021
  2. News Article
    Stories about people getting blood clots soon after taking the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have become a source of anxiety among European leaders. After a report on a death and three hospitalisations in Norway, which found serious blood clotting in adults who had received the vaccine, Ireland has temporarily suspended the jab. Some anxiety about a new vaccine is understandable, and any suspected reactions should be investigated. But in the current circumstances we need to think slow as well as fast, and resist drawing causal links between events where none may exist. As Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer, Ronan Glynn, has stressed, there is no proof that this vaccine causes blood clots. It’s a common human tendency to attribute a causal effect between different events, even when there isn’t one present: we wash the car and the next day a bird relieves itself all over the bonnet. Typical. Or, more seriously, someone is diagnosed with autism after receiving the MMR vaccine, so people assume a causal connection – even when there isn’t one. And now, people get blood clots after having a vaccine, leading to concern over whether the vaccine is what caused the blood clots. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 March 2021
  3. News Article
    Homeless people will be prioritised for coronavirus vaccinations alongside adults in at-risk groups, the government has said. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said the decision would “save more lives among those most at risk in society”. It comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which said those experiencing rough-sleeping or homelessness were likely to have underlying health conditions and should be offered vaccinations alongside those in priority group six. "People experiencing homelessness are likely to have health conditions that put them at higher risk of death from COVID-19. He added: "This advice will help us to protect more people who are at greater risk, ensuring that fewer people become seriously ill or die from the virus." Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 March 2021
  4. News Article
    Cancer patients are much less protected against COVID-19 than other people after one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the first real-world study in this area suggests. With a 12-week wait for the second dose this could leave them vulnerable, says the King's College London and Francis Crick Institute research team. An early second dose appeared to boost cancer patients' protection. Cancer charities are calling for the vaccine strategy to be reviewed. But Cancer Research UK said the small study had not yet been reviewed by other scientists and people undergoing cancer treatment should continue to follow the advice of their doctors. The government said it was focused on "saving lives" and the antibody response "was only part of the protection provided by the vaccine". About 1.2 million people at very high risk of being seriously ill with COVID-19 were prioritised for a first vaccine dose in the first phase of the UK rollout, which includes people with specific cancers. The UK government decided to extend the gap between first and second jabs from three to 12 weeks in late December to give more people some protection as soon as possible. Dr Sheeba Irshad, oncologist and senior study author from King's College London, said the findings were "really worrying" and recommended an urgent review of the timing of doses for people in clinically extremely vulnerable groups. "Until then, it is important that cancer patients continue to observe all public health measures in place such as social distancing and shielding when attending hospitals, even after vaccination," she said. The study, which recruited 205 people, included 151 with solid cancers, such as lung, breast and bowel, or blood cancers. The researchers tested volunteers for antibodies and T-cells in their blood, which signals that the immune system can protect against illness from the virus in the future. Three weeks after one dose, an antibody response was found in 39% of people with solid cancers, 13% of people with blood cancer and 97% of people with no cancer. Following a second dose three weeks after the first, which some cancer patients received, there was a sharp rise in their antibody response against the coronavirus, to 95%. However, among those who had to wait longer for their second dose, there was no real improvement in protection. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 March 2021
  5. News Article
    Scientists are questioning the reliability of algorithms used to trawl through patients’ health records and flag those who should be asked to shield and prioritised for vaccination. GPs have reported being contacted by young, healthy patients confused as to why they have been told they are at high risk, or have been invited for a COVID-19 jab. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has defined nine priority groups for vaccination, including everyone aged over 50, plus frontline health and social care workers and people aged 16–64 with serious health conditions. The QCovid risk prediction algorithm, introduced last month, combines various characteristics, including age, sex, ethnicity and body mass index (BMI), to estimate the risk of catching, being admitted to hospital, or dying from Covid-19. However, the algorithm appears to throw up certain inconsistencies. For example, if a patient’s weight or ethnicity are not recorded on their health records, QCovid automatically ascribes them a BMI of 31 (obese) and the highest risk ethnicity (black African), meaning they are more likely to be invited for a vaccine. One York-based GP, Dr Abbie Brooks, has identified 110 seemingly healthy individuals who were added to the shielding list and invited to book a vaccine last month. Although it will not harm younger, healthier individuals to receive a jab before their peers, it may mean more vulnerable people have to wait longer for their doses. “I can see that they don’t want to miss out people, which may be why they’re taking this conservative approach, but the problem is that when you make that prioritisation, you are pushing others further down the line,” Irene Petersen, professor of epidemiology and health informatics at University College London, said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 March 2021
  6. News Article
    Younger adults and those living in poorer neighbourhoods and black people have the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy, new survey data from the Office for National Statistics has shown. The vast majority of Britons back the COVID-19 vaccines and are keen to be inoculated, with more than 9 out 10 people being positive about the jab. But the ONS said data from a survey between 13 January and 7 February revealed reluctance among less than 10% of the population. It found more than 4 in 10 of black or black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy, the highest of all ethnic groups, while adults aged 16-29 were most likely to report hesitancy, at around 1 in 6 or 17%. Adults living in the most deprived areas of England were more likely to report vaccine hesitancy at 16%, compared with 7% of adults in the least deprived areas of England. This has been evident in the take up of the vaccine among some deprived areas of the country which have struggled to vaccinate everyone in priority groups. Even among NHS and social care staff there has been reported hesitancy over vaccines, particularly among BAME staff. Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 March 2021
  7. News Article
    The UK should steel itself for a “difficult autumn” and “hard winter” of illnesses because people have lived for an unusually long period without exposure to respiratory viruses, one of the country’s top medics has warned. Dr Susan Hopkins, the head of Covid strategy for Public Health England, said population immunity to viruses other than Covid-19 could be lower than usual and that a surge in flu was probable. She said the NHS must be better prepared than it was last autumn, when new, faster-spreading variants of coronavirus emerged forcing the country into lockdown for the third time. Speaking on the BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show Hopkins said: “I think we have to prepare for a hard winter, not only with coronavirus, but we’ve had a year of almost no respiratory viruses of any other type. And that means, potentially the population immunity to that is less." “So we could see surges in flu. We could see surges in other respiratory viruses and other respiratory pathogens.” A record number of people, about 30 million in total, were invited for a free flu jab last autumn as ministers feared it would add to strains on the NHS. “It’s really important that we’re prepared from the NHS point of view, from public health and contact tracing, that we have everything ready to prepare for a difficult autumn,” she said. “We hope that it won’t occur and it will be a normal winter for all of us.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 7 March 2021
  8. News Article
    NHS workers have raised concerns about the prospect of all health and social care staff in England being compelled by law to take the Covid vaccine. The Downing Street review which is considering making it mandatory for NHS workers to have the jab, as a way of protecting patients, has led to questions about its moral and legal implications. A consultant in a busy north-west hospital said they would feel “incredibly uncomfortable” with the idea of forcing NHS staff to have the vaccine. They said they would prefer a concerted high-profile campaign to encourage staff to have the vaccine, with a last-resort option of asking unvaccinated staff to take on different roles, away from the frontline. “I would feel very uncomfortable with us forcing anyone to have it – you can’t force an injection into someone,” the consultant said. Last week Care UK said it only wanted to hire new staff who had had the vaccine, while another care provider, Barchester, said it wanted all of its staff, including current workers, to have had the jab by 23 April, adding that if they did not they would not be considered for shifts. The matron of a care home in Merseyside said there had been a lot of pressure put on her to have the vaccine, which was making her anxious. “I don’t want to be bullied into a decision when I have legitimate concerns. I feel being told I am selfish and putting others at risk is insulting," she said. However, a CBT therapist in her 30s, who also works in the north-west of England believed all NHS staff should be vaccinated, regardless of their role. She said her hospital trust’s values emphasised “care, compassion and commitment” and individuals who refused the vaccine could potentially harm others. “If we’re going to be caring for people, it comes under that value and it’s a core part of what the NHS is about. So if someone is saying they don’t want the vaccine, it puts into question whether you are going against the values of the trust.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 March 2021
  9. News Article
    The development of coronavirus vaccines tweaked to target new variants will be fast-tracked in the UK and four other countries, Britain’s regulator has said, adding that “robust evidence” on effectiveness and safety will still be required for authorisation. The approach, similar to the regulatory process for the modified flu vaccine, will not need a brand new approval or “lengthy” clinical studies, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Thursday. This will "significantly reduce" the length of time it takes for the vaccines to be ready, with concern mounting over the threat posed by the South African and Brazilian variants and their ability to partially evade the body’s immune response. Under the new guidance, developers will need to provide clear evidence their adapted vaccines produce a strong immune response to the variant and meet the high safety standards outlined by the MHRA. “This is based on scientific principles and does not cut any corners on safety or effectiveness,” said Dr Christian Schneider, chief scientific officer at the MHRA. Read full story Source: The Independent, 4 March 2021
  10. News Article
    A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid jab reduces the chance of needing hospital treatment by more than 80%, an analysis in England shows. The Public Health England (PHE) data showed the effect kicked in three to four weeks after vaccination. It was based on people aged over 80 who were the first to receive the jab. Government scientists hailed the result, but stressed that two doses were needed for the best protection. It comes after similar findings were published by Scottish health authorities last week, which they hailed as "spectacular". The PHE data, which has not been peer reviewed, also suggested the Pfizer vaccine, which started being rolled out a month before the AstraZeneca vaccine, leads to an 83% reduction in deaths from Covid. This was based on people over the age of 80 who had died. The data also showed vaccination cuts the risk of people over 70 developing any Covid symptoms by around 60%, three weeks after an initial dose. Prof Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, said the decision to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to older people was "clearly vindicated". Read full story Source: BBC News, 1 March 2021
  11. News Article
    All adults with a learning disability will be offered the vaccine against coronavirus after new advice from government experts warned they were at greater risk from the virus. The decision is a major win for disability charities and campaigners. The decision will mean as many as 150,000 more people could be offered the vaccine. The government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has issued new advice saying any adult on GP Learning Disability Register should be prioritised for vaccination along with adults with related conditions such as cerebral palsy. The JCVI had previously said only those were severe learning disabilities and those living in care homes should be prioritised for vaccinations. Disability rights campaigners and charities warned this left vulnerable people at increased risk from the virus. Read full story Source: The Independent, 24 February 2021
  12. News Article
    Local groups of GPs have decided to prioritise all patients with learning disabilities for COVID-19 vaccination, after fresh evidence showed that disabled patients were at much higher risk from the disease. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics1 showed that 60% of people in England who died from covid-19 from January to November 2020 (30 296 of 50 888) had a disability. This week an extra 1.7 million people in England—including some with severe learning disabilities—are being added to the list of people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, although this does not include people with mild or moderate learning disabilities. But some clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have deviated from national guidance and said that they will prioritise all patients with learning disabilities for vaccination given the disproportionate impact on them. In a statement published on its website, Kent and Medway CCG said that it had decided to include all adults with learning disabilities in the current priority phase for vaccination delivery. “Given the evidence of covid-19 inequalities increasing deaths amongst people with learning disabilities, the NHS in Kent and Medway has agreed to prioritise vaccinating the 9500 people on GP learning disability registers,” it said. Oxfordshire CCG was also praised by local campaigners for adjusting its priority list so that everybody with a learning disability is included in priority group 6, regardless of its severity. Read full story Source: BMJ, 19 February 2021
  13. News Article
    People living with HIV in England and Wales can now choose to have their Covid vaccine through specialist clinics, without notifying their GP. NHS England has updated its guidance for people not comfortable with sharing their status. Everyone with HIV should be in vaccine priority groups four or six, and offered a jab by mid-April at the latest. But campaigners worried stigma would cause some to miss out. The updated guidance, obtained by the i newspaper, follows the lead of NHS Wales which put the same measures in place last week. Head of leading HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, Ian Green, said: "Some may be surprised to hear that a significant number of people living with HIV feel unable to talk to their GP about their HIV status, but this underlines how much stigma still surrounds the virus even in 2021." "This is great news and the right decision from the NHS as it means people living with HIV will be able to take up the potentially life-saving Covid-19 vaccine at their earliest opportunity. We are working towards a society where everyone living with HIV feels comfortable sharing their status with their doctor and other health professionals, but we're not there yet and we welcome this fast, pragmatic action." Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 February 2021
  14. News Article
    People who need to receive their covid vaccinations at home are missing out because their eligibility is not being recognised by GPs, experts have warned. There have been numerous reports of housebound people being told they are ineligible for a home visit in recent weeks, with some home care providers saying only a minority of their elderly clients have been vaccinated so far. Chit Selvarajah, policy manager at the charity Independent Age, said: “We have heard from people who say they are housebound being told they weren’t considered as housebound and told to go to a vaccination centre as they are not eligible for a home visit." “We don’t know how many people have been vaccinated but it’s likely to be very small numbers at the moment.” Ruthe Isden, head of health and care influencing at Age UK, believes some older people have “slipped into being effectively housebound” over the last year, and are not yet registered as such on GP databases. She said: “The pandemic has hit the fast forward button on ageing for a lot of people. They’ve aged a long way in a short period and seen their health really deteriorate, and often they are not going to proactively identify themselves as needing more help." “It’s vital we are thinking systematically about reaching this group. At the moment, there seems to be considerable variation in how people are followed up.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 February 2021
  15. News Article
    Some pregnant women who have had gestational diabetes say a change to shielding advice in England has caused confusion. Some have been told to stay at home while others have not, based on a new algorithm which calculates an individual's risk from Covid. It identified an extra 1.7 million people as extremely clinically vulnerable in England this week. They will now be prioritised for a Covid vaccine. NHS England says not everyone with the same condition will be advised to shield but suggests people contact their GP to discuss their individual case. Heather Davis Mahoney, from Hertfordshire, had gestational diabetes while carrying her second child, and was monitored closely during her third pregnancy. She has not been told to shield, but says it's worrying when others from similar backgrounds have been told they should. "There's been an explosion of confusion. People don't know what's going on and are worried about putting themselves and their babies at risk," she says. But GP Dr David Triska said just because someone has gestational diabetes or had it in the past, doesn't mean they should be shielding. "I think the major point of confusion is that people are expecting that this is a binary 'yes' or 'no' per condition algorithm - and it is not," he said. "The reason why people are getting different answers from various sources is because this is an individual risk assessment." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 February 2021
  16. News Article
    The COVID-19 vaccines deployed in the UK substantially reduce the risk of hospital admission, real-world data from Scotland has shown. Four weeks after receiving a first dose, both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs cut hospitalisation with the disease by up to 85 and 94%, respectively. Among those aged 80 years and over – one of the most vulnerable groups – the two vaccines were associated with a combined 81% reduction in hospitalisation risk. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, and Public Health Scotland gathered vaccine data between 8 December and 15 February, during which 1.14 million doses were administered among the Scottish population. Researchers analysed data for every week during the study – including GP records on vaccination, hospital admissions, death registrations and laboratory test results – and compared the outcomes of those who had received their first jab with those who had not. Lead researcher Professor Aziz Sheikh said: "These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future. We now have national evidence – across an entire country – that vaccination provides protection against Covid-19 hospitalisations." Read full story Source: The Independent, 22 February 2021
  17. News Article
    Staff at one of England’s largest hospital trusts have been threatened with disciplinary and regulatory action if they attempt to get their second COVID-19 vaccine dose early, HSJ has learned In an all staff email today, University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust said: “Any staff trying to obtain a second dose ahead of their booked sessions could be considered deliberately attempting to deceive the NHS in order to obtain medicines and, as such will be a professional conduct issue which may result in disciplinary action and/or regulatory action being taken against you. The new note indicates the FT may have had a particular problem with staff seeking and/or getting second doses. The email said that if they attended vaccination centres, staff would be refused a second dose, and be asked to leave. Staff were also asked not to try and book another appointment at a different vaccination centre or “re-enter” the system through over means. The email added: “The current supply of vaccines is allocated to us to ensure all priority groups can receive their first dose and provide protection to as many as possible.” In December the trust’s executives were heavily criticised by unions for getting their first vaccine doses, after patients didn’t show up for appointments. The trust, which has been dealing with very large numbers of covid patients especially in intensive care, has also been the subject of concerns over culture and management in recent months. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 20 February 2021
  18. News Article
    A new COVID vaccine efficacy study from Israel has concluded that Pfizer/BioNTech's jab is up to 85% effective after the first dose. The research, conducted by the Sheba Medical Centre, the country's largest hospital, has been published in the Lancet medical journal. The hospital assessed the effectiveness of the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine among 7,000 of its healthcare employees. The workers each received their first dose in January and the research team observed an 85% reduction of clinical (symptomatic) COVID-19 between 15 and 28 days after the jab. But critically, they also observed efficacy in asymptomatic patients. The study found that all infections, including asymptomatic, were reduced by 75% after the first dose. Professor Eyal Leshem, an infectious disease expert and director of Sheba's Institute for Travel and Tropical Medicine, told Sky News: "This is first real-world evidence of effectiveness that shows up after the first dose of the vaccine." Read full story Source: Sky News, 19 February 2021
  19. News Article
    Three in 10 care home staff have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 despite being in the top four priority groups, according to data from NHS England. More than 435,000 workers in care homes for older adults are eligible in England, but only 304,600 have received a first dose. In London, only 52% of staff have had a jab, rising to 75% in the South West. The UK target of vaccinating 15 million people was met at the weekend. However, these figures, up to 14 February, suggest there are large groups of care workers, who are in the top four priority groups, who have still not come forward. Some care home staff have previously said they refused the vaccine because of "cultural issues", but organisations representing care providers say they must be convinced to have one - to protect them and the services they work in. Read full story Source: BBC News, 18 February 2021
  20. News Article
    The NHS is increasing efforts to reach out to ethnic minority communities in more deprived areas of England as analysis by The Independent shows poorer areas are vaccinating fewer at-risk people. Among the most deprived parts of the country, fewer people aged over 80 and in their mid-70s had received their first dose of vaccine against coronavirus by 7 February when compared with more affluent areas, sparking concerns communities most at risk are being left vulnerable. Comparing local NHS vaccination data with Public Health England’s deprivation scores for each NHS region reveals six of the most deprived parts of England were in the bottom 10 local areas for vaccine uptake among the over-80s and those aged over 75. The worst performing NHS region was East London, with just 73& cent of over-80s vaccinated by 7 February. East London was also one of the worst-affected areas during the second wave of the virus as hospitals became overwhelmed early on in the crisis. Dave Finch, a senior fellow at the Health Foundation, said: “Lower vaccine uptake in the most deprived areas is worrying as these areas have seen some of the very highest Covid-19 death rates. A higher likelihood of having poorer pre-existing health increases their risk of more severe symptoms if they do get the virus. And people living in poorer areas are increasingly showing signs of intense financial hardship as a result of lockdown measures." “The government must prioritise understanding why vaccine uptake has been lower in these areas and take urgent, targeted action to address this. However, in the longer term, there must be a focus on investing across the UK to address major health inequalities in order protect everyone’s health and wellbeing.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 February 2021
  21. News Article
    There is to be a large expansion of the number of people being asked to shield in England. An extra 1.7 million people are expected to be added to the 2.3 million already on the list. Half of the group have not yet been vaccinated so will now be prioritised urgently by their local GPs. It comes after a new model was developed that takes into account extra factors rather than just health. This calculation includes things such as ethnicity, deprivation (by postcode) and weight to work out a person's risk of becoming seriously ill if they were to catch Covid. It also looks at age, underlying health issues and prescribed medications. Prof Andrew Hayward, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), which has been involved in the modelling, said it considered a "combination of factors" such as age, ethnicity and chronic illness and put them together to reach a score. He told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that this score could "more or less order people in the population according to their level of risk" and "identify those at the top of that range to say, 'you should be prioritised for vaccine and you have a level of risk that is similar to those on the shielding list'". Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 February 2021
  22. News Article
    A new trial is to test how well the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine works in children. Some 300 volunteers will take part, with the first vaccinations in the trial taking place later in February. Researchers will assess whether the jab produces a strong immune response in children aged between six and 17. The vaccine is one of two being used to protect against serious illness and death from Covid in the UK, along with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. As many as 240 children will receive the vaccine - and the others a control meningitis jab - when the trial gets under way. Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity, and chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial, noted that most children were relatively unaffected by Covid and were unlikely to become unwell with the virus. But he said it was important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children might benefit from vaccination. Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 February 2021
  23. News Article
    People previously admitted to hospital or needing "continuous or repeated" steroid use because of asthma are to be prioritised for the Covid vaccine. The most severe cases will fall into priority-group four, the "clinically extremely vulnerable", who should have received a letter advising they shield. And the government has now confirmed the rest who meet the above category will be included in group six, the clinically "at risk", including some but not all those usually eligible for a free flu jab. It follows patients' calls for clarity. The government said it was following independent experts' advice. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 February 2021
  24. News Article
    Tens of thousands of nurses across the UK have not had their first coronavirus vaccine, sparking fears that they could contract COVID-19 or infect patients. A Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey of 24,370 nurses found that 85% had had at least one dose, with the remaining 15% unvaccinated. The findings show that the government is in danger of failing to deliver one of the main elements of its pledge that all 15 million Britons in the top four priority groups for immunisation – which includes all health and social care staff – should have been offered a first shot by next Monday, 15 February. “It is extremely worrying that, as our survey suggests, many thousands of nursing staff have yet to be given their COVID-19 vaccine less than a week before the government’s deadline,” said Dame Donna Kinnair, the RCN’s chief executive and general secretary. “With only days to go, every effort must be made to reach all nursing staff to ensure their protection and that of the patients and vulnerable people they care for.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 February 2021
  25. News Article
    People aged 70 or older in England who have not yet had their coronavirus vaccine but would like to are being asked to contact the NHS. A national booking system can be accessed online or people can call 119 free of change between 7am and 11pm. At a Downing Street news briefing, deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam urged people to get the vaccine "without delay". "Protect yourself against the clear and present danger," he said. He said the vaccines worked very well against the "immediate threat" of the Kent variant of coronavirus circulating in the UK. Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 February 2021
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